Spider-Man Homecoming: Is Tom Holland the best Spider-Man?

Tom Holland is the third to interpret Spider-Man on the big screen. So, could it be that, in front of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, it represents the best Spidey?

And here it is finally there! After being introduced with panache – and humor! – In Civil War, Tom Holland’s Spidey is back today in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Or, in fact, the film that returns to the sources of the character and that his fans waited to see impatiently. Because yes, Peter Parker is young, a nerd who is more, which shows a lot of intelligence when it comes to science but which, for the rest, is rather awkward. But he is also full of enthusiasm when it comes to donning the costume of Spider-Man and fighting crime. Even if “fighting crime” here is often reduced to chasing bike thieves. So yes, the Peter Parker of Tom Holland is very different from those embodied before him by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. But in the face of these differences, as well as the naive energy of the character of Spider-Man: Homecoming, one comes to wonder: Is Tom Holland the best Spider-Man?

For many, Tobey Maguire still represents the best Spidey. His slightly loser and shy side and his difficulty reconciling his life as a superhero with his daily life as a high school student, vaguely explored, then as a young adult did indeed make Peter Parker a character that could easily be identified. However, it must be admitted that he sometimes lacked some of the overflowing energy that characterizes the superhero! As for Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker, he possessed the plume and sarcastic humor that is not only the prerogative of Deadpool and which are part of Spidey’s dominant traits. At least, when he put on his costume. Because Peter Parker’s problem with The Amazing Spider-Man is that he was … just too cool. In fact, the character often seemed a little too comfortable in his skin and with his love interest, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). So if the two actors each incarnated respectively a Spider-Man completely honorable, it is clear that they both missed a little something to be THE Spider-Man.

Does that mean that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, very different from the previous two for a lot of reason, is doing better? Objectively, we do not know if it really does better. But it still has (very) solid arguments! And the first benefit of this Peter Parker is that he’s … like us. He acts and reacts like a normal teen, with his problems, his friends and his Aunt May to manage. He is clumsy, not very sure of himself, has only one true friend – Ned, as nerdy and geek as him – and crashes as soon as he has the opportunity. But when he puts on his Spidey costume, then there! What. A. Blast! And for a few minutes, on the screen, it is a character filled with pure energy and full confidence, which swings valves with a turn of arms, which comes to life. These two facets of the hero, Peter’s and Spidey’s, and the contrast they create between them make it so interesting and so endearing!

So of course, that does not mean that this very young Spidey is not free from default. Impossible with a teenager to approach concepts as terrible as the betrayal of a best friend or the awakening of the worst instincts of a hero. Because he is young and still a little innocent, the tone of the adventures of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man can only be light. For the moment. Because one of the other strengths of the latter is that we will be able to grow and evolve with him over several years, Spider-Man: Homecoming marking the beginning of a whole new arc. It is thus necessary to observe the changes that will occur in the character as he gains experience. And then, it must be admitted that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has a considerable advantage over his elders: he is part of the MCU and has already had the opportunity to carve the bit of fat with his greatest heroes. So inevitably, he has a little trick in addition to him!