Spider-Man is a fan-favorite character, loved by millions of people across the world. The famous web-slinger has found his way into the hearts of several fans thanks to his incredible agility, sense of responsibility, and relatable struggles. Portrayed in live-action by three actors till now, Tom Holland is our most recent friendly neighborhood, Spider-Man.
All three actors have been outstanding in their portrayals of the superhero and also starred together in the hit, Spider-Man: No Way Home. But apart from playing the titular Marvel character, all three and their respective leading ladies share something else that is too much of a coincidence to ignore.
With his iconic red and blue suit, witty sense of humor, and impressive abilities, Spider-Man is a highly inspirational and entertaining character for people of all ages. Whether it is swinging through the streets of New York City or facing off against formidable foes, Spider-Man’s adventures have always been an enticing feat for the audiences.
Portrayed by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland in different films, the actors were truly incredible in their respective versions of the Marvel character. However, apart from playing Spider-Man, the three stars also have something in common that has now become no less than a trend! All three actors, after starring as Spider-Man, went on to play Soldiers (Marine in the case of Maguire!).
Maguire played Spider-Man from 2002-2007 and then went on to star in the 2009 movie Brothers, where he portrayed a marine initially stationed in Afghanistan. Garfield starred as Peter Parker in 2012 and 2014 and then went on to star as an army medic in the biographical war film, Hacksaw Ridge (2016). Holland, who has been playing Spider-Man since 2017, starred as an army medic in Iraq in the 2021 film, Cherry.
A shocking coincidence, this common chain of events does not end here, for even their respective leading ladies have a similar coincidence in common!
If all the Spider-Man stars portrayed a member of the armed forces later in their career, the leading ladies of all Spider-Man movies have something similar in common. While Kristen Dunst played Mary Jane to Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, Emma Stone portrayed Gwen Stacy opposite Andrew Garfield, and Zendaya stars as Mary Jane to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
Shockingly, Dunst, after making her debut as MJ in 2002, went on to play a tennis player in the romantic comedy film Wimbledon (2004). Similarly, Stone ended up portraying a Tltennis player in her 2017 movie, Battle of the Sexes, after playing Gwen Stacy in TASM movies. And the current lady love of Spider-Man, Zendaya, too, recently played a tennis player in the 2024 movie, Challengers.
Furthermore, it is quite a remarkable coincidence that all three Spider-Man actors have been in relationships with their co-stars who played their love interests in the movies. Although Maguire-Dunst and Garfield-Stone broke up later on, Tom Holland and Zendaya are still going as strong as ever!