Welcome to the final Comic Character Spotlight of the school year! As spring comes to a close and everyone gears up for finals season, we’re going to take a bit of a detour from the singular focus typical of these highlights and instead look across a range of portrayals.
Yes, as the title indicates, this week we’ll be examining the variety of on-screen representations of an iconic Marvel figure: Spider-Man.
So, who is Spider-Man? Spider-Man is a friendly neighborhood web-slinging superhero who fights crime while doubly attending high school as Peter Parker. He was co-created by editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko and first appeared in the fifteenth issue of “Amazing Fantasy: Introducing Spider-Man” (1962).
The first actor to take on the task of bringing this beloved character to life in live action was Tobey Maguire, who starred in the “Spider-Man” trilogy between 2002 and 2007. His nerdy charm was endearing to viewers, who were excited to see the character in a live-action format after numerous comic book series and issues.
Following Maguire’s iconic portrayal of the character in the original trilogy, Andrew Garfield took on the mantle of Spider-Man in the “The Amazing Spider-Man” duology, which released films in the years 2012 and 2014. Although the films initially had a mixed reception—which can be partially owed to the belief that another live action Spider-Man series was unnecessary—Garfield introduced a witty flair to the role that separated his embodiment of the character from Maguire’s.
Finally, as Marvel Studios had regained the rights to the character from Sony—who had control over “The Amazing Spider-Man” duology—they introduced Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the midst of an action-packed scene in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016). However, the real introduction to Holland’s interpretation of Spider-Man was unveiled throughout his own trilogy, featuring the movies “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021). His films were generally well-received, although critics highlighted his heavy association with Marvel’s Iron Man.
All these interpretations finally collided in 2021, as Holland’s film “Spider-Man: No Way Home” also saw the return of Maguire and Garfield, with their Spider-Men hailing from alternate universes. The film paid a brilliant homage to fans of all forms of Spider-Man, featuring longtime villains such as Green Goblin, Doc Ock and Sandman.
Nevertheless, this begs the question: who do people deem the best Spider-Man? Junior Mikayla Henry claimed to favor Holland’s take on the character. Particularly, she spoke to Holland’s ability to capture the duality of Spider-Man’s nerdy attributes and his heroic devotion. Furthermore, she added that Holland contributes a refreshing Gen-Z flair to the character.
“He has an almost awkward, gullible quality about him as well, which makes him endearing,” Henry said. “And I mean, come on, that scene in ‘Infinity War’ when he says he doesn’t want to go? Absolutely devastating; I sobbed like a baby.”
Conversely, junior Isabella Sutter prefers Garfield’s version of the character, particularly noting his ability to capture the sarcastic characteristics of the comic book Spider-Man.
“While I enjoyed the awkward charm of Tom Holland and the nerdiness of Tobey Maguire, I think Andrew [Garfield] really captured the sarcasm and fun of the comic book version,” said Sutter.
Personally, I would say Holland’s Spider-Man has my favorite set of movies, with “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” being movies I frequently revisit. However, I would have to agree that Garfield’s witty quips—especially when interacting with police officers attempting to deter his actions as a hero—represent a sense of youthful arrogance in the character prevalent throughout the comics.
All in all, each interpretation shines a valuable light on the beloved character, and Maguire, Garfield and Holland’s interpretations simply showcase the range of personalities that can exist behind the mask. Without the existence of the varying Spider-Man trilogies and duologies, there would undoubtedly be another side to the character left to explore.
Interestingly, the multitude of Spider-Man interpretations that pervade the media is reminiscent of the frequently explored multiverse concept in both the comics and the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) film. This features an animated Miles Morales encountering a plethora of different Spider-Men. With the long-awaited upcoming sequel to the film, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023), set for a June 2 release, there will definitely be a Comic Character Spotlight covering that excitement in the fall.