Nicolas Cage Names Best Spider-Man Actor
Nicolas Cage has given his take on one of the most debated topics among movie fans this century: Who is the best Spider-Man?
Cage is the newest addition to the legacy of live-action Spider-Men, starring in Spider-Noir. Bringing his role as the alternate-reality 1930s Spider-Man from the Spider-Verse animated franchise to live action, Cage joins actors Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland and Nicholas Hammond (1970s TV series).
'Spider-Noir' features Nicolas Cage as 1930s New York hero. Series premieres in May. Full details: https://t.co/JPVUvVtw44pic.twitter.com/AVZ69tHfPs
— Complex (@Complex) February 12, 2026
When Andrew Garfield took the mantle in the 2012 reboot The Amazing Spider-Man, fans instantly began to debate his portrayal versus Tobey Maguire, who starred in the original trilogy (2002-2007). Ten years ago this month, Tom Holland became the primary live-action Spider-Man in the MCU and, ever since, the argument to crown the superior of the three has never ended.
Hey @grok remove the best Spider-Man/Peter Parker pic.twitter.com/4zlxcuZ1bf
— No Context Tobey Maguire (@OocTobeyM) March 31, 2026
When asked who he thought was the best Spider-Man in an interview with Complex, Cage revealed his favorite.
"I thought [Andrew] Garfield was a really great Spider-Man," the Spider-Noir actor said. "I thought he did a terrific job. He's a marvelous actor. For all the younger Peter Parker Spider-Men, he was the one I thought was really quite something to watch."
Cage cemented his opinion, saying, "I would put Garfield, in my view, as the best Spider-Man in cinema."
Garfield played the Marvel hero in two solo movies (2012, 2014) that were met with large amounts of criticism, particularly The Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, the two-time Oscar-nominated actor's performance as Peter Parker and Spider-Man has been beloved by fans since the films' release. To much excitement, Garfield reprised the role a third time in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, where all three Spider-Men of the 21st century shared the screen.
The live-action Spider-Man debate is interesting because it truly has no consensus for any order of the three. There are massive portions of fans that will argue each actor is either the best or worst Spider-Man there ever was.
Now being in the exclusive web-slinger club himself, it's fair to say that Nicolas Cage's opinion holds extra weight.
All eight episodes of Spider-Noir are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 5:25 PM.