The Real Debate: The Best Spider-Man 

The Real Debate: The Best Spider-Man 

Jade Christiansen, contributor

Most everyone seems to have fallen under the spell of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, me included. People often debate plot points, characters, or anything else they can get their hands on. Things like: Which avenger is the strongest? Who would win, Justice League or the Avengers? But there has been a new debate among fans, after the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home… Which of the three Spider-Actors truly played their character the best? 

Our own school even participated in a survey about which actor took the cake. The results were completely clear: Andrew Garfield is the best Spider-Man. And frankly, I could not agree more! Garfield not only steals the show in No Way Home but has the best performance in his movies. 

While Tobey Maguire’s (who played Peter Parker from 2002-2007) Movies have much more of a sense of comedy and wit, they do not particularly shine compared to others. The action sequences lack in keeping you on the edge of your seat. His movies may sometimes tug at the heartstrings, but they are quite fast-paced and hard to catch up with if you happen to miss something. There are also a lot of scenes where Maguire’s Peter Parker embarrasses himself. Which, I do not know about others, but secondhand embarrassment is one of the worst feelings in the world. It does not pass off as comedic. One particular scene is described, BY HANNAH WIGANDT, as, “… one of the most cringy scenes in film history.”  The scene mentioned in the article is where Maguire’s Peter is infected by the Venom symbiote and is wildly full of himself. He takes to dancing in the streets, and finger-gunning at women, bringing a sense of shame not only to himself, but to the audience as well.  

Yes, Kirsten Dunst’s performance as Mary Jane is almost breath-taking, but her and Peter’s on-again, off-again relationship is quite disheartening. The audience desires to see some sort of ending for the happy couple, but their last scene together happens to be holding the dead body of their shared best friend, Harry Osborne. And yes, it is an awful thing, but we waited three movies for these people to get together! 

Tom Holland’s (Peter Parker from 2016-present) Spider-Man movies make up with comedy and amazing special effects, for what they are missing in the charm department. Holland has the boyish sense of what you would expect Peter Parker to be like. However, I have one small nitpick: too attractive! You cannot tell me every girl in school would not be attached at the hip with this guy, and you want me to believe people think he’s a loser? News flash, no one thinks you’re a dork for enjoying the Star Wars films. 

Zendaya does a phenomenal job as MJ, bringing a bit more personality to the character. But the chemistry between her and Holland only seems to flourish off-screen.  

Finally, Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker (played from 2012-2014) is who really knows how to do it. His movies have the perfect amount of charm, comedy, and action. The film does not rely on embarrassing Parker, but rather relies on the environment and scenes themselves. Garfield steals the show with his sarcasm and genuine nerd-ness. His approach to playing Spider-Man is wonderfully executed and he acts like a teenager! “This Spider-Man wasn’t afraid to get realsomething the other incarnations never attempted to shed light on.” An article on Collider, by Michael John Petty, explains exactly why people should give The Amazing Spider-Man films another chance. The film shows that Peter Parker is actually intelligent and that he knows what he is doing. It also shows the backstory of Parker’s parents, something neither of the other films delivers. The action sequences are easy to understand and enjoyable to see. The special effects are exciting to see behind the scenes. The cast delivers a specific charm to the characters that you do not see anywhere else. 

Emma Stone absolutely shines as the first Gwen Stacy, bringing a loving and childish relationship to the screen. There is nothing I can say, other than they are adorable. 

And finally, more and more fans are advocating for another film. Both of the other actors received a trilogy, yet Garfield did not. #MakeTASM3 has been trending since No Way Home came out, and I can confidently say that Garfield is receiving the recognition he deserves. 

I know what everyone will ask: Why wasn’t Simu Liu included on this list? It’s because his excellence can’t even be measured.