1. $20 (Spider-Man 2)
But there's no scene, I think in all of comic book movies, that captures realism and humanity like the one that features Aunt May, Peter, and twenty dollars. The scene starts with Peter coming home to find Harry, MJ, and his Aunt have thrown him a small surprise birthday party. After he converses a bit with Harry, we cut to later in the night when his friends have left and Peter finds a notice of foreclosure on Aunt May's home. He wakes her up from a small nap and she tells him she was dreaming about Peter's late Uncle Ben. Peter shares his worries for his Aunt, who rejects the sentiment and claims to be an independent. As she walks over to the counter, she pulls out of her purse a twenty dollar bill and puts it in his hand, telling him it's his birthday present from her. Peter, knowing she needs the money, tries to decline, telling her he can't take it, when Aunt May snaps back:
Yes, you can! You can take this money from me. For God's sake, it's not much! Now, take it! And don't you dare leave it here.
It's such a sharp, haunting contrast to the strong woman you just saw moment before, and Harris' performance and delivery is one of weary struggle and dilapidation. It's a scene that's as real as they come, and really hits home for those in financial trouble. In one more attempt to provide for the boy she considers her son, she ultimately falls apart in front of him, and Peter, in his own financial crisis, can do nothing to help her. Spider-Man has always been about a hero not
for the people, but
of the people. And if that scene doesn't capture that absolutely perfectly, I'll eat my nose.