Spider-Man 2

Two years after Norman Osborn 's death, Peter Parker struggles to balance his crime-fighting as Spider-Man with other commitments. He juggles multiple jobs and faces overdue rent and schoolwork as his Aunt May is being evicted. Daily Bugle owner J. Jonah Jameson slanders Spider-Man in the paper, and Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn , blames Spider-Man for his father's death and resents Peter for not revealing his identity.

To protect her from his enemies, Peter has distanced himself from Mary Jane Watson , despite their unspoken romantic feelings. Tired of Peter's secrets, Mary Jane agrees to marry Jameson's astronaut son John . Harry uses OsCorp to fund the development of a fusion power machine by nuclear scientist Otto Octavius , who befriends and mentors Peter. During a public demonstration, Octavius wears a harness with four powerful mechanical tentacles controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) to interact with the machine.

Though initially successful, the fusion reaction destabilizes, threatening mass destruction, but Octavius refuses to shut down the machine. Before Peter can cut the power, the power surges kill Octavius's wife. The harness becomes fused to Octavius's body, and the inhibitor chip restricting the tentacles' AI is destroyed. Octavius is taken to a hospital where doctors attempt to surgically remove the harness, but the tentacles violently defend themselves.

He flees to a decrepit harbor warehouse, where the tentacles corrupt his mind and convince him to rebuild the machine to prove it works. Octavius robs a bank to fund his plan and takes May hostage, but Peter rescues her. Overwhelmed by stress, exhaustion, and his conflict between wanting a normal life and his responsibilities as Spider-Man, Peter's powers begin to fade. He gives up being Spider-Man and rejects his late Uncle Ben 's wish for him to use his powers responsibly.

Embracing civilian life, Peter excels at university and sees Mary Jane perform in an off-Broadway play mending his relationship with her. Peter also confesses his responsibility in Ben's death to May to assuage her guilt; though initially shocked, she forgives him. Despite his lost powers, Peter later saves a child from a burning building, but another person dies. Believing he could have saved them both as Spider-Man, Peter concludes that his responsibilities as Spider-Man outweigh his personal happiness.

Octavius completes his enhanced machine and confronts Harry, demanding the rare isotope tritium to fuel it. Harry agrees in exchange for Octavius bringing him Spider-Man, instructing Octavius to use Peter to find him. Realizing she does not love John, Mary Jane meets with Peter at a café to confess her feelings, but he lies that he does not reciprocate. Octavius attacks the pair and kidnaps Mary Jane to coerce Peter into finding Spider-Man.

Peter's powers fully return, and as Spider-Man, he fights Octavius atop a New York City Subway train. Octavius sabotages the train, forcing Peter to use all his strength to stop it from plunging into the New York Harbor . Despite the passengers' efforts to protect him, Octavius captures the weakened Peter and delivers him to Harry. Harry unmasks Spider-Man, discovering Peter's true identity.

Peter persuades Harry to help him save Mary Jane, leading him to Octavius's lair. The larger fusion reaction destabilizes again and Peter unmasks himself to convince Octavius to resist the tentacles' influence and help him. Octavius, acknowledging his folly, sacrifices himself to drown the machine in the bay. Peter rescues Mary Jane, who now knows his secret, and admits that while he loves her, he cannot be with her.

Meanwhile, Harry sees a vision in a mirror of Norman demanding vengeance. Harry refuses to hurt Peter and shatters the mirror, revealing a storeroom of Norman's Green Goblin equipment. On her wedding day, Mary Jane abandons the ceremony and runs to Peter's apartment, telling him her choice to be with him despite the risk. Their kiss is interrupted by police sirens, and Mary Jane encourages him to go help as Spider-Man.