Deepfake Tobey Maguire

About

Deepfake Tobey Maguire refers to a fake leak of the 2021 superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home in which Tobey Maguire's face is poorly edited upon Tom Holland via deepfake technology. In December 2021, a still image of deepfake Tobey Maguire from the video gained virality as a reaction image.

Origin

On October 27th, 2021, Twitter^[1] user @Chrs_Martn shared a fake leak of then-upcoming superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home (original author unknown). In the fake leak, which was based on a scene from the official teaser trailer released in August, actor Tobey Maguire, who starred as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the 2002 Spider-Man trilogy, was poorly edited in using deepfake technology. The video, likely made as a parody, was made to appear as if it was filmed in a movie theater, with "Tobey Maguire" saying "I'm Spider-Man," followed by a sound effect of a crowd cheering. The tweet gained over 182,000 views, 660 retweets and 5,400 likes in two months.

i’ve seen fake leaks but this one has to be one of the funniest #SpiderManNowWayHome pic.twitter.com/1klXs1pzA2

— chris martin (@Chrs_Martn) October 27, 2021

- Hello, Peter.
- I'm Spider-Man…

Spread

In the following months, the deepfake video was widely circulated online. For example, on November 17th, 2021, Twitter^[2] user @timepavementt reposted the video, with the clip gaining over 318,000 views, 4,700 retweets and 18,500 likes in one month.

On November 21st, 2021, Twitter^[3] user @FlikFlaxx posted the first known meme based on a still frame of deepfake Tobey Maguire (shown below, left). The tweet gained 13 retweets and 45 likes in one month.

The image did not see further spread until December 15th, 2021, shortly before the premiere of the film. On that day, Twitter^[4] user @NapeMango posted the image, writing, "i,m spider man… .." The tweet (shown below, right) gained over 320 retweets and 2,600 likes in six days.

On December 16th, 2021, Twitter^[5] user @RottingVale posted a We Have Food at Home meme using a different frame that gained over 80 retweets and 230 likes in five days (shown below, left). Starting on that day, this exact frame gained prominence on Twitter as an ironic reaction image, primarily used within the Staring Animals meme archetype or as a way of referencing the line "I'm Spider-Man." For example, on December 19th, Twitter^[6] user @JOHNofWAR posted one such meme that gained over 280 retweets and 1,400 likes in two days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

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Search Interest

External References