A Whole Lotta Spidey: Which Modern Spider-Man is Superior?

Following the release of the trailer for the latest addition in the Spider-Man franchise, Marvel is set to treat audiences both casual and die-hard of the world to “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. The trailer alone seems to suggest that current recipient of the web-head title, Tom Holland, will have to deal with life after having his secret identity as the masked web slinger revealed to the world.

But today, we’re not here to talk about that trailer in particular (but trust me, there will be plenty of time to delve deep into the weird and wacky adventures of Spider-Man come Christmas when the movie is released in theatres), that is because it has been highly rumoured that previous incarnations of Spider-Man: Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are set to appear in the new movie alongside Holland so I felt it would only be correct to decide once and for all who played the role the best!

Disclaimer: this piece is entirely based around my own opinions all of which are subjective, it is in no way diminishing any portrayal of the character.

Let’s start right at the beginning: Tobey Maguire. Maguire played the role from the years 2002 to 2007 and appeared in three movies (Spider-Man 1 to 3). As a young child and pre-teen I adored Maguire in the role and felt his portrayal was dramatic, somewhat camp at times (we’ve all seen Spider-Man 3) but most importantly memorable. Maguire paved the way for where the character is today and his adventures as a struggling newspaper photographer by day and crime fighting vigilante by night provided a sort of realism to the role as Maguire represented the working class 20-something who was stuck in a world of mundane insignificance.

Iconic look

Maguire’s influence definitely had an impact on his successor, Andrew Garfield; Garfield’s stories took place at a time when Peter Parker was a high school student attempting to navigate his way through the trials and tribulations of teen life whilst also having to fight crime by night and ensure that his homework was complete for the next day. Garfield added an element of innocence to the character but also built upon the dark, tortured soul that Maguire introduced us. He did so in a way that made it seem fresh but also familiar. Seeing Garfield take on a big corrupt corporation as, essentially, a child was inspiring as it represented the fight we have as humans when it comes to the all too familiar feeling of watching an underdog attempt to prove themselves.

Finally, we have our current incarnation, Holland. Tom Holland seems to have taken the best parts of both Maguire and Garfield for his portrayal of the character and because of this we see a Spider-Man that is almost “cute” in nature but also someone that really wants to prove himself as worthy whilst ensuring that he protects himself and his loved ones from danger. Holland’s Spider-Man wants to be a teenager, he wants to enjoy himself but he also has the constant moral conflict inside because he knows he has a responsibility to protect those around him and that, although at times it might feel like a curse, he has been given a gift…a chance.

So now that we’ve discussed the highly versatile portrayals of this iconic character the question remains, who is the best? Well my personal favourite has got to be Garfield but there will always be a soft-spot with my inner child for Maguire and of course since seeing what he can do I have become such a fan of Holland.

If the rumours are true and these three join forces in the next movie then we are truly onto something exciting, and I cannot wait to see what this means for the series and the Marvel cinematic universe as a whole.

Check out the new trailer here:

Want to relive some old school Spidey action, check out this collection of the Rami and Amazing Spiderman.

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