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With great power comes great responsibility… and great acting chops! Join us as we count down our picks for the actors who best brought the web-slinger to life across film, television, and video games — from live-action icons to legendary voice performers who defined the wall-crawler for generations of fans!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the actors who best brought Spider-Man to life.
00:05While most of these will be for Peter Parker, we are also considering other versions of the wallcrawler as well.
00:10Jack, climb now!
00:12I can't!
00:12Yes, you can!
00:15Number 10. Hudson Tames. What If? Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Marvel Zombies.
00:21Don't eat me, don't eat me, don't eat me, don't eat me!
00:23Hey, relax! I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
00:25Oh yeah? Well then, what the hell happened to the neighborhood?
00:28Initially cast as a voice double for live-action Spidey Tom Holland, Hudson Tames played Spider-Man on What If?
00:34The animated show followed an alternate timeline, where the heroes of the MCU lived through a zombie apocalypse.
00:40New York, home of the Mets, the Chrysler Building, those ladies from Sex and the City, and now, the zombie
00:46apocalypse!
00:47If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!
00:50Tames brought the signature wit and boyish charm associated with Spider-Man to the role, making the episode an instant
00:55classic.
00:56He would even reprise the part for the eventual spin-off, further following his version of Spider-Man's zombie-filled
01:01adventures.
01:02That wasn't the only iteration of the web-slinger voiced by Tames.
01:05Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man returned the character to his roots, while still preserving the feel of the MCU.
01:10It's helping avoid getting too sweaty before school, but it's better than being late.
01:17Okay, here we go.
01:18Number 9, Reno Romano, Spider-Man Unlimited.
01:22I don't know what the Blob Brothers are doing on John's spaceship, but he won't stand a chance against them.
01:31This is the best day of mine.
01:35Oh no, not again.
01:38It's always Spider-Man!
01:40Getting to play Spider-Man puts you in a unique category.
01:43Playing both him and Batman puts you in a class all your own.
01:47That's just what Reno Romano did, lending his voice to Bruce Wayne in The Batman,
01:51and more importantly for our purposes, Peter Parker in Spider-Man Unlimited.
01:55And for all we know, this fire is your doing!
01:58You're blaming me?
02:00After all the times, I've risked my life for this stinking city.
02:04This is the thanks I get?
02:05Acting as both a follow-up to the previous Spider-Man show, but having a very different tone,
02:10Romano had to find a perfect balance to voice this more sci-fi-oriented Spidey.
02:14While the show itself received mixed reviews and got cancelled after a season,
02:18Romano was popular enough to continue voicing the character in video games over the next several years.
02:22Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on, folks!
02:24We're on your side!
02:29My spider sense tells me we've got a bigger problem than this crowd.
02:33Number 8. Drake Bell, Ultimate Spider-Man
02:36This is when I leave the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man note.
02:39Can I borrow a pen?
02:40Following the sale of Marvel, Disney XD launched a programming block centered on the superheroes they acquired,
02:46including a new animated iteration of Spider-Man.
02:48Headlining that show was former child star Drake Bell.
02:51He differentiated himself from other Spider-Men by breaking convention for the character by directly addressing the audience.
02:57I heard there was trouble at your school.
02:59I know what you're thinking.
03:01Spider-Man lives at home with his doting old aunt?
03:04Loser!
03:05Think again!
03:06Bell's version of Spider-Man would cross over into other shows on the Marvel Universe block,
03:10including Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
03:12He'd even reappear when Marvel Heroes arrived on another Disney show when Marvel Heroes crossed over with Phineas and Ferb.
03:19Obviously, Thor's got Spider-Man's powers.
03:20Spider-Man got Hulk's powers.
03:22Yeah, I could get used to this.
03:24I have a feeling heights.
03:25Could you please put us down?
03:26Number 7, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Spider-Man The Animated Series.
03:31Mary Jane will think I abandoned her again.
03:33A great month as Peter Parker screwed up in five minutes as Spider-Man.
03:37Perhaps the two biggest character traits associated with Peter Parker's personality are his brilliant scientific mind and his constant quips.
03:44Christopher Daniel Barnes excelled at both, introducing a generation of kids to the wall crawler in the 90s.
03:50Let's fly!
03:52While his constant zingers were always delivered perfectly, Barnes also brought a new level of interiority to the character on
03:58screen.
03:59My only chance of getting Mary Jane back is to keep following the clues from her dream.
04:04Somehow, I think all the answers will lead to Ben.
04:08But where on earth am I going to find a pirate ship?
04:11Of course, a theme restaurant.
04:14Mirroring the comics, Spider-Man's internal monologue was often voiced by Barnes as he swung through the city,
04:19something not typically done in live-action adaptations.
04:22He was also able to provide an at times heartbreaking performance
04:25when Peter would face many of the trials and tribulations that have helped his version stand out.
04:30It's not every night the city opens a science center in your name.
04:34And wearing the old costume tonight, nice touch.
04:37Very nostalgic.
04:38Wait, right here.
04:39Sorry to miss the party.
04:41I've got to go look for a maniac.
04:43Number 6, Yuri Lowenthal, Marvel's Spider-Man Game Series.
04:47Hey, Willie.
04:48Hey, Willie.
04:50You.
04:51Nice jumpsuit.
04:52Slimming.
04:53Stay out of my business.
04:56Wait, the demons.
04:57Who's their leader?
04:59Keep my men alive and maybe I'll tell you.
05:01Thanks to his witty dialogue mixed with the ability to convey sincere moments,
05:05veteran voice actor Yuri Lowenthal has become Peter Parker's defining voice in video games in recent years.
05:11Hi, is this the flight to Newark?
05:20Why are you doing this?
05:22Lowenthal, who had experience voicing Peter in mobile games, made the part his own with Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018.
05:28As the franchise expanded with sequels and spinoffs, he returned to the role numerous times, even voicing the webhead again
05:34in the hugely popular Marvel rivals.
05:36More than just his vocals went into the performance, however, as Lowenthal also provided motion capture for Marvel's Spider-Man.
05:43Did that just happen?
05:44Yeah.
05:47I'm getting reports of a helicopter with a wrecking goal.
05:51It's complicated.
05:53Turns out Martin Lee is running the demons.
05:55The guy who runs the homeless children?
05:57Like I said, complicated.
05:59Number 5, Andrew Garfield.
06:01Amazing Spider-Man duology and Spider-Man No Way Home.
06:05Who are you?
06:08I'm Spider-Man.
06:21Andrew Garfield would get two outings as Spider-Man before future films and spinoffs were scrapped.
06:26Although fans were divided on the quality of those films, Garfield generally received praise for his quippy take on the
06:31character and tragic ending.
06:33Years later, he'd unexpectedly get another shot at the character when he appeared in a multiverse-spanning crossover in No
06:38Way Home.
06:39You never had a web block?
06:40Because I run out of webs all the time.
06:42I have to make my own in a lab.
06:44And it's a hassle compared to what you got.
06:46That sounds like a hassle, yeah.
06:47But I did, actually.
06:48You said that.
06:49I was like, oh, I had a web block.
06:51Whoa, why?
06:52That film more than redeemed his character, with his somewhat insecure yet hilarious take being hailed by many as the
06:58highlight of the film.
06:59He may also be the best actor overall to play Spider-Man.
07:02As of 2026, he's the only actor to play Spider-Man who has been nominated for Best Actor at the
07:07Academy Awards.
07:08A feat he's accomplished twice.
07:09Harry, stop this right now.
07:11This isn't you, Harry.
07:12This is not you.
07:13Harry, put her down.
07:15Harry.
07:15Harry is dead.
07:17Harry, this is between you and me.
07:19You want to fight?
07:20Fight me.
07:21Let her go.
07:22Okay.
07:24No!
07:27Number 4.
07:29Josh Keaton.
07:30The Spectacular Spider-Man.
07:31Despite only being in existence for two short seasons, the Spectacular Spider-Man has drawn considerable praise for being one
07:38of the best adaptations of Spider-Man.
07:40Maybe I do let people down.
07:41A lot.
07:43But hey, I'm always there to save them, too.
07:48Spidey's not a disease that needs a cure.
07:51And he's more than just a random bug bite, too.
07:53Spider-Man is who I am.
07:56My destiny.
07:59One area that drew particular praise was Josh Keaton's voiceover performance.
08:03That's what it wants, right?
08:05A reunion with its first love?
08:08The symbiotes found a better partner in me.
08:11Me?
08:14Me?
08:14Not us.
08:17Wait!
08:17No!
08:18You can't do this!
08:21Don't.
08:22Don't leave me.
08:23His youthful energy, combined with a resilient spirit, helped make his turn as Spider-Man particularly memorable, drawing inspiration from
08:30the character's earliest days.
08:31Although it was cancelled too soon, and Keaton's pre-recorded lines for the Avengers show were replaced, he remains the
08:37quintessential Spider-Man animated voice for many.
08:39Years later, the spectacular Spider-Man would finally get his triumphant return as one of the many versions featured in
08:45Across the Spider-Verse, giving Keaton his well-deserved flowers.
08:48We know it's hard, but it's the truth, Miles.
08:53Is that why you're here?
08:54Number 3.
08:56Shameik Moore, Spider-Verse Films
08:58Wait, wait, wait.
08:59How could there be two Spider-Men? There can't be two Spider-Men.
09:04Can there?
09:05Stan Lee once said that anyone can be Spider-Man, and nowhere is that more true than the Spider-Verse
09:10films.
09:11The films are filled with Spider-People of every imaginable form, and cameos from almost every medium.
09:16Now, one standout is the down-on-his-luck Peter B. Parker, played by Jake Johnson.
09:20Because you know what? No matter how many times I get hit, I always get back up.
09:27However, the best Spider-Man of those films isn't Peter at all, but Miles Morales.
09:32Shameik Moore gives voice to Miles, retaining much of what has made other versions of Spider-Man so great,
09:37while giving audiences a completely different character, figuring out what it means to be Spider-Man.
09:41There's something coming for us.
09:46Something... something terrible.
09:48Miles, you're talking crazy. What's going on?
09:50His name is Spot. He's my nemesis.
09:55And I'm gonna stop him.
09:56Number two.
09:58Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man Trilogy, and Spider-Man No Way Home.
10:01Can we rewind it back to the I'm lame part? Because you are not.
10:05No, thanks. No, yeah, I appreciate it. I'm not saying I'm lame.
10:08But it's just the self-talk maybe we should...
10:10Yeah, listen.
10:10Because you're... you're amazing. Just to take it in for a minute.
10:14As the first actor to play Spider-Man in a major motion picture,
10:18Tobey Maguire had a monumental task, but came out swinging.
10:21Maguire captured the lovelorn nerd who was miraculously graced with superpowers.
10:25His interpretation had more of an edge than many others who would play the character.
10:29At times, the mostly likable geek had another side,
10:32As evidence when he let a burglar get away,
10:34Making him indirectly responsible for the death of his Uncle Ben.
10:37Equally good at playing goofy and stoic,
10:39When Maguire echoed Ben's iconic quote,
10:41With great power comes great responsibility,
10:43It sent chills down our spines.
10:45With great power comes great responsibility.
10:50Are you afraid that I'm gonna turn into some kind of criminal?
10:54Quit worrying about me, okay?
10:55Something's different. I'll figure it out.
10:59Before we continue, be sure to check out WatchMojo's 24-hour live stream.
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11:08Are you not entertained?
11:10Number one, Reeve Carney, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.
11:15Spider Airlines, the safest way to fly.
11:23Sorry, did we set your Spidey senses off with that one?
11:27We're just kidding.
11:28The real number one is...
11:30Number one, Tom Holland, Marvel Cinematic Universe.
11:34I'm sorry, you're saying there's a multiverse?
11:36Because I thought that was just theoretical.
11:38I mean, that completely changes how we understand the initial singularity.
11:40We're talking about an eternal inflation system,
11:43And how does that even work with all the quantum?
11:45It's insane.
11:47Sorry.
11:48No live-action actor has played the web-slinger more than Tom Holland.
11:52Through those films, the audience has seen his version of Peter grow and change tremendously,
11:57Forming bonds, losing loved ones, and saving the world.
12:00Stark tell you anything else?
12:02That you're wrong, you think you're right, that makes you dangerous.
12:06He's grown from an insecure high schooler needing the approval of his mentor,
12:10To a loner trying his best to make his way in the world, protecting those he loves.
12:14Sometimes, his performance is awkward and sweet, such as admitting his feelings for MJ.
12:19He gave me this.
12:21No.
12:22No.
12:24Oh, MJ, I'm so sorry.
12:26I had this plan, this stupid plan, and I wrote it all down,
12:29And I was gonna buy you this, and I gave it to you in Paris at the top.
12:35And you kiss me.
12:38Other times, it's heartbreakingly tragic.
12:40Like the tragic end of Infinity War.
12:42I feel so good.
12:46You're alright.
12:46I don't know.
12:47I don't know what's happening.
12:48I don't know what's happening.
12:51I don't want to go.
12:52I don't want to go, sir, please.
12:54Please, I don't want to go.
12:56I don't want to go.
12:57If all that weren't enough, he's the only Spider-Man who can pull off a standing backflip.
13:01Go flip!
13:03Yeah!
13:05Not fast!
13:06Who was your favorite actor to put on the mask and tights?
13:08Let us know in the comments below.
13:09Let us know in the comments below.
13:10Let us know in the comments below.
13:12Let us know in the comments below.