Best Peter Parker ranked between Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and No Way Home trio

We are fortunate enough to live in a world where there have been lots of Spider-Man movies and video games. Not all of them have lived up to the webhead’s ‘amazing’ moniker, but we are fairly spoiled. Similar to Batman, the key to any Spider-Man story is nailing the character behind the mask boiling inside the skin-tight suit. Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Holland have all excelled as Peter Parker on the big screen, while Yuri Lowenthal has brought the character to life in video games. All of them are spectacular and we have decided to rank the best Peter Parker between Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the No Way Home Spider-Men trio.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to Insomniac’s first stab at the famous web-slinger. It is available to preload right now provided you’ve pre-ordered from the PlayStation store, and our review praises it as a 10/10 masterpiece. Everything is bigger and better from the crime-ridden New York City open world to the emotion of the story to the bone-crushing combat in the symbiote suit. It could be a strong contender for Game of the Year at this year’s Game Awards, although there is no shortage of stiff competition such as Breath of the Wild 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3.

One of the key reasons the sequel is so good is because of the heavy story that focuses as much on the human as the superhero. Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are great protagonists, but it’s the original Spidey we focus on to compare with his movie counterparts.

#4 MCU Peter Parker Spider-Man – Tom Holland

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker isn’t terrible at all, yet it’s arguably the weakest of the bunch. He’s full of charisma and spunk, and he actually looks and sounds like a young Spider-Man in high school/college, unlike Tobey and Andrew. However, the biggest drawback is the Iron Man Jr. narrative. Fans either love it or hate it, and that’s because it’s a massive departure from the original comic book origins. Not to mention his emotional support, Aunt May, is a bland hot joke instead of a wise elder.

The biggest sin though is the Iron Man Jr. narrative. He wears an Iron Man lite suit in Homecoming and Avengers, and the character isn’t as captivating as the broken and beaten nerd who creates all of his own gadgets and gizmos. The relationship with MJ in the movies is fine, and the character embodies the great power, and great responsibility motto with his sacrifice at the end of No Way Home. Again, it’s good, it’s just not as great as the others.

#3 Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield could have been the best Spider-Man and Peter Parker if his movies were better. The Marc Webb films nailed the youthful romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, but mostly everything else was bland. The villains were forgettable or embarrassingly bad, the action wasn’t any good, and the story became a huge complicated, and overcrowded mess with the Amazing Spider-Man 2. Andrew Garfield was done dirty by Sony as he delivered in his role of giving audiences a great Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

Despite looking much older than a high-school delinquent, Andrew Garfield perfectly captured the mannerisms of an eccentric youth. He was more of a social outcast rather than the stereotypical nerdy geek from the 1960s, and this was a good update for modern society. The first movie showed him creating his own gadgets, he was witty both in and out of the suit, and the emotional moments really landed. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a terrible movie, but the death of Gwen Stacy remains the most heart-breaking moment of any Spider-Man film because of how authentic the romance was between Andrew and Emma Stone.

#2 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Peter Parker – Yuri Lowenthal

The differences between acting in a movie compared to a video game remain significant despite all of the advancements in motion cap. Yuri Lowenthal is not the face model for Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but he is the performer and it’s his vocals that bring the character to life. Now, the issue with Insomniac’s Peter Parker is the face model. Some fans prefer the 2018 original whereas others have grown to love what we have today. The original face was visually superior as it looked more realistically aged for an experienced Spider-Man out of high school, but, whether we like the new face or not, it’s here to stay and it doesn’t destroy the portrayal of the character.

Tobey and Andrew were positioned as wise mentors in Spider-Man No Way Home, but not to the extent of Insomniac’s Peter Parker with Miles Morales. It is a lot of fun seeing Peter and Miles team up, and it’s an interesting dynamic in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with Peter the mentor needing to be rescued from the Symbiote suit. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also further develops the Peter Parker character by introducing their best friend, Harry Osborn, and further solidifying the romance with ace photographer, Mary Jane. Even if fans are roasting screenshots of MJ online for looking like Peter’s mother.

Of course, in the first Marvel’s Spider-Man, the friendship between Doc Ock and Peter was the best dynamic yet between hero and tragic villain. It was crucial to the Peter Parker character and story, and so too was the strong bonds with Martin Li and Aunt May.

#1 Tobey Maguire

Unsurprisingly, the king Spider-Man and Peter Parker remains Tobey Maguire. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is still the web crawler’s best film, and Tobey Maguire remains the GOAT. In both the first and second Sam Raimi movies, he’s absolutely perfect as the nerdy dweeb before and after getting his powers. The love story with Mary Jane is as bad as Twilight, but it doesn’t detract from the Peter Parker character. He’s a nerd, he’s not a hunk, and he’s smart but also a goofball. He’s positively perfect.

Not to mention the performance continues to live on through countless memes. Everyone can admit it, we’ve all binge-watched the memes that show bully Maguire entering the MCU or Star Wars. Even if the memes didn’t exist, it’s just the most unforgettable performance of them all thanks to the quirks and awkward moments. Peter Parker was intended to be your average run-of-the-mill geek with no good looks or social skills, and Tobey Maguire easily captures that more than any of the other depictions.