Following the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, fans are having fun comparing the Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland versions of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield's version, too). Meanwhile, Holland has made a wish that involves Maguire taking on the role of Ben Parker, aka Uncle Ben.
In April, co-producer Eric Hauserman Carroll revealed that the Jon Watts flick wouldn't include Uncle Ben or deal with his death, because they wanted to make “a fun movie about a kid trying to be a kid", rather than one about “a kid mourning the loss of a parent”. He did make it clear that they would acknowledge the character and would imply that he’d died.
So, although Uncle Ben didn’t make an appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, there's always a possibility that he’ll show up in some sort of flashback scene in a sequel. Holland told BBC Radio 1 that he’d love to see Maguire in the role:
I kinda want Tobey Maguire to play Uncle Ben. I think that'd be super funny, but I don't think he'll do it.
Casting the actor who portrayed Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies as Ben Parker, who's been a father to the character in the comics, does seem like a nice way to pay tribute to those movies. Maguire is in his forties now, so he’s not too young for the part, especially alongside Marisa Tomei as the "unusually attractive" Aunt May. And since the character is already deceased, the actor wouldn't need to sign up for much more than a cameo.
But, as Holland mentioned, it's entirely possible that Maguire would turn down the offer. But if he were up for it, we hope that Marvel could find a way to make it happen. After all, they've been doing Stan Lee cameos since the very beginning, and they’ve managed to make it look like he's been playing the same character all along.
Nerdist has obtained some cool alternate Spider-Man: Homecoming posters that pay homage to The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Taxi Driver!
