10 Reasons Why Tobey Maguire Is STILL The Best On-Screen Spider-Man
Why does Tobey Maguire still beat Tom Holland for the best portrayal of Spider-Man twenty years on?
The year is 2007. You’ve just walked out of your local cinema after watching the final instalment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and you can’t imagine a better cinematic portrayal of your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire is great, his catalogue of villains is superb, and there’s nothing more you could possibly want in a Spidey movie.
Fast forward to 2020, and there is no longer one universally agreed BEST Spider-Man. Since Maguire left the spotlight, both Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland have taken up the role, and now everyone has their own opinion as to who is the best version of Marvel’s greatest teen hero.
Spider-Man has fallen in love with Gwen Stacy, met Iron Man and Captain America, fought Thanos, NEARLY had a Sinister Six movie, and been snapped out of existence since 2007, all without Tobey Maguire in the starring role. Spider-Man has seen some changes, but after it all, those three humble films at the start of the century are, for many fans, still the character’s best. But how can this be possible? How is it that the Raimi Trilogy can beat out the powerhouse that is Disney’s MCU for being the best collection of Spider-Man films?
Well, I can think of a few reasons…
10. Peter Parker Is Relatable
Have you ever been down on your luck? Have you ever been in love with someone you know you could never be with? Well, so has Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.
Peter Parker is just your average, uncool geek when we find him at the start of the first film, and Raimi’s films show us his everyday problems. He struggles to juggle work, college, and a social life, just like everyone else in the world.
The same, however, can not be said for Tom Holland’s character, largely because his life is shaped by the most popular and charismatic person in the world, Tony Stark.
His troubles include learning how to use the AI in his super suit, fighting Captain America in Germany, and heading to another planet with Dr Strange to fight Thanos. Just your average obstacles, right?
And things aren’t much better with Andrew Garfield. Sure, he isn’t the coolest kid on the block, but once he gets his powers, his struggle sort of… ends.
His obstacles become superhero obstacles that the average non-superhero viewer just can’t relate to. His girlfriend dies because Peter denies Harry Osborn a sample of Spider-Man’s radioactive blood that he thinks will cure his fictional disease. Yeah… can’t relate.