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

[trypp]

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?

Exactly. I personally find this fact interesting as well. The Peter Parker in the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon seems to be universally accepted even though he only seems slightly like a social misfit rather than a full blown bullied nerd.

I wonder if everyone just has their own unique perspective as to what their Peter Parker is. For me the fact that the TASM/Andrew Garfield Peter Parker didn't have a ton of friends or an amazingly outgoing social life, and was misunderstood by everyone but Gwen, kinda makes for a solid interpretation of the character being a modern social misfit. However, I will admit the graduation scene in the Amazing Spider-Man two a little bit too much on the 'cool' side of things for Peter Parker.

[marvelguy25]

Exactly. I personally find this fact interesting as well. The Peter Parker in the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon seems to be universally accepted even though he only seems slightly like a social misfit rather than a full blown bullied nerd.

I wonder if everyone just has their own unique perspective as to what their Peter Parker is. For me the fact that the TASM/Andrew Garfield Peter Parker didn't have a ton of friends or an amazingly outgoing social life, and was misunderstood by everyone but Gwen, kinda makes for a solid interpretation of the character being a modern social misfit. However, I will admit the graduation scene in the Amazing Spider-Man two a little bit too much on the 'cool' side of things for Peter Parker.

i love the spectacular spiderman version of peter. i mean despite him acting socially awkward he does have some confidecne and acts more like a person than maguire. if spectular continued during his college byears we've would've seen a different take on the character in the show but thanks to it being cancelled and replaced by that ultimate spiderman crap cartoon we won't even get that or any of the potential stuff the show was gonna give us. i agree with you're take on grafield as well. though the graduation scene was just him feeling all happy and lucky. i felt the same he we did in that scene

[Donuts]

I will say that Garfield's Peter in the sequel was a bit better but then there are lines like when he is celebrating with Aunt May and she tells him that she wishes that Uncle Ben was here and then he says he wishes that his parents (who no one cares about) were here as well.

And the other moment with Aunt May in his room when he says that it's not about you, it's about me. That was selfish of him to say including the extremely passionate statement that May had moments earlier. Plus giving how he was portrayed in the first film and I believe you answer your own question.

[marvelguy25]

I will say that Garfield's Peter in the sequel was a bit better but then there are lines like when he is celebrating with Aunt May and she tells him that she wishes that Uncle Ben was here and then he says he wishes that his parents (who no one cares about) were here as well.

And the other moment with Aunt May in his room when he says that it's not about you, it's about me. That was selfish of him to say including the extremely passionate statement that May had moments earlier. Plus giving how he was portrayed in the first film and I believe you answer your own question.

hey, i always wanted to know why people thought on him as a jerk despite all of the obvious good things that made him likable in the first film. it's like i'm missing something else but i have watched the movie 5 times and clearly nothing but the ending, uncle ben's death, and how he got into oscorp proves how much of an "*******" he is.

[Ant-manic]

hey, i always wanted to know why people thought on him as a jerk despite all of the obvious good things that made him likable in the first film. it's like i'm missing something else but i have watched the movie 5 times and clearly nothing but the ending, uncle ben's death, and how he got into oscorp proves how much of an "*******" he is.

anyone would seem like an a-hole when compared to Maguire's "adorkable Peter Parker" (at least in the first 2 movies). imo, humility is what really separates the two. we were given several showings of Maguire's humility in the movie. he was basically the universe's *****.

that's just not the same with Garfield-Spidey. his parents leaving would, logically, be rough on him. but he was left with two loving individuals. he didn't grow up in an orphanage. we never really saw him being bullied either. he approached Flash in most of the encounters, iirc. he was never really down on himself; not even after Ben died. and we were shown that he and Harry have similar senses of humor; picked up as if nothing had changed. but Harry is a snotty jerk. so what are we supposed to think of Peter?

[marvelguy25]

anyone would seem like an a-hole when compared to Maguire's "adorkable Peter Parker" (at least in the first 2 movies). imo, humility is what really separates the two. we were given several showings of Maguire's humility in the movie. he was basically the universe's *****.

that's just not the same with Garfield-Spidey. his parents leaving would, logically, be rough on him. but he was left with two loving individuals. he didn't grow up in an orphanage. we never really saw him being bullied either. he approached Flash in most of the encounters, iirc. he was never really down on himself; not even after Ben died. and we were shown that he and Harry have similar senses of humor; picked up as if nothing had changed. but Harry is a snotty jerk. so what are we supposed to think of Peter?

actually peter was down on himself when ben died. but i really don't see how he;s a jerk.

[electr1cgoblin]

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

Misinterpretation of the essence of the character. Peter Parker is supposed to be "everybody"; thus you are perfectly welcome and encouraged to identify with him, yet not idolize him, unless you are into idolizing yourself.

Also, given the life and circumstances he's inherited being Spiderman, no one in their right mind would 'want' to be him; at least not the real Spiderman.

[Chris S.]

The big issue for me in the first film was the way Andrew Garfield treated Aunt May and Uncle Ben. He came across like a disrespectful brat in a few instances and I didn't think it was Peter Parker like.

[StoneGold]

I dunno , you read some of those early ASMs, if it weren't for spider powers, I think Pete was half a step from Columbining Midtown.

[Batmankoff]

Accept defending two kids Flash was bullying in the first movie. Or helping the kid with his Science Project in the second.

On that note, how many people did Maguire's Peter Parker actually go out of his way to be "super nice" to?

In defense of Maguire's Parker, he does run into a burning building without powers to save people. But even taking that into account I would still say that, while one could certainly make the case for Maguire, Garfield's Parker is arguably the most altruistic and genuinely kindhearted superhero to grace the big screen since Christopher Reeves' Superman.

It takes most of the first movie for him to get there, but by the beginning of ASM 2 Peter is (at least in my opinion) the purest embodiment of what a superhero is supposed to be that we have in cinema today, making his MCU counterparts seem almost cynical in comparison.

[phantom1592]

I dunno , you read some of those early ASMs, if it weren't for spider powers, I think Pete was half a step from Columbining Midtown.

FACT!!!

I remember a picture of him slamming his fist into a book thinking 'Someday They'll regret laughing at me!' or something disturbingly similar.

Hulk had a few decidedly evil sounding comments in the first few issues issues as well.. Lot of rose colored glasses looking at those scripts from the 60's

[jgprime]

He's really not all that bad at all, no better/worse than the Ultimate comics Pete, or Spectacular Animated version, but unfortunately Raimi cemented Peter in live action terms as utterly pathetic even after he got the powers he was so passive and weak it was infuriating - didn't even stand up for himself with a few smart quips at the expense of JJJ or that weaselly dude he owed rent to, MJ and Harry pretty much walked right over him without even slowing down whenever there was an argument. Of course I can see why he wouldn't be exactly the same in and out of the costume but he's got no self respect and instead of pitiable, he was pitiful.

ASM Pete was more of an outsider by choice it seems pretty much, the 60s style nerd glasses and dorky outfit just doesn't make any sense at all. He's not cool, he's not one of the 'in crowd', he just doesn't care about that stuff. It wouldn't be the first time that Peter Parker has been a pretty good looking dude even without the spider-upgrade, doubt it will be the last. The kiss with Gwen seems pretty in character for someone who knows he is blowing the joint and never seeing 99% of these people he won't miss again.

Harry & MJ might as well have been speaking to themselves whenever they talked to Peter in the Raimi movies. I swear MJ would talk about her career or whatever job she was doing while Peter would try to comfort her with the "I love you MJ. You're so beautiful MJ. You were great MJ." And Harry would sulk about his father and blame Spidey/Peter for killing him while Peter would say "Your father killed himself Harry. It wasn't my fault Harry. Please don't blame me Harry." MJ would call Peter a nerd whilst Harry would just keep on blaming Peter for what happened to Norman. These were his girlfriend and his former best friend, who at one point also knew he was Spider-Man. But his dynamic with both of them varies little from when before Peter was bitten by the spider.

[Ant-manic]

actually peter was down on himself when ben died. but i really don't see how he;s a jerk.

seemed to me that he took it out primarily on random criminals. heck, i'm not sure that all of those guys were criminals. it seemed like he was just going out starting fights.

[Ant-manic]

FACT!!!

I remember a picture of him slamming his fist into a book thinking 'Someday They'll regret laughing at me!' or something disturbingly similar.

Hulk had a few decidedly evil sounding comments in the first few issues issues as well.. Lot of rose colored glasses looking at those scripts from the 60's

Henry Pym went on a full mad scientist "you'll be sorry" rant in his first appearance. but, in fairness, that was before they decided to make him a costumed hero.

[Alan2099]

The scene where he goes out of his way to humiliate Flash on the basketball court really doesn't paint him in the best of lights.

of course at the end of that, he jumps twenty feet in the air to dunk a basketball and shatter the rim, which also tells me he's really crappy when it comes to keeping a secret identity.