Countless actors have stepped up to the plate to play Spider-Man over the years, but who stands out as the best of the best? And the worst of the worst?
Two small time writers named Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first collaborated together to create a character for Marvel Comics named Spider-Man all the way back in 1962. In the nearly 60 years since then, that character has leapt out of the panels of his amazing comic books and into his own movies, shows, cartoons and video games.
It has long been debated as far as who is the best actor to play Spider-Man so far, and now, it’s time that we put that debate to rest by stacking all of the modern actors to play Spidey against each other, ranking them from worst to best. Let’s start off with our least favorite.
10. Mike Vaughn
That’s right, we’re counting voice actors in the mix for this list. Voice acting as a medium has often gone overlooked and underrated, and it just so happens that some of the best Spidey actors have been those who lent their voice to the character in the voice acting booth.
Mike Vaughn essentially pulled triple duty for Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Not only did he voice Peter Parker and our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but he also voiced his not-so-friendly symbiote counterpart. Anyone who understands the symbiote knows that for scenes when Spidey is infected with it, he must dedicate a whole new venom (pun intended) to the character. A far more vicious, aggressive voice needs to be behind that mask.
Vaughn was not that voice.
To his credit, he did have a tough task in this portrayal. Again, triple duty and all. But much of his overacting for the character has become something of a meme in recent years.
9. Sean Marquette
Being an awkward, quippy teenager from New York, it’s easy to understand how Spider-Man/Peter Parker might get a little annoying for some audiences. That’s why it’s important for the actor playing him to play him in a way where those quips come off as likable.
Unfortunately, when it came time for Sean Marquette to be the ultimate Spider-Man in, well, Ultimate Spider-Man (the video game), it proved to be a tougher task. Perhaps his voice was just too high pitched for players to stand, but “ultimate” he was not.
8. Andrew Garfield
All due respect to Andrew Garfield, he isn’t necessarily “bad” in The Amazing Spider-Man films. The material he has to work with is horrendous, yes, but it’s hard to call Garfield’s performance itself outright bad. What we can say, however, is that Garfield is miscast.
He doesn’t feel like Spider-Man, or specifically, Peter Parker. Throughout the movie, we’re told that Parker is this shy, awkward kid to the point most people wouldn’t look twice in his direction. And in many respects, that’s the core of Parker in the comics. But it’s hard to buy into that when we see this handsome guy with Elvis hair storm in on a skateboard. It comes off cooler than the other side of the pillow, quite frankly.
As Spider-Man, even with a pair of bad scripts, Garfield actually has some memorable moments (like this one), but as Parker, he just doesn’t work.
7. Drake Bell
Bell suffers from the same flaws that subdued Sean Marquette in that his iteration of Spider-Man and Peter Parker ends up sounding more annoying and whiny than anything else.
Maybe it’s the fact that Bell himself just has a higher-pitched voice – which, as a singer, he can’t help it – but it makes the title character of Ultimate Spider-Man (the show) feel far more like we’re hearing Drake Parker than Peter Parker.
6. Tobey Maguire
I understand that a lot of us want to use our rose-tinted glasses to act like Tobey Maguire was the best live-action Spider-Man because he was the first in our childhood (some of us may recall him as the first actor they saw play Spider-Man period), but go back and watch some of those Raimi films. He’s not as good as you remember.
He’s not bad, mind you. Both he and the trilogy’s version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man are just victims of the material. Which, mind you, isn’t bad material, but the story is crafted very much in the vein of a soap opera.
As such, Maguire comes off as a tad bit melodramatic. In some scenes, the usually bombastic Spider-Man is reduced to a dry personality because the script doesn’t allow Maguire to showcase a personality. That goes double for his performance as Peter Parker. He’s never allowed the range to show personality until he goes Emo in the third Spidey film and, well, we know how that turned out.
5. Christopher Daniel Barnes
Christopher Daniel Barnes’ voice is best recognized as Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid or maybe Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch, but let’s not forget that he voiced Spider-Man in the original ’90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Many fans have argued that he is the definitive version of the character and since much of his performance still holds up in 2020, it’s easy to see why.
The only thing keeping Barnes from rising any higher is his streak of episodes as a symbiote induced Spider-Man. Love the guy’s regular episodes as normal Petey and Spidey, but man, those Black Suit Spider-Man episodes had some overacting. Some of which has been become an internet phenomenon in the years that followed.
4. Rino Romano
Maybe we’re ranking Rino Romano a little too high here based on this writer’s own biases, but if we’re going to talk about childhood favorites, Rino Romano’s voice in the PS1 Spider-Man was my introduction to the character – or at least the earliest that I can remember.
I know, now I’m talking with the rose-tinted glasses I accused readers of having for Tobey Maguire, and hey, maybe it is bias, but in revisiting the game and its cutscenes recently, it dawned on me just how underrated Romano is as the character.
He’s just as good, if not better, than Mr. Definitive himself, Christopher Daniel Barnes.
3. Josh Keaton
In the same way that Christopher Daniel Barnes was the definitive/quintessential version of Spider-Man for an entire generation of ’90s kids, Josh Keaton is exactly that for the new generation.
Every unbridled emotion that defines Peter Parker, Keaton amplifies to perfection on The Spectacular Spider-Man, giving life to the young hero’s teenage years at high school in a very authentic manner.
It’s easy to see why the show is so beloved with Keaton in the titular role.
2. Tom Holland
Shocking to see Tom Holland not land the top spot, right? After all, he is the latest actor to don the wide-eyed white Spidey eyes. He’s the common answer for the best Spider-Man for a reason and nearly topped the list at number one anyway.
Out of all of the actors who have played the character so far, both in front of the camera and in the voice booth, Holland truly embodies the essence of who Spider-Man and Peter Parker are at their core and, as far as an accurate comic portrayal goes, he truly feels like the character as if he were pulled out of the comics.
If we’re being honest, he would be totally worthy of that top spot.
1. Yuri Lowenthal
As much as Holland feels like the pitch-perfect comic version of the teenage Spider-Man, Yuri Lowenthal’s Spidey in Marvel’s Spider-Man is the perfect older Peter Parker, seven years deep into his Spider-Man career. He has the mature air of a tenured superhero and also the youthful voice and energy of the same optimistic, awkward kid we fell in love with.
Yes, he gives you everything you’d want and more out of Peter Parker when it comes to the wit and the quips, but his crowning achievement came during the final level against Doc Ock and the death of Aunt May that preceded it. The uncompromising and unapologetic rage, sadness, agony, and disappointment will bring you to tears.
It’s hard to deliver that level of emotion for video game inside of a sound booth, but Lowenthal pulls it off. It’s why he’s the best Spider-Man so far to ever don the mask – without ever having to don the mask and take physical damage on a set.
Which Spider-Man actor is your favorite? Are you a fan of the live-action portrayals or do you think there is a voice actor who nailed the role of Spidey more so? Are you looking forward to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man 3? Let us know in the comments below!