Rank The Top 5 Depictions of Peter Parker

[Kaitou D. Kid]

With Across The Spider-Verse coming out, I thought this might be fun.

What are, in your opinion, the top 5 best depictions of Peter Parker?

Ground Rules:

1. There are no wrong answers, but try your best to explain your opinion.

2. We are strictly ranking Peter Parker, not overall adaptations. For example, you might think the Raimi films are better than the Webb films but that the Webb films had a better Spidey. Or you might think Spectacular captured Spidey's world better, but that TAS had a better Spidey.

3. You can upgrade to top 10 or do honorary mentions if you want.


I'll go first.


1. Spectacular Peter - Voice and personality is spot-on. We never saw him leave high school, but he seems like someone who would grow into the JMS and Paul Jenkins Spidey. Bonus points that he seems to have a near-identical history to 616 Spidey.

2. Chris Pine's Peter and Peter B. - The best Peters we got in a movie. This one is a tie, so a bit of a cheat, but Peter B is just Pine's Peter if he made it into his 30's and had a midlife crisis. Like Spectacular, they're close to pre-OMD Spidey and seem to have a near-identical history to 616. Only ranks 2nd because of Josh Keaton.

3. Peter from Spider-Man Unlimited - Okay, this one will be controversial. But in spite of the show being meh, it had a great Peter. IMO, best Peter Parker design we got in animation, Romaro is underrated and the humor is spot on. It's also the only adaptation to show Spidey as a revolutionary icon.

4. Insomniac Peter - Self-explanatory... great take on Spidey. Falls short of the top three only because the quips could be stronger. His quips on-average sound a bit cornier when you compare them to his quips in ITSV and the cartoons. Also, he loses some slight points for the surveillance thing. Overall great take on Spidey, just falls short in certain areas when compared with the Top 3.

5. TAS Peter - Again...controversial for him to not be in my Top 3. Great Spidey but I think his design could use improvement. Peter is too bulky and I think it was a mistake to model him on Hammond. Also, I love Daniel-Barnes, but he is a better fit for Miguel IMO. Only other reason he ranks below Insomniac Spidey is because I feel the latter was more developed.

[CaptainUniverse]

My list is pretty similar to OP's though considering I have never seen Spectacular I cannot in good conscience include him on my list because I don't know him. So...

1. Peter B. - I admire this version of Peter just like I admired the Pre-OMD Peter. He's everything I have ever wanted in a movie version of Spider-Man. His character arc in ITSV reminded me of the comics I read when I was younger and the fact that he managed to overcome the trials he faced in that movie and grow into a better him rather than being restrained like he would have been in the comic books made it all so much better. I have to admit I am a little envious of Peter B., you see he got to choose whether he wanted to be a father or not, I...was told that I never would be one. Not everyone gets to have their own Mayday or Benjy, I guess. But that's life and...the Pre-OMD Peter that Peter B. echoes taught me a lot about life, MJ too. I love those guys, is it wrong of me to wish I could tell them that?

2. Chris Pines Peter - Ahem. Enough of that, moving on, we got the more "ideal" version of Peter from ITSV. He's got it all, well...everything that matters, but he's still close to that Pre-OMD Peter I loved reading about so much when I was younger. I would have put him in a tie with Peter B. but having removed Spectacular from my version of the list, I had to put someone at the number 2 spot. Plus, I am a big Chris Pine fan.

3. Insomniac Peter - This is a great take on Spider-Man but he could definitely use some of that ITSV magic touch to polish his jokes, some of them kind of land flat for me and that might be because I am usually always a few steps behind everyone else, I don't know. The only reason he is my number three instead of Unlimited or TAS is because in Unlimited's case I have only watched a handful of episodes (I really got to finish that show) so I am not as familiar with him as I am with Insomniac's and TAS has other issues.

4. Unlimited Peter - As I said, I am not familiar with this Peter and it is my first time watching Unlimited but from what I have seen thus far he has a solid design and is funny.

5. TAS Peter - While I did grow up watching this Peter I didn't get to really sit down and watch the show until Disney Plus came along. He's a great Peter but he needs an overhaul in the design department, honestly if you could take the look of Spider-Man: Unlimited and overlay it over the world of TAS it would be so much better. Although, TAS Peter does get extra points for being the only Peter to marry MJ in the cartoons, I think they showed the wedding in ISTV, I can't remember for some reason...now I got to re-watch it, thanks Kaitou! lol!

Merry Christmas, you guys.

[Frontier]

I wouldn't really rank them, but....

TAS Peter

Spectacular Peter

Insomniac Peter

Chris Pine Peter

Playstation Peter (with Rino Romano).

[Daibhidh]

I can't rank. So categories:
Best 616 depiction:
The Stern to Michelinie era (I haven't read nineties Spider-Man beyond that). I think he's still youthfully optimistic and impetuous while still coming over as an experienced hero.

Best animated:
Spectacular. It's hard to separate the quality of the writing from the quality of Peter. I think it's the best depiction of Spider-man in that he regularly defeats more powerful opponents by outthinking them. As Peter he's still young and confused.

Best live action: I actually like Andrew Garfield. Maguire and Holland are a bit too bland and humourless. Shame about the plotting of the films.

Best non-616 comics:
Slott's Renew Your Vows just beats out Bendis/Bagley Ultimate Spider-man. Ultimate is the more idealistic and has the better patter, but RYV has the more power and responsibility and is the better for it.

[Jekyll]

Thread bump because I wanted to rank stuff after watching Across the Spiderverse.

1. 90s Animated Series Spider-Man- It’s hard to beat what ultimately got me hooked on the character. Barnes was a great Peter Parker and to this day still one of the voices I hear when reading.

2. ITSV Peter B Parker - I love his story and that he was allowed to grow and overcome his tribulations, he has a beautiful arc in this film that is very inspiring. His appearance in ATSV with Mayday is such a wonderful pay off and I can’t wait to see more of this character.

3. Tobey Spiderman- He nails the awkward nerdy side of Peter and personifies Spider-Man when in the suit.

4. Insomniac Spider-Man - Very fresh and interesting take on the character while keeping the core elements.

[Xenon]

I feel underprepared for this but....

1. TAS Spider-Man - This is bias, I know it's Bias, but this guy defined Peter Parker to me. When I read the comics I was shocked at how well he lined up. And how much Felicia didn't, lol.
2. Earth 1610 Peter Parker (ITSV) - The Spider-Man that had it all together.. I'm sure he still had problems and struggles, but I just really like this version. I hope he gets revived in BTSV. lol.
3. Peter B. Parker* - I could do without the divorce but right now this is the Peter I need and it works very well. I appreciate the more jaded tone we get from him as it feels more Ditko-esque and I think more Peters could use that.
4. Insomniac Peter - They nail this character very well. He's perhaps a bit to chipper, but it looks like there was no Gwen or Goblin for his first 8 years so he hasn't suffered really until this upcoming game and losing May.

And...that's all I can comfortably rank. I haven't seen Spectacular. I haven't seen the older cartoons yet. I've seen numerous Game adaptations but they're all pretty basic.

I can't rank. So categories:
Best 616 depiction:
The Stern to Michelinie era (I haven't read nineties Spider-Man beyond that). I think he's still youthfully optimistic and impetuous while still coming over as an experienced hero.

Best animated:
Spectacular. It's hard to separate the quality of the writing from the quality of Peter. I think it's the best depiction of Spider-man in that he regularly defeats more powerful opponents by outthinking them. As Peter he's still young and confused.

Best live action: I actually like Andrew Garfield. Maguire and Holland are a bit too bland and humourless. Shame about the plotting of the films.

Best non-616 comics:
Slott's Renew Your Vows just beats out Bendis/Bagley Ultimate Spider-man. Ultimate is the more idealistic and has the better patter, but RYV has the more power and responsibility and is the better for it.

90s Spider-Man is slightly underrated. "The Spider" is bad, The robot parents are bad, the clone saga is awful, the mackie reboot is terrible. And yet, the stuff before the robot parents is good to great (Spectacular 200 comes to mind of course), Reilly's Spider-Man is great, and ther's a little era between the end of the clone saga and the mackie reboot that is also pretty great....at leats until the very end when Gathering of Five....doesn't stick the landing, let's say. Overall there's a lot more good than bad, it's just not high profile.

Also, I'm sure yuo've read it, but I would argue Conway's RYV is best RYV, ahead of both Houser and Slott's versions.

EDIT: *It's weird the ITSV version is called Peter B. Parker as technically all Peter's are Peter B. Parkers. Kinda odd.

[Daibhidh]

90s Spider-Man is slightly underrated. "The Spider" is bad, The robot parents are bad, the clone saga is awful, the mackie reboot is terrible. And yet, the stuff before the robot parents is good to great (Spectacular 200 comes to mind of course), Reilly's Spider-Man is great, and ther's a little era between the end of the clone saga and the mackie reboot that is also pretty great....at leats until the very end when Gathering of Five....doesn't stick the landing, let's say. Overall there's a lot more good than bad, it's just not high profile.

I need to look at the DeMatteis stories if I ever get back on Marvel Unlimited, although much of the Spectacular series wasn't up on Marvel Unlimited when I last subscribed. (I stopped subscribing when the final issue of Beyond was released there because of what I saw of Wells' series.)

Also, I'm sure yuo've read it, but I would argue Conway's RYV is best RYV, ahead of both Houser and Slott's versions.

There are more moments I remember fondly from Slott's series. Conway was I gather interfered with by Editorial, and I really don't care for Osborns who aren't Norman as antagonists.

EDIT: *It's weird the ITSV version is called Peter B. Parker as technically all Peter's are Peter B. Parkers. Kinda odd.

I believe it's a meta-joke for the first film. (i.e. Peter Parker A is Chris Pine's Peter)

[bat39]

Tough one, and a lot of this is colored by my nostalgia. But anyway, here goes:


1. Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker: My first-ever exposure to the character as a kid! I just love him, warts and all, from his mopiest moments to the infamous symbiote-powered 'dance'. He wasn't the perfect representation of the comic-book Peter or Spider-Man in the literal sense, but he just felt real in a way many of the other adaptations didn't, and I think he captured the spirit of the character perfectly.

2. Ultimate Peter Parker: The earliest Peter I really followed in the comics. To me, this is the gold standard of teenage Spider-Man. He was a few years older than me when I first started reading him, and I kinda related to him as a pre-teen/soon to be teenager. He felt more like a 21st century kid than the relatively more 'square' teenage Peter in Spider-Man Chapter One (which was also one of my earliest Spider-Man comics, and while it's much reviled today, I've always had a soft corner for it).

3. Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker: I feel his Peter was a pretty good blend of 616 Peter (in a 21st century context) and Ultimate Peter. He was a bit more of a 'cool' teenager and shed some of that mopey vibe which sadly shackles the character often (my one problem with Maguire's take), while staying true to the character's struggles. And I think he was a better Spider-Man behind the mask than Tobey.

4. Peter B. Parker from Spider-Verse: A near-perfect distillation of the 616 and Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, who also gets the happy ending (or rather, a new beginning) that many of us wish 616 Peter got - married to MJ, and a father. Would also like to give an honorary mention here to the Earth 1610 Peter Parker from ITSV who seemed like a cool version of the character I wish we'd gotten to see more of.

5. TAS Peter Parker: This one's again a bit down to nostalgia, but reruns of the 90's Spider-Man cartoon were also among my earliest memories of the character. His overall look, his on-off relationship with MJ, his being college-aged etc. really made him feel like a 'continuation' of sorts of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man to my 10 year old self!

Honorary mention: The Peter Parker from the 2000's J Michael Straczynski run, which was my first exposure to then contemporary 616 Spider-Man material and felt like a very 'adult' take on the character and his world at the time - Peter and MJ struggling with their marriage, Peter becoming a high school teacher, Aunt May learning the truth and the consequences of that etc.

[exile001]

1 - David Michelinie - Peter Parker allowed to be happy and enjoy his life? BuT THat'S n0t rElaTABle! **** that mindset!

Peter was every bit the complex character under Michelinie but the guy genuinely loved his life. He had some incredible hardships along the way, as well as the most ridiculous bollocks, but most of all this Peter was a well adjusted, contented man who loved his job, his wife, his aunt, his friends and had time for all of it.

Bottom line, Peter Parker had grown up.

I'm not a fan of the trope that a hero's life has to be miserable or made miserable by his heroics, and it has been pretty egregious at points in Spidey's history. You will likely have seen me ranting on my hatred of Loser Peter. I am fine with Peter being a pretty happy guy in his daily life. It doesn't detract anything from his struggles when forced to adapt to them. If anything it gives the struggle depth, as you know what he's lost/trying to regain.

That's how Michelinie's (and other great writers') Peter worked.

Several other writers managed to write a great Peter but I see Michelinie's Peter as THE Peter (even more-so than his Spider-Man).

I see elements of this Peter in the 90's Animated show, which made me a Spidey fan, and shout out to Nick Spencer who was totally riffing on this era.

2 - J M DeMatteis - He made Peter feel like a real person. Harry, too.

Kraven's Last Hunt is all about Peter, the man. That's part of Kraven's great hubris. Same with his Harry/Green Goblin saga, it's all about two friends and the madness of long dead Norman Osborn spiralling them both into a blood feud. It's beautifully tragic.

DeMatteis' Peter informs his Spider-Man, where it's usually the other way around. It feels like Peter Parker in a costume as opposed to two separate people, or having an exaggerated persona as Spidey.

That may rub some up the wrong way as Spider-Man was originally an outlet for Peter's childhood frustrations and many writers add a more exaggerated difference between the two, but he's an adult by this point so I like that Peter, now comfortable in himself, has become more like Spidey, the person he wanted to be.

This is almost the other side of the coin to Michelinie's era, which was more fantastical and over the top, whereas DeMatteis was grounded and psychological.

3 - Gerry Conway - You want Soap Opera? Oh, we got Soap Opera!

I'd say more than any other writer, Conway put Peter through the absolute wringer. Not Spider-Man. Peter.

The death of Gwen. Actual depression and his friends' crappy "get over it" attitude (except Flash!). Homelessness. Aunt May in Doc Ock's clutches. The heel turn of his best friend. Getting behind at University. The "return" of Gwen. The heel turn of his mentor/friend. The clone.

Conway's Peter is not a loser, few of these things are actually his own fault (this is important!), but he has had the **** kicked out of him by life. This era shows Peter at his bleakest but also at his most determined.

There are so many reasons to quit, not as Spidey, but as Peter. He doesn't. Because Peter, with or without the costume, is heroic and inspirational.

4 - Dan Slott - Big Time to Dying Wish

Peter as a respected hero and Avenger. Check. Decent job that tied into his Spidey time. Check. Aunt May proud. Check. Big, interesting threats that highlight Peter's genius. Check. Solid use of new and established supporting cast. Check. Largely happy with his life. Check. THE RETURN OF HIS BROTHER KAINE! Check (okay, that was just for me).

This Peter balanced his normal life, dating (a bit), a perfect job and Spider-based nonsense well and met every challenge with an appropriate sense of self. Also, "no one dies" is one of my favourite additions to Spider-Man and this comes straight from Peter.

I don't think Slott ever wrote the Peter Parker side as well as he did in the era prior to Superior (as much as I enjoy his whole run).

5 - Ditko/Lee - I liked hot-headed Peter. I miss that sometimes.

Peter here is an utterly different character to any other era. He was angry, frustrated, hot-headed and, frankly, a bit of a dick. Terrible boyfriend. He'd get annoyed at school and go pick a fight with Human Torch.

But his heart was usually in the right place, especially when it came to his aunt, and he grew before our eyes (admitted more-so in the Lee/Romita era).

It is always enjoyable to go back to this rough round the edges version and see how far he has come.

Honourable mentions: JMS' Peter was even more grown up, I really liked this take especially with his relationships with MJ and May. Roger Stern's Peter felt like a middle ground version of the young adult and adult versions. Very solid character but a bit stuck between two worlds.

Everyone else is doing outside media, so -

1 - Spider-Man 90's TAS - It distilled everything Peter into one composite character. He got a lot of screen time (likely as it was cheaper than animating Spidey. Lol) and different situations to respond/adapt to. He got to see a decent range from this version, which most haven't had.

2 - Insomniac Spider-Man - Another nebulous early adult version, his character shone through in the time allotted. He has a lot going on which is open to be further explored. It says a lot that I'm really looking forward to more Peter in SM2 as opposed to just the Spidey stuff.

3 - Spectacular Spider-Man - I really liked this version, but feel another season or two would have fleshed him out a lot as he's a bit one note. He is maybe the most fun, though.

4 - Andrew Garfield - I actually don't like his movies very much but his performance as Peter was great for the material he was given. I believed his Peter (and Gwen). He absolutely killed it in No Way Home, and actually made me well up a bit. You all know the moment.

[Xenon]

I need to look at the DeMatteis stories if I ever get back on Marvel Unlimited, although much of the Spectacular series wasn't up on Marvel Unlimited when I last subscribed. (I stopped subscribing when the final issue of Beyond was released there because of what I saw of Wells' series.)

There are more moments I remember fondly from Slott's series. Conway was I gather interfered with by Editorial, and I really don't care for Osborns who aren't Norman as antagonists.

I believe it's a meta-joke for the first film. (i.e. Peter Parker A is Chris Pine's Peter)

Huh i never thought of it that way (ITSV)

Yeah Marvel Unlimited was how I got into comics, but at the time (13 years ago) they only had the irst 100 issues of Amazing and a random assortment of other stuff. The Lee run hooked me so I wanted to keep reading, which led to a few mistakes (I have a slabbed ASM 601 and I did not intend to have a slabbed ASM 601) and eventually just having to sail the high seas. Like I tried to buy the stuff and it just wasn't available. Sad to hear that even today they don't have complete stuff through the 90s.

[Daibhidh]

Huh i never thought of it that way (ITSV)

It's actually quite a clever little meta-joke. It superficially seems to be implying that Chris Pine's version is the A-version and Peter B is just the B version. But because all Peters are Peter B it's actually saying that Peter B is at least as authentic.