Why are there 3 different Spider-Mans? A deep dive for Spidey fans

As a lifelong Spider-Man fan, I was thrilled to see 3 live-action Peter Parkers team up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But not every viewer knows the long, tangled history behind these separate franchises. As a gaming industry expert and commentator, I‘m here to untangle the web and analyze what led to so many different Spider-Men over the years.

Tobey Maguire – The original big-screen Spidey

Long before Tom Holland first donned the spider suit, it was Tobey Maguire who brought our favorite webslinger to life in 2002‘s Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi, known for cult hits like Evil Dead, the movie was a massive success. Against a $139 million budget, it earned $821 million worldwide – the first film to ever pass $100 million in an opening weekend.

Audiences and critics alike praised Maguire‘s performance as the shy, nerdy Peter Parker struggling with his newfound powers. Spider-Man earned a 90% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Roger Ebert declaring it "Probably the most exciting superhero movie since Superman." Two equally successful sequels followed in 2004 and 2007.

So why didn‘t Maguire return for more? After the bloated, overstuffed Spider-Man 3 underwhelmed fans with too many villains and flaws, director Sam Raimi departed the series. Maguire himself said he‘d gladly have kept playing Spider-Man under Raimi. But Sony opted for a full franchise reboot instead.

Andrew Garfield – A brooding Spider-Man

In 2012, Sony relaunched the Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Taking cues from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, this version depicted Peter as a moody, rebellious teen. The darker tone led to mixed reviews, with a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

The Amazing Spider-Man still turned a profit at the box office, with $757 million worldwide. But its domestic gross of $262 million was considered underwhelming for such a massive blockbuster. The sequel, 2014‘s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, fared even worse. While gadget-heavy action scenes dazzled, critics panned the messy, overcrowded story. With worldwide box office of $709 million, Sony believed interest in Garfield‘s Spidey was fading.

Tom Holland – Spider-Man joins the MCU

Despite rebooting twice in 15 years, Sony struggled to start a sustainable Spider-Man franchise. So in a landmark deal in 2015, they teamed up with Disney‘s Marvel Studios to integrate Spider-Man into the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This allowed Spider-Man to be rebooted once again, with Tom Holland taking over the role in 2016‘s Captain America: Civil War. Still a teen in high school, this version captured both the humor and heart of Spidey‘s early comic stories. Holland went on to headline two solo Spider-Man films set in the MCU, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Strong critical and audience reception showed Spider-Man was back on track. Spider-Man: Homecoming earned $880 million worldwide and a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score. 2019‘s Spider-Man: Far From Home soared even higher, with $1.13 billion globally. But would Sony and Marvel continue to share custody of this fan favorite hero?

Why so many Spider-Men? It‘s all about licensing

The core reason for 3 different Spider-Man franchises boils down to licensing deals. Sony Pictures acquired the film rights to the character from Marvel back in 1999. That gives them full control over creating Spider-Man movies, independent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe governed by Disney.

As seen in the table below, Sony has produced 8 Spider-Man films over 19 years, through various creative teams and actors in the lead role:

Whenever one franchise began to stumble creatively or financially, Sony would hit the reset button and relaunch with fresh faces. This happened twice, resulting in 3 different Spider-Man actors and story universes over the past 20 years.

Marvel, meanwhile, wanted their most popular hero as part of the uber-successful MCU. But they no longer controlled the film rights. Making a deal with Sony to share Spider-Man was the compromise. But now with No Way Home finishing Tom Holland‘s trilogy, the character‘s movie future is uncertain. Will he stay in the MCU, or revert to Sony‘s standalone films?

The future of Spider-Man on film

As a longtime Spidey fanatic, part of me enjoys seeing different takes on the beloved character. Tobey Maguire‘s original trilogy has a special nostalgic place in my heart. Andrew Garfield brought a complex angst that excited my teenage self. And Tom Holland is the perfect embodiment of a youthful, exuberant Peter Parker.

But I do think it would be beneficial overall to keep Spider-Man in the MCU going forward. Having a single Marvel Cinematic Universe anchored by fan-favorite Avengers like Thor, Captain America and Black Panther has been great for continuity. Plus, the MCU‘s brain trust of directors like the Russo Brothers have consistently delivered entertaining, coherent narratives. Their guiding hand could ensure future Spider-Man movies tell focused stories not bogged down by studio mandates.

Of course, the continued success of Spider-Man: No Way Home shows audiences have an undying appetite for Spidey on the big screen. Sony will likely want to keep the character front and center in their own cinematic universe as well. I‘d love to see cross-studio deals that allow Spider-Man to freely web-swing between both universes. After all, no studio can contain a hero as popular and unbound as Spider-Man!

Whatever happens next, the spectacular sight of three generations of Spider-heroes uniting in No Way Home has provided a memory this fan will always treasure. Here‘s hoping for many more blockbuster web-slinging adventures ahead!