Key Takeaways
When it comes to actors taking on the established mantle of a comic book character, the number of different men to take on the role of Spider-Man only rivals that of Batman. Since 2002, three different performers—Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland—have played the friendly neighborhood hero, each offering a decidedly different spin on the ole’ webhead. Each comes with his own perspective and spin on Spidey, resulting in a trio of distinctive versions. And while the question was always which of the three live-action Spider-Men was the greatest, Sony’s animated Spider-Verse franchise has given fans three new Spider-Men to choose from, along with two more bangers to add to the Spider-Man movie collection.
With the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day potentially set to bring in big bucks at the summer box office, we’ve decided to rank the performances of each actor to determine who is the best Spider-Man of them all. Regardless of who ultimately ends up on top, know that each actor is an expert at capturing the character’s core tenets and translating them on screen. However, there can only be one winner, so suit up and see who swings above the rest. Here are the best Spider-Men, ranked.
Chris Pine
Spider-Man films he starred in: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Chris Pine’s Peter Parker is a crowd favorite, but may suffer from not having enough screen time. In a story where the man under the mask is always trying to figure out that perfect balance of regular life and superherodom, Pine’s Parker is the most fully realized version of Spider-Man out there. He’s the alpha Spider-Man that Miles Morales hopes to become, which means that he couldn’t stick around for too long. Again, there’s an eternal push and pull with the character; anything too perfect is either not here for a long time or up to something dirty.
Pine played Alpha Spider-Man to perfection; wonder what more we could have learned from him if he was allowed to continue his web-slinging.
Jake Johnson
Spider-Man films he starred in: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Peter B. Parker is the Parker that Miles truly learns from, and that’s likely the best thing Miles could have been given (and vice versa). Peter B. had been a Spider-Man for over two decades, seen as a more controversial figure, primarily because of the methods he used to take out his foes.
After being displayed in time (thanks, Kingpin), Peter B. and Miles Morales became two Spider-Men on the scene, trying to figure out a way to fix the mess Kingpin got them into. Along the way, Miles learns a lot about being a superhero from Peter B., who picks up a more positive outlook on life, one that we get to see mature in future films. Jake Johnson handles this with care, leaning in on the different sides of his personality when needed.
Andrew Garfield
Spider-Man films he starred in: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man (2014), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Saddled with trying to stand up a whole Spider-Man Extended Universe (the most egregious display of which falls in The Amazing Spider-Man 2), silly mystery box storytelling, and ill-convinced villains, the only reason the Amazing Spider-Man series even remotely works is off the strength of Andrew Garfield’s performance as the lead character. Garfield’s Peter is an outcast, with a chip on his shoulder (due to his parents’ death), and arguably too cool for Spider-Man’s nerdy origins. However, the rebellious streak Garfield has makes it easy to comprehend why he’d buck authority and become a masked hero.
The overall self-assuredness works extraordinarily well for his in-costume persona; the Spider-Man of Amazing Spider-Man has a certain dick-ish, trolling energy that provides a stark contrast to the version audiences saw in the Sam Raimi movies. While the sequel softens the approach, he still comes across as a bit of a bully, which feels like a slight betrayal of the character’s origins. Much of the Amazing Spider-Man series doesn’t work, but those issues certainly don’t fall on the shoulders of Garfield, who makes the absolute most of the ill-conceived and poorly-executed duo of films.
That said, No Way Home offered fans of Garfield’s Parker a reprieve, allowing that particular Parker to recoup some of the love he did not receive during his run.
Shameik Moore
Spider-Man films he starred in: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story (2023)
It’s hard not to have Miles Morales, the Spider-Man of Sony’s animated Spider-Verse franchise, near the top of this list. The series of films rests on Miles’s shoulders, who is still learning to use his powers in the middle of being thrust into this multiversal madness. Miles is an important role to nail, and Shameik Moore handles it with care. Moore felt like there were a number of “parallels” between him and Miles, which may lend to how he embodies the role, approaching Miles with the passion of a young man trying to figure himself out in the world. One has to wonder if Moore would continue to hold the role if Miles does jump into the live-action MCU if Kevin Feige has his way; it could be a dope visual if they can pull it off!
Tom Holland
Spider-Man films he starred in: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
It’s somehow fitting for the MCU’s version—given its interconnected and interlocking pieces—of Spider-Man to debut in a movie that’s not his own. Appearing first in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker makes an immediate impression in just about four minutes of screentime, as a conversation between Peter and Tony Stark re-establishes everything we need to know about the character without needing to re-do an origin story. During this chat, audiences see a decidedly teenage take on the character, with Holland’s overwhelming earnestness, eagerness, and charm on display.
Holland’s Spider-Man persona doesn’t feel at odds with his portrayal of Peter either; instead, he’s adding a more comedic element of who he already is behind the mask. Perhaps the reason Holland’s Peter stands out so much is that he’s often an audience surrogate, fashioned as a fan who has a gee-wiz attitude about being a more significant part of this world. Further standalone installments—whether in his own set of solo films or the devastating yet effective one-two-punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame—continued to refine the character, introducing more of that patented “Parker Luck’’ and providing him with some inspired foes to battle. 2026’s Brand New Day, released a decade after Holland took the mantle of Spider-Man, finds his Parker reverting back to his friendly neighborhood, seeking connection after those connections led to tragic loss.
So sure, while Holland’s Peter Parker had to share the screen with the Avengers before he got to web up his own movie, Holland has spun up quite the take on Spider-Man—and one that’s bound to stick with audiences for a long, long time.
Tobey Maguire
Spider-Man films he starred in: Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Every Spider-Man since Tobey Maguire is an attempt at replicating his unparalleled performance. Maguire’s take on the character, bolstered by Sam Raimi’s incredible direction, is the original template upon which all others must follow. Maguire’s Peter is comparable to Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent/Superman, not only in terms of nerdy men imbued with tremendous power but in how they infuse their acting with an overwhelming sense of sincerity and heroism.
Maguire’s superpower lies in the way he conveys the depth of emotion with just a look or glance; it’s transcendent, getting to the core of the character’s comic book origins in a way the other actors don’t. Maguire’s Peter is resilient and optimistic, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. When life knocks him down, he finds a way to put on the mask and keep going, keep fighting, and to keep making a difference—understanding the tremendous sense of responsibility and what it means to have these powers. Maguire captures the character’s universal appeal and distills those elements into a performance that remains powerfully resonant all these years later.
Call it old-fashioned or out of style, or too sincere, but we’ll call it this: it’s unequivocally the best Spider-Man performance of all time.
