Spider-Man. The world-renowned wall-crawler, the sensational web-slinger! Few superheroes have ever reached the same level of recognition, and certainly nowhere near the same level of box office earnings. Throughout the 21st century, we have been graced by three on-screen depictions of the amazing Spider-Man. But which one has portrayed the world’s favorite arachnid-themed hero the best?

Let’s start with the actor that kicked it all off: Tobey Maguire. Swinging into theaters in 2002, Maguire gave the world its first look at nerdy high school student, Peter Parker. As Parker, Maguire portrays his character’s inherent dorkiness well. He captures the science-obsessed yet endearing personality of Peter while not appearing weak or frail. But when Maguire becomes the titular superhero, his performance is not my favorite. While Maguire certainly has his own unique presence behind the mask, his portrayal often feels deadpan in his delivery of certain quips. Maguire’s Spider-Man often does not deliver the same emotion in his jokes or dialogue as I believe the other two iterations do, which makes this version come off as stilted. Overall, I enjoy Maguire’s portrayal of Peter Parker, but his Spider-Man would benefit from more passion in his deliveries. 

The second incarnation of the famous wall-crawler was Andrew Garfield, first portraying the character in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Given the decade this movie came out in, the sensational origin story of our favorite arachnid acrobat is modernized. The Peter Parker Garfield portrays in this film is less of a geeky scientist and more of a loner outcast, who traverses the school halls on a skateboard. While this modified take on the character is refreshing, I still feel Garfield’s portrayal misses the mark on some core attributes of the character. Garfield’s portrayal almost has too much confidence in his Peter. While I don’t think he needs to be an aggressively awkward, anxious bookworm, he needs a little less charisma to maintain the relatability that Peter Parker is known for. Thankfully, Garfield’s Spider-Man exceeds where his Parker performance falters. The delivery and wit of his Spider-Man’s quips are phenomenal. Garfield captures the snappy, wise-cracking energy of the character perfectly in all of his interactions under the mask, whether with civilians or common crooks. Overall, Garfield’s Spider-Man persona is incredible, but he loses points for the lack of nerdiness in his Peter.

And with that, we reach our final and most recent live-action incarnation of the dazzling web- slinger. Tom Holland first portrayed the wall-crawler as a supporting character in Marvel’s 2016 Captain America: Civil War, before his lead role in his own Spider-Man: Homecoming. Holland’s Spider-Man was the first to be incorporated into the immensely lucrative Marvel franchise, and with that addition, some changes accompany his iteration of the character. Holland’s Peter Parker is the only one whose character remains in high school for the duration of his trilogy of films. As Peter Parker, Holland absolutely excels in his portrayal of the character. His Peter strikes the perfect balance between the geekiness of the character while still not being a pushover. Peter also retains the scientific genius that is central to his character. His Spider-Man performance is also strong, with the quips and wisecracks feeling natural and well-timed, whether during a fight scene or a one-on-one confrontation. While I do feel that his Spider-Man persona can occasionally be too apologetic in some scenes, the sheer energy and harmony this iteration of Spider-Man strikes balances out any cons.

I would rank Tom Holland’s Spider-Man as my favorite portrayal of this iconic hero. His iteration encapsulates all the necessary qualities I feel are important for portraying the character. That being said, I find Maguire and Garfield to be equally strong contenders in the role. At the end of the day, it is a testament to Spider-Man’s success and relatability as a character that this debate has endured, and I hope to never stop hearing the discussions and conversations surrounding this beloved character.