Stan Lee created a slew of larger than life heroes that have been described as Fantastic, Incredible, Uncanny, Mighty, Invincible, Sensational, Fearless and even Totally Awesome among many other descriptors, but there is only one who is both Amazing and Spectacular — Spider-Man. Though the Wall-Crawler wasn’t Lee’s first creations, he quickly established himself as his most popular and became the mascot of all things Marvel Comics. That includes both animated and live action adaptations. There have been three big screen Spider-Men, each earning fan favor for their unique strengths.
Tobey Maguire maintained Peter Parker’s awkwardness and sensitivity. Andrew Garfield was caring but tortured. Now, Tom Holland is webbing his way across the silver screen as the most youthful take on the character yet. Holland’s Parker is still in high school and endures all the hurdles that comes with that.
What does the man that created Spider-Man think of Holland’s new teenage Parker? Lee posted his thoughts on Twitter:
I think @TomHolland1996 is a great Spider-Man. He is the exact height and age I envisioned when I first wrote Spider-Man. Spidey was never supposed to be too large. How is my friend Tom doing?
— stan lee (@TheRealStanLee) May 19, 2018
It seems that Lee has the same opinion as lots of fans. Peter Parker graduated high school in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ #28, just over two years after his introduction and went on to attend college, grow to adulthood and even eventually got married and came close to having a kid. Most adaptations, including Maguire’s and Garfield’s focused mainly on Parker’s post-high school life. But it appears that Holland’s will stay in high school for the time being… well, once he comes back to life.
Lee and Holland know one another. Lee frequently pops up on the Marvel movie sets, either to film one of his beloved cameos or just to visit. And he and the stars often cross paths at press events and conventions.
Holland, a lifelong Spider-Man fan, graciously thanked Lee for his praise:
Thanks very much Stan. It all started with you sir. Looking forward to catching up soon bud https://t.co/KbF5HSxJAo
— Tom Holland (@TomHolland1996) May 20, 2018
The sequel to ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ is one of only two movies on Marvel’s release schedule after ‘Avengers 4’ (the other being ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’. Jon Watts is returning to direct and Holland, Jacob Batalon and Zendaya are confirmed to return. There is also a rumor that Michael Keaton’s Vulture will be back and it was just confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to play Mysterio. The movie is scheduled for release on July 5, 2019.
