As we wind our way through this years crop of student guest-hosts for this column, we present you with a classic pop culture conundrum from Miguel Brand.

Who Is the Best On-Screen Spider-Man?

By: Miguel Brand

It’s only April, and yet here we are again, just months away from a new Spider-Man movie hitting our screens as Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel’s newest movie in the Tom Holland era of Spider-Man. With the movie hitting the big screen on July 31st, many fans are left speculating as to whether this is the last we see of Tom in the webbed suit, or if it is, in fact, the start of another trilogy. No other live-action Spider-Man has seen the set of a fourth solo film, with Tobey Maguire having done three and Andrew Garfield two films respectively.

Additionally, Tom’s movies have proven to be some of the most financially successful of the franchise, with Spider-Man: No Way Home grossing $804,793,477 in its lifetime, almost double that of the next highest-grossing film in the franchise (Tobey Maguire’s first Spider-Man film, which grossed $403,706,375). With each new release starring Holland, a wave of commotion erupts as fans across the globe once again argue as to their favorite, or the “best” Spider-Man. Well, after consulting multiple sources across the internet, I considered several different factors to possibly come to an answer for this never-ending debate. One that hopefully satisfies geeks and casual fans alike.

I based my findings on a couple of different factors. The first is how the actor acted when they were in the suit. Were their powers akin to those which Spider-Man has in the comics? Does he have the same flair? The same charisma? Next is who the actor was outside of the suit. How did they act as Peter Parker? Were they nerdy enough? Young enough? The perfect level of attractiveness? With this criteria I aim to not only determine the best Spider-Man, but also who best brought these movies to life for audiences across the globe.

Powers

As far as the man in the suit is concerned, the history of Spider-Man makes it difficult to decide which Spider-Man is the most lore accurate in correlation to powers from the comics. To start, Spider-Man, in many of the comics, makes his own web shooters, which goes against the organic webbing portrayed in the Maguire trilogy, with both Garfield and Holland, respectively, building their web shooters. (Although there are a select number of novelists who decided for their Spider-Men to have organic webs.) On a separate note, Maguire’s hero does best capture the true raw strength, with several impressive feats, including lifting a metal wall and stopping a speeding train. Holland’s Spider-Man has several honorable mentions right up there in feats of strength, though many of which cannot be attributed solely to Parker, as he often wields some sort of Stark Industries enhanced suit. This being said, it is Garfield’s portrayal that is said to have the closest in terms of how Spider-Man moved in the comics, often choosing to acrobatically dodge rather than brute force through dangerous scenarios.

Spider Personality

If there have been any inconsistencies in the radioactive powers of the spider, there have been even greater inconsistencies in the way in which Peter acts. It is for this reason that many fans enjoyed the casting of Tom Holland at 19/20 at the time of filming his first film; he was the closest a Spider-Man had ever been to Parker’s actual perceived age of 17/18 in most of the comics. However, Holland’s portrayal has largely roped itself into the MCU, which goes against the comic Spider-Man lone wolf tendency. These facts aside, the comics are too diverse in their portrayals of personality, with several opting for a more witty Spider-Man, while others choose a more dramatic and serious tone, with several early Spider-Man renditions having less humor and more roasting by the protagonist. This makes it so that the portrayal by any of the three, whether it be Maguire, Garfield, or Holland, isn’t “incorrect” but rather seen as the director’s creative choice.

Peter Parker

Concerning the portrayal of Peter Parker, his fans are once again split. Several fans claimed Andrew Garfield was “too handsome” to play Peter Parker, as he was supposed to be an overlooked, nerdy individual. Others claim that the precedent of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man made it so that Spider-Man couldn’t be handsome in the slightest, and as a character had to be someone borderline unlikable at points. These are once again all the director’s creative choices as Peter across comics has had different love interests, differing levels of ego, and different levels of social status. One thing that Maguire and Garfield’s portrayals do have in common, however, is their level of seriousness, as Maguire’s in particular has darker undertones, which many fans, up until recent movies, hadn’t seen in Holland’s movies. It is for this reason that fans across the internet have celebrated trailers of Brand New Day as Holland’s Parker seems to allude to a more adult Spider-Man as Peter has grown out of his high school era of slinging.

Conclusion

The reality of this debate is that no one answer is going to appease all parties. Some have stuck with the Spidey they grew up with, while others choose the one they believe best represents the “comics” (despite the hundreds of iterations). Which Spider-Man is the best? I believe the best Spider-Man we have is the one we have right now, as Tom Holland not only has shown a character arc the other two never did, but is the right age, has the right balance of humor and seriousness, while still providing fun to follow storylines. I believe that whoever the light shines on in the present faces the loudest noise, and it is only once he is done that people will realize how well he portrayed the character. I guess we will have to wait and see if this is his last, and if not, we will enjoy the ride.