There have been 10Spider-Manmovies so far, and while fans eagerly await the future of the MCU andSpider-Man’s role within it, it’s a good time to look back at the 10 movies audiences have so far, in both live-action and animation and across the Spider-Verse as a whole to see how each movie ranks against one another to define the bestSpider-Manmovie of all time.
With over 2 decades on the silver screen, and multiple actors in the spandex of Spider-Man, each movie can offer something exciting, enriching, and truly spectacular that’s hard to forget, so let’s see how everySpider-Manmovie ranks in a battle for the title of the best of the best.
Sony’s spin-off movies that do not feature Spider-Man will not be considered for this list.
Deep into the career of the one and only Spider-Man,The Amazing Spider-Man 2continues the swinging path of heroism from Andrew Garfield’s Spidey. With conflicting wars against Electro, a former super-fan, and the Green Goblin, a former best friend,The Amazing Spider-Man 2tries to juggle a pantheon of villains with a padded run-time and plot points that seem to lose the essence of Spider-Man.
There’s truly not a bad word to say about Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. He’s a fantastic talent who poured immense passion into the character, but even his performance couldn’t saveThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. The movie is drowning in too many villains and too many attempts toset up spin-offs and sequels, and with a maze of plot points to follow, the film often forgets that it’s about Spider-Man.
A seeming epilogue to the events ofAvengers: Endgame, Peter Parker must face a world that goes on after Tony Stark’s death, and Spider-Man must continue to be a superhero without a mentor to guide him. Yet, that’s exactly whereSpider-Man: Far From Home falters, as it spends far too much time not onlymourning Tony Starkbut removing Spider-Man from his independence as a superhero.
A globe-trotting adventure with Spider-Man sounds fun, but it’s held back a tad by a villain twist with Mysterio that everyone sees coming, and an over-reliance on inter-connecting narratives with S.H.I.E.L.D. After fighting off an alien invasion, it would’ve been nice forSpider-Man: Far From Hometo keep Spider-Man a tad more grounded and outside of Tony Stark’s wings.
Saying goodbye to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man wasn’t going to be easy, especially with a new Spider-Man swinging onto the scene just a few short years later with Andrew Garfield under the spandex.The Amazing Spider-Manattempted to integrate more comic accuracy than the previous iteration, while also keeping Spider-Man cooler and relatable instead of dorky and timid – yet the quippy charm andgreat responsibilityare still all there.
Andrew Garfield had a hard task ahead of him, but his Spider-Man certainly delivered, as did his chemistry with Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacey. The world feels a lot more realistic and believable, but the faults lie in the villain, who has an almost cartoonish and ridiculous master plan that interferes with its moody atmosphere.
The unexpected finale to Tobey Maguire’sSpider-Manmovies came in the form ofSpider-Man 3, which saw Peter Parker bind with the Symbiote Venom to embrace a darker, campy, and emo side of himself that would cause further division in his personal life and hisheroic relations with New YorkCity, all whilst trying to juggle feuds with a slanderous reporter in Eddie Brock, a revenge tale from his former best friend Harry Osborn, and the criminal Sandman.
Spider-Man 3suffers a tad with its juggling of a trio of villains. While the trilogy had built up to New Goblin, it almost takes a backseat for a revenge romance plot, while Venom seems almost out of place and clashes with thetragic and beautiful villainof Sandman. The cast gave it their all, and Sam Raimi’s style is there all the way – butSpider-Man 3wasn’t the triumphant finale it could’ve been.
Spider-Man is welcomed into the MCU with open arms with his debut solo movie,Spider-Man: Homecoming. With a whole new playground to swing through, Spider-Man interacts with new friends, new allies, and some sinister villains, all while trying to balance life as a high school student who’s also trying to be the next best Avenger.
Spider-Man: Homecomingis a sweet introduction to Spideyembracing aspects of his own comic lifein the MCU, and it’s a great beginning to something greater. Seeing Spider-Man’s youthful mentor relationship with Iron Man is an interesting aspect, and Michael Keaton truly brings it all with his depiction of the Vulture. It’s a movie in which Tom Holland excels at playing a young Spider-Man in his early years.
A celebration of Spider-Man’s time in the MCU, and a celebration of Spider-Man’s entire cinematic journey from 2002 to 2021,Spider-Man: No Way Homeis a triumph for those who adore the character’s live-action past, present, and future.Spider-Man: No Way Homeencases its story in an ensemble, where Peter Parker must fight for his friends and his own position post-graduation after the world discovers the identity of Spider-Man, all through the help of one Doctor Strange.
The movie finally has Tom Holland’s Spider-Man take some responsibility with his power, and it pits him against some of the best villains fromSpidey’s Multiversal pastand also gives him the mentors and brothers that he needs with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire returning as their own variants of Spider-Man.Spider-Man: No Way Homeis a thrill ride of familiar characters, all while evolving Peter Parker’s story into more mature headings for his MCU future.
Miles Morales’ journey continues through New York City as his universe’s one and only Spider-Man, that is – until he’s thrust into another multiverse adventure where he must work with familiar Spider-faces to take down the Spot, a villain who’s harnessing the powers of the multiverse itself with the ultimate goal of causing Miles Morales immense irreparable pain.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis truly superb, and the animation style is like no other. With a varied cast of incredible talent harnessing the personalities of characters that give it their all,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseexcels as a sequel with intense consequences, but it also has the downside of being a cliffhangerwaiting for its conclusion.
Spider-Man’s first live-action movie comes from the brilliance of Sam Raimi, with Tobey Maguire leading the dual role of Spider-Man and Peter Parker.Spider-Manintroduces new audiences to the character only seen in cartoons and comics and shows that despite being a dorky high school student, being imbued with great power will instill a necessity of great responsibility both as a superhero, a son, and a friend.
Spider-Manbalances action, origin, and heart, and there’s a reason that the 2002 depiction ofSpider-Manis beloved as a classic that every reboot and sequel should look to. Sam Raimi’s distinct style aids the gloom and fun of Spider-Man, and its smart story of the tale of a hero being both a triumph and a burden is something that the character needs.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versetakes multiple leaps in its creation, not only by providing fans with a fresh look thanks to an entirely cinematic art style in animation but also by holding the lens on a new protagonist to don the mask of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versetakes a loving look at Spider-Man as not just a character, but as an idea, and opens the multiverse to new possibilities.
An ensemble cast of multiverse variants of Spider-Man to come in and save the day, this is a movie built on heart and humor that cements itself with a golden legacy to follow thanks to its style and character development. Following Miles Morales’ journey from an out-of-depth teen to a confident and amazing Spider-Man is something to root for from the first minute to its closing credits.
Peter Parker goes through a mid-hero crisis inSpider-Man 2, where balancing his personal life and the role of New York City’s one and only Spider-Man becomes a burdensome curse rather than a great responsibility.Spider-Man 2is a deconstruction of the legendary hero, as his powers begin to falter as he doubts himself and falls out of love with being a hero, and loses the love of his life, Mary Jane, to another.
Everything aboutSpider-Man 2marks it as a near-perfect Spider-Man film. The focus on character and humanity, while also being a superhero movie that involves Spider-Man saving the city from Doctor Octopus shows how balancing a superhero movie with the human condition can create something truly brilliant, and hold one of the most iconic pieces of Spider-Man media ever with the train scene.
