There are many big names and popular actors that are impossible to forget in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, but others may have faded from memory. The MCU’s Spider-Man movies, starring Tom Holland, have rightfully garnered praise for how they’ve built up the hero as central to the franchise, but the charm and tone of Raimi’s trilogy will forever keep it cemented as a Marvel movie mainstay. Fortunately, there’s been a deep resurgence in appreciation for the movies thanks to Raimi directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home bringing back Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Thomas Haden Church.
As the MCU prepares for Spider-Man 4 with Holland, there’s a growing interest in Raimi and Maguire getting their own Spider-Man 4. It would be a thrilling and fantastic opportunity to reconnect with the distinct world Raimi created, especially if they can get everyone to reprise their roles. Regardless of if it happens, it’s brought on great appreciation for how this Spider-Man trilogy is a bit of a time capsule, and it would surprise those who haven’t rewatched the three films in a while just how many familiar faces there are.
12 Bryce Dallas Howard
Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy launched the careers of many actors who are household names now, including Bryce Dallas Howard. Spider-Man 3 was her first blockbuster film, in which she played Peter’s secondary love interest, Gwen Stacy. Of course, she was a central character in the movie, given her importance in the comics, but in retrospect, her legacy was largely overshadowed by Emma Stone’s turn as Gwen in The Amazing Spider-Man duology. It was more recent, and it made full use of Gwen.
Howard is perhaps best known for starring opposite Chris Pratt in the Jurassic World trilogy as Clair Dearing. Other notable roles include Hilly Holbrook in The Help, Rosalind in Kenneth Branagh’s As You Like It, and Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Nowadays, Howard is following in her father, Ron Howard’s footsteps and making a name for herself behind the camera. In addition to voicing Yaddle in Tales of the Jedi, she directed some of the best episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
11 Elizabeth Banks
Another major name audience might forget from these films is Elizabeth Banks, even though she was in all three Raimi movies. She played Betty Brant, J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary at the Daily Bugle and one of Peter’s most prolific ing characters in the comics. Betty has been equally featured in the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, played by Angourie Rice. Interestingly, Banks originally auditioned for MJ, but she was deemed to be too old for the role despite only being a year older than Tobey Maguire. She was offered Betty Brant instead.
Banks' career was already on an uptick, and the Spider-Man trilogy only help her trajectory. Some of her most recognizable roles are as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games series, Avery Jessup in 30 Rock - for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards - and Lindsay in the Wet Hot America Summer movies and tv shows. As a producer, Banks has also been central to the Pitch Perfect series, the Charlie’s Angels reboot movie, and most recently, the hit comedy-thriller Cocaine Bear.
10 Joe Manganiello
In the MCU, Flash Thompson is played by Tony Revolori, but in Raimi's Spider-Man, it was Joe Manganiello who played Peter’s classmate and bully. This was actually his first professional credit after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University. He did eventually return in a brief cameo in Spider-Man 3, but starting in such a significant blockbuster was a big propellant for this future career. He eventually went on to the cast for True Blood and starred in the Magic Mike series.
While his role as Flash didn’t develop further as Revolori’s Flash has in the MCU, Manganiello still got another shot at a major antagonist for Marvel’s rival, DC. Tragically, however, his turn as Deathstroke in Justice League was completely lost in the DCEU’s litany of problems, controversies, upheavals, and restructuring. He was even intended to be the main antagonist in Ben Affleck's Batman movie before that fell apart and was completely retooled into The Batman. Nevertheless, Manganiello could have a second life now in the DC Universe, as Deathstroke could be the perfect villain for The Brave and the Bold.
9 Dylan Baker
Spider-Man: No Way Home brought back Rhys Ifans’ the Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man as one of the villains the Peters had to figure out how to save. Intriguingly, there could’ve been an alternative version of the supervillain from Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Dylan Baker played Dr. Curt Connors, the Lizard’s benevolent human counterpart and Peter’s college professor in both Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. He never got to transform into the Lizard, but that may have been in the works before Spider-Man 4 was abandoned.
Baker can be ed for roles in films like Secretariat as Hollis Chenrey, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as Freddy Shapp, and Selma as J. Edgar Hoover. He’s also celebrated an impressive career on TV. He appeared in Law & Order initially in 2004, and he returned 17 years later for the show’s 2021 revival. His most recognizable role is for Colin Sweeney in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight, which earned him three Emmy Award nominations.
8 James Cromwell
In The Amazing Spider-Man, there was Emma Stone and Denis Leary, but in Spider-Man 3, there was Bryce Dallas Howard and James Cromwell as Gwen Stacy and her father, George Stacy, respectively. Like Leary’s George, Cromwell was an NYPD captain, but he actually ired Spider-Man, especially after the web-slinger saved his daughter’s life. As a natural progression from Spider-Man 3, Cromwell would’ve likely ed Howard for Spider-Man 4. While that never came to fruition, they did eventually reunite in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in which Cromwell played Benjamin Lockwood, John Hammond’s former business partner.
Cromwell’s career as an actor spans over half a century, starting on Broadway and eventually appearing in movies and television. One of his most recognized roles is as Arthur Hoggett in 1995’s Babe, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He’s also well known for Star Trek: First , Six Feet Under, and his Emmy Award turn in American Horror Story: Asylum. Currently, he recurs as Ewan Roy in Succession.
7 Octavia Spencer
One of the biggest surprises in rewatching Spider-Man is seeing Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer as the unnamed attendee ing Peter for the wrestling match. Unfortunately, those were the types of roles Spencer was getting at the time, but eventually, she landed The Help - best ed for the "chocolate" pie scene with Bryce Dallas Howard. Spencer’s other prominent film credits include Fruitvale Station, Hidden Figures - earning an Academy Award nomination - The Divergent Series, and Ma. She’s also celebrated an illustrious career on television with major roles in Red Band Society, Mom, Truth Be Told, and Self Made, which got her an Emmy nomination.
6 Lucy Lawless
Raimi, as many directors do, tends to work with a lot of the same actors. People know of his history with Bruce Campbell, who had recurring roles in the Spider-Man movie and subsequent return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but another popular collaborator of his is Lucy Lawless. She and Raimi first started working together on her breakout project, Xena: The Warrior Princess, for which he was a producer. Lawless is practically unrecognizable in her Spider-Man cameo as a punk rock girl.
Lawless and Raimi’s further collaborations after Spider-Man include Spartacus, in which she played Lucretia, and Ash vs. Evil Dead as Ruby with Bruce Campbell. Funnily enough, Lawless’s role in Spider-Man is one of her two Marvel projects. She also appeared briefly in the season 2 premiere of Agents of SHIELD, thus giving her a fun MCU connection.
5 Joel McHale
When Doctor Octopus first attacks in Spider-Man 2, he strikes a bank that Peter and Aunt May are conveniently at. They’re talking with a bank employee played by comedian Joel McHale. Of course, he denies their request for assistance and ends up hilariously cowering from Doctor Octopus’ attack. McHale is best known for playing Jeff Winger, the central protagonist of Community, after which he got his own show, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. Currently, he is starring in the comedy Animal Control on Fox. In the years since Spider-Man 2, McHale got his shot at being a superhero, playing Starman in Stargirl.
4 Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy is one of Broadways’ premier and most highly-respected actresses, and in Spider-Man 2, she played Rosalie Octavius, Doctor Octopus’s wife, who died in his demonstration. While her role was small, Murphy’s career, especially onstage, is anything but, having won two Tony Awards for ion in 1994 and The King and I in 1996. Disney fans will certainly recognize Murphy’s voice and singing. She played Mother Gothel, Rapunzel’s evil kidnapper, in Tangled. Meanwhile, on the TV front, Murphy’s contributed widely, including Law & Order, Mercy Street, Power, and Gossip Girl. Currently, Murphy is among the cast for HBO’s The Gilded Age as Caroline Astor.
3 Daniel Dae Kim
ing Donna Murphy in assisting Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 was Daniel Dae Kim as Raymond. At that time, he was recognizable from his recurring roles in major TV shows such as ER, Star Trek: Enterprise, and 24. Since then, he’s maintained steady work on television with major roles in Lost, Hawaii Five-0, The Good Doctor, and New Amsterdam. Kim will be playing Fire Lord Ozai in the Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action adaptation - which is fitting as he voiced General Fong in the animated series and Hiroshi Sato in The Legend of Korra.
