The
Spider-Man Trilogy is chock full of references to the original comic books.
Spider-Man:
- The film took a large amount of scenes from Spider-Man: The Animated Series:
- Green Goblin being a split personality of Norman's developed from the Goblin formula and Norman talking to him.
- The plot point of the Green Goblin going after people who wronged Norman Osborn.
- Mary Jane serving the role as a replacement for Gwen as the person who the Green Goblin kidnaps and takes to the iconic bridge.
- Spider-Man's webshooters being physically part of him rather than a device of his own invention due to being bitten by a genetically-engineered instead of radioactive spider in this version seems to be a bit of an homage to Spider-Man 2099 in which Miguel O'Hara, the futuristic Spider-Man, has a similar ability due to the differing origins of his own powers.
- Spider-Man and the Green Goblin have a fight inside a Hollywood Fire, like in the first arc of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 2:
- When suggesting names for the new supervillain, Hoffman suggests "Doctor Strange", Jameson admits that it sounds good, "but it's taken."
- Possibly, with Dr. Octopus holding Aunt May hostage. In the earlier comics, May (true to form at the time) was blissfully unaware that Dr. Octopus was a bad man, in this movie however, it's pretty clear.
- The famous "Spider-Man No More"
◊ panel is paid homage to when Peter ditches his Spider-Man costume. The story's title also appears in dialog and as the subsequent Bugle headline. - Likewise, Peter holding up a wall from Octavius' collapsing lair is reminiscent of Spidey lifting up rubble from Octavius' collapsing lair in issue #33 of ''The Amazing Spider-Man''◊.
- The fact that Otto Octavius/Doc Ock was someone Peter that personally knew was from Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Spider-Man 3:
- A gold version of the Green Goblin mask from the first movie is seen in Harry's armory. The color scheme is a reference to the Hobgoblin from the comics.
- The lizard skeleton in Curt Connors' lab when he calls Peter about the symbiote.
- The scene where Spider-Man awakens from a nightmare to find himself hanging upside-down in front of a reflective window while wearing the Black Suit is taken from Spider-Man: The Animated Series. There was also to be a scene where Peter sees a reflection of himself as Venom while looking in a reflective mirror, similar to a scene in the 1990's animated series, but it was cut out.
- The lettering that Eddie issues his challenge to Spider-Man in heavily resembles the font used for the title of the 1990s animated series.
- One early Green Goblin story from the 60s had Norman go through anmesia after an injury in a fight with Spider-Man, only to later regain them during a nervous breakdown. Harry goes through a similar arc here.
- Unlike the comics, Spider-Man successfully saves Gwen Stacy from falling to her death.
- At one point in development, Eddie was supposed to have been Stripped to the Bone as a result of wearing the symbiote for too long, which is what happened to Peter in a What If? story.
