Some argue that too much Spider-Man content has been put out in recent years—or, at least, in the last two or so decades—but if Spider-Man: No Way Home proved anything, it was that audiences have been gifted three brilliant Spider-Men, all of whom offer something special in the role. Of course, there are die hard fans of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy who refuse to accept the newbies, and there are dedicated MCU loyalists who believe Tom Holland is now the one true Spider-Man. (Which isn’t to exclude Andrew Garfield, who has his fair share of fans as well.)
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Along with the debates surrounding who makes the best Spider-Man comes the tangentially related debate: Which of these three Spider-Men is the most powerful? A case could be made for their power being equivalent, based on the fact that they are all Spider-Man. However, if they had to be ranked, there are some key details that offer an idea regarding who is the most powerful overall.
Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield really does make a great Spider-Man, and his position on this list isn’t meant to indicate otherwise. Arguably, Garfield best captures the charming awkwardness of teen Spider-Man, and in No Way Home, he frequently was funnier than the other two Spider-Man stars (but, in fairness to Tom Holland, his Peter Parker was really going through it in that movie).
In terms of strength, though, Garfield’s Spider-Man just didn’t have the same opportunities to prove his strength. Yes, he had some harrowing battles, but the gritty nature of Tobey Maguire’s trilogy of Spider-Man movies and the sheer scale of the MCU mean that Maguire and Holland’s Spider-Man characters have demonstrated considerably more powerful feats, putting him in last for this contest.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
As already mentioned, the MCU has depicted Spider-Man on a completely different scale than has been seen in live-action Spider-Man movies before. After all, as is discussed in No Way Home, Holland’s Spider-Man is the only one of the three who went to space. While this might make it seem as though Holland deserves first place in this ranking, that’s not quite true.
One aspect of Holland’s Spider-Man that has to be taken into account is just how often audiences have seen this version of Peter significantly aided by Tony Stark’s various gadgets and gizmos. That isn’t to say Holland’s Peter isn’t incredibly powerful in his own right. He absolutely is, and the times we’ve seen him without Tony Stark’s help have more than proven that—as will be the case, undoubtedly, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Even so, Holland’s Spider-Man getting this advantage only makes the raw power of the most powerful live-action Spider-Man more obvious.
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man
Finally, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is the single most powerful of the three. As has often been pointed out by fans when arguing this point, Maguire’s Spider-Man was able to fully stop a train that was barreling towards its destruction and, almost certainly, the deaths of everyone on board. That scene alone shows just how powerful this Peter was.
As also mentioned, there was simply something gritty to these Spider-Man movies that also showcased the raw power of Maguire’s Spider-Man. Particularly in his showdowns with the many villains he faced in those three movies, Maguire’s Spider-Man proved to be the most powerful live-action Spider-Man overall.
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