5. Doc Ock / Dr. Otto Octavius – “Spider-Man 2”
There has been no greater Spider-Man villain on screen since Alfred Molina’s tragic turn as Dr. Otto Octavius, aka, Doc Ock. Hell, there hasn’t been a greater villain in a Marvel-inspired adaptation, period, since (yes, including Loki). Molina is simply that good as the unwilling bad guy whose own creation ruins his life and then gives it a new purpose. Following the death of his wife and physical deterioration, Doc Ock uses his own machine as a source of power. It’s a fearsome turn, especially given the “Jekyll and Hyde” elements. It’s such a strong and domineering performance and he’s so naturally charismatic at the start before tragedy strikes that we’re never not hoping that he’ll somehow be redeemed.
4. Peter Parker / Spider-Man – “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
There’s been a lot of talk of “nailing” the Peter Parker character and, let’s face it, there’ve been tons of versions in the comics, but the very young, out-of-his-depth version of the character is terrifically captured by Tom Holland, who we saw first introduced in “Captain America: Civil War.” He’s a little goofier than the other versions and off the charts with enthusiasm, but he is an impressionable kid. Additionally, he’s less broody and doesn’t have to bear the burden of guilt for the death of Uncle Ben. So, ‘Homecoming’ Peter Parker in many ways is completely different. His motivation isn’t righting a wrong or carrying a weight on his shoulders for his entire life. Parker here wants to impress Iron Man, join the ‘Avengers’ and get the girl. He’s trying to run before he’s learned to web crawl, but his desperation to grow up makes the character extremely sympathetic and endearing. He’s also a heck of an eager hero with his heart in the right place.
3. Green Goblin – Norman Osborn – “Spider-Man”
The tone of the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man films are very different than the recent, more grounded versions. It was another era, the films were more “comic book-y,” a little broad, a little goofy and over-the-top. Still, “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2” are arguably still the benchmarks of all the films thus far. Now, Norman Osborn isn’t necessarily the most interesting character in the ‘Spider-Man’ movies, but Willem Dafoe’s mischievous performance is a delight. Dafoe is hilarious in the role, a menacing smile on his face the entire time, and then, of course, when he turns into the Green Goblin, he is batshit crazy and over the top. Dafoe chews every scene and appears to be having the time of his life acting in a comic book movie — who would have thunk it before it happened? Plus, it’s a little niche, but the little internet memes that Dafoe has spawned are laugh out loud awesome.
2. Kirsten Dunst – “Spider-Man 1, 2, & 3”
What makes Kirsten Dunst’s version of Mary Jane Watson so memorable and ultimately empowering is that she’s never simply a foil to Peter’s development. Instead, throughout all three films, M.J. has her own storylines, her own wants and has much more agency than many of the other superhero love interests. She may be put into damsel-in-distress moments but she’s so much more than that and doesn’t allow Peter/Spider-Man, Harry or Flash to make any of her decisions for her. Her storylines play out in the background throughout the films’ arcs, but the sympathy that she engenders thanks to Dunst makes her one of the easiest characters to root for in the series. Dunst makes the most of this role, delivering her customary world-weary sensibility so that we always believe in her tenacity, courage and intelligence.
1. Peter Parker / Spider-Man – “Spider-Man 1, 2, & 3”
Sam Raimi knew that even with all the technological wizardry on display, no one would care about these films if they didn’t care about the boy underneath the suit. Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland may have earned marks for nailing the quip-happy version of Spider-Man, but Tobey Maguire remains unmatched as the quintessential Peter Parker. Peter is awkward, bumbling, geeky, shy, but above all else, he is human. He slings pizzas just to pay his way through college. He can lift a car with his bare hands, but still can’t tell Mary Jane how he feels about her. He will hurt the ones he loves if that means saving them in the long run. “With great power, comes great responsibility,” and Maguire’s Parker will do anything to live by Uncle Ben’s last words. Anyone can look great in the Spidey suit, but not everyone can fill it with genuine emotion the way Maguire does.
There’s obviously lots of little characters here and there, Donna Murphy as Rosalie Octavius, Daniel Gillies as John Jameson and Cliff Roberts as Ben Parker (which probably is the most fightworthy omission from the main list), but some of these performances are arguably not that memorable. Either way, that’s what the comments section is for and… oh wait, our spider senses are tingling. —– Charles Dean, Rodrigo Perez, Will Ashton, Ryan Oliver, Ally Johnson, Brad Warren, Reese Conner and Gary Garrison.
