Spider-Man: Brand New Day is well on its way to swinging into theaters, and Tom Holland has already started suiting up.
The last time we saw Spidey on the big screen, he was sharing it with his predecessors, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. That got me thinking: who is the best Spider-Man?
All of them… or none of them? They’re all awesome in their own way.
Today, we’re going to break down each actor’s portrayal of the web-head in their respective films, and explore how Spider-Man: No Way Home re-opened the book of possibilities for future Spider-Man crossovers.
Tobey Maguire: The Godfather of the Spider-Trio
We’ll start at the beginning of Spider-Man in cinema (not counting the Japanese version) with the Godfather of the Spider-trio: Tobey Maguire.
Tobey was cast as Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s highly acclaimed and much-loved Spider-Man trilogy, which was originally planned as a series of four movies until Sony scrapped it in 2009. In these films, Peter starts as a mumbling, dorky, unlucky, and unpowered high school student. For simplicity, we’ll call this the “pre-powered Peter Parker” phase. Say that five times fast—I’ll wait.
Tobey plays this portion of the role with a soft, Golden-Age-inspired approach. This version of Peter feels out of place in New York, and that is intentional. These movies were made with a style and tone we hadn’t seen in a modern comic book movie, similar to Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of Clark Kent in Richard Donner’s Superman.
Yes, he’s clearly in his mid-twenties playing a teenager, but that’s true for the entire “teen” cast—Joe Manganiello plays Flash Thompson, for God’s sake.
Tobey’s casting was almost a long shot. To differentiate himself from the likes of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Leonardo DiCaprio, he dialed his charm all the way down. The actor had this to say about playing the role:
INSERT TOBEY QUOTE CLIP
Tobey’s Arc: From Peter Parker to Spider-Man
Peter’s arc in this trilogy is robust. In the first film, he gets the spider bite, Uncle Ben dies, Tobey cries painfully and realistically, and we move from the pre-powered Peter into Spider-Man.
Tobey delivers a misguided but morally sound Peter Parker with great power, blending in a slightly campy confidence as Spider-Man. This creates a duality: the insecure, meek Peter versus the strong, attention-grabbing Spider-Man—a dynamic unique to Tobey’s portrayal.
In Spider-Man 2, the best in the trilogy, the angst and rage in Peter intensify while Spider-Man gains more experience and charisma.
Fun fact: Maguire was nearly replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal due to a pay dispute with Sony and a severe back injury on the set of Seabiscuit.
Tobey’s Later Films
In Spider-Man 3, we see even more emotional conflict and villain overload. While many criticize the film, Tobey’s performance is not the issue. The writing and directing were the real challenges. Tobey convincingly portrays a delusional Peter, making us cringe yet empathize.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tobey returns as a wise, elder Spider-Man with 25 years of experience, embodying the true meaning of his uncle’s famous words: With great power comes great responsibility. His performance spans from heartfelt sadness to playful goofiness, creating a dynamic and well-rounded Spider-Man.
Andrew Garfield: The Relatable Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield represents our most “relatable” Spider-Man—not because of the movies or writing, but because of his emotional and passionate performance.
Unlike Tobey, Garfield’s Peter fits in with the world around him. He portrays a sarcastic, almost unknowable teen, who doesn’t start out sweet. This Peter and Spider-Man are more similar to one another, with less duality than Tobey’s version.
Garfield’s Spider-Man initially feels less heroic, moving with lankier, more Spider-like agility, capturing a live-action Todd McFarlane vibe. While Tobey excelled in quips and awkward humor, Garfield’s awkwardness feels raw and realistic.
His character arc continues in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, though many fans consider it unfinished. Garfield shines in portraying Peter’s loneliness—a young hero burdened by responsibility. This emotional depth is why his No Way Homescenes resonated so strongly.
Tom Holland: The MCU’s Young Spider-Man
Tom Holland is the latest Spider-Man and the most “Marvel-ized,” but also the most age-appropriate.
If Tobey is the Golden-Age OG and Garfield the modern reimagining, Holland is the tech-savvy younger sibling. Introduced in Captain America: Civil War, this Peter starts already partially developed as Spider-Man, skipping much of the pre-powered phase.
Holland’s Spider-Man is naive, optimistic, and a true kid at heart. By the end of No Way Home, he experiences the largest character growth, completing a coming-of-age arc.
Where Tobey and Garfield were defined by the death of Uncle Ben, Tom’s Peter hasn’t faced that trial yet—giving him room for future growth and learning the hard lessons Spider-Man fans crave.
Ranking Spider-Man Suits
Here’s a fun ranking of primary Spider-Man suits, from least favorite to favorite:
- The Iron Spider
- TASM Suit
- Night Monkey Suit
- Civil War Suit / MCU Suit
- Spider-Man 3 Black Suit
- Spider-Man (Sam Raimi Suit)
- Brand New Day Suit
- TASM 2 Suit
Homemade suits ranking:
- Garfield’s: worst
- Holland’s: fun and whacky
- Tobey’s: best
Who’s My Favorite Spider-Man?
Surprise twist: my favorite Spider-Man is Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales. But if we’re sticking to live-action Tobey, Garfield, and Holland, it’s Tobey—despite my personal bias against him as an actor. His Spider-Man just resonates with me the most.
Also worth noting: Nicolas Cage will portray Spider-Man in Prime’s upcoming Spider-Man: Noir series, which looks promising.
Who’s your favorite Spider-Man? Drop it in the comments!
The post Spider-Man Actors Ranked: We take a definitive look at all the webslinging stars appeared first on JoBlo.
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