Andrew Garfield Ranks the Three Live-Action Spider-Men

Andrew Garfield has settled one of superhero fandom’s most persistent friendly debates, at least from his own point of view. Asked to rank the three modern live-action Spider-Man actors, Garfield put Tobey Maguire first, Tom Holland second and himself third.

The actor gave the answer during an interview with Capital. His choice was rooted less in box-office numbers or technical comparisons than in personal history: Maguire was the Spider-Man Garfield watched while training as an actor, and Garfield recalled practicing lines from those films in front of a mirror.

Garfield gives Tom Holland his flowers

Garfield’s self-deprecating ranking did not leave Holland short of praise. He described the current Marvel star as the right performer for his generation, recognizing the way Holland has carried the character through the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Each actor’s version arrived at a different stage of the superhero boom. Maguire led Sam Raimi’s trilogy from 2002 to 2007, helping establish Spider-Man as a modern blockbuster fixture. Garfield took over in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 and returned for its 2014 sequel. Holland entered the MCU in Captain America: Civil War before leading his own run of Spider-Man films.

‘No Way Home’ turned competition into a team-up

The debate became part of the story itself when all three actors appeared together in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. The crossover reframed the competing fan camps as a shared celebration of three screen eras, while giving Garfield’s Peter Parker another emotional chapter after his two solo movies.

That team-up also explains why Garfield’s latest ranking lands as affectionate rather than dismissive. He has repeatedly spoken warmly about both performers, and his answer makes clear that Maguire’s place at the top is tied to childhood admiration and artistic inspiration.

Fans are unlikely to stop arguing over the definitive Spider-Man, but Garfield has now supplied an unusually direct ballot: Maguire, Holland, then Garfield. Coming from the only person in the trio willing to put himself last, it is a ranking built as much on generosity as nostalgia.