Spider-Man: No Way Home

Of the three Spider-Men put to screen in live action, Andrew Garfield's adaptation seems to receive the least amount of praise from the wider Marvel fanbase.

A crucial point of difference to investigate when exploring healthy masculinity and the female gaze is how the three renditions of Spider-Man treat Peter as he is portrayed shirtless. It's one of the most emotionally resonant Spider-Man scenes ever, cutting to the core of what the character stands for. This Peter's ability to humble himself and put the needs of others before his own is what makes him a hero, not just a crime fighter in a suit. In this way, the emotional strength of these heroes becomes another manifestation of a power fantasy. Instead of an idealized body, the characters exhibit an idealized mental state, one impervious to any vulnerability of emotion. Garfield's Peter is never depicted to be in control of her, not dangled over a ledge by a villain for Spider-Man to save like Raimi's Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). This emotional authenticity and vulnerability subvert expectations of restrictive, toxic masculinity as seen in superhero films released around the same time. Where this film truly shines, however, is in the relationship between Peter and Gwen ( The Amazing Spider-Man's Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) is the most well-rounded iteration of the character put to the screen so far. [coined by feminist theorist Laura Mulvey](https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486#:~:text=Mulvey%20argued%20that%20most%20popular,women%20for%20a%20male%20viewer.) as the "male gaze," Mulvey explains that many women in film are often defined only by what they represent to the male protagonist, often resulting in sexual objectification. [Andrew Garfield'](https://collider.com/tag/andrew-garfield/)s adaptation seems to receive the least amount of praise from the wider Marvel fanbase. As neither [Sam Raimi](http://collider.com/tag/sam-raimi/)'s original nor the iteration incorporated directly into the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marc Webb's [The Amazing Spider-Man](https://collider.com/tag/amazing-spider-man/) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and consequently, Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker are sometimes unfairly considered the awkward middle child of the three, not receiving as much acclaim.