Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man is near perfection in terms of not only staying true to the comic book character's personality, but also just succeeding in being the most enjoyable actor to watch bring the character to life. Spider-Man isn't the only character that is well developed, as almost every side character was given memorable and recognizable traits that made them feel relevant to the story. Tobey Maguire was the best Spider-Man and was in the best Spider-Man movies.

What made Tobey's version of Spider-Man the best was the use of organic webbing. In both Andrew Garfield's and Tom Holland's portrayals of Spider-Man, the hero used a mechanical device to have a web ability. Comic book fans will know that this is what Spider-Man did in the original source material to show off his intelligence. But the choice to use organic webbing felt more magical yet believable. It made Spider-Man feel more like a superhero rather than just a smart, nerdy kid.  It makes sense that being bit by a radioactive spider would give a person some actual spider powers instead of just super strength and eyesight, so this makes the early 2000s film trilogy a better story than the two successors.

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Another reason that Tobey Maguire is the best Spider-Man is his ability to connect with the audience. Tobey playing Peter Parker is believable and the audience never questions what type of character he is supposed to be. The intentions and feelings are translated very well by Tobey so that the audience isn't confused about what kind of person Peter Parker is. Both Garfield and Holland have a hard time convincing the audience that they are nerdy guys that get picked on when they are both a little too 'hot and edgy' to be seen as outcasts. Garfield especially has a bad-boy type of vibe that does not fit with the character traits of Peter Parker at all.

Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker holding the Spider-Man suit

Perhaps Tobey Maguire was the best Spider-Man because of the script and the director's style. Sam Raimi's trilogy had a classic Hollywood blockbuster style of cinematography which worked very well for the film. After all, superhero movies were not as popular in the early 2000s as they are now in 2021. So Sam Raimi's direction made Spider-Man not just a good superhero movie, but a good movie period and brought in a lot of viewers. His classic Hollywood style gave the superhero genre of movies more credibility. He showed that this genre could be taken seriously and done as well as any other genre of movie. These movies really changed the superhero genre, making them accessible to large numbers of people, all while delivering a great story that is actually enjoyable to watch instead of just a film full of superhero tropes and action scenes.

The 2002 Spider-Man film included a Spider-Man origin story when it chose to show Uncle Ben's death. Although the film Andrew Garfield was in also showed this death, it wasn't as impactful. Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Peter Parker shows a guy that was constantly bullied and taken advantage of. And because of Tobey's appearance and acting skills, you can really believe this guy has nothing going right for him. So when Uncle Ben dies as a result of Peter Parker not intervening with a crime he could have easily stopped, the emotional scene hits harder.

Spider-Man 3 Venom

This character with bad luck loses one of the most important people in his life. And the realization that he had the opportunity to save him devastates him. This is what pushes Peter Parker to want to fight crime and protect innocent people. The reason Tobey Maguire's performance was so believable is because the actor said that he really identified with Peter Parker. He was a lonely, nerdy guy who didn't have a lot of friends, and even his closest friends weren't that invested in him. So Maguire said he knew exactly what it meant to be this kind of character.

In addition to Tobey Maguire's spot-on performance as Peter Parker, the rest of the characters in the trilogy are also mostly developed. It doesn't feel like a movie about one character with a bunch of characters they interact with, but instead like a movie focussed on one person with several other character's perspectives included along with their own developmental stories and plots. The side characters in Sam Raimi's trilogy were recognizable people with clear identities and memorable moments. They had their own solo character development moments, too.

The Tobey Maguire version of Spider-Man had some of the best villains in any superhero movie. They were given their own background stories and reasonings for doing crime. James Franco's portrayal of Harry Osborn was charming yet menacing, and his relationship with his dad, played by Willem Dafoe, was well developed. Harry could tell that his own dad was more fond of Peter than himself which created an interesting dynamic. Kirsten Dunst was the perfect Mary-Jane and felt present in the film, rather than just an expendable love interest. And who could forget J. K. Simmons' role as editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle.

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