Why do people consider Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker to be a jerk?

[marvelguy25]

why do they even think he's an unlikable character? i mean sure how he got into oscorp was unforgivable and the aftermath of uncle ben's death was total crap but everything he did was understandable and nice. like after being tossed by the lizard peter took off his mask to cal a kid down and while the car was on fire peter gave him confidence. he also took a beating for a defensless kid. he also cared about saving connors and the rest of the city for turning int a city of lizards and keep this in mind it wasn't because he was ordered to it was because he had to do what is right even going all out with a bullet in his leg. he also save da school from the lizard. the reason he yelled at his aunt was because he was under pressure looking for his uncle's killer and he was afraid because he hurted aunt may and all he did say was "please PLEASE go to sleep aunt may!" while he was in tears. i also read or heared some ridiculous statements on him messing with flash made him a douche-_-

what are your thoughts?

[Keeper of the Crows]

There’s a scene in TASM2 where Peter defends a kid from bullies, fixes the boy’s science project with his webbing, and then walks him home. To me, that perfectly captures the essence of Spider-Man.

I think the first movie struggled as a result of a desire to differentiate Webb’s Peter Parker from Rami’s. I think the second movie did a much better job with the character of Spider-Man/Peter Parker and allowed Garfield to shine in the role.

[Peter Parker]

There’s a scene in TASM2 where Peter defends a kid from bullies, fixes the boy’s science project with his webbing, and then walks him home. To me, that perfectly captures the essence of Spider-Man.

Yes, Spider-Man does that and they get Spider-Man entirely right. They get Peter Parker entirely wrong because he acts like Spider-Man. Spider-Man is supposed to be the cool guy Peter isn't. Garfield plays PP like a cool, suave, misunderstood genius. In ASM1, he helps out a kid flash is bullying, he should have been the bullied kid that is Peter Parker. There really is no distinguishing PP and Spider-Man in these movies beyond the costume and that is the problem.

[Keeper of the Crows]

Yes, Spider-Man does that and they get Spider-Man entirely right. They get Peter Parker entirely wrong because he acts like Spider-Man. Spider-Man is supposed to be the cool guy Peter isn't. Garfield plays PP like a cool, suave, misunderstood genius. In ASM1, he helps out a kid flash is bullying, he should have been the bullied kid that is Peter Parker. There really is no distinguishing PP and Spider-Man in these movies beyond the costume and that is the problem.

You know, I didn’t even think about it that way until you mentioned it, but you raise a good point. The distinction between Peter and Spider-Man isn’t as clear as it was in the Rami films. (I’ve enjoyed both franchises, which have their own strengths and weaknesses.)

In the comics, we get to see Peter’s evolution from the timid, bullied introvert as he slowly grows out of his shell. And even now, he’s not exactly Johnny Storm, and that’s one of the things I love about the character. Having said that, with him having already graduated high school in this film, and the lack of time to show him in the context of more members of his supporting cast, I found the portrayal of the character acceptable. But if they ever made a Spider-Man tv show with time to more fully delve into the character, I’d be right there with you!

[marvelguy25]

You know, I didn’t even think about it that way until you mentioned it, but you raise a good point. The distinction between Peter and Spider-Man isn’t as clear as it was in the Rami films. (I’ve enjoyed both franchises, which have their own strengths and weaknesses.)

In the comics, we get to see Peter’s evolution from the timid, bullied introvert as he slowly grows out of his shell. And even now, he’s not exactly Johnny Storm, and that’s one of the things I love about the character. Having said that, with him having already graduated high school in this film, and the lack of time to show him in the context of more members of his supporting cast, I found the portrayal of the character acceptable. But if they ever made a Spider-Man tv show with time to more fully delve into the character, I’d be right there with you!

i think webb's spiderman would definitely work as a tv series with talented writers who worked on shows like breaking bad, mad men, star trek, teen wolf, walking dead, the spetacular spiderman, and the sopranos and even arrow along with comic book writers like mark waid, brian michael bendis, peter david, jm dematteis, greg weisman, roger stern, jason aaron, and even matt fraction.

in addition i always that the x-men would work best on tv for the most part since they have so many mutants and characters to develop it's insane.

[Keeper of the Crows]

i think webb's spiderman would definitely work as a tv series with talented writers who worked on shows like breaking bad, mad men, star trek, teen wolf, walking dead, the spetacular spiderman, and the sopranos and even arrow along with comic book writers like mark waid, brian michael bendis, peter david, jm dematteis, greg weisman, roger stern, jason aaron, and even matt fraction.

in addition i always that the x-men would work best on tv for the most part since they have so many mutants and characters to develop it's insane.

Great idea! I would really like to see something along those lines too! A few years ago I would have doubted it would be possible, but after seeing the special effects on Game of Thrones, I’ve changed my mind.

I think a 13 episode per season live-action Spider-Man series would be amazing. Instead of having to cram multiple villains and storylines into a two and a half hour blockbuster, the writers could take their time focusing on one villain at a time, with recurring supporting cast members (like Aunt May or Jameson) and others that show up semi-regularly (like Flash Thompson).

For example, TASM 1 could be turned into two different episodes; the origin premiere, and an episode akin to “Night of the Lizard” in the animated series, where we actually have time to meet Dr. Connors’ family.

Of course, this would only work with the right budget and lead-in time for special effects (which is why a shorter episode count might be needed). Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but I think the Spider-Man mythos is so massive, with so many great villains, stories, and supporting characters, that an episodic format is the best way to do justice to the serialized storytelling format.

[Sardorim]

He doesn't seem like Peter, he's too self-confident, handsome and stuff during his school days when he's supposed to be the socially awkward Puny Parker until he gets the Spider Powers.

[marvelguy25]

Great idea! I would really like to see something along those lines too! A few years ago I would have doubted it would be possible, but after seeing the special effects on Game of Thrones, I’ve changed my mind.

I think a 13 episode per season live-action Spider-Man series would be amazing. Instead of having to cram multiple villains and storylines into a two and a half hour blockbuster, the writers could take their time focusing on one villain at a time, with recurring supporting cast members (like Aunt May or Jameson) and others that show up semi-regularly (like Flash Thompson).

For example, TASM 1 could be turned into two different episodes; the origin premiere, and an episode akin to “Night of the Lizard” in the animated series, where we actually have time to meet Dr. Connors’ family.

Of course, this would only work with the right budget and lead-in time for special effects (which is why a shorter episode count might be needed). Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but I think the Spider-Man mythos is so massive, with so many great villains, stories, and supporting characters, that an episodic format is the best way to do justice to the serialized storytelling format.

yeah, and speaking of game of thrones they should hire the writers for the series as well. as since i mention breaking bad, walking dead, and even game of thrones which actors do you want to play each characters? i think aaron paul would do great as carnage

i would also love these guys as the orchestrits:

henry jackman

hans zimmer

james horner(i don't get why people have a problem with him. i always imagine his themes when i read the comics even before the movie came out)

alan silvestri

bryan tylor

spiderman is a characterb that has great potential to be great in everything.

[The4orTy67]

Movie Peter really reminds me of Ultimate Peter sometimes.

[Ceebiro]

He doesn't seem like Peter, he's too self-confident, handsome and stuff during his school days when he's supposed to be the socially awkward Puny Parker until he gets the Spider Powers.

1) He was socially awkward and puny. He was still emotionally detached from the majority of his classmates because of his issues with abandonment. He was still chumped by Flash even when he stood up for the other nerdier kid.

2) The spider-powers didn't make Peter Parker more handsome in the comics. He just became more confident. He stopped dressing like his aged frail aunt picked out his clothes.

Also, how are people so accepting of Spectacular Spider-man's Peter Parker when he's no more awkward than Garfield's?

[Mister Mets]

It wasn't something that bothered me, but Film Critic Hulk answers the thread question.

AND LIKE THE CHIEF PROBLEM OF TASM1, WHY ARE THEY HELL-BENT ON MAKING PETER THE KEWL BADASS WHO WILL SWOOP FOR GRADUATION AND KISS A GIRL ON STAGE LIKE HE'S THE FUCKING FONZ?

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE REALIZE THAT WHEN YOU MAKE PETER A KEWL BADASS WHO IS GOOD AT EVERYTHING IT ACTUALLY UNDERMINES THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE CHARACTER? WHICH IS THE IDEA THAT HAVING SUPERPOWERS WHEN YOU'RE A REGULAR KID DOESN'T ACTUALLY MAKE LIFE EASIER AND IN FACT MAKES IT WAY, WAY, WAY HARDER? ESPECIALLY TO DO THE RIGHT THING? NOR DOES IT MAGICALLY FIX ASPECTS OF YOUR SOCIAL PERSONALITY?

SO WHY ISN'T ANY OF THAT ACTUALLY INGRAINED INTO PETER'S CONFLICTS?

SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS PETER'S ACTUAL DILEMMA AND CONFLICT IN THESE MOVIES? THAT HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GIVE UP HIS KICK-ASS MAGIC GIRLFRIEND? THAT PEOPLE NEED TO GET OUT OF HIS WAY AND LET HIM BE AWESOME? THAT PEOPLE SHOULD ALWAYS TELL HIM THE TRUTH AND TRUST HIM WHEN HE'S GIVEN NO EVIDENCE OF BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING RESPONSIBLE, BUT THEN PEOPLE OBLIGE WHEN HE MAKES THEM FEEL LIKE BAD PEOPLE? YEEESH. THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE THE RAIMI MOVIES COMPLAIN ABOUT THE CAMPY TONE AND STUFF, BUT THOSE MOVIES AT LEAST UNDERSTOOD HOW TO THROW CONFLICT AT PETER LIKE A ************. AND THE CONFLICT FOR PETER CAME IN THE FORM OF HOW INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT IT WAS TO LIVE LIFE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

SO ARE THESE PEOPLE REALLY JUST LIKING THE NEW SPIDER-MAN BECAUSE SPIDER-MAN IS NOT HIT WITH THESE CONFLICTS? IS IT JUST THE FANTASY OF SPIDER-MAN BEING THE JAMES DEAN BADASS? WHY IS PETER'S ONLY SEEMING DILEMMA THAT THE WORLD WON'T ALLOW HIM TO BE TOTALLY AWESOME AT EVERYTHING?

WHY HAVE A CHARACTER WHO SEEMS TO REVEL IN DOING THE WRONG THING ALL THE TIME AND WHEN IT COMES TIME TO CONTEXTUALIZE WHY CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THOSE WRONG THINGS ARE BAD, YOU DON'T, AND INSTEAD JUST GIVE HIM A VICTORY LAP AGAINST THE RHINO?

IS THIS MOVIE LIKE IF THOR CAME TO EARTH AND WILLINGLY GOT PEOPLE KILLED AND LEARNED NOTHING AND WAS THEN GIVEN HIS HAMMER BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDED HIS HELP?

WHY ISN'T ANYONE REALIZING THAT THIS PETER PARKER IS ACTUALLY A SOCIOPATH? CUE THIS GREAT QUOTE FROM "@joshraby The weird thing about ASM2 is how Peter discards the verbalized needs of every single person he comes into contact with." YUP. LIKE IT OR NOT, PETER IS THE MOST SELFISH ******* "HERO" EVER PUT ON SCREEN AND THE MOVIE DOESN'T KNOW IT. AND THAT'S THE WHOLE KEY. DID THEY NOT REALIZE A CHARACTER LIKE TONY STARK WORKS IF THE MOVIE (AND EVERY OTHER CHARACTER) ACTUALLY KNOWS IT?

BUT SINCE PETER STILL HAS TO APPEAR TO BE A "HERO" THE STORYTELLERS OVERCOME THIS WHOLE "PETER DISCARDS ALL THE VERBALIZED NEEDS OF PEOPLE" THING IS BY SECRETLY POSITIONING EVERY DRAMATIC SO THAT IT'S NOT DIRECTLY HIS FAULT. SO EVEN THOUGH VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING BAD THAT HAPPENS CAN BE TRACED TO HIS HUBRIS AND WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, IT STILL EVENTUALLY POSITIONS THE MORALITY OF THE MOMENTS SO THAT NOTHING IS HIS FAULT, ESPECIALLY WITH GWEN STACY'S INSISTENCE TO HELP DESPITE ALL HIS PLEAS. OR THE WAY AUNT MAY IS GIVING HIM GOOD RESTRICTIONS AND THEN HE HAS TO HAVE A HEART TO HEART SO THAT SHE APOLOGIZES TO HIM BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO SELFISHLY BE HIS ONLY MOTHER OR SOME OTHER THING THAT MAKES NO SENSE? EVEN THOUGH WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY KIND OF INDICATION OF THIS BEFORE? YUP, JUST ANOTHER WAY PETER ALWAYS HAS TO BE THE AWESOME ONE WHO IS SECRETLY RIGHT.

BUT HULK, WHY DO YOU SAY THAT WHEN HE SEEMS LIKE SUCH A GOOD, LIKABLE GUY ON THE SURFACE? HULK'S SORRY, BUT THAT'S JUST TEXTURE AND IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH STORYTELLING OR HOW THE CHARACTERS WORK. THAT PROBABLY SOUNDS HARSH, OR LIKE HULK IS TRYING TO COME UP HERE AND EXPLAIN AS IF HULK KNOWS EVERYTHING, BUT HULK SWEARS TO YOU, THIS TACT FLIES DIRECTLY IN THE FACE OF THE MOST BASIC WAY WE GIVE MEANING IN A STORY. BECAUSE WHAT A STORY IS "ABOUT" IS CREATED THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE DRAMATIC CONSTRUCT.

PUT LIKE THIS: PRETEND EVERY MOVIE WORLD HAS A GOD. WELL, THAT'S ACTUALLY TRUE BECAUSE MOVIES HAVE ACTUAL AUTHORS BEHIND THEM. THE STORYTELLER IS GOD OF THIS UNIVERSE. AND THE STORYTELLER CAN MOSTLY BE ONE PERSON OR MORE LIKELY A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT THEY ARE MAKING A SERIES OF CHOICES IN THE STORY AND THEY SAY SOMETHING WITH EVERY SINGLE CHOICE THAT THEY MAKE. AND THE THING THAT SAYS THE MOST ABOUT HOW THE WORLD WORKS? IN MOVIES IT IS ACTION AND CONSEQUENCE. DO THIS? THEN THIS HAPPENS. DO THAT? THEN THAT HAPPENS. AND WHAT THE UNIVERSE CONFIRMS THROUGH THESE "ACTIONS" IS THE FIRST PART OF THE STATEMENT COMING FROM THE WRITER; IT'S THE WAY THE UNIVERSE "WORKS." BUT THEN THAT STATEMENT IS CONTEXTUALIZED BY HOW THE CHARACTERS REACT TO HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS AROUND THEM, WHICH IS THEN CONTEXTUALIZED THROUGH A THIRD LAYER OF THE TONE AND VIEW OF THE FILM ITSELF. IT SOUNDS COMPLICATED, BUT REALLY THIS IS JUST BASIC CREATION OF THEME. IT'S INTEGRAL TO EVERY MOVIE EVER... SO HOW DOES THIS FILM NOT UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL?

TO TIE THAT QUESTION BACK INTO STRUCTURE, HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT PETER NEVER LEARNS A SINGLE LESSON THROUGHOUT TWO MOVIES? THINK ABOUT THAT. PETER MAY REACT AND GET UPSET AND BE SAD OR WHATEVER, BUT ASIDE FROM THE WHOLE DISCARDING OF "the verbalized needs of every single person he comes into contact with," HAS ANY OF THOSE EVENTS ACTUALLY CHANGED PETER'S BEHAVIOR AT ALL?

[marvelguy25]

It wasn't something that bothered me, but Film Critic Hulk answers the thread question.

i really don't see how peter would be a jerk and if he doesn't like how peter kissed gwen like that well that's his opinion. but overall peter doesn't seem to act like a jerk nor someone like james dean.

[Spiderx3000]

In the first movie he lkinda"learned with great power, must come great responsibility. In the second movie he learned that people will always need Spider-Man no matter what, because he gives people hope.

[Peter Porker]

I don't think he's a jerk, but I think he's unlikeable and irresponsible and just not Peter Parker.

He's a show-off.
While Peter in the comics is also cocky and a show-off sometimes, in this movie franchise Peter just does all these irresponsible things that make him absolutely out-of-character.
In the first movie with Flash and the basket ball? Yeah, why hide your powers. Makes no sense when you could get revenge on a bully. Logical!
Then when Peter kisses Gswen and throws the football so hard that one of the poles on the pitch bends? Did no one think that was odd?
The first time he's in a costume and hunts down the criminal that shot Uncle Ben he basically yells at the policemen like some *******. And he humiliates the criminal and makes jokes that are just not appropriate in such a situation.
And there's the other thing: Peter makes fun of criminals and villains and he has his puns and jokes, but in the movies the jokes aren't innocent or dorky. Maybe that's not cool enough for todays' audience?
Also, he walks over the street when he sees Gwen and it's like??? Dude, even if you are not in danger because of your spider sense and superpowers, you're still putting other people in danger.
The kiss he gave Gwen on graduation was cringeworthy, just like the high five he gave his teacher. Jock-behaviour, not Peter Parker-behaviour.
That's all that comes up in my mind right now, but there's much more.

[Spider-Mike]

"Fans" are jealous because they can't be Peter Parker