The legend has returned! Every Spider-Man fan knows who Tobey Maguire is. Or if they didn’t know before, they certainly know now. Three actors portrayed the web-slinger in live-action movies so far, and while fans are still arguing which one was the best, one thing is for sure: Tobey Maguire was the first.
Tobey Maguire debuted as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in 2002’s Spider-Man movie directed by Sam Raimi, and he reprised the role in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, which concluded the trilogy in 2007. Maguire was set to return for Spider-Man 4, but unfortunately, that movie was canceled and it opened doors for the second Spider-Man actor, Andrew Garfield, to join the Spider spotlight.
Still, 14 years after he filmed his final scene as Spider-Man, Maguire was called back by Sony and Marvel Studios to reprise the role in the special crossover which featured all three live-action Spider-Men. Although Sony and Marvel tried to keep his (and Andrew Garfield’s) return a secret, most fans already knew thanks to leaks and rumors that surfaced prior to the release of the movie.
But regardless, the fans’ excitement over Maguire’s return wasn’t compromised by those leaks. Fans were utterly grateful to see Maguire again. And although Marvel insisted so much on keeping his appearance a secret that he wasn’t even present at the premiere or any interviews in which cast and crew promoted the film, Maguire now finally broke silence on how and why he decided to return:
“I went and had a meeting with Amy and Kevin. Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige. And had talked about… They sort of just teased it. I think Amy was like, ‘We’d love to talk to you, and you you know what this is about.’ And I was like ‘okay, sure. Let’s go chat.’ […] I gotta say, I was intrigued immediately. In that conversation, the intention, the kind of love and celebration of these movies, and what it meant i think to Amy and Kevin was was apparent. To me, when artists or people who are steering the creative process have a kind of authentic, genuine intent of celebration and love, it just was so apparent in both of them that I just wanted to join that. […] I did appreciate what was shared. But, it was really about getting together with these people and revisiting what was part of my history and and getting a chance to like come together. There are personal things too, which are kind of resolutions or a way to revisit and… I’m not quite sure how to put it. It’s just to get to get back into that and i don’t want to say like close the chapter… But revisit and have certain resolutions and just join in this loving creative spirit” — Tobey Maguire
Maguire said all this in the exclusive online interview where all three Spider-Men actors — Maguire, Garfield, and Holland — talked about their unique No Way Home experience. You can watch the whole interview down below:
What’s interesting, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the first movie role for Maguire since 2017. And although he filmed only three movies in the last eight years, fans also started the campaign on social media for him to return in Spider-Man 4 movie which Sam Raimi never had a chance to make. On the other hand, Raimi is directing the next MCU movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is also set to be… huge!
