Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME
Within TV and film, which Peter Parker was the best interpretation of Spider-Man?
Spider-Man made his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy No. 15 in 1962 and, since then, he’s been one of the most recognized comic book characters in the world. He’s right there with all-time greats like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Spidey’s become so iconic that there’s been an abundance of merchandise made from his likeness. Products like toys, clothing, and video games continue to have the Spider-Man brand, and it doesn’t look like this is going to stop any time soon. There have also been a bunch of movies and cartoons made starring him as well. With all of these Spider-Men on TV and in the theaters, which version of Peter Parker and Spidey was the best?
8. The Spectacular Spider-Man
In 2008, a new Spider-Man cartoon debuted called The Spectacular Spider-Man. This series didn’t spend time at the beginning of the show getting into his Uncle Ben’s death (we’ve seen it enough). However, when they did, it was perfectly done and came right when needed, which was usually when Peter Parker was facing an internal struggle to gain his confidence. He was like the Peter Parker in the comics with all of his intelligence, humor, and crime fighting. There were little changes like the mole on his face, but that was such a minor thing that no one probably thought twice about it. The only thing this show didn’t have was longevity.
The Spectacular Spider-Man only went two seasons and didn’t get the opportunity to cover a lot of ground with the character. Considering that there is so much ground to cover, two seasons isn’t enough to get into Peter Parker’s life. It’s barely enough to get into Spidey’s. This show had some incredible moments like his internal fight with the symbiote and then with Venom himself. It may now be a lesser-known animated series, but it was a good one. Plus, the theme song was catchy.
7. 1960s Cartoon
This was the first cartoon in the long line Spider-Man cartoons. It gave us all the “Spider-Manisms” we’ve come to love, including the comedy, web-slinging, villains, and J. Jonah Jameson being his normal annoying yet entertaining self. The show may not hold up as well after all these years, but it has produced a couple of things since then that remain relevant in pop culture. First, there’s the memes. The Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man and a smiling J. Jonah Jameson are just a few. The theme song is also one of the most recognized intros in television history. The lyrics and beat may be as well known as the DuckTales intro.
Despite the show not really holding up, the 1960’s Spider-Man cartoon has to be on here. Its effect on pop culture and being the first Spidey cartoon is enough to put it on any Peter Parker list. Plus, it got the character right, especially for its time. Since the character was created only five years prior, to have a cartoon so soon and last three years is an achievement. The writers had to make a series about a character that was barely out of its infancy. Anyone looking into making a cartoon about Spidey can look back at this series and see how to keep the essence of the character and still be creative. You have to know where you’re from in order to know where you’re going.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 10: Andrew Garfield attends the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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6. Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spider-Man)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was like Tim Burton’s Batman. It set the standard for Peter Parker and Spider-Man, even if Spider-Man 3 is widely viewed as lackluster. After Tobey Maguire’s performance as Spider-Man and Peter Parker, Andrew Garfield was coming in at a disadvantage. And despite the criticism, Andrew Garfield did a good job in the two Amazing Spider-Man films. He gave the audience something Tobey Maguire didn’t — a great performance as Spider-Man. He quipped more, and he was in training as Spidey a lot longer. The one negative is that he wasn’t a great Peter Parker.
Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker had the awkwardness you wanted. He slouched a bit, couldn’t look people in the eye, and played the role of a young genius well. The problem was he still came off as cool, and Peter Parker isn’t “cool” in the traditional sense. The best example was him skateboarding. While it may seem like a small thing, it was still noticeable. Skateboarding was in at the time. Peter wouldn’t skateboard because it would draw too much attention to him, and he would be too scared if people saw him fall. It was little moments like this that puts him lower on the list, even though he’s number 2 on my personal list.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), and Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) in Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
5. Jake Johnson (Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a colossal hit. The movie won awards and made a ton of money at the box office. It was the first project on the big screen that featured Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and other Spider-Beings from the multiverse. One of the things that stood out among them was a Peter Parker from an alternate reality. He was nothing like the Spider-Man from Miles’ Earth. He’d given up on life, gotten chunky, and had a terrible outlook on life. All of this is part of what made him so great.
Every Spidey fan has wondered why Peter’s never given up, especially since it seems like the world keeps dumping on him. On this Earth, we see what would make him quit. He and Mary Jane split. After that, he lost the will to keep fighting. Meeting Miles was the best thing that could have happened to him. He had to fight for someone else, and it reignited everything that made him become a hero. It was amazing watching him become a mentor to Miles, all while getting himself back into the swing of things. Pun intended.
Miles may have been the star of the movie, but this Peter was a perfect addition. He was funny, heroic, and showed a version of what could happen to Peter Parker. Everyone who’s seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse would probably love to know what happens to him next.
4. The 1994 animated series
This was the first Spider-Man cartoon for a new generation. While Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends came out over a decade prior, this was the one that made the character popular outside of comic books. Even the adults enjoyed it. It also helps that the show was riding the momentum of Fox’s widely populer X-Men cartoon (one thing Fox got right with the X-Men). Like a lot of the Spider-Man cartoons, this was a semi-shortly lived cartoon only lasting five seasons and going 65 episodes. But even in that short amount of time, they covered a lot of ground without anything feeling rushed.
We got characters like Kingpin (who was perfect), Carnage, Venom, and even the Punisher. All of this and Spider-Man wasn’t allowed to punch people during the cartoon. Showing that the show didn’t need to rely on violence to be good. All it needed was a great character and phenomenal storytelling. After 20 plus years, the show holds up better than most cartoons its age. The theme song is still catchy (good luck getting that tune out of your head), the stories still hit home, and the jokes are still funny. There are some flaws like the things with Mary Jane towards the end but, overall, it’s still a terrific show.
3. Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon
This may be the best version of Peter Parker in cartoon form. What’s even weirder is that it shied away from what we know about Spidey and Peter as a person. While he still has a lot of the classic traits, this Spider-Man is a leader. Nick Fury charged him with becoming more than just a hero. Fury said he wanted him to become the “Ultimate” Spider-Man (hence the title of the show). Fury teamed him with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, White Tiger, and Nova and, with this team, he grew substantially. He became a better leader and person being with them.
The show had a ton of camoes from the likes of Captain America, Wolverine, and the Hulk, with each of these encounters making Spidey better in the process. Sometimes characters have one moment of growth and then it disappears, but not with this show. Everything Spidey learned stuck with him. Eventually, it seemed like he didn’t need Nick Fury’s help as much.
Because this series wasn’t like the comics, it allowed for different stories. Even though these tales weren’t taken out of the comic, the core elements of Spider-Man remained. This iterations was so good that he even had a major role in the comic book series Spider-Verse. This should be the new standard of how to make a perfect comic book cartoon TV show. Be original, but stay close to the source material.
Credit: Sony Pictures for Spider-Man 2 (2004) — Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire)
2. Tobey Maguire (Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy goes on the list of one of the three most important movies to the Marvel Comics movie franchises (Blade and X2 being the others). Everyone knew who Spider-Man was. Tobey Maguire introduced the world to Peter Parker. Overcoming the uncertainties about himself and making mistakes along the way are a giant part of what made Spidey one of the greatest heroes of all time. Spider-Man 2 showed this in spades. Losing his powers due to insecurity, struggling to pay rent, having to deal with J. Jonah Jameson, and making the choice to be a hero over a boyfriend are all part of Peter Parker’s life. But while he may have been the perfect Peter Parker, he was only an OK Spider-Man.
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man didn’t really quip. This Spidey did have a plethora of classic moments, but they always seemed to miss something. Also, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn and Alfred Molina as Dr. Octavius contributed a lot to what we think of Spidey in these movies. If it weren’t for their performances, it’s doubtful these movies would be as revered. Without a doubt, these movies were flawless Peter Parker movies and incredibly important. Unfortunately, they’re only decent Spider-Man movies. We also have to take away major points for Spider-Man 3.
Tom Holland is Peter Parker, in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN:™ FAR FROM HOME.
1. Tom Holland (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
There has been a lot of debate over who the best Spidey and Peter Parker is. Was it Tobey Maguire or Tom Holland? Well, it’s Tom Holland for a plethora of reasons. First off, in a short amount of time, Holland has played the character more, with five movies under his belt. In the three he didn’t star in, he still had a major impact. In his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, everyone was ecstatic when he appeared. Holland literally jumped into action and gave the audience the wall-crawler we dreamed of.
In Avengers: Infinity War, he kicked all types of butt, and there weren’t many dry eyes in the theater when he turned to dust. The same could be said for Avengers: Endgame when Tony Stark hugged him when he came back. In Spider-Man: Homecoming and later in Spider-Man: Far From Home, we witnessed something special. We saw the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Without a doubt, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel will be the leader of the Avengers. She’s too powerful and has the leadership skills to bring a team into battle. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is going to be the Iron Man of the MCU. He will be the most popular character and probably bring in the most money. Tom Holland could be the first actor to play a character for over a decade. There’s so much more he can accomplish, and it would be spectacular and amazing if we could watch him grow into a 30-year-old Peter Parker, and even train Miles Morales along the way.