**Chapter 170: Faithful to the Original**

Sam wasn't considered the right director in the eyes of Sony Columbia and Marvel, so he spent a whole hour proving his worth.

Anson, not being the friendly, boy-next-door type like Tobey Maguire, also had to expend energy to prove that he was the right choice.

In an unseen way, this was a form of intertextuality. Perhaps, it could instead become the key to moving Sam, as standing in a similar position might awaken a sense of empathy. Thus, the content of Sam's meeting would play a crucial role.

Edgar's intel provided two key pieces of information.

First, Sam is extremely knowledgeable about comics, even to the point of being considered a master.

Given Anson's half-baked understanding of the original comics, there's no need for him to show off. Otherwise, he might expose his weaknesses in front of an expert. He should only discuss what he understands, and avoid pretending to know what he doesn't.

Second, Sam is a purist.

Whether it's comics, novels, video games, or live-action films adapted from comics, all adaptations face the rigorous challenge of the purist crowd. Due to their deeply ingrained preconceptions, they have their own interpretations of the work and their own benchmarks for characters and storylines.

Naturally, purists may have their own imagined version of the characters in their minds.

This was somewhat disadvantageous for Anson, because Tobey Maguire closely fit the image of the boy-next-door from the original comics, which is why Sam favored him.

In fact, Tobey and Scott Speedman are both born in 1975, making them both 25 this year. Having them play high school students may not be entirely accurate, but Tobey's babyface, which limits his career options, turned out to be an advantage in this case.

However, the purists' image of a character is generally a vague outline; appearance is only part of it, and personality is even more important.

Perhaps Anson could start from there.

Here, there is a key piece of information. Although Iron Man became Marvel's most popular character after the success of *The Avengers*, before the release of *Iron Man*, Spider-Man was undeniably the king of popularity in Marvel Comics. He was also the only character who could rival DC's "Big Three": Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

So, what made Spider-Man so popular?

Of course, if we delve into the history of comics, the competition between Marvel and DC, as well as the changing times, all play irreplaceable roles, much like how heroes are shaped by their era. But Anson's knowledge of that history is limited. What comes to mind for him now is another key piece of information.

Stan Lee, who created Spider-Man and many other Marvel superheroes, once said in an interview:

"What makes Spider-Man unique is that he's an inexperienced high school student. He was the first superhero who had to worry about dealing with personal problems, making him very different from Superman, who was always shrouded in mystery and whose whereabouts were often uncertain in his everyday life."

In fact, it's not just Superman. Batman is a billionaire whose power lies in his wealth, Wonder Woman is an Amazonian goddess, Iron Man is another wealthy magnate, and Captain America is an official representative backed by a national scientific force, and so on.

Other superheroes also have their own troubles and dilemmas, but compared to their situations, their missions are often about saving humanity or the world—grand, sweeping issues.

Spider-Man, however, was different.

He's just a kid, and his superpowers don't possess the world-altering, earth-shattering energy—so when Disney later tried to integrate the entire Marvel Universe, they simply revamped Spider-Man's setting by enhancing his abilities with Iron Man's high-tech gadgets. This was the only way to align him with the grand theme of saving the world in the movies.

Although this allowed Spider-Man to merge into the Marvel Universe, it effectively destroyed the aspects of Spider-Man's character that originally attracted readers and set him apart from other superheroes. As a result, while the Tom Holland version of Spider-Man movies performed well at the box office, they didn't garner the same acclaim as the animated film *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*, which returned to the essence of Spider-Man's character.

In fact, when Stan Lee created Spider-Man, he specifically emphasized the various events in Peter Parker's personal life, achieving a balance that made him both similar to ordinary people yet uniquely extraordinary. This was the true charm of Peter Parker.

Sam Raimi, a "purist," fully grasped this essence. Not only did he bring it to life in the *Spider-Man* movies he directed, but he also earned widespread audience approval. This story of a superhero dealing with the struggles of high school remains one of the best of its kind even twenty years later.

Looking back at the *Spider-Man* films from his previous life, Anson remembered that when Peter Parker first acquired his superpowers, he didn't immediately aspire to be a hero. He simply wanted to earn a little extra cash. It wasn't until his own mistake indirectly led to the death of his uncle that he embarked on the path of fighting crime.

Peter Parker's youth, impulsiveness, recklessness, and innocence—these high school traits gave the character an unparalleled uniqueness. Like an ordinary person, he made mistakes; like any teenager, he needed to grow up; and like every high schooler, he had his strengths and weaknesses, stumbling through life.

Perhaps, this was Anson's breakthrough.

Moreover, the character of Michael in *The Princess Diaries* could offer some inspiration.

Both are high school students with different temperaments and interests, yet they both long to grow up. The biggest difference between the two characters is that Michael didn't get a chance to showcase himself; he had to revolve around Mia, while Peter Parker had his own space.

This meant that Anson had room to expand within the character.

So, what kind of high school student was Peter Parker?

To the audience, they were used to seeing Peter Parker as Spider-Man, but before gaining his superpowers, he was just an ordinary high school student.

Does that sound familiar?

Mia, from *The Princess Diaries*, was also just an ordinary high school student, almost invisible, before she found out she had a queen for a grandmother.

Anson remembered that Peter Parker was also a bit of a loner, often bullied, ridiculed, and teased by his classmates. So, he could draw some parallels from Mia's experiences.

A loner, a nerd, a weirdo.

But clearly, Peter Parker and Michael were different kinds of nerds. Peter loved photography and contributed photos to the school newspaper; he liked natural sciences and had some interest in biotechnology.

So, while Peter Parker liked reading, his choice of books differed from Michael's.

Bit by bit, a new image began to form in Anson's mind. He wasn't Tobey Maguire, and if he wanted to land this role, he couldn't simply imitate Tobey Maguire. Otherwise, his performance would only prove that Tobey was still the best choice for the part. He needed to bring his own colors to the character.

A spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.

Being faithful to the original might actually be a good idea for Anson.

Anson looked up at Edgar and smiled, "I've got an idea. How much time do we have before the audition?"

"Two hours," Edgar replied, still struggling to follow Anson's train of thought, his eyes filled with questions. "What are you planning?"

First chapter complete.