There have been eight Spiderman films made over the years, covering many generations. Tom Holland was not the first actor to portray Spider-Man on film.
When it comes to superhero films, the majority of the on-screen characters can be traced back to a single actor. Iron Man is played by Robert Downey Jr., Captain Marvel is played by Brie Larson, and Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth. When it comes to Spider-Man, though, the actor who wears the mask has changed a few times.
Tom Holland was not the first actor to portray Spider-Man on film. While Sony owned the franchise at the time, the first Spider-Man on-screen adaptation was made in 2002. At the time, other superhero films such as Blade and X-Men were ruling the box office, and Tobey Maguire was cast as Spider-Man.
This was apparently one of the year’s biggest pictures, resulting in two additional Spider-Man features starring Tobey. In 2004, Spider-Man 2 was released, and in 2007, Spider-Man 3, the final installment in the initial iteration of the franchise, was released. Despite the early plaudits for the hero, Spider-Man 3 was a massive disaster and Tobey’s final appearance in the franchise.
As superhero movies improved, Tobey’s portrayal of the hero became a target for criticism, prompting Sony to release The Amazing Spider-Man 10 years later in 2012, this time with Andrew Garfield behind the mask.
This came after the original filmmaker, Sam Raimi, canceled two additional Spider-Man films. Marc Webb attempted to do the franchise credit with his two films, but they delivered little new substance for fans of the original, and the franchise was scrapped again after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released in 2014.
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