Hello folks. Your friendly neighborhood writer-man here. This time around I am going to give my honest opinion on who I think the best main live-action Spidey is out of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Nuff said. Let’s get into it.

Tobey- Tobey was 27 when the first Spiderman was released. Although he has a dorky way about him he also possesses maturity. He has a good build, not too thick and not too skinny. Tobey definitely showed that he has an edginess to him as proven in Spiderman 3. He can play geeky but also a normal, non-insecure guy. He played the awkwardness of Peter Parker pre-spider-bite and then the more confident Parker/Spiderman post-spider-bite and this is shown at its peak in Spiderman 2 when he’s obviously got a handle at showcasing his spider abilities especially when battling Doc Ock. He uses his abilities in a variety of intelligent and clever ways and a fine example of this is when he stops the train. Tobey’s world feels large, the characters feel full of life and depth, he’s got personal connections to his villains and there are great actors that play them (Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Thomas Hayden Church). The fights are incredibly varied, entertaining, and unique and there’s chemistry between Maguire, Dunst, and Franco. Chemistry doesn’t mean it has to be good. Remember, there can also be bad reactions and bad dynamics but dynamics that get our attention nonetheless. Tobey looks good in his suit, he has the mass and like I said before he’s not fat, he’s not skinny, he’s just right. Tobey was a fast learner and balances dorkiness out with some coolness. He’s not a cool guy but he’s not incredibly dorky either. He’s well-rounded. He FITS. Peter Parker in the comics has a dark side and a rage that comes out when his loved ones are messed with and we clearly saw that. In every Sam Raimi film. He may not be the perfect Spiderman but I am still waiting for an actor to embody Spiderman better than him.

Garfield- Andrew was 29 when Amazing Spiderman released but he did not have the seniority that Tobey did or the sense that he could carry the burden. Garfield was too cool for the role of Peter Parker. The thing about Spidey that I think is hard to get right is the way he jokes. His sarcastic, snarky, and witty humour. Tobey joked a bit but he was easily the most serious because he hardly joked as Spiderman. Garfield’s iteration started hard and right off the bat when he webbed up the thug aiming a gun at him but see it didn’t come off as jokey, it came off more as being an asshole. And then he says “I just did 95% of your job” to the cops- it carries an air of arrogant wiseguy, not so much funny wiseguy. It’s not clever or punny. Another con for this Spidey is how easily he breaks things like doorknobs and faucet handles like come on, he literally has to be stepping on eggshells then just to do everyday things. Yes, I understand that it was a learning curve for Garfield’s Spiderman but he was pretty nooby compared to Maguire and it is inevitable to compare. Running around with no mask, hardly any web-swinging and getting beat by Lizard most of the time. This is about the first film of course because in the 2nd he’s more of a veteran but we’re counting everything. The Amazing Spiderman’s tone is darker, more dramatic, and bleaker than Raimi’s films. Much of it takes place at night where Maguire Spiderman by contrast has more daylight fights but also a fair share of night time duels. Garfield’s Uncle Ben wasn’t as warm as Maguire’s and it felt it like it just happened to move the plot along faster. Webb’s version wasn’t as emotional as Raimi’s version. The second film is somewhat depressing with the emo Harry Osborn plotline played ever so emo-like by Dane DeHaan. Garfield’s supporting cast isn’t memorable like Maguire’s version, the only actor who leaves a memorable impact is Rhys Ifans. Garfield does have good chemistry with Emma Stone but his movies play up the romance so much it’s cheesy like the moment when he web-lassos her to him and then kiss. Tobey’s version was not cheesy like that or maybe it actually was but Garfield’s iteration just seemed extremely on the nose and a tad unrealistic in comparison to Maguire. Jamie Foxx’s Electro was goofy more than anything and had no gravitas. Thankfully he was redeemed in NWH. Marc Webb’s films are slow and kind of boring compared to Raimi’s. The pacing is slow. Because Garfield doesn’t have the ropes down in the first one and you can tell he’s learning the game, gets beat up Lizard easily, doesn’t wear his mask or web-swing half the time and manages to get caught by Captain Stacy, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to Garfield a true Spiderman. He’s TRYING to be A Spiderman, a guy running around in a red and blue suit that looks like Spiderman but Spiderman he really is not. He’s a Spiderguy. The HUMAN SPIDER. In the words of the wrestling announcer in Spiderman 1- “that’s it, that’s the best you got? Oh that sucks.” Let me just end by reiterating that Garfield’s Spiderman was too edgy, dark, broody, and his supporting cast lacked the same chemistry that Maguire’s did save for Lizard and Gwen.

Holland- Last but not least is Tommy boy. Holland was 21 when Homecoming released making him the youngest Spiderman of the 3. This one will be shorter and more to the point. Too young and immature. Whiny voice that doesn’t sound like it’s gone through puberty. He depended on Iron Man too much and suffered from connecting to the rest of the MCU as opposed to being his own man in a straight-up Spidey film with only Spiderman-exclusive characters. Spidey was also dependent on Fury and Strange. He’s a kid. Nothing wrong with that, but Tobey is a man and Garfield carries an air of being ready to take on tougher villains whereas Holland seems in over his head. While Holland’s ferry feat actually is more impressive than the train (yes I did the math), Tobey is the go-to Spiderman because he has the physicality, the right amount of rage, and for lack of a better term, the most “professional” Spiderman, and the most intelligent and resourceful fighter of the 3. So in conclusion, it’s obvious that my choice is Maguire. With that, feel free to comment below if you disagree. Nuff said.