Who Has Played Spider-Man in Film? Every Actor Behind the Mask

The short answer

Three actors have worn the mask in live-action cinema: Tobey Maguire from 2002 to 2007, Andrew Garfield from 2012 to 2014, then Tom Holland from Civil War onwards, before their reunion in No Way Home. In animation, Shameik Moore voices Miles Morales. The full comparison and the abandoned projects follow below.

For more than twenty years, Spider-Man has been one of the best-loved superheroes on the big screen. Between Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, each one has brought his own sensibility to the wall-crawler. But did you know there are also plenty of alternative Spider-Men in the animated films, the video games and the projects that never happened?

In this in-depth guide, we take you through every one of the actors who have played Spider-Man, officially or otherwise. We also add cult variants such as Spider-Gwen, Spider-Punk or Miles Morales, for a proper panorama of the Spider-Man multiverse.

🕸️ At the end of the article you will also find our links to the Spider-Man costumes, the action figures that are most faithful to the films, and our selection of masks for every version of the hero.

1. Tobey Maguire – The original Spider-Man (2002–2007)

🕸 Films:
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)

🎭 Director: Sam Raimi
💡 What makes him unique: Tobey plays a Peter Parker who is sincere, reserved and deeply human. He lays down the emotional foundations of the character and delivers scenes that have become iconic (the train sequence in Spider-Man 2, above all).

👉 For many people he is still the defining face of the first Marvel superhero on the big screen.

2. Andrew Garfield – The rebellious Spider-Man (2012–2014)

🕸 Films:
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

🎭 Director: Marc Webb
💡 What makes him unique: Cooler and more modern, Andrew Garfield plays a Peter who is far more highly strung, sarcastic and agile, with a strongly romantic dimension thanks to his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).

👉 His performance divides opinion, but his return in No Way Home won the fans over and restored his reputation for good.

3. Tom Holland – The MCU Spider-Man (2016–present)

🕸 Films:
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame (2018–2019)
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

🎭 Director: Jon Watts (for the solo films)
💡 What makes him unique: Tom Holland is the first Spidey to be fully part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He plays a teenage Peter Parker, clumsy but endearing, facing world-scale stakes while holding on to his innocence.

👉 He is the Spider-Man who has taken the most at the box office, winning over children and hardcore fans alike.

4. Other Spider-Men across the multiverse

🎙️ Shameik Moore – Miles Morales (animation)

🕸 Films:
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

🎭 Format: Animated film
💡 What makes him unique: Miles Morales, the Afro-Latino Spider-Man, has become an icon in his own right. With a unique visual design and a modern soundtrack, plus a narrative depth never seen before, this animated version marked a turning point in the character’s history.

🕷️ The alternative Spider-Men in the films

The film No Way Home (2021) was a legendary reunion of the three live-action Spider-Men: Tobey, Andrew and Tom. As for the Spider-Verse films, they bring in a real whirlwind of variants from across the multiverse: Spider-Gwen, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man Noir and many more.

🧠 Why so many actors?

Spider-Man is a cross-generational hero. In every era, Sony and Marvel have wanted to fit Peter Parker to his audience:

• Tobey Maguire embodied the golden age of superhero cinema.
• Andrew Garfield brought a more highly strung, more romantic energy.
• Tom Holland took the web-slinger into the MCU, for a truly global reach.
• Miles Morales embodies a new generation, more diverse and more connected.

📊 Comparison table of the Spider-Men on screen

🕸️ Other iconic versions

The Spider-Verse universe is packed with memorable characters:

• Spider-Gwen: Gwen Stacy turned heroine in an alternative world.
• Spider-Man Noir: a dark 1930s Spidey, voiced by Nicolas Cage.
• Spider-Punk: the anarchist punk version, glimpsed in Across the Spider-Verse.
• Spider-Man 2099: a geneticist from the future, voiced by Oscar Isaac.

👉 Discover all these Spider-Men on our complete Spider-Verse page.

🎬 The cancelled Spider-Man films that became cult

• Amazing Spider-Man 3: planned with the Sinister Six, never shot. Find out why.
• Spider-Man 4 by Sam Raimi: with the Vulture, abandoned in 2010.
• Spider-Man by James Cameron: a 1990s project featuring Electro and Sandman.

👉 For every Spider-Man film, the viewing order and all the versions, visit our dedicated page.

🎮 The cult Spider-Man video games

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4/PS5): an adult Peter plus Miles Morales, with acclaimed storytelling and gameplay.
• Shattered Dimensions: explores several of the web-slinger’s universes in a single game.
• Spider-Man 2 (2004): the first game that let you web-swing freely across New York.

Final verdict: which Spider-Man is made for you?

• ❤️ Tobey Maguire: for anyone nostalgic about the first trilogy
• 🔥 Andrew Garfield: for the intensity and the rebellious streak
• ⚡ Tom Holland: for fans of the MCU and of a fresher tone
• 🎧 Miles Morales: for a young, inclusive and stylish version

🎭 So which version of Spider-Man gets you going? You can find their action figures, their costumes or even their iconic mask in our shop.