10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Connected
9. Spider-Man 2 And The Punisher
Before he got all gruff and sexy and Jon Bernthal-ified, The Punisher was portrayed on the big screen by Thomas Jane in a self-titled 2004 film.
Guess what other popular Marvel character got a film release that year? If you said Blade, then technically you're correct, but the answer we were looking for was Spider-Man.
Tobey Maguire's second outing as Peter Parker pitted him against a rampaging Doctor Octopus, as well as advancing his relationship with Mary-Jane Watson. The film's emotional climax sees MJ running through New York City after abandoning her own wedding, deciding she wants to be with Peter regardless of the dangers it might bring.
As the runaway bride tears through a busy park, she runs past a man dressed all in black who turns to watch her. Although it never expressly said, this is meant to be The Punisher. They even got Jane's stunt double for the role.
It's a very minor cameo, but one that's actually quite important in the grand scheme of superhero cinema. The Marvel Cinematic Universe built itself on the idea of characters from one movie turning up in another. As it turns out, the pre-MCU Spider-Man films were doing that years ahead of their time.