There aren't many children out there who've never earnestly once nursed a wish to be Spider-Man at some stage of their lives. As Marvel's flagship character and one of the most famous superheroes there's ever been, the web-slinger has always been inherently cool. Not only can he walk on walls, is way stronger than he looks, and can swing from buildings, he has one of the coolest-looking and most recognizable costumes of any superhero.
However, what's always made him popular is his charm and the fact that he's a superhero anyone can relate to, especially as Peter Parker. Across the modern iterations of the character in film, three actors have come to define the role in unique ways. While Tom Holland has certainly owned the role since joining the MCU, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield still have legions of fans who still believe they were the best Spider-Man.
Fans of each, and the character in general, were sent into rapture when Spider-Man: No Way Home brought them together on screen and reignited interest in the other Spider-Mans and the possibility of new films for them. The Amazing Spider-Man was its own line of comics too, so Garfield's Spidey certainly had his own unique style and storylines to follow. Regardless, of who your favorite Spidey is, today, our focus is on Andrew Garfield and his best moments as Spider-Man.
10 Swinging Into View For the First Time
When The Amazing Spider-Man first came out, it had been years since we last saw Spider-Man on screen. This was largely why no one particularly minded when Andrew Garfield's first Spidey film rehashed the origin story. This also meant he went through the phases of discovering his powers for the first time. That of course leads to him designing and tailoring his own suit.
The moment he uses it for the first time featured a visually stunning shot as we get a first-person POV of him swinging in the new suit, scaling a building, before launching himself across it and landing on the side of a reflective building that gives us our first glimpse of the new Spider-Man. The moment was iconic since, not only was it the first shot of the new Spidey, but an acknowledgment that there had officially been a changing of the guard and that Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man had truly arrived.
9 Opening Scene in the Second Film
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, by this point, fans had already been primed for what to expect from the agility and special effects that an Andrew Garfield Spider-Man film had to offer. This time, director Marc Webb decided to go bigger and opened the film with an unforgettable sequence. It starts with darkness before a large red Spider-Man logo appears on-screen. The logo begins to shimmy and after a second's confusion, we see it's because we're actually seeing the logo on the back of Spidey's costume.
The reason it begins to shimmy is that there's a breathtaking moment when the entire scene suddenly comes into view, and we see that Spidey is free-falling from a ridiculous height. His arms at his side, he leans forward and gives himself a burst of speed, almost as if he's flying. As the rushing air and spectacular sights of the New York skyline lay below, for a second it feels like he might hit the ground, before he suddenly blasts out a web and begins swinging in sublime style.
This continues across multiple buildings as he launches himself between them, finally ending as we get some dazzling shots of helicopters and learn that he's been rushing to join a police chase. A wonderfully immersive and visually spectacular opening, try watching this scene without feeling dizzy with excitement!
8 Sewer Fight With The Lizard
Spider-Man's long and illustrious history as a comic book character meant that he's built up an astounding list of supervillains to fight over the years. In The Amazing Spider-Man, fans got to experience a fresh one on film as the iconic Lizard served as its chief antagonist. After already squaring off with him, Spider-Man sets an elaborate trap for The Lizard which made for one awesome scene.
Dropping into a sewer, he builds an actual web and sits in it, awaiting his prey. The web soon starts to ping and Spidey is on alert. However, The Lizard suddenly bursts out of the shadows and an amazing fight scene commences. The fight throws them off the web and into a rushing stream of water. It continues and The Lizard's surprise attack almost ends with him ripping Spider-Man apart. However, he's able to wriggle free and only just manages to escape, making this a brief, but very memorable fight scene.
7 Banter With Gwen Stacy
Since The Amazing Spider-Man films sought to follow a different storyline, this time, rather than MJ, the chief love interest for Spidey was Emma Stone's unforgettable Gwen Stacy. Stone was brilliant in the role, enamoring audiences everywhere as much as she did Peter Parker. While this version of Peter was a little more cocky and bolder than Maguire's, this made for some awesome interactions with Gwen Stacy, even before they got together.
In one memorable scene, Peter sneaks into Oscorp where Gwen works. After impressing Dr. Connors, she lets on that she knows him from school and mentions that he's the second-best science student there. Peter responds by asking. "Second? You sure about that?," to which she responds, "Pretty sure." However, it's her coy smile at him at this moment that immediately shows us there's underlying chemistry there.
6 The Unmasking Scene
By the end of The Amazing Spider-Man, The Lizard is headed to Oscorp and Peter rushes to get there because Gwen's life is now in danger. Badly injured, he's relentlessly also chased by SWAT cops being led by Gwen's father. After managing to subdue him, Peter is momentarily unmasked, but in a split second, he keeps his head down and manages some sensational speed and agility to fight his way out.
However, Gwen's father soon has him at gunpoint again, and he's forced to turn around and reveal who he is. Initially shocked that it's Peter Parker, after explaining that Gwen is in danger, her father allows him to go, though not before another cop manages to pop off another shot which grazes him as he rushes off.
5 Uncle Ben "Responsibility" Scene
While the famous line that defines Spider-Man's entire mission as a hero in the comics were the words, "with great power comes great responsibility," Andrew Garfield's version switched it up a little. In the scene, his Uncle Ben, affably played by Martin Sheen, tries to get him to understand that he has an obligation.
This Uncle Ben insinuates the legendary original line by saying the following instead.
"He believed that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things. That's what at stake here. Not choice. Responsibility!"
Of course, he was speaking about Peter's father here, so unfortunately, the poignancy of the words never hit home for Peter at the time. Instead, it causes him to rant about his father not being responsible enough to be there for his son. Not only was the scene brilliantly acted by Garfield as he deeply emotes at all the right moments, but this was also his seminal moment with Uncle Ben that would go on to haunt him later, but also define the hero he becomes.
4 Web-Sling Kiss With Gwen Stacy
As Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker grew closer in The Amazing Spider-Man, they eventually began a tentative relationship. By this point, Peter had already been grappling with his new identity as Spider-Man. After having dinner with Gwen and her family, the pair walk up to the rooftop of the building and chat. Peter wrestles with wanting to tell Gwen that he's Spider-man, but can't seem to find the right words.
After fumbling for a while, she grows agitated and walks away from him. In exasperation, he shoots a web at her, and uses it to spin her backwards and into his arms. The look of shock on her face conveys everything as this moment lets her know who he is without words. Crowning off an incredibly romantic scene, he then kisses her, while the audience quietly cheers knowing that even though she's kissing Peter Parker, this is now actually her first kiss with Spider-Man.
3 Second First Appearance
After the two Amazing Spider-Man films, the character has long since become associated with a new actor in the era of the MCU. While Tom Holland is certainly amazing in the role, fans of Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man were left saddened by the fact that his reign in the famous red and blue costume was seemingly at an end forever now. However, in a stroke of brilliance from Marvel, he unexpectedly returned.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has rightly been deemed one of the best films of the MCU ever since it introduced us to the multi-verse, and through it, found a way to resurrect characters we thought we'd never see again. The scene where Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man returns was perfection. At first, all we see is a silhouette of a Spider-Man we think is Tom Holland in the shadows. As he walks in and takes off the mask, it's a moment for goosebumps that's nothing short of cinematic gold.
2 Gwen's Death
The two Amazing Spider-Man films were both great, but decidedly darker than the Tobey Maguire films before it. This wasn't a bad thing since it stayed true to the fact that Spider-Man has often had to suffer through some heartbreaking tragedies in the comics. In the second film, by its conclusion, the scene is set when Spider-Man is continuously racked by guilt over Gwen's father's promise that he wouldn't put her life in danger.
While this causes him to break up with her, he's now tortured by the pain of missing her and makes the ill-fated decision to break his promise to her father. Unfortunately, he later regrets this in the unforgettably sad scene where she falls from a building, and he isn't able to save her. The anguish he endures is palpable, and although excruciating for audiences, was a seminal moment for Garfield's Spider-Man, since through it, he finally learns what the true cost of being a superhero can actually entail.
1 Redemption For Spider-Man
If seeing Andrew Garfield return in Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn't awesome enough, the film also provided his Spidey with an unbelievable moment of poignancy. Despite his Spidey still being distraught over his inability to save Gwen, he's given a chance at redemption. As the three Spider-Mans in the film battle their enemies together, there's a heart-stopping moment when Tom Holland's MJ falls from the Statue of Liberty.
For a second, it feels like she may die as Gwen Stacy did. However, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man is the closest to her and leaps after her. Unlike with Gwen, he's able to save her. When he does, the mixed emotions over his happiness that he did, and the amazing redemptive moment this gives the character is amazing. If you want to understand the full poignancy of this scene, check out the stunning poster a fan artist shared on their Instagram profile.