Warning: this article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home!
While Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a tale of three Spideys saving the day, there’s one Spider-Man in particular who was saved in return: Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man, also known as Peter 3. The Amazing Spider-Man movies are the albatross of the Spider-Man film legacy but No Way Home finally offered closure to that era of the character.
No matter which way you slice it, Garfield and the Amazing Spider-Man films got a raw deal. The dark and gritty reboot received modestly positive reviews at first but then the sequel was critically ravaged. The “Amazing” version of Peter Parker was forced to endure harsher and more tragic storylines than any on-screen Spider-Man—most devastatingly, the loss of his one true love, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Worst of all for Garfield, who was so passionate about the role and genuinely dedicated to getting it right that he actually spent time studying how spiders behave, his tenure on the character was cut short after only two movies.
That’s not to say Tobey Maguire’s Spidey had it easy, what with how Spider-Man 3 ended things on a sour note. But given how the first Raimi film is praised for helping kickstart the modern superhero movie era and its sequel is widely considered to be one of the best superhero movies ever made, Maguire’s legacy is still remembered fondly by the fandom, where Garfield’s is filled with regrets about how he was a great Spider-Man stuck in a pair of underwhelming Spider-Man movies.
Now, the character’s appearance in No Way Home offers a sense of redemption and closure for fans. His first scene was a major tonal shift for his moody, traumatized Spidey. We got to see him enjoy a silly meet-and-greet with MJ, Ned, and Ned’s grandma where he was forced to prove himself by crawling on the wall–and cleaning the cobwebs while he’s up there. Whereas the Amazing Spider-Man movies had him doing his fair share of brooding, the MCU’s more personable, self-aware sense of humor let him get back into the character’s skin and show us a new side of his Peter.
But Garfield’s return as Spidey wasn’t all fun and games. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ended with an almost unbearably tragic loss and left quite a few plot threads unresolved, and No Way Home gave us a bit of insight into how his Peter Parker carried on since we last saw him. He tells Tom Holland’s Peter about the danger of succumbing to your darkest impulses and how he quit pulling his punches when fighting bad guys.
Garfield’s Spider-Man acts as a cautionary tale for Holland’s–a hero who became lonely, angry, and bitter. It turns out Peter 3’s multiversal run-in with two Spidey variants was just what the doctor ordered to help him process the trauma that made him that way. He found companionship with his fellow Peters. These were people who understood him, who shared his love of science, and who, well, literally are him, so when he gleefully exclaimed, “I’ve always wanted brothers!” it’s plain to see he truly meant it. This was a Peter Parker whose parents died after getting caught up in a vast criminal conspiracy, so they never got the chance to have more kids. In a way, No Way Home gave Garfield’s Spider-Man the family he never had, albeit briefly.
There’s a moment of brotherly bonding between the Spideys where Maguire’s Peter flat out tells Garfield’s that he’s amazing. Winking meta context aside, this was a Spidey in desperate need of being built up by someone who cares about him. And who better than himself? The movie delivered not only what the character needed, but what the audience was after as well: validation and redemption.
Speaking of redemption, let’s not forget the most pivotal moment for the character. When MJ fell from a great height just like his beloved Gwen Stacy had, Garfield’s Spider-Man was there to catch her this time. It’s a bittersweet moment. He’s reminded of how he failed Gwen, but he proved to himself that he still has what it takes to be a hero and save the girl. It was a healing moment seven years in the making.
“Are you okay?” he asks MJ, tears welling in his eyes. “Are you okay?” she asks in return.
The response to Garfield’s reprisal of the Spider-Man role has been immensely positive. Fans are campaigning for the release of Amazing Spider-Man 3. But whether that happens or not, we can rest easy knowing that, yes, he is going to be okay.
Continue reading...
While Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a tale of three Spideys saving the day, there’s one Spider-Man in particular who was saved in return: Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man, also known as Peter 3. The Amazing Spider-Man movies are the albatross of the Spider-Man film legacy but No Way Home finally offered closure to that era of the character.
No matter which way you slice it, Garfield and the Amazing Spider-Man films got a raw deal. The dark and gritty reboot received modestly positive reviews at first but then the sequel was critically ravaged. The “Amazing” version of Peter Parker was forced to endure harsher and more tragic storylines than any on-screen Spider-Man—most devastatingly, the loss of his one true love, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Worst of all for Garfield, who was so passionate about the role and genuinely dedicated to getting it right that he actually spent time studying how spiders behave, his tenure on the character was cut short after only two movies.
That’s not to say Tobey Maguire’s Spidey had it easy, what with how Spider-Man 3 ended things on a sour note. But given how the first Raimi film is praised for helping kickstart the modern superhero movie era and its sequel is widely considered to be one of the best superhero movies ever made, Maguire’s legacy is still remembered fondly by the fandom, where Garfield’s is filled with regrets about how he was a great Spider-Man stuck in a pair of underwhelming Spider-Man movies.
Now, the character’s appearance in No Way Home offers a sense of redemption and closure for fans. His first scene was a major tonal shift for his moody, traumatized Spidey. We got to see him enjoy a silly meet-and-greet with MJ, Ned, and Ned’s grandma where he was forced to prove himself by crawling on the wall–and cleaning the cobwebs while he’s up there. Whereas the Amazing Spider-Man movies had him doing his fair share of brooding, the MCU’s more personable, self-aware sense of humor let him get back into the character’s skin and show us a new side of his Peter.
But Garfield’s return as Spidey wasn’t all fun and games. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ended with an almost unbearably tragic loss and left quite a few plot threads unresolved, and No Way Home gave us a bit of insight into how his Peter Parker carried on since we last saw him. He tells Tom Holland’s Peter about the danger of succumbing to your darkest impulses and how he quit pulling his punches when fighting bad guys.
Garfield’s Spider-Man acts as a cautionary tale for Holland’s–a hero who became lonely, angry, and bitter. It turns out Peter 3’s multiversal run-in with two Spidey variants was just what the doctor ordered to help him process the trauma that made him that way. He found companionship with his fellow Peters. These were people who understood him, who shared his love of science, and who, well, literally are him, so when he gleefully exclaimed, “I’ve always wanted brothers!” it’s plain to see he truly meant it. This was a Peter Parker whose parents died after getting caught up in a vast criminal conspiracy, so they never got the chance to have more kids. In a way, No Way Home gave Garfield’s Spider-Man the family he never had, albeit briefly.
There’s a moment of brotherly bonding between the Spideys where Maguire’s Peter flat out tells Garfield’s that he’s amazing. Winking meta context aside, this was a Spidey in desperate need of being built up by someone who cares about him. And who better than himself? The movie delivered not only what the character needed, but what the audience was after as well: validation and redemption.
Speaking of redemption, let’s not forget the most pivotal moment for the character. When MJ fell from a great height just like his beloved Gwen Stacy had, Garfield’s Spider-Man was there to catch her this time. It’s a bittersweet moment. He’s reminded of how he failed Gwen, but he proved to himself that he still has what it takes to be a hero and save the girl. It was a healing moment seven years in the making.
“Are you okay?” he asks MJ, tears welling in his eyes. “Are you okay?” she asks in return.
The response to Garfield’s reprisal of the Spider-Man role has been immensely positive. Fans are campaigning for the release of Amazing Spider-Man 3. But whether that happens or not, we can rest easy knowing that, yes, he is going to be okay.
Continue reading...