After Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), many fans can disagree with the actor as the film had tremendous success at the box office. Throughout the movie, there were a lot of spectacular moments such as Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man redemptive moment catching MJ (Zendaya). All three Spider-Men were able to unite together to take on all the Spider-Man villains from previous films which led to a memorable fight with villains such as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin.
Despite having Tobey Maguire and Garfield in the movie, fans also love how Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man faced the hardest challenges yet. He saw his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) die, faced intense backlash from J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), and had to have the people he loved forget who he was. Spider-Man is a hero of hope for many, but that doesn’t mean he gets an easy life.
At a Q&A panel at Fandemic Tour Atlanta this past weekend, the actor was asked if he had watched any of Holland’s Spider-Man movies. Campbell responded by making it clear that only the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy was worth watching:
“The recent Spider-Man, was there a recent Spider-Man movie? I didn’t know, I was in the good ones. I wouldn’t know.”
Then before fans could say anything to the actor, he went forward to explain how his “pivotal” role in the Sam Raimi movies let him have a lasting impact on Spider-Man:
“In the first Spider-Man, I have what they call a cameo role. A small little role. But sir, that’s a pivotal role.”
Campbell’s role in Spider-Man (2002) was the ring announcer for the fight where he changed Maguire’s name from “The Human Spider” to Spider-Man. The actor brags that the success of the movie comes from his role:
“If my character wasn’t in that movie, this billion-dollar franchise would be called ‘The Human Spider.’ Yeah, oh yeah, I don’t like to toot my own horn, but toot toot. Enormously successful,”
Campbell went on to explain how his cameo in Spider-Man 2 (2004) was just as important as he was one of the few characters to ever truly defeat Spider-Man:
“Spider-Man tries to get into a theater to see Mary Jane [Kirsten Dunst], his girlfriend, in a play, her first Broadway play. Seemingly another cameo, another throwaway role. No, pivotal! I won’t let him into the theater because it spoils the illusion. I’m the only character who ever defeated Spider-Man, no lie. Enormously successful.”
As Campbell continues to “toot his horn” about how important he is, he didn’t stop there. With Spider-Man 3 (2007) got to play one of the few characters to ever help with a super hero’s proposal onscreen:
“I’m the French maître d’. Sure, just another cameo. ‘Just another cameo,'” Campbell mocked, “bologna! Spider-Man comes to me, the maître d’, for help proposing to Mary Jane. How many superheroes do you know who come to mortals for help? Did I help Spider-Man? No, he was kind of a dick to me in the first two movies, so no.”
Campbell then went on to explain how Maguire was super friendly and understood what type of role the actor would have in the trilogy:
“I love Tobey Maguire. I showed up in the first one, he goes, ‘Oh, you’re a friend of Sam’s? Hi! How are you?’ The second one, he goes, ‘Are you back?!’ The third one, he walks on set, ‘I guess we can’t make a Spider-Man without Bruce Campbell!’ I’m like, ‘You’re starting to get the idea, punk!'”
Doctor Strange 2 is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange in the main timeline, but he will also play other variants in the movie such as Zombie Strange, Defender Strange, and Strange Supreme.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will release in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Do you think Tobey Maguire was a better Spider-Man than Tom Holland? Do you want Campbell to appear in Doctor Strange 2? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments section below!