Alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, the first icon of the new millennium’s superhero age was Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s three Spider-Man films. The actor hung up his webshooters after the financially successful but critically divisive Spider-Man 3 in 2007, and he hasn’t been in another superhero film since. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out another superhero role in the future though; speaking about the possibility Tobey Maguire said:
I just don't really have an 'I would or wouldn't do' mind-set. I'll just do whatever … whatever it is that comes that I feel called to, that may or may not fit in any kind of box.
Tobey Maguire definitely isn’t closing the door on the idea that he could one day return to the realm of superhero movies. His years as Spider-Man and multiple films haven’t caused him to swear off working in the genre entirely, but he isn’t itching to get back in a pair of superhero tights either. Therefore what he told The Hollywood Reporter isn’t a definitive answer about whether we’ll see him in a superhero role in the future, but it leaves the door open.
Based on his comments, Tobey Maguire seems to take a very zen approach to the roles that he takes, never saying never. He doesn’t want to box himself in by saying he absolutely would do X or wouldn’t do Y, because every situation is different. If something comes along that he is drawn to, he’ll take it and not be governed by any sort of rules he’s made for himself.
That seems to apply to superhero movies as well. If a new superhero role comes along and Tobey Maguire is called to it, he may very well add another chapter to his comic book movie legacy. We’ll just have to wait and see if such an opportunity presents itself and how Tobey Maguire responds to it. There is certainly no shortage of superhero films on the horizon with potential roles for the OG Peter Parker.
I think a lot of fans would love to see Tobey Maguire return to the superhero world in some fashion, even if it's something as small as a cameo. Fans even created a petition for Tobey Maguire to cameo as a pizza delivery guy in Spider-Man: Far From Home. And new Spider-Man Tom Holland has advocated for Tobey Maguire to play Uncle Ben.
One film that is practically demanding a Tobey Maguire cameo is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. The directors of the first film didn’t want to confuse audiences by bringing in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to voice Spider-Men, but now that the first film was successful, as in Best Animated Feature successful, there may be more of an opportunity to remedy that in the sequel.
If Tobey Maguire does one day return to the world of superhero movies, he would be in good company. Actors like Chris Evans, Michael B. Jordan, Ben Affleck and Ryan Reynolds all played multiple different superheroes on the big screen. After years away, even former Batman Michael Keaton returned as the villainous Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Personally, I would love to see Tobey Maguire make the jump from hero to villain in a future superhero movie.
You can see the new Peter Parker Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Far From Home, in theaters on July 5. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed to theaters this year and let us know in the comments what comic book character you would like to see Tobey Maguire play in a future film.
