No Way Home "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility" - Tobey Maguire Returns As RaimiVerse Spider-Man

[Detective Conan]

Can we nominate this for post of the year to close the show on 2021? Perfectly said.

I’ve always felt Tobey wasn’t the right guy for the role of Spider-Man. He did play the role of what the studio was looking for well which to me wasn’t the Spider-Man that resonates with me. I don’t recall Peter Parker ever being a doormat or seemingly lacking a back bone. Too often in those movies, that’s what it came off as though. Also add in the constant overacting along side Kirsten Dunst such as that break up sequence in SM3 on the bridge. God…..

I have a full confession to make, I always found some of Tobey’s acting choices in his movies be unintentionally hilarious and not really in a good way such as this scene:




Still a good actor but needless to say he didn’t always have his best acting moments in those movies. But boy was those moments meme worthy.

 

[Mr. Peanut]

Tobey's Peter stood up to people when it really counted. His usual passive nature gave those instances more impact.

 

[JannTosh]

The Amazing films weren't canned because they "weren't very profitable" (they were.)

They were canned to due to Andrew's antics in 2014 and the email leaks.

No AsM 2 was expected to make a billion dollars. Instead it made less than ASM 1 on a bigger budget. Considering it wasn’t well received an ASM 3 would have continued the downward spiral so Sony had no choice pretty much but to end it there

 

[ragingdemon155]

I have a full confession to make, I always found some of Tobey’s acting choices in his movies be unintentionally hilarious and not really in a good way such as this scene:




Still a good actor but needless to say he didn’t always have his best acting moments in those movies. But boy was those moments meme worthy.

LOL.

Likewise.

He’s unintentionally the funniest out of the live Spider-Men actors. Those memes are legendary. The overacting is perfect meme material. It also at times allowed him to be outshined in scenes by his costar…such as James in that Cafe scene. You almost find yourself rooting for Harry….

The over the top reactions in the train sequence will always stand on top though for Tobeys meme worthy moments. Nothing will top those faces reactions as his attempting to stop the train.

 

[The Joker]

Tobey is the best ever version of everybody’s favorite wallcrawler according to IGN readers.
Spider-Man Face-Off - The Winner Revealed - IGN

Yes, Tobey’s version of the character beats out even the original comics 616 incarnation.

Well deserved.

Lol Nostalgia is a powerful tool. I’ve always believed that whoever played Spider-Man in those Raimi films would be looked at the same way. I’ll probably get crucified for saying that..

No one should beat out the ps4 interpretation of Spider-Man. No other version of the character has been a more spot on representation. That version stands on a pedestal all alone.

I won't crucify for that. Its just a case that you can't see past your own bias and look at it more logically. If being main characters in the most revered CBM's automatically granted popularity then characters like Dunst's MJ and Rachel Dawes would be fan favorites. But they're not.

Likewise the majority of MCU villains are not held in any high regard, with only the likes of Thanos and Loki being heralded among the all time greats. People like a version of a character because its the one they enjoy the best. The nostalgia card can only go so far. Only true quality stands the test of time.

I remember back in 2008 the loud minority of naysayers claiming that TDK's popularity would wane big time as soon as the sentiment of Ledger's untimely passing wore off. Here we are 13 years later, many great CBM's have come along since, and TDK still firmly holds the consensus as greatest CBM. If something is good it will hold its status. Just like Tobey's Spidey has.

Simple as that.

I love the PS4 game version of Peter as much as any Spidey fan. But for example I got more emotion from scenes like Tobey's Peter confessing his role in Uncle Ben's death to Aunt May, than I did from PS4 Peter crying over May's corpse. Its just a case of what you got more from with each version.

I think NWH just reminded everyone of Tobey's greatness, as well as introduced a new generation of fans to him. Just like it showed how Garfield can actually be decent when he isn't in a garbage Spider-Man script.

 

[Detective Conan]

Well deserved.



I won't crucify for that. Its just a case that you can't see past your own bias and look at it logically. If being main characters in the the most revered CBM's automatically granted popularity then characters like Dunst's MJ and Rachel Dawes would be fan favorites. But they're not.

Likewise the majority of MCU villains are not held in any high regard, with only the likes of Thanos and Loki being heralded among the all time greats. People like a version of a character because its the one they enjoy the best. The nostalgia card can only go so far. Only true quality stands the test of time.

I remember back in 2008 the loud minority of naysayers claiming that TDK's popularity would wane big time as soon as the sentiment of Ledger's untimely passing wore off. Here we are 13 years later, many great CBM's have come along since, and TDK still firmly holds the consensus as greatest CBM. If something is good it will hold its status. Just like Tobey's Spidey has.

Simple as that.

I can certainly see merits to his portrayal, but I do think with Maguire a large part of the reason he’s the favorite is because he has the luxury of being many people’s first entry to the character as well as being in stronger movies than either of his successors. Of course, that doesn’t takeaway from the quality of his portrayal because even though his Spider-Man performance as well as some moments of overacting didn’t do much for me I still think Maguire was a good actor for the part, not great, and the scene you cited where he confessed his role in Ben’s death is a highlight of his performance, but…to be honest having seen a lot of Garfield’s movies that’s the type of scene I can easily imagine Garfield nailing, in addition to nailing the quips, which in my opinion was somewhat lacking from Maguire’s performance. Tobey had a good understated performance and to be honest he was perfect for what Raimi was going for with the character even if, to be honest, he never felt like the comics and animated Peter that I grew up loving as a kid. At the end of the day I think Tobey worked for that version of Peter.

But I have to wonder if Garfield(who is a much more talented actor than Maguire, imo) was cast in the Raimi films and Tobey was cast in the Webb movies would Maguire really be the favorite? I could see Garfield pulling off SM2, but I don’t see Tobey pulling off the same energy as Garfield’s best Spidey moments and he’d be totally miscast for Webb’s take on Peter. Whereas I think Garfield elevated weak material with his great acting, I feel Maguire would not be able to do the same with the same material Andrew had to work with. Now whatever faults anyone has with Garfield’s take could easily be chalked up to the script and characterization, not his performance. To me, Andrew’s take felt closer to the Peter I loved as a child, but I will always soft spot for Tobey and do think he was in the best live action movies about the character.

And yes, I agree Tobey was great in NWH, even if I think Garfield stole the show.

 

[The Joker]

I can certainly see merits to his portrayal, but I do think with Maguire a large part of the reason he’s the favorite is because he has the luxury of being many people’s first entry to the character as well as being in stronger movies than either of his successors. Of course, that doesn’t takeaway from the quality of his portrayal because even though his Spider-Man performance as well as some moments of overacting didn’t do much for me I still think Maguire was a good actor for the part, not great, and the scene you cited where he confessed his role in Ben’s death is a highlight of his performance, but…to be honest having seen a lot of Garfield’s movies that’s the type of scene I can easily imagine Garfield nailing, in addition to nailing the quips, which in my opinion was somewhat lacking from Maguire’s performance. Tobey had a good understated performance and to be honest he was perfect for what Raimi was going for with the character even if, to be honest, he never felt like the comics and animated Peter that I grew up loving as a kid I think Tobey worked for that version of Peter.

But I have to wonder if Garfield(who is a much more talented actor than Maguire, imo) was cast in the Raimi films and Tobey was cast in the Webb movies would Maguire really be the favorite? I could see Garfield pulling off SM2, but I don’t see Tobey pulling off the same energy as Garfield’s best Spidey moments and he’d totally miscast for Webb’s take on Peter. Now whatever faults anyone has with his take, could easily be chalked up to the script and characterization, not performance. To me, Andrew felt closer to the Peter I loved as a child but I will always soft spot for Tobey and do think he was in the best live action movies about the character.

I don't think any actor could become a fan favorite from the Webb movies' version. I didn't like the portrayal of Peter in those movies. From the moody hoodie wearing in class, the skateboarding, how he was so petty to let a robbery slide over carton of chocolate milk, the constant obsession over his parents (has to be one of the most boring sub plots ever put into a CBM), smiling at Gwen saying promises to a dead man are the best kind to break etc. Plus he always came across as being far too cool to be the unpopular nerd. I just never bought into his version of the character. It was all terrible, IMO.

I don't blame Garfield for it. That was the lousy writing he was saddled with. Even a good actor cannot make s*** shine. As we saw in NWH when he actually gets decent material he's really good.

But then I think that's the case with most bad versions of characters in CBMs. A lot of the time its the writing and direction. For example I think Jared Leto could have been a great Joker under a different script and director. Everyone was excited when he was first cast.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Tobey is still my favorite on screen Spider-Man, so there is that. Yes, being in the best Spider-Man movies helps. But Tobey is a large reason why those films work. He nails Peter Parker. Regardless of what other quality is in the movie, if you don't invest in the main character, the film doesn't work. Andrew Garfield may be a better actor, but that doesn't make you the best actor for a given part. Al Pacino is a better actor than Christopher Reeve ever was, but Al Pacino would have been awful as Superman.


I love Tom Holland also, but I still prefer Tobey. Rewatching all the Spider-Man films leading up to this one just reinforced that to me.

 

[GuestStar2004]

Tobey never worked for me. Even when he came through the portal in NWH he has this blank awkward appearance to him thats only there because thats how he constantly was in the Raimi movies. And i think thats why Andrew stood out more. Because Tobey's spider-man lacks alot of that energy in areas. And i don't think thats on Toby as an actor. I think thats just on the character that never really progressed passed that. And they just heightened it more for this movie as a sign of growth. And "maturing" just made him seem even more emotionless in some areas. And that to me isn't spider-man. Its a false narrative of maturity.

Now thats not to say i disliked Toby in this film. I think his personality paired with the other 2, who have more energy to them. made for an interesting 3 way dynamic. But him alone... i dunno.

If all 3 of them had been the same. i don't think the dynamic would have worked as much. So Tobey was a strength here IMO.

 

[PBisawsem2B]

No AsM 2 was expected to make a billion dollars. Instead it made less than ASM 1 on a bigger budget. Considering it wasn’t well received an ASM 3 would have continued the downward spiral so Sony had no choice pretty much but to end it there

Nope! I hate to argue but that isn't true. (At least not your reason why it was cancelled)

This is from the 2014 Sony emails:

“Here we are about one hour away from our Gala event and Andrew decides he doesn’t want to attend. He has a rather scruffy beard and he just wants to be left alone."

The event in question was going to be a gala in which the release date for TASM3 was going to be confirmed. TASM3 was already greenlit and well into production after the release of TASM2.

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[ragingdemon155]

Tobey never worked for me. Even when he came through the portal in NWH he has this blank awkward appearance to him thats only there because thats how he constantly was in the Raimi movies. And i think thats why Andrew stood out more. Because Tobey's spider-man lacks alot of that energy in areas. And i don't think thats on Toby as an actor. I think thats just on the character that never really progressed passed that. And they just heightened it more for this movie as a sign of growth. And "maturing" just made him seem even more emotionless in some areas. And that to me isn't spider-man. Its a false narrative of maturity.

Now thats not to say i disliked Toby in this film. I think his personality paired with the other 2, who have more energy to them. made for an interesting 3 way dynamic. But him alone... i dunno.

If all 3 of them had been the same. i don't think the dynamic would have worked as much. So Tobey was a strength here IMO.

Agreed. I actually like Tobey and love his movies. He’s just never been the right guy for the role to me. He doesn’t have the energy to play this type of super hero. He played that interpretation of the character well as far as what the studio was looking for. It’s just not an interpretation that personally resonates with me. It’s not the Peter Parker/Spider-Man I know.

I actually think he’s the weakest of the 3 actors to play Spider-Man. That being said, I still love those movies.

 

[JannTosh]

Nope! I hate to argue but that isn't true. (At least not your reason why it was cancelled)

This is from the 2014 Sony emails:

“Here we are about one hour away from our Gala event and Andrew decides he doesn’t want to attend. He has a rather scruffy beard and he just wants to be left alone."

The event in question was going to be a gala in which the release date for TASM3 was going to be confirmed. TASM3 was already greenlit and well into production after the release of TASM2.

sure if you want to believe that. After the box office of ASM 2, am ASM 3 was never happening

 

[GuestStar2004]

sure if you want to believe that. After the box office of ASM 2, am ASM 3 was never happening

Rumor is that the sony execs were gonna keep Garfield and make a deal with marvel. Keeping him involved. But then he didn't turn up for some exec dinner and they fired him.

 

[Detective Conan]

Tobey is still my favorite on screen Spider-Man, so there is that. Yes, being in the best Spider-Man movies helps. But Tobey is a large reason why those films work. He nails Peter Parker. Regardless of what other quality is in the movie, if you don't invest in the main character, the film doesn't work. Andrew Garfield may be a better actor, but that doesn't make you the best actor for a given part. Al Pacino is a better actor than Christopher Reeve ever was, but Al Pacino would have been awful as Superman.


I love Tom Holland also, but I still prefer Tobey. Rewatching all the Spider-Man films leading up to this one just reinforced that to me.

Fair enough, I just want to be let it be known that of course I know that being a better actor doesn’t mean you’ll always be the best fit for the role. I think Timothy Chamalet is a way better actor than Tom Holland, but I’d say Holland is still the better pick for Peter Parker despite me thinking he’s the weaker actor of the two. In Garfield’s case, I happen to think he’s the better actor and the better fit for playing the Parker role, at least the Parker that I see in the comics. Maguire delivery blew hard on the delivery Spider-Man wise and some his acting left a lot to be desired at points. Feel to free to disagree, but I just think Garfield is the better casting to represent the comics character than Maguire who’s playing a very specific take on the character that radiates a old fashioned earnestness and that has its charms, but I still think if Garfield was cast in the role first and was asked to do what Tobey he did, he’d do it just as good if not even better.

At the end of the day, it’s all good. You along with many others happen to think Tobey played the part the best, I, and along with many others happen to think Garfield played the part the best, and there others who feel Holland is the best. That’s great. Again I do feel if Garfield was cast in the part in the Raimi movies he’d be the most popular instead of Tobey. That doesn’t discount the strength of Maguire’s performance though. Either way, there is no right answer to the questions who’s best Peter/Spidey as it all comes down to preference.

 

[kguillou]

At the end of the day it really kind of depends on what kind of personality you gravitate towards more. I grew up with Tobey's Pete but I always endeared towards his soft, nerdy, baby face, "awe shucks" demeanor. I just...found it relatable. And I think it worked especially in Spider-man 2 when all the odds were stacked against Peter and life was kicking him down, you felt for the guy and rooted for him. He felt like an everyman; a kind, good hearted soul that you wished the world had more of. And honestly, that kind of thing could come off real corny but Tobey 100% sold it.

This scene here from Spider-man 1 where he and MJ are talking in their backyards and how he is opening up to her and telling her "you're gonna light up broadway," I dont know man, to ME, Tobey sells how in love Peter is with Mj.

 

[Matt.S99]

Agreed. I actually like Tobey and love his movies. He’s just never been the right guy for the role to me. He doesn’t have the energy to play this type of super hero. He played that interpretation of the character well as far as what the studio was looking for. It’s just not an interpretation that personally resonates with me. It’s not the Peter Parker/Spider-Man I know.

I actually think he’s the weakest of the 3 actors to play Spider-Man. That being said, I still love those movies.

Totally agree with this. In a way, I’m actually a little shocked that it seems like he’s the big fan favourite, especially recently. I never thought that many people cared that much for his portrayal. (The films on the other hand, yes. We all love them)

Tbh I still wonder what would have happened had they recast Tobey with Jake Gyllenhaal in Spider-Man 2. I do think he could have elevated that particular version of the character a little more. Around that time, I think he fit the part better than Tobey. He had a similar look to him, but was a little more conventionally handsome, which personally, is how I think of Peter Parker. He’s been portrayed as awkward, but handsome nerd more than the complete dweeby wallflower.

in regards to Garfields Peter, I really don’t understand all the hate it gets. I get that they made him a little more “cool” with his hoodie and skateboard and many think it made him less believable as the unpopular nerd, but take it from someone who was in high school around that time, the skaters didn’t have girls swooning over them. Maybe a couple in their tiny little cliques, but overall, the hoodie wearing skaters weren’t really that popular, so I think it was actually a fairly realistic take on the character, just updated a little.
Personally, I much prefer that to the extremely geeky kid of the Tobey films.

those films are still undoubtedly the best and IMO are only now being topped with NWH (largely due to the inclusion of so many characters from those films), but the lack of chemistry throughout those films really brings it down for me. Rewatching them recently, it really just feels like actors playing a role. Whether it’s between Peter and MJ, Peter and Harry, or even Peter and Aunt May. Not to say they didn’t play the roles well, but there was a disconnect there.
With the Garfield and Holland films, those same relationships (Peter and his S.O., Aunt May, and his friends) feel so much more authentic, regardless if the films were better or not.
That is why to me, Garfield and Holland are the better versions of the character.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I honestly believe Tobey's acting is somewhat underappreciated these days. Sure, he might not be as talented of an actor as Garfield or Holland, but he worked perfectly as Peter Parker/Spider-Man during the Raimi era.

He really got some great material to work with Spider-Man 2 and while I still have issues with how Mary Jane is handled after that first movie Kristin Dunst and Tobey Maguire share so many good scenes together.

I always felt like they had genuine chemistry despite the iffy writing and even when things go really off the rails in SM3 you can still see glimpses of it at times even in that mess of a movie.

 

[Matt.S99]

Didn’t Tobey and Kirsten not really get along during that time? At least those are the rumours I remember from the time. And IMO, it kind of shows. Honesty, I think he had better chemistry with BDH in SM3 lol

 

[ragingdemon155]

I honestly believe Tobey's acting is somewhat underappreciated these days. Sure, he might not be as talented of an actor as Garfield or Holland, but he worked perfectly as Peter Parker/Spider-Man during the Raimi era.

He really got some great material to work with Spider-Man 2 and while I still have issues with how Mary Jane is handled after that first movie Kristin Dunst and Tobey Maguire share so many good scenes together.

I always felt like they had genuine chemistry despite the iffy writing and even when things go really off the rails in SM3 you can still see glimpses of it at times even in that mess of a movie.

A few of Tobey and Kirstens scenes have not aged well. Maybe some of that is unfair to Tobey since MJ is kind of written like a one in a generation hoe through out the series, so it’s hard to root for her Still though, their chemistry wasn’t the best on screen. Some of that was due to Tobeys overacting, some of it due to Peter being written as door mat, some of it was Kirsten Dunst being a little too hoey….

Whatever the case though, some of their scenes that were intended to be emotional…ended up being just cringe or intentionally funny.

 

[ragingdemon155]

Didn’t Tobey and Kirsten not really get along during that time? At least those are the rumours I remember from the time. And IMO, it kind of shows. Honesty, I think he had better chemistry with BDH in SM3 lol

BDH> Kirsten any day of the week in every category humanly possible. How did the studio end up making the “competition” more likable then the female lead?

 

[ragingdemon155]

Totally agree with this. In a way, I’m actually a little shocked that it seems like he’s the big fan favourite, especially recently. I never thought that many people cared that much for his portrayal. (The films on the other hand, yes. We all love them)

Tbh I still wonder what would have happened had they recast Tobey with Jake Gyllenhaal in Spider-Man 2. I do think he could have elevated that particular version of the character a little more. Around that time, I think he fit the part better than Tobey. He had a similar look to him, but was a little more conventionally handsome, which personally, is how I think of Peter Parker. He’s been portrayed as awkward, but handsome nerd more than the complete dweeby wallflower.

in regards to Garfields Peter, I really don’t understand all the hate it gets. I get that they made him a little more “cool” with his hoodie and skateboard and many think it made him less believable as the unpopular nerd, but take it from someone who was in high school around that time, the skaters didn’t have girls swooning over them. Maybe a couple in their tiny little cliques, but overall, the hoodie wearing skaters weren’t really that popular, so I think it was actually a fairly realistic take on the character, just updated a little.
Personally, I much prefer that to the extremely geeky kid of the Tobey films.

those films are still undoubtedly the best and IMO are only now being topped with NWH (largely due to the inclusion of so many characters from those films), but the lack of chemistry throughout those films really brings it down for me. Rewatching them recently, it really just feels like actors playing a role. Whether it’s between Peter and MJ, Peter and Harry, or even Peter and Aunt May. Not to say they didn’t play the roles well, but there was a disconnect there.
With the Garfield and Holland films, those same relationships (Peter and his S.O., Aunt May, and his friends) feel so much more authentic, regardless if the films were better or not.
That is why to me, Garfield and Holland are the better versions of the character.

Nothing to add…Pretty much took the words out of my mouth.

 

[Matt.S99]

BDH> Kirsten any day of the week in every category humanly possible. How did the studio end up making the “competition” more likable then the female lead?

She really should have been MJ instead

 

[The Joker]

Tobey is still my favorite on screen Spider-Man, so there is that. Yes, being in the best Spider-Man movies helps. But Tobey is a large reason why those films work. He nails Peter Parker. Regardless of what other quality is in the movie, if you don't invest in the main character, the film doesn't work. Andrew Garfield may be a better actor, but that doesn't make you the best actor for a given part. Al Pacino is a better actor than Christopher Reeve ever was, but Al Pacino would have been awful as Superman.


I love Tom Holland also, but I still prefer Tobey. Rewatching all the Spider-Man films leading up to this one just reinforced that to me.

At the end of the day it really kind of depends on what kind of personality you gravitate towards more. I grew up with Tobey's Pete but I always endeared towards his soft, nerdy, baby face, "awe shucks" demeanor. I just...found it relatable. And I think it worked especially in Spider-man 2 when all the odds were stacked against Peter and life was kicking him down, you felt for the guy and rooted for him. He felt like an everyman; a kind, good hearted soul that you wished the world had more of. And honestly, that kind of thing could come off real corny but Tobey 100% sold it.

This scene here from Spider-man 1 where he and MJ are talking in their backyards and how he is opening up to her and telling her "you're gonna light up broadway," I dont know man, to ME, Tobey sells how in love Peter is with Mj.

Exactly. The Raimi movies could not be seen as the great CBMs they are, or fan favorites if the lead character, the very focus of the movies, was weak, overacting, or any of the other nonsense some people here are saying. The movies would fall apart at the seams. That just would not appeal to the masses.

Its one of the main reasons why the TASM movies never got appreciation. The writing and portrayal of Peter's character was poor.

 

[Detective Conan]

She really should have been MJ instead

She should’ve been MJ, and Dunst should’ve been Gwen. Funny enough, even Joe Quesda even observed that the Raimi MJ version is kind of a blend of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane from the comics.