Who is the Best Spiderman?

Spider-Man, being one of the most relatable comic book characters of all time has been portrayed by three different actors in attempts to perfect the wall crawler on the big screen. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield have had their turn as the wall crawler. Now, Tom Holland has taken on the role in last summer’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. With the three different representations of Spider-Man at hand, one is the most accurate to the comic book pages of Spider-Man.

Tobey Maguire, the one who started it all in the cinematic universe, portrayed the webslinger almost perfectly in the first trilogy. Spider-Man is not complete without Peter Parker. One of the hero’s biggest struggles is balancing the double life of being Spider-Man in order to protect his loved ones. Tobey Maguire’s rendition captures this very well in his constant challenge of keeping the ones he loves safe, even if it means distancing himself as Peter. However, his screen time as Spider-Man lacks. Sure, the battles against his biggest foes are epic and present a lot at stake, but the character is not completely there. There are barely any quips or smart remarks, which is a staple in how Spider-Man interacts with his antagonists. Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of Spider-Man is great, but not quite the best.

Andrew Garfield was next to take the role of Spider-Man in the “Amazing Spider-Man” reboot. This time, the writing for the character was pure fan service. Spider-Man was at his best in costume quipping his way through fights and being very charismatic. On the other hand, Peter Parker was not at all what he should have been. In this franchise, Peter is confident and takes on a “too cool for school” persona. Audiences see him skateboarding in the halls, being late for class and intentionally humiliating his school nemesis, Flash Thompson. That is not at all who Peter Parker is. The only redeeming aspect of Parker is his chemistry with his love interest, Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. Gwen Stacy, Peter’s first love, plays a big part in his character arc in the comics and it is done well in this franchise. Both actors were romantically involved off screen, making Stone and Garfield’s chemistry on screen outstanding. While Spider-Man was entertaining on screen, Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker failed to capture the complete essence of the character.

Currently, Tom Holland wears the mask as Spider-Man and he portrays the most comic book accurate webhead to date. In “Spiderman: Homecoming”, Peter Parker is fifteen years old and a sophomore in highschool. Previous incarnations missed their mark with his age while this one finally does it right. In the comic books, Peter Parker is a teenager going through the trials of high school. Tom Holland’s version of the character captures this perfectly. The film shows Peter going to his first party and asking his crush to homecoming. In both situations Peter is awkward and shy. But, in the costume he loves being Spider-Man and Holland’s performance shows for it. Holland’s youthfulness and balance between the superhero and the teenage kid are what make his portrayal of Spider-Man the best to grace the big screen.