…and they all lived happily ever after. Kind of.

Most superhero movies have a happy ending. Don't worry, we won't spoil any of them for you, except to say that if your hero is on the poster or, even better, their name (or team name) is in the title of the flick, they're probably going to make it out of the movie alive. Overall, this is a very good thing.

Spider-Man's ending, by contrast, is bittersweet. Sure, he saves the day and finally gets the girl, but his best friend has sworn revenge on him, and he has to tell the girl "thanks, but no thanks" after she passionately confesses her love for him.

Ouch.

At the end of the movie, Peter realizes the extent of what it means to be Spider-Man—the responsibility and sacrifice of it all. He can't get close to Mary Jane, the girl he's been in love with since he was 6 years old because he doesn't want to put her in danger.

Then there's the pesky little matter of Harry vowing to kill Spider-Man to avenge his dad's death. What Harry doesn't know, of course, is that his dad was a murderous psychopath and his best bud is Spider-Man. Whoops.

Setting aside the coda added after the September 11th attacks that features Spider-Man posing in front of an American flag, Spider-Man's narrative concludes on a bleak note—they're at a funeral—but, like any good comic-book flick, it leaves the door wide open for a sequel or two.