Untangling the Web: How Spider-Man Co-Stars Always End up Dating

Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are three Peter Parkers, or as we better know them, Spider-Men. Due to various factors such as disagreements between directors and actors as well as audience response, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been reimagined and portrayed three separate times, each one with their own twist and character quirks. However, one thing stayed consistent during all three movie productions: the male and female co-stars met on set and fell in love. Maybe it’s the romance of the plot or the pre-calculated onscreen chemistry between the characters, but Spider-Man always ends up with a partner.

Remember: Once is by chance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern.

1. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst 

In a dark alleyway with pouring rain, Spider-Man saves his love interest Mary Jane from the hands of her attackers. As an act of gratitude, Mary pulls down Spider-Man’s mask as he hangs upside down from a web and gives him a kiss, rain enveloping the two of them. Peak romance right? (Clearly many thought so, since this kiss actually won the MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss in 2003.) I don’t see how you could not fall in love with your co-star after doing something like this. And that was exactly what Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst did. 

The two met on set for the first time in the beginning of 2001 to start filming for the Spider-Man movie and were reported to become close amidst the production. Their relationship was confirmed after the filming had already ended, in the summer of that month when they were seen out together in Los Angeles. Their supportive and engaging dynamic can be seen in the Spider-Man press interviews, where the two occasionally praised each other.

In fact, when Dunst was asked in an Entertainment Weekly interview what convinced her to take the role of Mary Jane in the movie, she responded, “I wanted to do Spider-Man the minute I found out about it, even before Peter Parker had been cast. But as soon as I learned Tobey [Maguire] was doing it, I wanted to do it even more.” It seems that Dunst may already have harbored feelings for Maguire before this movie. 

After dating for a little over a year, the two were reported to have split in early 2002. However, there don’t seem to be any harsh feelings lingering between the two as they returned to set two years later to film Spider-Man 2. The film director, Sam Raimi, revealed that he initially had concerns about the pair’s chemistry due to their breakup, but these worries were never made a reality according to him. In fact, it was the opposite, with Raimi saying, “They really like each other, I think, very much. And that relationship probably just added to their ability to trust each other.” 

While this relationship may have been short-lived, Maguire and Dunst’s chemistry both onscreen and offscreen was undeniable and laid a path for the future Spider-Mans to follow. 

2. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

Turning a little bit more intense, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are next. These two dated for four whole years, and despite breaking up in the end, the two remain close friends. 

In December 2010, Garfield and Stone met on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man (a coincidence?). It is unclear when their relationship turned from professional to romantic, but by November of the next year, the two had been spotted on a date in Los Angeles, catching a showing of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, then going out for coffee. From there, public appearances of the two of them together became more common, with birthday dinners, press interviews, and even a Saturday Night Live episode. 

They have had their fair share of endearing moments. In a recently viral clip on the Internet, Garfield is recorded describing Stone: “She was like a shot of espresso. She’s like being bathed in the sunlight. She’s incredibly energetic and enthusiastic and she had this sense of play and fun which was incredibly exciting.” Many viewers who have commented on this video say it has raised their standards for love, wanting to find something just like what Garfield and Stone have. 

Their compatibility can be also seen in their actions. In June 2014, the couple was dining in New York City for lunch. Upon seeing paparazzi outside, Garfield and Stone walked out of the restaurant with signs covering their faces which read: “Good morning! We were eating and saw a group of guys with cameras outside. And so we thought, let’s try this again. We don’t need the attention, but these wonderful organizations do: www.youthmentoring.org, www.autismspeaks.org, (and don’t forget:) www.wwo.org, www.gildasclubnyc.org. Here’s to the stuff that matters. Have a good day!” They clearly have shared values of charity, able to advocate for what they believe in together. 

Despite it all, the couple broke things off in October of 2015. They had previously taken a break that year due to their busy personal lives, with Garfield being across the world in Taiwan filming a movie while Stone stayed in L.A. attending award shows to promote her films. Though they are no longer in a romantic relationship, the pair have maintained a close friendship, supporting each other’s careers and having casual meetups. In fact, in 2017, Garfield discussed his relationship with Stone in Vanity Fair‘s Little Gold Men podcast, saying, “There’s so much love between us and so much respect. I’m her biggest fan as an artist.”

Even though the couple may not have lasted romantically, their friendship appears to stand strong against the test of time. Platonically, the two are arguably soulmates.

3. Tom Holland and Zendaya 

If you haven’t heard the news already (where have you been?), Tom Holland and Zendaya are engaged! The news came out after Zendaya showed up to the 2025 Golden Globes sporting a huge diamond ring. But how did their relationship kick-off? All thanks to Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

Like the previous two couples, Holland and Zendaya met for the first time on the set of the Spider-Man movie in 2016. While promoting their movie on a press tour, the pair faced an onslaught of dating rumors, which they shot down with humorous remarks. At the time, they labeled one another as best friends and remarked about how they had bonded over the unique issues that come with being famous at a young age. Their romantic relationship took a while to come to fruition (five years to be exact), and in that time, the two dated other people. For example, Zendaya was supposedly dating her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi after the two were spotted on a date in New York City and later embarking on a vacation to Greece together. 

Their relationship was ultimately revealed to the public in July 2021 when the two were photographed kissing in a car and exiting Zendaya’s mother’s house in L.A. Holland later confirmed their relationship in an Instagram post for Zendaya’s 25th birthday in September 2021, putting up an adorable behind the scenes picture of the two of them with the caption, “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your up xxx.” Zendaya returned the sentiment in an Instagram post dedicated to Holland later that year, captioning it, “My Spider-Man, I’m so proud of you, some things never change and good thing.” 

Since then their relationship has only progressed, with them being spotted going out on numerous dates from concerts, NBA games, and even plain old grocery shopping. However, one thing both Holland and Zendaya have spoken openly about from the beginning of their relationship is their desire to keep their personal life private. Holland represents both of their opinions in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, explaining, “Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible. We don’t think that we owe it to anyone, it’s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers.”

The two constantly support each other, both in their careers and in life. Zendaya mentions in an interview that Holland is able to “pull her out of the dark moments as Rue,” the character she plays in the show Euphoria. She was also spotted bringing a bouquet of flowers to Holland on the final night of London’s West End production of Romeo and Juliet. Holland has bragged more than once about using his carpentry skills taught to him by his late grandfather to fix things within Zendaya’s house. Not only has he fixed Zendaya’s door, but also built her cupboards and put in a whole new wardrobe for her guest room. If these are not bright green flags, what are?

It seems that this phenomenon of Spider-Man co-stars dating is simply inevitable and destined by fate, since the Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal had apparently warned Holland and Zendaya before the filming for the first Spider-Man movie started to not date in real life. Pascal had given each of them a separate lecture, worried a relationship between the lead actors would complicate things. She had also given the same speech to Garfield and Stone. Clearly these warnings were disregarded both times, and thank God that happened or else Tom Holland and Zendaya would not be engaged right now. That is certainly not a reality I want to live in.

Sources

Brunker, Alicia. “TBT: Tobey Maguire Said Kissing Kirsten Dunst in ‘Spider-Man’ Was like ‘Giving Her Mouth to Mouth.’” InStyle, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2023, www.instyle.com/celebrity/kirsten-dunst/tbt-tobey-maguire-kirsten-dunst-relationship. 

Aizin, Rebecca. “All 3 ‘spider-Man’ Actors Have Dated Their Leading Ladies! A Look at Their Romances on and off Screen.” People.Com, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2025, people.com/spider-man-stars-dating-history-8770860

Bonin, Liane. “Kirsten Dunst Talks about ‘“spider-Man.”’” EW.Com, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Apr. 2002, ew.com/article/2002/04/05/kirsten-dunst-talks-about-spider-man-2/. 

Team, Koimoi.com. “When Andrew Garfield Called Emma Stone ‘a Shot of Espresso, Bathed in Sunlight’ Raising Internet’s Expectations from Love.” Koimoi, 12 Feb. 2023, www.koimoi.com/hollywood-news/when-andrew-garfield-called-emma-stone-a-shot-of-espresso-bathed-in-sunlight-raising-internets-expectations-from-love/. 

Tremaine, Julie. “Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield’s Relationship: A Look Back.” People.Com, PEOPLE, 2 Jan. 2024, people.com/movies/emma-stone-andrew-garfield-relationship-timeline/. 

@tomholland2013. “Tom Holland on Instagram: ‘My MJ, Have the Happiest of Birthdays. Gimme a Call When Your up Xxx.’” Instagram, 16 Sep. 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CTRzVkrq2wN/?ig_rid=3a08122c-5c87-48f5-84b0-5d8e9018dc76. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025. 

Harper’s Bazaar Staff. “Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Full Relationship Timeline.” Harper’s Bazaar, 7 Jan. 2025, www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a39853855/zendaya-tom-holland-relationship-timeline/. 

@zendaya. “Zendaya on Instagram: ‘My Spider-Man, I’m so Proud of You, Some Things Never Change and Good Thing♥️ @tomholland2013.’” Instagram, 15 Dec. 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CXhuznGL0w9/?img_index=1. 

Singh, Olivia. “‘Spider-Man’ Producer Warned Tom Holland and Zendaya to Avoid Dating after They Were Cast as Peter Parker and MJ: ‘Don’t Go There.’” Business Insider, Business Insider, 20 Dec. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/spider-man-producer-warned-tom-holland-zendaya-not-to-date-2021-12.