In a time when superhero movies reign supreme, it is common for fans and viewers to share their opinions and debate over which characters or actors are considered the best in these iconic films.

One of the most popular amongst these debates surrounds the question – who is considered the best live-action interpretation of Spider-Man?

With the 2021 release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the discussion has been reignited. Some mention their favorite actor and would base their choice on which actor they like; some even mention the suit difference. Every response is unique from the results received.

For those who may not understand the debate, Spider-Man is widely considered one of the most popular superheroes of all time, bearing three live-action actor adaptations of the character on the big screen. The three live action adaptations star actors, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, all made an impact in the audience’s perspective of the character.

The first adaptation was in 2002, with Tobey Maguire playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Sam Raimi directing. This adaptation had a trilogy, with a fourth movie announced but canceled last minute. It had a set release date of May 6, 2011.

However, it wasn’t long until things changed in 2012, when the Spider-Man movies were rebooted.

Taking on the name, The Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield was cast as the new web-head, stepped up confidently to take the role. It was a fresh start for audiences to see a new actor taking the lead role of Spider-Man. Two years after was the sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), which unfortunately had mixed reactions from the audience had been a disappointment at the box office, making that Garfield’s last appearance starring as Spider-Man.

Finally, the third time the Spider-Man franchise was rebooted starred Tom Holland. His adaptation was first teased during the production of Captain America Civil War.
Currently, there are three movies in total with Holland, and these are considered a more modern adaptation. Considering humor and the way the movies were directed, Holland seems to appeal more to younger audiences like pre-teens and younger teens.

With Spider-Man being an iconic figure, a poll was conducted to survey which actor each Golden Valley grade level favored in particular.

Among GV upperclassmen, two favorites emerged. The poll came out to Maguire being favored by 48.9%, winning almost half of the respondents. Garfield received 31.1% responses, and lastly, the least favorite amongst upperclassmen. Holland was favored by 20%.

Although these results weren’t as shocking, comments along with decisions were unique.

Popular comments in choosing Magiure noted that “he was the first one.” Another reason was due to nostalgia and growing up with his adaptations, leading older generations to favor his work and winning the hearts of 2003-2006 babies.

Garfield was mostly chosen by younger upperclassmen, but still attracted a fair amount of seniors. Some say results could have been different if it weren’t for the newly released, Spiderman: No Way Home, where Garfield’s adaptation very shortly took over TikTok with fancams and edits which made the actor an even more popular heartthrob overnight. Being favored by yours truly, Garfield’s work is truly underrated and… amazing (pun intended).

For lowerclassmen, in drastic comparison, results were a landslide of 61.1% lowerclassmen choosing Tom Holland as their favorite live action adaptation, 35.2% choosing Garfield and the most surprising, and 3.7% choosing Maguire. Seniors who preferred Maguire were truly heartbroken and surprised at the fact that only two freshman chose the original Spider-Man adaptation.

With these adaptations coming out from 2002-2021, it made up most of current GV students’ childhood. Peter Parker is a relatable character to teenagers, as the character he plays is supposed to be 15-17 years old in the film. With this factor, Spider-Man sometimes isn’t seen as a superhero, but rather as another teen who shares similar traits and humor – except having radioactive powers.

The poll of upper and lower classmen at Golden Valley was an interesting one to conduct, seeing the results proves newer adaptations appeal to younger viewers, it gives an interesting insight of trends and how it affects younger generations.

It’s a fact that newer generations are closer to the ability to keep up with trends, although upperclassmen are still young as time goes by it’ll be more difficult to keep up with times. Face it seniors– we’re getting older.

Putting the statistics aside, all adaptations were unique and all starred passionate actors, and hopefully the passionate conversation surrounding “Who’s Your Favorite Spider-Man?” will continue to be debated in future generations. For sure, the future of Marvel will continue to grow and introduce many more memorable performances.