Though Tom Holland's next Spider-Man jaunt is just around the corner, much of the attention has been directed toward former wallcrawler Andrew Garfield.
There has still yet to be any official word on whether The Amazing Spider-Man actor will be reprising his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with a lot of conflicting evidence pointing to different possibilities. Though Garfield has vehemently denied any involvement with the multiversal threequel, it seems that the actor knows a fair bit about the film's plot.
This in tandem with a supposedly leaked video from No Way Home all points to Garfield possibly joining Tom Holland in his next MCU solo adventure.
In the meantime, Garfield has been reflecting on his tenure as the webslinger, recalling squabbles with Sony producer Amy Pascal and the Sinister Six plans that never came to be.
Garfield now opened up on why he isn't annoyed that studios keep making, rebooting, and retooling Spider-Man...
Andrew Garfield on Rebooting Spider-Man
In an interview with SiriusXM, The Amazing Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield was asked whether he was annoyed by the constant urge for studios to keep rebooting Spider-Man.
Garfield felt the exact opposite, likening the stories of Spider-Man to classic Shakespearean tales such as Hamlet and Macbeth:
"I'm afraid I can't co-sign that one with you... It's like Hamlet, like, you can never get enough Hamlets or Macbeth."
In response to the interviewer asking whether Spider-Man could be considered one of the greatest tales similarly to Hamlet, Garfield was fully prepared to defend the universal nature of Spider-Man's story:
"I think the world dictates that and I think it is... I will vouch for the character for a second in the sense that, it's the only superhero where...where he's covered head to toe, you don't see skin color, you don't see, sexual orientation you don't see any of those things. So everyone can project themselves into the suit and I think that's why he's probably the most beloved superhero, universally throughout every culture, throughout every race."
More beloved than even Superman? Garfield thinks so, pointing to the "ordinariness" of Peter Parker that makes the character so compelling:
"Yeah, I think so, I really do think so. And there's also an ordinariness to Peter Parker that everyone can project themselves into as well."
Garfield ended by mentioning that he "was very happy and very excited" when Tom Holland took on the Spider-Man mantle, understanding the fervor that fans feel toward the character being a lifelong fan himself:
"When my tenure was done and... Tom Holland's tenure started... I don't share your sentiments, I'm afraid. I was very happy and very excited. And also, you know... since it was the first Halloween costume when I was three, my mum made it out of felt and just... this beautiful thing and so... I get it. I get the hunger. It's something that I can get down with. I'm sorry that it's keeping you up at night."
The Universal Nature of Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield hits on one of the most crucial aspects of Spider-Man's character: his universal relatability.
This concept was at the heart of the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which communicated the message that anyone can wear the mask. Various other heroes taking on the mantle like Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and more proved that anyone can be a hero, no matter what their background.
The fact that Spider-Man's story has continued to be retold, reshaped, and rebooted so many times reflects how impactful his tale is and how important it will continue to be.
Hearing Garfield discuss the character demonstrates how much passion he truly has for Spider-Man, making it a shame that his tenure was cut short. Garfield has a clear understanding of what has made Peter Parker so compelling to audiences since the character's inception, which perfectly bled through into the actor's performance in his original two films.
Hopefully, one day, Garfield will be able to get another shot at portraying the character that he clearly cares so much about.
