Movies

The Most Underrated Gem of Spider-Man Universe Finally Swings to Netflix

The Most Underrated Gem of Spider-Man Universe Finally Swings to Netflix
Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing, Legion-Media

There have been a tremendous number of takes on the iconic hero over the years, but not all of them have gotten the recognition they deserve.

Although the MCU has brought some previously obscure superheroes like Iron Man or the Guardians of the Galaxy into the mainstream to the point where almost everyone knows them by now, other comic book characters have always been wildly popular.

One such case is Spider-Man, of course, so it comes as no surprise that he has appeared in countless TV shows and movies, portrayed by many talented actors.

Every fan of the character has a favorite version of him, be it the awkward guy struggling to balance his heroic duties with normal life from Sam Raimi 's trilogy, or the young and talkative wisecracker from the MCU.

Those who prefer animation also have a wide variety of web-slingers to choose from, from Christopher Daniel Barnes' Peter Parker from the 1994 animated TV series to Shameik Moore's Miles Morales from the Spider-Verse movies.

Where does your favorite Spider-Man come from?

Still, most fans seem to prefer either Tobey Maguire 's or Tom Holland 's version, unfairly ignoring another live-action take on Spider-Man.

The Amazing Spider-Man Deserves a Lot More Love

The Most Underrated Gem of Spider-Man Universe Finally Swings to Netflix - image 1

The Amazing Spider-Man films, directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, proved to be drastically different from their predecessors in many ways, but most importantly by providing a fresh take on the titular hero's personality.

As mentioned above, Sam Raimi's trilogy portrayed him as a rather tragic figure who struggled to maintain a balance between his two lives, which made Maguire's Peter feel down quite often over the course of three movies.

Garfield, on the other hand, brought much more energy and undying optimism to his performance, which more closely resembled the hero's original personality from the comic books.

Although his version of Peter also had his fair share of tragic events over the course of two films, he never let the negative feelings get the best of him (unlike Maguire's Spidey, who basically lost his powers temporarily due to depression in the second film).

The Movies Avoided the Tired ‘Loser Nerd’ Stereotype

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Garfield also made his character seem different on a mundane level, as instead of being a loser nerd who is constantly picked on, his Peter was a young genius who had almost no problems communicating with people.

Unfortunately, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released in 2014, proved to be rather underwhelming, despite not being terrible by any means, and buried the chances of the series becoming a trilogy.

However, fans did get to see Garfield reprise the role for (presumably) one last time in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was met with celebration.

So if you want to refresh your memory on this criminally underrated take on the iconic hero, or check it out for the first time, both The Amazing Spider-Man movies have recently become available on Netflix on March 1, 2024.