Who’s The Most Comic Accurate Live-Action Spider-Man?

[ironman2978]

I feel like outside of Ned as Ganke, Scorpion and Aaron Brown Prowler, the MCU Peter is Miles is a baseless comparison when really delved into.

If anything, he is more like Post 2009 Ultimate Peter with elements from different eras of 616 Peter (Midtown High School in Spectacular Spider-Man was a Magnet High School and the ASM film and MCU Film were more STEM High Schools). Completely different from the type of school Miles attends. Not to mention Peter probably didn't go to that school because he won lottery.

MCU Peter and Tony seemed like a combination of Ultimate Peter/Tony (who did openly and constantly admired Tony like in Ultimate MTU#4-5, USM#126, 150-156, etc) combined with the New Avengers/Early Civil War relationship 616 Pete and Tony had (without the falling out). Honestly except for giving Peter the Spidey suit and saving his life 3 times, he barely interacts with Tony after CW and has shown frustration to the point of defiance against Tony, it’s just done in a passive way. (“I'm sick of Mr. Stark treating me like a kid”, “None of this would've happened if you had just listened to me”, “ And this suit is, ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So, if anything, its kind of your fault that I'm here”, “You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood.”)

With MCU Peter, it feels like they took different elements (USM particularly “S.H.I.E.L.D. Forcing him to go to superhero after school special with the Ultimates before he died” , mix of JMS early CW Peter and Slott era Pete, with classic Stan Lee/Ditko) and applies it to a Peter who became Spidey 8 months before Civil War.

That’s to speak nothing of how many people know and found out Ultimate and 616 Peter’s identities on purpose or accidentally (but I chalk it up to MCU not focused and skip past the whole hiding your identity from others drama that the comics has even with characters whose identities are supposed to be secret in-universe).

Yes, comics Spidey is an adult Peter who grew up as an equal/outsider in the superhero community since he was 15 and only knew Iron Man as Tony’s bodyguard until Tony revealed his secret identity in New Avengers vs a Kid who grew up watching the superhero community with no secret identities from the sidelines and just recently became Spidey a few months ago before Civil War. While Iron Man is a public figure w/ no secret identity and not as morally dubious as 616 Tony.


Maguire and Garfield both also combine on levels elements of Ultimate and 616, with Tobey’s take veering towards Lee/Romita era Peter but without the more outspoken Lee dialogue while Garfield personality veered towards a more early 2000 Ultimate Peter.

None of the hit every nuance or element that comic Peter especially as he has changed or developed as decades have passed but they each reflect an important aspect or element that make Spidey special.

[Frontier]

I feel like outside of Ned as Ganke, Scorpion and Aaron Brown Prowler, the MCU Peter is Miles is a baseless comparison when really delved into.

If anything, he is more like Post 2009 Ultimate Peter with elements from different eras of 616 Peter (Midtown High School in Spectacular Spider-Man was a Magnet High School and the ASM film and MCU Film were more STEM High Schools). Completely different from the type of school Miles attends. Not to mention Peter probably didn't go to that school because he won lottery.

MCU Peter and Tony seemed like a combination of Ultimate Peter/Tony (who did openly and constantly admired Tony like in Ultimate MTU#4-5, USM#126, 150-156, etc) combined with the New Avengers/Early Civil War relationship 616 Pete and Tony had (without the falling out). Honestly except for giving Peter the Spidey suit and saving his life 3 times, he barely interacts with Tony after CW and has shown frustration to the point of defiance against Tony, it’s just done in a passive way. (“I'm sick of Mr. Stark treating me like a kid”, “None of this would've happened if you had just listened to me”, “ And this suit is, ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So, if anything, its kind of your fault that I'm here”, “You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood.”)

With MCU Peter, it feels like they took different elements (USM particularly “S.H.I.E.L.D. Forcing him to go to superhero after school special with the Ultimates before he died” , mix of JMS early CW Peter and Slott era Pete, with classic Stan Lee/Ditko) and applies it to a Peter who became Spidey 8 months before Civil War.

That’s to speak nothing of how many people know and found out Ultimate and 616 Peter’s identities on purpose or accidentally (but I chalk it up to MCU not focused and skip past the whole hiding your identity from others drama that the comics has even with characters whose identities are supposed to be secret in-universe).

Yes, comics Spidey is an adult Peter who grew up as an equal/outsider in the superhero community since he was 15 and only knew Iron Man as Tony’s bodyguard until Tony revealed his secret identity in New Avengers vs a Kid who grew up watching the superhero community with no secret identities from the sidelines and just recently became Spidey a few months ago before Civil War. While Iron Man is a public figure w/ no secret identity and not as morally dubious as 616 Tony.


Maguire and Garfield both also combine on levels elements of Ultimate and 616, with Tobey’s take veering towards Lee/Romita era Peter but without the more outspoken Lee dialogue while Garfield personality veered towards a more early 2000 Ultimate Peter.

None of the hit every nuance or element that comic Peter especially as he has changed or developed as decades have passed but they each reflect an important aspect or element that make Spidey special.

I mean, aside from ethnicity I feel like Scorpion will end up with his comic suit at some point (if they remember that plot) so I wouldn't even count that, and Aaron was barely in the movie (the fact that they're not using Hobie is a crime in my opinion).

[ironman2978]

I mean, aside from ethnicity I feel like Scorpion will end up with his comic suit at some point (if they remember that plot) so I wouldn't even count that, and Aaron was barely in the movie (the fact that they're not using Hobie is a crime in my opinion).

Honestly I wish they would use Scorpion but that might be a pipe dream at this point. And like everything else, unless you go do comic research or want to really differentiate from another take, the popular/more mainstream idea(in this case Prowler being Uncle Aaron Davis) usually wins out.

But like I said, honestly outside of more or less superficial comparison, MCU Peter feels as much as Miles as Miles feels like comics Peter.

[Johnny Thunders!]

At the time, Tobey Maguire sold the humanity of Peter Parker to the public. Before that, people only knew Spider-Man the lunchbox icon. Spider-Man was just like Mickey Mouse to the general public, a Thanksgiving day parade blimp. Maguire sold the tragic side of the character to the general public. Quite honestly, at the time, it felt just like Christopher Reeves Superman or Robert Downeys Iron Man. The right role for the right actor. Nothing against the new guys, they seem to change with the times whereas Tobey found the character.

[SecretWarrior]

Raimi got the Stan Lee era personality. The others had web shooters.

[Frontier]

Honestly I wish they would use Scorpion but that might be a pipe dream at this point. And like everything else, unless you go do comic research or want to really differentiate from another take, the popular/more mainstream idea(in this case Prowler being Uncle Aaron Davis) usually wins out.

But like I said, honestly outside of more or less superficial comparison, MCU Peter feels as much as Miles as Miles feels like comics Peter.

I mean, Aaron Davis doesn't have anything to do with Peter so I feel like it's unfair to Hobie, but I guess they couldn't help but throw in a Miles reference.

[ironman2978]

Raimi got the Stan Lee era personality. The others had web shooters.

I don't know about that. They each got element of Stan Lee era personalities right. Stan Lee Peter especially after he beat up Flash, was much more sarcastic and had a smart Aleck nature in between the brooding moments. His deep insecurity can come off as arrogance and self-centeredness (There were moments he was constantly bragging to himself that his schoolmates would be shocked to know how cool Peter really is if they knew he was Spider-Man).

Each live action Peter has more accuracy to the comics outside of web shooters. Spidey isn't simply just a weight of responsibility, but also a form of self-therapy, a way that allows Peter to grow outside of the mask as well. That was particularly shown fairly well with Garfield's take moving from introverted outsider into someone more comfortable with himself despite still being weighed down by the responsibility of Spider-Man. I would say both Holland and Maguire in two different ways both show the responsibility of being Spider-Man. Tobey is the most introspective of the three.

But each represents an aspect of comics Peter's personality fairly well.

I mean, Aaron Davis doesn't have anything to do with Peter so I feel like it's unfair to Hobie, but I guess they couldn't help but throw in a Miles reference.

Yeah, I do wish we do see more Hobie love on the big screen like he has in the cartoons. Maybe, one day.

[Godzilla2099]

I voted Garfield if we're talking overall performance.

I personally thought he nailed the tone of Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

[Blanks]

I mean, aside from ethnicity I feel like Scorpion will end up with his comic suit at some point (if they remember that plot) so I wouldn't even count that, and Aaron was barely in the movie (the fact that they're not using Hobie is a crime in my opinion).

They’ll probably skip Hobie ever being the Prowler and make him the Hornet, like he is in the comics now. Which is a shame, as I liked that bit as Hobie going around as Spider-Man for Peter, and Hobies own escapades as 616-Prowler.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Spider-Man is on the surface a very simple character to get right and yet it's easy to miss the nuance. For me none of the live-action actors have been entirely right. Of the lot, I prefer Raimi's Spider-Man I and II and I think Tobey Maguire gave a great turn but I wouldn't say it's accurate*

To cast Spider-Man right, you need to think in terms of casting an actor for a biopic. You need to cast an actor who can ably play a young Peter who looks Ditko-ish but then grows into Romita Sr. good looks and then gradually slides up and becomes Ross Andru, Ron Frenz, Romita Jr. and so on.

You need an actor who can do comedy, romance, drama with equal aplomb, something like Tom Hanks in the 1980s (and Hanks was Ron Frenz' pick to play Peter Parker when interviewed in that time).


* Let me also say that it's not necessary for casting to be accurate to be good. If a director/writer/performer has an interpretation that's still going to be valid or entertaining depending on how they do it. Hugh Jackman is absolutely not accurate casting for Wolverine in terms of comics' accuracy and yet he did such a great job in that role.

[Hypestyle]

Hammond had a mature poise, and was of course playing an adult peter.

[Castle]

I don't think all 3 series has reached up to 90% accuracy, I mean I still do go huh, at the very opening scene of Spiderman 2002. Peter saying, it is all about a girl called mary jane, a woman I have loved before I even liked girls, But we Spiderman fans know, this is just not true, in terms of the most central love stories of the Spiderman universe. it all started with Gwen and if Gwen have lived, it would have been Peter and Gwen, Peter loved Gwen before he ever loved Mary Jane and this is a very important story point, that just can't and not ever be dismissed in Spiderman's Universe story telling lore.

However, I am still going to vote for the Raimi series. Even if it did move a way from some aspect of the comics, it still just overall captured the feel of Spiderman's Universe best, if we are looking at Spiderman as a standalone series, which for the most part is how I liked to imagine the character.

[Starrius]

I don't think all 3 series has reached up to 90% accuracy, I mean I still do go huh, at the very opening scene of Spiderman 2002. Peter saying, it is all about a girl called mary jane, a woman I have loved before I even liked girls, But we Spiderman fans know, this is just not true, in terms of the most central love stories of the Spiderman universe. it all started with Gwen and if Gwen have lived, it would have been Peter and Gwen, Peter loved Gwen before he ever loved Mary Jane and this is a very important story point, that just can't and not ever be dismissed in Spiderman's Universe story telling lore.

However, I am still going to vote for the Raimi series. Even if it did move a way from some aspect of the comics, it still just overall captured the feel of Spiderman's Universe best, if we are looking at Spiderman as a standalone series, which for the most part is how I liked to imagine the character.

It all didn't start with Gwen Stacy.

Daily Bugle secretary Betty Brant was Peter's first girlfriend.
Peter got in a relationship with Gwen after he started college and met Mary Jane.
Betty broke up with Peter because she couldn't handle him putting his life in danger from taking photos of Spider-Man.

Liz Allen was romantically interested in Peter. She and Betty went to Peter's house and they ended up meeting Mary Jane before Peter did.
They were surprised and discouraged like they were no way near Mary Jane's league and that was before she wasn't clearly shown until she finally met Peter with "Face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot." which made an immediate impact and led to her being so popular that Stan Lee had no success at all in making Gwen be nearly as liked as Mary Jane.

[Blanks]

I voted Garfield if we're talking overall performance.

I personally thought he nailed the tone of Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

Totally agree with you. I was so disappointed to hear that they canceled Amazing 3. I was so hoping that it would be the Spidey movie to tie Sony Spider-Man to the MCU.

I use to pretend that the scene that where the airplane crashed when Peters parents died fleeing Osborn, was them trying to get the data to Nick Fury, since in the comics they were secretly Shield Agents. I soooooo wanted to see Amazing 3 starting off with Garfield’s Peter swinging home and seeing Aunt May serving Fury tea or something, while waiting on Peter.

[Spencermalley935]

I'm gonna go with Tobey Maguire overall although Tom Holland is a very close second.

I have no clue why fans actually think Andrew Garfield is the most "comic accurate"? Because he made a few poorly integrated, unfunny quips in the Spider-Man costume?