Who Is The Real Spiderman?

This is it. Someone who has dedicated their entire memorable life to Spiderman, not just the films, but also the comics, has to put the debate to rest: Who is the best Spiderman? The competitors? Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland. Let's take a look at all three of their performances and see how they stack up against the common personality, traits, and powers of Spiderman from the original comics. Please note that this is the result of my cumulative knowledge of Spiderman, the MCU, and the actors who have had the honor of playing your friendly neighborhood wall crawler. Let us begin.

Tobey Maguire

There is no doubt that Maguire is a talented and respected actor in every film he has been in, including the three original Spiderman movies released by Sony. But despite this, how good is he as a Spiderman? Well, hate to break it to all you Maguire simps, but he doesn’t quite cut it. While indeed he is a riveting and passionate actor, his style, personality, and age do not match up with the Spiderman that we know and love from the comic books.

In the comics, Peter is a nerdy, young, high school kid orphaned at a young age and who gets his powers at a young age, if we are to follow the Amazing Fantasy Spiderman runs. Now in those comics, Peter Parker was 29 years old, but note when he got his powers...at 15. So you die hard comic fans might say an older Spiderman (which is what Maguire’s Spiderman is) fits the bill, but notice when he got his powers. He was a college student at that time.

Furthermore, the personality of Maguire’s character is completely off. In the movies, Peter Parker is a bold, courageous, and quite strong superhero, who has fallen into his role as Spiderman quite easily. This simply does not meet the requirements of a true Spiderman. Spiderman has always been a bit timid with his approach, and he often makes up for his lack of confidence and courage with quippy one-liners and jokes as he is slinging around the city. Maguire’s Spiderman simply is too dark, brooding, and serious to be a genuine Peter Parker. Sorry, Tobey, but responsibility is not the only thing that comes with your great power.

Finally I want to point out one other nitpicky thing with the Maguire character. In the movies, Peter does not make his own web fluid; it is a result of his radioactive spider-bite. And this may seem like a small detail, but it is VERY IMPORTANT to the character of Peter Parker. The ability of Parker to create his own web fluid is paramount to Spiderman’s character because it shows the intelligence and genius of Peter Parker. Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman just is not smart enough, young enough, or witty enough to make the cut...sorry Tobey, make that crying face that has been memed to death.

Andrew Garfield

When the first Amazing Spiderman (Sony Pictures, 2012) hit the screens we Spidermen fanatics were relieved to have a fresh face, and character, to the web-slinging hero. Garfield was younger, nerdier, made his own web fluid, and we fans got to see Gwen Stacey in a film with Spiderman...how exciting! And what a performance was made by the two actors, seriously, hats off to the chemistry between Garfiled and Emma Stone. These movies introduced a fresh new dynamic to the Spiderman franchise after fans were tired and bored of the Maguire era of films. However, these films are not without their Spiderman flaws.

I want to circle back to the age issue, and I keep bringing this up, but it is very important to the character of Peter Parker, and therefore of Spiderman, himself. See, with a young high school Spiderman you have all the quality traits that make up who Spiderman is as a person. He is quirky, nerdy, likes to crack jokes, but he is also a vulnerable kid who is scared and worried a lot of the time, a kid who is trying to figure out what it all means to be a superhero. And Garfield was in high school when he got his powers, but he was a senior, and he was a little too mature for our fun-loving Spiderman.

Don’t get me wrong, the personality is much closer to what we love to see in Spiderman. Garfield was cracking jokes, he was awkward with his powers at first, he was humorous, and overall he was a blast to watch on the screen. But I think that with the age he was at, he (just as Maguire had tragically done) slipped too easily into his role and took on a more courageous and not so worried persona. And these personality traits are small, but key in connecting with Spiderman as a fan of the comics. Spiderman’s whole thing is being a friendly neighborhood crime fighter. Spiderman is someone we need to relate to, someone we can connect with. Sadly, although it was fun watching Garfield sling his way all over the city and the sewers, he doesn’t quite do it. Much, much better performance than Maguire though, much, much better indeed.

Tom Holland

And now we get to the final competitor for this challenge, though by now you already know who is the winner. Without a doubt Tom Holland’s performance as Spiderman beats out all the others by far. His acting is incredible, Holland’s own personality matches up perfectly with Peter Parker’s, and there is just something about seeing Holland fight crime on screen that takes you back to the web slinger’s comic book roots.

For one thing, Holland’s Spiderman is much younger. He is actually the age he is supposed to be when he gets his powers. And yes, I know, in the Amazing Fantasy run, Peter Parker is older, but he is still a crime fighting teen for parts of the series. At least they got his origin story correct for once. Oh, and if you are also a fan of the comics, Liz Allen is the very original love interest of Peter Parker, so Homecoming (Marvel Studios, 2017) nailed that little call-back to Amazing Fantasy. It’s so fun to nerd out and see these things come into place, I love it.

Anyways, let’s look at the personality traits of the Holland Spiderman. He is young, nerdy, quirky, and witty. Also, we get to see him actually helping the neighborhood! Whether it is catching a bike thief, or giving an elderly lady directions, Holland’s Spiderman is seen truly being himself, as he was intended to be. And yes, he goes on to fight larger battles with the Avenger’s, but even that follows the common thread of the comics, where Peter basically has to earn his place in the Avengers, not being taken seriously by Stark or the rest of the gang until later on. Also, the Holland Spiderman is very smart. He creates his own web fluid, excels at physics, and is just an overall smart guy...well book smart at least; he still has a lot to learn about how the world works.

In conclusion, the facts are all right there for you. You can read this and determine for yourself who is the greatest Spiderman to make it to the big screen. But if you are a true comic nerd and love the familiar Spiderman from Amazing Fantasy, then I believe you will agree that Holland’s Spiderman is by far the best one. And of course, Tobey Maguire is my least favorite pick for Spiderman. I think the casting crew was smoking crack when they chose Maguire, but hey, that's just my opinion. Thank you all for reading, and now let's hear all your takes on the matter, and if I missed anything or got something wrong, let me know!