RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Business Insider — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesTom Holland on the set of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." MEGA/GC Images
Spider-Man is one of the best-known superheroes.
Several actors have become famous playing the role.
Tom Holland's fourth outing as NYC's favorite web-slinging vigilante is released on Friday.
Everyone knows your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Since his comic-book debut in 1962 — 64 years ago — Spidey has captivated audiences, whether on the page, on TV, in movies, or in video games .
The latest wall-crawling cinematic experience is 2026's " Spider-Man: Brand New Day, " which will mark the first time a live-action Spider-Man has gotten a fourth solo movie.
Tobey Maguire starred in three, Andrew Garfield in two, and Shameik Moore is set to voice Miles Morales in a third "Spider-Verse" film.
Tom Holland, the latest person beneath the mask, has actually played Peter Parker in seven movies, more than anyone else before him.
But does that mean he's the best webhead we've ever seen?
We ranked every actor with a significant version of Spider-Man on the big screen, from worst to best. Yuri Lowenthal, Hudson Thames, Josh Keaton, Drake Bell , and others, we see you, but this list focuses on the actors who have portrayed the character in a major film role, rather than every animated version on TV and in video games.
Here's our ranking of every cinematic Spidey, from 2002 to now.
12. Andy Samberg ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," 2023)
Sony Pictures Releasing
" Across the Spider-Verse " is filled with dozens of cameos of various webheads across the multiverse. Samberg's Scarlet Spider has a slightly larger-than-cameo presence, so we're including him.
Samberg's version of Ben Reilly — who, in the comics, is a clone of Peter Parker — is mainly there to serve as comic relief, as his hyper-serious depression about all his trauma pokes fun at the anti-hero palooza that was the late '90s.
He's good, and a much-needed source of laughs, but since he's barely a real character, we can't rank him higher.
11. Chris Pine ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," 2018)
Sony
Pine's voice has this swagger that makes him perfect for the Spider-Man that dies in Miles Morales' universe in "Into the Spider-Verse."
But then the montage of everything his Spider-Man has pulled off (even the Christmas album) is perfect.
If this is the only time Pine will play Spider-Man, he made the most of it.
We wish we could've had more time with this version of the character, but since his screentime was so fleeting, he's toward the bottom of the list.
10. John Mulaney ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," 2018)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Spider-Ham gave us some major comedic relief in " Into the Spider-Verse " and it's thanks to the vocal talents of John Mulaney. Sony should do a spin-off show focused on the adventures of Spider-Ham.
However, while Spider-Ham appeared in "Across the Spider-Verse" in 2023, he was downgraded to a non-speaking cameo, so we're waiting to see if Mulaney comes back for "Beyond the Spider-Verse" in 2027 and bumps himself up the list.
9. Karan Soni ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," 2023)
Sony Pictures Releasing
The first variant Miles meets in "Across the Spider-Verse" is Pavitr Prabhakar, aka Spider-Man India, who lives in the city of Mumbattan, a combination of Manhattan and Mumbai.
He's voiced by Soni, probably best known for playing Dopinder in all three " Deadpool " films. Soni utilizes the innocent, gentle charm his voice has to great success in "Across the Spider-Verse." We cheered when we realized he joined Gwen's team of rebels at the end of the film.
8. Oscar Isaac ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," 2018; "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)," 2023)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Spider-Man 2099 appears in dramatic fashion at the end of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" only to get into a funny argument with 1967-era Spider-Man.
However, when we meet him again in "Across the Spider-Verse," we see how much of a threat this futuristic Spider-Man really is. That's boosted by Isaac's intimidating, serious voice that rings throughout this film. He's genuinely scary!
However, since he's a villain (at least, he's a villain in Miles' story), we can't have him higher.
7. Nicolas Cage ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," 2018, "Spider-Noir," 2026)
Prime Video
Cage's version of Spider-Man , known as Spider-Noir or the Spider, is the first character from the animated "Spider-Verse" movies to make the jump to live-action — and we're grateful.
Cage commits fully to playing a 1930s noir detective in both the animated film and his live-action TV series, especially with the ol' timey voice he puts on, which made his character such a standout in the first place.
We think that Prime Video's "Spider-Noir" is somehow already underrated, even though it only came out earlier this year.
Although this ranking doesn't include TV Spideys, "Spider-Noir" is the only modern live-action Spider-Man series. Since Cage originated this version of the character in the movies, we think his performance in the show is relevant.
Spider-Noir, like Spider-Ham, was just a non-speaking cameo in "Across the Spider-Verse," but it's been reported that Cage will be back for "Beyond the Spider-Verse" in 2027.
6. Daniel Kaluuya ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," 2023)
Sony Pictures Releasing
There's no version of Spider-Man cooler than Kaluuya's portrayal of Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk, a Black British version of Spider-Man who's constantly questioning authority.
Kaluuya voices him as a Spidey with such ease and confidence, a marked difference from Peter Parker and Miles Morales. It's no wonder Deadline reported Sony was looking into producing a spin-off film about the adventures of Hobie in 2025.
5. Andrew Garfield ("The Amazing Spider-Man," 2012; "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," 2014; &q...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.