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Director Sam Raimi, a self-professed comic book geek when it comes to Spider-Man, was clearly the right man for the job when it came to making movies about the wall-crawling superhero.

More than just a Spidey fan, Raimi was particularly interested in developing the character of Peter Parker, the web slinger's very human—and very flawed—alter ego.

Sony Pictures knew they had the right man when they hired Raimi, now 47, seven years ago for the job. And it's paid off—earning the studio a whopping $1.6 billion worldwide through the first two films.

That figure is sure to soar—possibly to as much as $3 billion when it's all said and done—as Spider-Man 3, which cost a reported $250 millions to make, swings into theaters this week (late Thursday night in some markets, Friday everywhere else).

A huge part of the franchise's popularity has been Raimi's treatment not just of the action hero in the spider suit, but of the young man underneath. Raimi's direction and Tobey Maguire's acting have made Peter/Spidey arguably the most popular comic book icon in film history.

Christians have been among those embracing the protagonist, in part because Raimi has been unafraid to clearly include biblical themes and spiritual imagery in the films.

Spidey 2 (2004) might well have been subtitled The Passion of Peter Parker, as the hero wrestled with whether or not he wanted to be a "savior" of sorts. And when he saves the runaway train near the movie's end—in a crucifixion pose, with a wound in his side and holes in his wrists, no less—and then goes through a symbolic death, burial and resurrection … well, let's just say it's quite a spiritual moment.

Raimi doesn't hold back from the spiritual imagery in Spider-Man 3, either, as the main character wrestles with a dark side he never knew he had. The movie's tagline is "The Battle Within," and the story is reminiscent of Paul's struggle with his sinful nature in Romans 7: "I do not understand what I do," the apostle writes. "For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do."

The film is rife with themes of love, friendship, pride, vengeance, confession, repentance, forgiveness and redemption. No kidding—it's all there … not to mention a critical scene in a church that I won't say much about here.

Sam Raimi on the set

In the studio's official press kit, Raimi sounds like a Sunday school teacher when he says that in this story, "Peter has to put aside his prideful self. He must put aside his desire for vengeance. He has to learn that we are all sinners. He has to learn forgiveness."

Wow.

Two weeks ago, I flew to Los Angeles for a press screening and to interview Raimi and members of the Spidey cast. I didn't get to talk with any of them one-on-one, but in roundtable discussions, I was able to ask Raimi and others about the spiritual themes explored in the film, as well as the development of the protagonist's character.

"This story was pretty much set up by the first two pictures," Raimi said. "It was about sorting out how best to conclude these storylines and where our character, Peter Parker, had to grow next to as a human being.

"Peter learns different life lessons in each of these films. We felt that the most important thing that he has to learn now is about this whole concept of him as the avenger. He feels he's the hero who, with each criminal he brings to justice, he's paying down this debt of guilt he feels about the death of Uncle Ben."

Peter needed to be humbled

Raimi went on to say that Peter needed to be humbled.

"Peter considers himself a sinless person compared to these villains," he said. "We felt it would be great for him to learn a less black-and-white view of life—that's he's not above these people, that he's not just the hero, that they're not just the villains, but we're all human beings. He had to learn that he himself might have some sin within him, and that other human beings—the ones he calls the criminals—have humanity within them. And that the best we can do in this world is to not strive for vengeance, but for forgiveness."

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Related Elsewhere:

Why We Love Comic Book Movies	Printer view
Sure, the special effects are great, but there's something more drawing us to these fantastic stories.

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The Passion of Peter Parker	Printer view
Spider-Man is the alter ego of a very human—and fallible—teen who may not be messianic, but sure understands that there's power in weakness.