to Tom Holland's portrayal of the character over the past couple of years—so what exactly has lead us to this point?

Spider–Man was first seen on the screen in the 1970s in a 13–episode television series which ran between ‘77 and ‘79. The series was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and was the first full–length live–action television series based off of Marvel Comics. Columbia Pictures was bought by Sony in 1989, and Sony remains the owner of the rights to Spider–Man on the small screen. However, the film rights for Spider–Man were initially owned by MGM. In 1999, Sony and MGM were facing off; Sony was planning to make a James Bond television series, undermining MGM’s hold on the 007 film franchise, and MGM intended to make a Spider–Manfilm. The two then traded rights, leaving Peter Parker entirely in Sony’s hands.

The introduction of Spider–Man into the film universe was in 2002 with Sam Raimi’s trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, famous for the upside–down kiss and the scene where the direction of the wind and the Mary Jane’s hair don’t seem to match. Overall, Spider–Man was a commercial success and the beginning of what would become a notable revival of the superhero film in the 2000s, moving away from campy works such as Batman & Robin (1998) and The Fantastic Four (1994). While the style of Raimi’s films is certainly comedic, it enjoyed critical acclaim and marked a brighter, more quippy style of superhero film that would become emblematic of the Marvel universe moving forward.

Maguire's reign ended after