Peter Parker can stick to walls, lift a car, and swing on webs through the canyons of New York City. Every day, he must chose: Do I make myself happy as Peter Parker, or do I do the responsible thing and help people as Spider-Man? In the wake of the first Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) lives a lonely existence alone in Manhattan, doing his best to keep up with this college coursework while protecting New York as Spider-Man. Spider-Man wins; Peter Parker loses. Because Spider-Man 2 and Sam Raimi truly believed in Spider-Man, and the importance of being earnest.