The Spiderman 3 Movie (2007): Cast, Plot and Ending Explained

Spider-Man 3 begins with Peter Parker at the happiest point of his double life, and the setup is simple to follow even if you have not seen the earlier films. Peter is happy as Spider-Man, the city cheers him, and he plans to propose to Mary Jane Watson after her Broadway debut. During a date in Central Park, a small meteorite lands nearby and an alien black substance attaches itself to his moped.

Trouble arrives from two other directions at once. Peter's friend Harry Osborn learns that Peter is Spider-Man, blames him for his father's death, and attacks him using his father's Goblin gear. After a fall Harry loses his memory, and Peter's life calms for a while. Meanwhile an escaped convict, Flint Marko, is caught in a science experiment and becomes the shape-shifting Sandman.

If you are new to the saga, the spider man movies in order guide shows where this film sits, and the main spider man characters page covers the wider cast.

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker is taken over by an alien symbiote, fights Sandman and Harry Osborn, and finally destroys Venom. Spoilers follow for the whole film, which is a chain of three conflicts that all land on Peter at once: a symbiote that changes his personality, a villain tied to his past, and a friend turned enemy.

Peter is enjoying public praise and wants to marry Mary Jane, but her stage career is struggling and the two start to drift apart. The black alien symbiote from the meteorite bonds with Peter's suit, making him stronger but also arrogant and aggressive. Harry attacks Peter as the New Goblin, suffers a head injury and forgets Peter's secret. Police captain Stacy reveals that Flint Marko, now the Sandman, was the real killer of Peter's Uncle Ben.

Driven by rage, Peter fights Sandman in the subway and appears to destroy him. He also humiliates the rival photographer Eddie Brock at the Daily Bugle by exposing his faked photos. Wearing the dark suit, Peter flirts with Gwen Stacy to hurt Mary Jane, treats his friends cruelly and badly injures Harry in another fight. Harry regains his memory and tricks Mary Jane into leaving Peter.

After Peter accidentally strikes Mary Jane, he realizes what the suit is doing to him. He uses the sound of a church bell to tear the symbiote off, but Brock takes it on and becomes Venom. Venom and Sandman team up and seize Mary Jane to lure Spider-Man into a trap. Harry learns the truth about his father's death and joins Peter in the fight.

Harry is fatally wounded while saving Peter, and Peter destroys Venom with a sonic blast and a pumpkin bomb, which also kills Brock. Marko explains that Ben's death was an accident, Peter forgives him, and Marko drifts away as sand. After Harry's funeral, Peter and Mary Jane reconcile and dance together.

Spider-Man 3 reached Australian theaters on May 3, 2007, and opened in the US and the UK on May 4, 2007. The Numbers lists the US and Australian dates and TMDB lists the UK date.

Box Office Mojo, The Numbers and TMDB do not confirm a premiere city or venue for Spider-Man 3, so none is stated. The film opened in Australia a day ahead of North America and Britain.

Spider-Man 3 ends on forgiveness: Peter chooses not to take revenge on Flint Marko, Harry is fatally wounded saving Peter, and Peter and Mary Jane are back together after the funeral. The film leaves Peter's life changed but open, with no direct setup for a sequel.

What happens to Venom? Venom is destroyed in the final fight, and Eddie Brock dies with the symbiote he could not give up. Peter humiliates Brock at the Daily Bugle earlier on, so Brock arrives at the symbiote with a grudge of his own, and Peter destroys the creature with a sonic blast and a pumpkin bomb.

Why does Marko matter more than the monster? The Sandman scene is the true ending, because Marko explains that Ben's death was an accident and Peter forgives him before Marko drifts away as sand. After Peter nearly destroys him in the subway, the choice to let go is the opposite of what the dark suit pushes him toward.

Why is the film so debated? The film is crowded because the symbiote, Sandman and the New Goblin compete for screen time with Peter and Mary Jane's strained engagement plans. The clearest contrast is with Spider-Man 2, which kept one main villain and gave Peter more room. That being said, Harry's last act is the most affecting turn in the story, and it pays off a friendship built across all three films.

The next film in release order, The Amazing Spider-Man, starts a separate universe, so this is where the Raimi story stops. For the wider order, see the spider man timeline.

Spider-Man 3 is set in New York City, but no shooting locations have been confirmed by Box Office Mojo, The Numbers or TMDB. The story itself moves between Central Park, the subway, the Daily Bugle, a Broadway stage and a church.

Spider-Man 3 trivia includes a run of small roles that are easy to miss. Bruce Campbell appears as the Maître D', Elizabeth Banks plays Miss Brant, and Ted Raimi plays Hoffman.

The credits carry a few other names worth spotting. Stan Lee is credited as an executive producer, and the story credit also names him alongside Steve Ditko. For the full lineup of films, head to the spider man movies hub.