Embarrassing Roles That Spider-Man Actors Want You To Forget About

With great power, comes great responsibility. We’ve seen quite a few different live-action versions of Spider-Man. He had humble beginnings on television during the ‘70s, but once Sam Raimi partnered with Sony we got our first cinematic wall-crawler. And then Andrew Garfield in 2012 before Sony and Marvel partnered together to bring Tom Holland’s version of the character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These three different versions of the hero all have different strengths, with fans ultimately divided on the definitive version of the hero. With a whole host of villains, love interests, friends, and mentors, Spider-Man has plenty to deal with. But some of the best performances actually come from the characters that surround Peter.

Each cinematic Spidey has a fantastic array of actors and actresses around them in their films. But the talent behind them also comes with some pretty large mistakes. Some of these actors have some shameful roles in their back catalog. It’s extremely surprising, since we know the type of performances they’re capable of. It’s almost funny seeing how far these actors have come, despite their ignominious pasts.

Updated on Nov. 26, 2021, by Matthew Wood: This list has been updated to reflect CBR's contemporary tone and make sure its subjects are treated fairly and respectfully.

15 TOBEY MAGUIRE IN CATS & DOGS

Before Spider-Man was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was brought to life by Sony and Sam Raimi via form of Tobey Maguire. But as well as being Peter Parker, Maguire has also played another animal-based hero. He voiced Lou the Beagle in the first Cats & Dogs film in 2001.

It turns out that Dogs have been at war with Cats for thousands of years, all the way back to Ancient Egypt. And there are two warring spy agencies for each species. Lou becomes one of the Dog agents. It’s silly and bizarre and Tobey Maguire’s voice coming out of a dog just seems extremely weird. A human-arachnid hybrid somehow seemed more plausible.

14 KIRSTEN DUNST IN THE CROW: SALVATION

Direct to video. Three words that signify a film may not be good. The Crow: Salvation lives down to those expectations. Unfortunately, Mary Jane Watson wasn’t the first superheroic role for Kirsten Dunst. In 2000, she played Erin Randall in The Crow: Salvation, opposite Eric Mabius.

Across the course of the film, Erin is kidnapped, attacked, finds her father has committed suicide, has her mouth literally sewn shut, and also helps electrocute a man to death. It’s not exactly Dunst's greatest performance, with the chemistry between the actress and Mabius feeling very weak in comparison to Mary Jane's relationship with Peter Parker. Well, at least The Crow: Salvation was direct to video, so she wasn’t too embarrassed with a wide theatrical release.

13 JAMES FRANCO IN THE WICKER MAN

Creepy parental figures, villainous costumes, and absolute madness. Surprisingly, those descriptions work for both Spider-Man and the 2006 remake of The Wicker Man. The film itself has descended into infamy, with many fans seeing it as a comedy rather than a horror flick. But surprisingly, Harry Osborn himself makes an appearance towards the end of the film.

After the sisters on a mysterious island make a sacrifice out of Nicholas Cage (“NOT THE BEES!”) they begin looking for their next victims. When they enter a bar, who do they find but off-duty cop James Franco? It’s a bizarre cameo considering the actor was already well established by this point. But still, it seems the sisters want some Osborn blood in their next sacrifice! Best get on that Goblin Glider quickly, James.

12 WILLEM DAFOE IN MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY

Willem Dafoe is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. He’s brought some incredible performances to the screen over the course of his career. And say what you will about the Green Goblin costume, Dafoe raised Norman Osborn’s villainous persona to a terrifying new level. Equally terrifying is the fact that Dafoe plays a role in the abysmal Mr. Bean’s Holiday.

Mr. Bean accidentally walks into a film shoot by director Carson Clay, played by Dafoe. The bumbling Bean even ends up blowing the shoot up in an explosion. But Dafoe’s performance is also bizarre, like he’s not even present when he’s reading his lines. Maybe he was exhausted or running on autopilot. Regardless, we don’t think Dafoe will be remembering this as one of his best performances.

11 ANDREW GARFIELD IN THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

The bizarre title above fits perfectly, as the film itself is completely buck wild. It involves alternate dimensions, different interpretations of characters, immortality, and the devil. Just a well-rounded mix of themes really. Oh, and of course Andrew Garfield crossdresses as a curvy woman for the film.

It’s a far cry away from the gritty reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man that catapulted Garfield onto an international platform. Another costume we see the pre-Peter Parker actor dressed in looks like a cross between a medieval soldier and Jay Garrick's Flash helmet. It's not that Terry Gillam’s mind-bending cinematic trip is a bad film, but it’s unbelievably weird, okay. As a positive, at least it shows off Andrew Garfield's acting range.

10 JON FAVREAU IN G-FORCE

What is it about children’s movies and making animals into super spies? It’s a bizarre idea but it seems to re-emerge every few years. 2011’s animalistic spy adventure was G-Force. Guinea pigs that happened to be special agents, with Happy Hogan cast in a special role for the film.

Favreau plays Hurley, a rookie G-Force agent who slowly becomes a part of the tiny team. Favreau’s a comedic actor, sure, but there are far better roles for his talents than 'animated guinea pig.' This film's existence also opens up the possibility of crossovers with other movies like Cats & Dogs. Don’t get any ideas, Disney.

9 ROBERT DOWNEY JR. IN DUE DATE

When Marvel took a risk and cast Robert Downey Jr. as the charismatic Tony Stark, who knew that it would propel the actor into the global stratosphere of fame? It opened the doors for Downey, with many roles offering themselves to him almost immediately after the release of Iron Man. One of those roles, unfortunately, was Due Date.

It’s a road trip movie partnering the actor with Zach Galifianakis. But the comedy that the film goes for just doesn’t work. If anything, it feels like The Hangover, but without the actual fun and originality of that film. Due Date doesn’t give Downey much to play with, considering all he does is argue with Galifianakis throughout the film. It’s a shame because Downey is capable of so much more.

8 RHYS IFANS IN GARFIELD: A TAIL OF TWO KITTIES

The Welsh actor went from voicing an animal to playing one. In 2006, Rhys Ifans joined the cast of Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties. For some reason, the studio behind the original Garfield movie felt like there was enough of an audience for a sequel. As a result, they made another weak comedy centered on a CGI cat, but this time with even more animals. Huzzah.

Ifans voices a rabbit named McBunny. He’s not really given much to do in the film, but then again, there’s not a lot of scope inherent to voicing a Scottish rabbit. He did get to play around with his animalistic tendencies when he played The Lizard during The Amazing Spider-Man, though, so his time spent in CGI got put to a sort of use.

7 JAMIE FOXX IN RIO

Jamie Foxx is one of the coolest actors in Hollywood, no doubt about it. And although his performance as Electro during The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn’t brilliantly received by critics, it’s a lot better than the role he voiced for Rio and Rio 2.

The animated film focuses on a Macaw named Blu who falls in love and has to escape from a smuggler. Foxx voices one of the supporting characters, Nico, a yellow bird with a passion for samba. It’s one of Foxx’s weaker performances, but overall it's fortunate it was only his voice and not a physical performance. It was a waste of his talents, so it's no wonder he didn't bring his A-game.

6 EMMA STONE IN THE HOUSE BUNNY

What if a Playboy Bunny was in charge of a sorority house? That’s the entire premise of the film. Oh, Emma Stone, what were you thinking? Then again, her role in the film isn’t so bad, playing a dorky student who learns to love herself for who she is.

It’s not a bad character arc, but it's a shame that it's surrounded by juvenile sex jokes and misogynistic portrayals of women. Sure, sometimes it displays a genuine emotional core, but it feels more like an advert for Playboy than female empowerment. This isn't a film Stone brags about on her resume. After all, she been in some much better comedies and rom-coms.

5 MARTIN SHEEN IN SPAWN

Remember the wild R-rated Spawn movie where Spawn was taken to hell and the CGI was unbearably poor? The film where the terrifyingly evil Malebolgia and his army of demons looked like incredibly average video game graphics? Those were the days. And the only reason we got to see the birth of Spawn was Martin Sheen's murder of Al Simmons.

Sheen plays the incredibly cheesy villain of the movie, Jason Wynn. He spends most of his time reading from the stereotypical bad guy script. He wants to blow the world up and generally just cause all manner of nastiness. Why? Well, why not? It’s a cut-and-paste performance from Sheen, and he could’ve done much better. With great power…

4 MICHAEL KEATON IN MINIONS

Opinions on Minions and their parent franchise, Despicable Me, vary. They're a hit with many viewers, young and old, but some audiences just think they're overhyped and annoying. Giving them their own film makes sense, especially from a financial point of view. But how did they coerce Michael Keaton into his role?

Keaton has had low points in his career, but he's also known for Oscar-worthy performances in films like Birdman, not to mention the way he rescued Batman's reputation from the silliness of the Adam West series and brought the Vulture to life as a relatable villain and not a cartoon. In Minions he plays Walter Nelson, a forgettable role that really wasn't worthy of his amazing abilities.

3 ALFRED MOLINA IN THE PINK PANTHER 2

Who thought that a villain like Doctor Octopus could be brought to live-action on the big screen believably? Alfred Molina portrayed the scientist in Spider-Man 2 and turned Sam Raimi's epic into a winner. It's still regarded as one of the best comic book movies ever made. But what about the time Otto wore a pink tutu?

Okay, to clarify, Alfred Molina starred in The Pink Panther 2 alongside Steve Martin. As the result of a bet that Molina’s character lost in the film, he had to wear a pink tutu for a day. The tutu-wearing detective provides a huge contrast against the genuinely captivating villainy of Otto Octavius, so that's food for thought.

2 DONALD GLOVER IN THE MUPPETS

Also known as Childish Gambino, the world is currently Donald Glover’s oyster. He can pretty much take on any project he wants. And while The Muppets came out in 2011 before Glover’s film career really took off, he was already a huge figure in television. Maybe he'd always just wanted to work with the Muppets, but an odd role.

By the time he cameoed in the film, he had already established himself as a talented actor on television, so why did he just take a tiny cameo as a junior executive in the film? It seems completely out of place with the rest of his career since he can give an impressive performance. Since this, he’s appeared as a pre-Prowler Aaron Davis and Lando Calrissian, really cementing his geek-cred with audiences.

1 MARISA TOMEI IN THE TOXIC AVENGER

Long before there were plans for a Marvel Cinematic Universe or even the X-Men films, companies were making a different kind of superhero movie. One of the most infamous is Troma Studios' The Toxic Avenger. Featuring a janitor who fell into a drum of toxic waste, giving him super strength and a messed up face, the film also starred none other than Aunt May herself, Marisa Tomei.

It's a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance during a locker room chase, as Toxie attacks Julie. She walks into the changing rooms, screaming as she sees the grotesque antihero. Little did she know back then that it wouldn’t be her first run-in with a superhero, as her Aunt May was like a big sister to Peter in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Which of these roles is the most embarrassing to you? Let us know in the comments!