When speculation about a live-action Spider-Verse was running rampant, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield had to deny their involvement in Spider-Man: No Way Home for months. While Sony and Marvel put their returning villains on full display in the trailers, they hid Maguire and Garfield’s Peter Parkers to preserve the surprise factor of their appearance.

Of course, Maguire and Garfield were in No Way Home – identified in the film as “Peter-Two” and “Peter-Three,” respectively – and they ended up with some of the best lines in the movie. Some of the greatest scenes in No Way Home just focus on the banter between the Spider-Men.

Peter-Two (Tobey Maguire)

10 When Peter-One Namedrops Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

“The Avengers? That’s Great! What Is That?”

In the final battle of No Way Home, the three Spider-Men struggle to coordinate their attacks because, by their very nature, they’re used to fighting alone. But Tom Holland’s Spidey has some team experience: “I have been in a team, okay? I don’t wanna brag, but I will. I was in the Avengers.”

Maguire’s Spidey enthusiastically responds, “The Avengers? That’s great! What is that?” There’s a great gag pointing out the lack of Avengers teams in Maguire and Garfield’s universes. “Wait, you don’t have the Avengers?” Garfield’s Spidey hilariously asks, “Is that a band? Are you in a band?”

9 When His Bad Back Acts Up

“My Back. It’s Kinda Stiff From All The Swinging, I Guess.”

The pre-battle banter in No Way Home is as much fun as the battle itself. There’s a fun callback to Spidey’s notoriously bad back from the Raimi trilogy when Maguire’s back starts acting up.

He tells Garfield’s younger incarnation of Peter Parker, Peter-Three, that his back is “kinda stiff from all the swinging,” and Peter-Three kindly cracks it for him.

8 When Doc Ock Asks, “How Are You?”

“Just Trying To Do Better.”

Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock gave his life to save New York from his own diabolical plan in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, but he achieves true redemption with his return in No Way Home. Holland’s Spidey’s homemade “cure” allows the noble scientist Dr. Otto Octavius to control his mechanical limbs (rather than the other way around). After arriving to save the Spider-Men from Electro, Doc Ock reconnects with Maguire’s Peter Parker.

Otto tells Peter, “It’s good to see you, dear boy,” and Peter says, “It’s good to see you.” It’s heartwarming to see how proud Otto is of the man that Peter grew up to be. He asks how Peter-Two is doing and, with a smile, he humbly replies, “Just trying to do better.”

7 When Peter-Three Doubts Himself

“You’re Amazing!”

Maguire’s Spidey keeps up his traditionally wholesome image in No Way Home. When Garfield’s Spidey says, “I’m lame compared to… like, I fought a Russian guy in a… like, a rhinoceros machine,” Maguire warmly says, “Hey, can we rewind it back to the ‘I’m lame’ part? ‘Cause, you are not.”

When Garfield doubts himself, Maguire assures him, “You’re amazing!” This is a self-aware nod to Garfield’s underappreciated stint as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. He gave a great performance, but he was let down by mediocre scripts. Peter-Three says, “I kinda needed to hear that. Thank you.”

6 Peter-Two Explains Aunt May’s Final Words

“Maybe She Didn’t Die For Nothing, Peter.”

When Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May tragically passes away in No Way Home, she imparts Uncle Ben’s timeless wisdom: “With great power comes great responsibility.” May actually recites the full quote from the comics, but both Maguire and Garfield recognize the sentiment from the shortened version that Ben told them.

When Peter-One repeats the phrase, Peter-Three tells him, “Uncle Ben said it,” and Peter-Two adds, “The day he died. Maybe she didn’t die for nothing, Peter.”

Peter-Three (Andrew Garfield)

5 Peter-Three Has Faced One Existential Crisis Too Many

“I Mean, Don’t Even Get Me Started On That.”

Garfield and Holland’s Spider-Men are frustrated when they learn that Maguire’s Spidey produces his webs organically, because their homemade web fluids run out and cause “web blocks.”

But Maguire confides that he once suffered a “web block” – as depicted in Spider-Man 2 – due to “existential crisis stuff.” Garfield’s Spidey hysterically quips, “Yeah, I mean, don’t even get me started on that.”

4 When He Finds Out The Other Spider-Men Have Fought Aliens

“I Wanna Fight An Alien!”

One of the best parts of the Spider-Men’s banter is when they compare villains. Maguire’s Spidey claims to have fought an alien made of black goo (Venom) while Holland’s has fought a purple alien on Earth and in space (Thanos).

After learning that his multiversal counterparts have fought extra-terrestrials, Garfield’s Spidey is frustrated that all of his enemies have come from Earth: “I wanna fight an alien!”

3 On Why He Doesn’t Carry An I.D.

“Kinda Defeats The Whole Anonymous Superhero Thing.”

When Peter-Three first jumps through a portal into Ned’s grandmother’s house, Ned and MJ ask to see some I.D. to prove he’s really a version of Peter Parker from another universe.

He tells them, “I don’t carry an I.D. with me, y’know? Kinda defeats the whole anonymous superhero thing.” Peter-Two says the exact same thing when he comes through another portal and they ask him to identify himself.

2 Peter-Three Makes The Final Battle Awkward

“I Love You Guys!”

As the final battle at the Statue of Liberty intensifies, the Spider-Men regroup and try to come up with a way to work as a team as opposed to three lone wolves fighting at the same time.

Peter-Three makes the exchange a little awkward when he tells his other selves, “I love you guys!” After a perfectly timed beat, the other Peter Parkers say, “Thank you,” without returning the well-meaning but bizarre sentiment.

1 When He Saves MJ

“Are You Okay?”

Garfield’s Spidey gets some closure after he failed to save Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Zendaya’s MJ falls in a very similar fashion and when Peter-One is taken out of contention by the Goblin, Peter-Three springs into action.

He saves MJ, lowers her to the ground, and asks, “Are you okay?” She sees the tear in his eye – indicating that he’s achieved redemption and can finally see the light after years of darkness – and asks, “Are YOU okay?”

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3460 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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