Ranking Every Spider-Man Movie — And We Do Mean Every

With the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man swinging back into cinemas, there’s no better time to revisit his big-screen history, which is older than you might realize. The current Peter Parker, Tom Holland, is the third actor to embody the character in 20 years, and that’s just in live action. However, the ‘70s and ‘80s saw four theatrical features spinning out of TV shows in the U.S. and Japan. This makes any list of Spidey movies incomplete without the low-budget ambitions of yesteryear.

Between those small-screen offshoots, the big studio features, and some eye-popping animation, Spider-Man’s filmic history has run the gamut, from landmark superhero sagas, to outright disasters that demanded major reboots. Like Web-head’s comic history, it’s all over the place, though you’ll likely find fans and apologists for pretty much every entry. There’s a reason Spider-Man (Peter Parker, or otherwise) has been such an enduring presence since his debut on the page, back in 1962. So if nothing else, this list is a nice reminder how many attempts there have been to capitalize on his pop culture iconography.

Of course, some works stand head and shoulders above the others. But as a whole, these 15 movies form a fascinating web of launches, preludes, and relaunches, each with wildly different ideas on what makes the world’s most famous Marvel hero tick. Here are all the Spider-Man movies (so far), ranked.

15. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

A morose opening plane crash dovetails into a slapstick car chase in Marc Webb’s sequel, an overwrought tonal oddity that killed the franchise in record time. Andrew Garfield would eventually prove his potential as Peter Parker (with a surprise appearance in the MCU), but he first found himself in a messy monstrosity meant to set up several spinoffs that would never come to fruition. We’re likely better for it.

Spidey’s tale has always been one of power and responsibility, but Garfield’s second outing ends up full of causes, effects, and consequences outside of his control or actions, thanks to a haphazard edit that makes him all but secondary to an unrelated boardroom conspiracy. The film also re-creates the biggest tragedy in Peter’s history — the death of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) — but apart from Garfield’s umpteenth emotional outburst, even this dramatic milestone ends up limp, as the film is more concerned with a wider Spider-mythos, which robs the character of his everyman quality. But hey, at least the costume works.

14. Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1981)

Condensing the final two episodes of the Amazing Spider-Man show (which aired on CBS from 1977 to 1979), Don McDougall’s The Dragon’s Challenge is an unfortunate bore compared to its predecessors. As the third theatrical film to spin out of the series, the 1981 movie would be the last time Spidey would grace the big screen for over two decades. However, upon watching it — or the two episodes it condenses, “The Chinese Web” parts 1 and 2 — it already feels like Peter Parker (Nicholas Hammond) has become a thing of the past.

The movie, quite simply, has little interest in featuring Spider-Man at all (except, at one point, in an uncomfortably orientalist disguise). The janky, low-budget Hong Kong saga follows Chinese industrial minister Min Lo Chan (Benson Fong), a friend of Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (Robert F. Simon), who ends up on the run from his government as his niece Emily (Rosalind Chao) tries to clear his name. Peter, who’s smitten with Emily, gets involved in this globetrotting mystery, though you could swap him out with pretty much any superhero (or even the average Joe) without changing very much. It is, at best, worth a passive watch while folding laundry.

13. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

For a character with as many adaptations as Spider-Man, it’s surprising how few of them are outright disasters. If Far From Home is far too low on this list for your liking, don’t fret. Jon Watts’s sequel has plenty to enjoy — including and especially Zendaya’s spirited M.J. — even though it squanders a potentially challenging aftermath following Avengers: Endgame and the death of Tony Stark.

Perhaps Iron Man looms too large over the MCU’s Spider-Man (played with sprightly energy by Holland), and it’s no more apparent than in his second solo entry, which uses a European vacation to have Peter fill the late billionaire’s shoes without confronting his legacy of technological violence. Even the villain, Mysterio (an unhinged Jake Gyllenhaal), is a Stark nemesis in the making, resulting in another tale where both power and responsibility are taken out of Peter’s hands, and minor characters can’t exit the screen fast enough so that crispy-clean action can ensue. Still, it’s at least self-aware about Marvel’s penchant for final acts filled with CGI goop.

12. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Marc Webb’s hasty relaunch was tasked with adhering to what came before it while departing just enough. The result is a half-baked, thematically void origin that can’t commit to its own ideas. When in costume, Garfield’s Spidey makes for a quippy departure from his intentionally wimpy predecessor (played by Tobey Maguire), but the movie’s glum tone ends up humdrum, as the plot retraces director Sam Raimi’s steps without capturing what put a spring in them.

Its cast is its saving grace, especially the supporting pair of Sally Field and Martin Sheen as Peter’s diligent aunt and uncle. But ultimately, The Amazing Spider-Man has little to offer, both on its own terms, and for anyone who’s ever interacted with a Spidey story before. Still the practical web-swinging creates enthralling moments, which have seldom been equaled since.

11. Spider-Man (1977)

A film that served as the pilot for CBS’s The Amazing Spider-Man, E.W. Swackhamer’s shoestring origin is simple and straightforward, but has DIY pizzazz. Nicholas Hammond’s sincere, straight-laced Peter Parker is contrasted deftly with mind-controlled lawyers and doctors being sent to rob banks, reflecting fears of conformity for the heroic, counter-culture teen, who gains his powers from a spider that crawls into his nuclear experiment in college. Don’t think too much about that part.

While Aunt May has only a minor role, and there’s no mention of Uncle Ben, the lack of emotional impetus for becoming Spidey is counterbalanced by the movie’s charming, low-budget effects, like rapid back-and-forth editing to represent Spider-sense. Peter scales buildings with ease through fun wirework, and casts webs that resemble ropes, though what’s especially amusing is the many POV shots that seat us firmly in Spider-Man’s perspective as he performs heroic feats. Granted, they’re all visibly off-center, as though shot from over his shoulder, but noticing the seams is part of the pleasure. It’s hard not to root for the character’s first big-screen outing in such an underdog production.

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

After his debut in Captain America: Civil War, the keys to Spider-Man were handed to director Jon Watts, whose indie thriller Cop Car featured particularly realistic child performances. Homecoming follows suit, with a high school vibe containing all the excitement and possibility of burgeoning youth, as a fresh-faced Peter Parker (Holland) ends up split between super-heroics, a love life, and his extracurriculars.

There are plenty of flaws to be found, like an overbearing Iron Man, a lack of class specificity, and some major dramatic decisions with little grounding. But the movie ultimately makes for a breezy introduction to the versions of these characters which have, thus far, stuck around the longest. Plus, how cool is it to see a superhero film pull off a genuinely shocking plot twist that raises the stakes?

9. Supaidāman (1978)

In the wise words of Aunt May: “What the f***?” Licensed by Japan’s Toei Company, the 1978 Spider-Man TV series put a tokusatsu spin (à la Kamen Rider and Super Sentai) on Marvel’s most famous property, adapting his costume and power set for a wildly different story. Although the film runs only 24 minutes (about as long as one of the episodes) and continues an ongoing story (it’s set between episodes 11 and 12), its widescreen aspect ratio and theatrical release place it firmly on this list.

Directed by Kōichi Takemoto, its story follows stunt biker Takuya Yamashiro (Shinji Todō) who, in the series’ gonzo pilot, inherits his outfit and powers from a wise alien wizard from Planet Spider, and vows revenge on the intergalactic army that murders his father. In keeping with Spidey’s mythos at large (à la the recently popular “canon events”), tragedy is at the heart of Supaidāman, informing the ferocity with which Takuya protects his wife and kid brother in the movie, both from Interpol, and from a series of goofy, child-friendly villains like a shark-man who spits torpedoes. With kooky sci-fi sound effects, a Spidey who loves to show off his wall-crawling, and most importantly, a giant leopard mecha (you can’t have Spider-Man without one), the 1978 Japanese movie stands out as one of the more entertaining departures for the character, with one of his coolest costumes.

8. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Marvel Studios has, of late, leaned very heavily on cameos, so No Way Home really shouldn’t have worked. It probably wasn’t the story either Holland or Watts wanted to tell, but in bringing back villains and heroes from prior continuities — and treating most of them like living, breathing people — the MCU’s Spider-Man threequel hits just-enough exciting and wrenching emotional beats.

Despite its sloppy magical setup, the arrival of past villains like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin sets the stage for a surprising dilemma, one that examines villainhood in these movies, and how the “bad guys” are usually framed. Things go awry — as they should in any Spidey story — but the arrival of past Spider-Men played by Garfield and Maguire ends up both fun and meaningful, as a rumination on what this version of Peter has had to (and must) go through in order to become a friendly, neighborhood hero. It may not look great, but it’s good enough, and it brought people back to theatres in droves.

7. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Famously overstuffed, Sam Raimi’s trilogy capper probably didn’t need the Venom symbiote to speed up an already unfolding arc. But in retrospect, it contains one the most human depictions of Peter Parker (Maguire) and his supporting roster. Although a little too rehearsed and polished at times, it still tells the kind of story few filmmakers are willing to with their superheroes: that of a young guy in over his head, who still makes selfish decisions.

It’s what separates Maguire’s Peter from his cohorts, since he’s allowed to be actively despicable (albeit with the Venom excuse) as he hurts the people he loves. While you may not be able to point to any one villain as a standout — and there are plenty to choose from! — Peter being his own worst enemy is a much more interesting and challenging story than the recycled beats most superhero sequels tend to lean on.

6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

As the gap between entries two and three grows larger, the decision to end the second Spider-Verse film on a cliffhanger feels increasingly shortsighted. Its conclusion cuts off meaningful character arcs for all involved, during a pivotal escalation. However, the film by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson remains one of the most audio-visually dazzling works of mainstream Hollywood cinema (animated, or otherwise) in recent years.

Building on its landmark predecessor, Across the Spider-Verse takes the concept of different Spider-heroes — including Peter, voiced by Jake Johnson — and charges headfirst into a self-reflexive story of what makes the very concept of Spider-Man so enduring across the decades. A multiversal dilemma, it turns the tale of Spidey 2.0 Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) into an examination of why loss tends to be foundational across superhero canon, as our hero ends up pursued by infinite possible versions of his own story. Seeing what he chooses in the sequel will probably be worthwhile.

5. Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)

The second movie carved from CBS’s series (comprising the two episodes following the theatrical pilot, “Deadly Dust” parts 1 and 2), Ron Satlof’s Spider-Man Strikes Back has a deceptively propulsive title for such a thoughtful mood piece on Spider-Man in the nuclear age. Its antagonists include Peter’s naïve but well-meaning college classmates who object to their university’s use of plutonium by building a bomb just to prove it’s possible, which leads to understandable complications.

However, while the premise is rooted in Cold War fears, and the characters get political for once, what makes Strikes Back a meaningful Spider-story is its dramatic downtime, during which Hammond’s Peter gets involved with journalist Gale Hoffman (Joanna Cameron), to whom he makes confessions in double-speak without revealing his secret identity. It’s one of the only live action Spider-Man films — at least, until the most recent one — to zero in on the isolation of being a superhero, and the emotional toll it takes. It also has the same DIY charms as its predecessor, including an action figure flying against rear projection, and Spider-sense depicted as Peter’s eyes flashing bright red and blue as he sees premonitions in photonegatives, which is its own kind of bonkers.

4. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Usually, a film this chock-full of characters gets Spidey sent straight to reboot-ville, but Destin Daniel Cretton’s first outing with the character (after helming Wonder Man and Shang-Chi) shines bright in a dwindling MCU. Following the worldwide memory wipe of No Way Home, Holland’s lonely Peter Parker takes the character back to basics, in a tale of what being a superhero entails from a day-to-day. But despite its grounded emotional approach, it has no dearth of amazing fantasy — not to mention, a dangerous psychic villain who gets in Peter’s head.

Its sprawling cast of both super and regular people performs at their optimum, in an eerie (albeit long-delayed) tale involving Peter’s transformation. The story informs some of the most fluid and eye-catching Spider-action ever put to screen — courtesy of Cretton’s love for martial arts movies — resulting in a soft relaunch that’s as moving as it is exciting. It also might just contain the best physical Spider-Man performance to date, as Holland is afforded an actual presence in Peter’s homemade costume (compared to the series’ CGI suits), from behind which he gesticulates like a comic panel come to life, while drawing the camera’s gaze in closeups despite his disguise. It is, fittingly, all about the man behind the mask.

3. Spider-Man (2002)

The urtext of the modern superhero film, Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man felt like lightning in a bottle, coming out in a moment when optimism was on the decline: the months following September 11th. Thematically, it’s tightly wound, with its tech capitalist billionaire baddie Norman Osborn (a maniacal Dafoe) tempting Maguire’s geeky everyman with power and status, until he eventually fights for the people, and alongside them.

There are always layers left to discover upon rewatch, like how Peter’s suit is inspired by the red hair and blue eyes of his love interest Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) — her image appears superimposed in a Raimi-esque montage — and the particularly Christian theme of temptation leading to ruin, as Peter coveting a fancy car sets off the domino effect that kills Uncle Ben (a heartwarming Cliff Robertson). It’s the perfect blend of turn-of-the-century anxieties and goofy, throwback charm in the vein of Christopher Reeve — not to mention, a film that cemented Spider-Man as a global icon.

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Few animated films have been as singularly influential as Into the Spider-Verse. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, the multiversal story builds on the Raimi movies’ iconography in order to introduce a new, unassuming hero in the form of young artist Miles Morales (Moore), whose tale of belonging is enhanced by the presence of numerous other Spider-heroes from across different continuities.

Parallel universes have become Hollywood’s trick du jour, but Into the Spider-Verse made immediate and effective use of the concept. The movie’s mix-and-match styles, from noir to anime to the Looney Tunes, culminate in both riveting drama and action-packed euphoria for young audiences, as its simplified self-actualizations are woven into practically every frame and music cue. Most of all, it’s a dazzling expression of artistic process, given how Miles’s unique Spider-Man stems from all the things that broke and rebuilt him—the very core of the Spidey mythos.

1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

A high watermark for superhero stories that’s barely been touched in decades, Sam Raimi’s sequel is a pitch-perfect distillation of the worlds and characters that have made Marvel a mainstay for so long. It immediately pits Peter (Maguire) against all his greatest nemeses in the comics — animal-themed supervillains, romantic jealousy, economic anxiety, and existential crises — resulting in a wistful tale of a young man just “trying to do better,” and a mentor in need of redemption.

In the process, it also makes Peter’s key supporting characters — struggling actress Mary Jane (Dunst) and the lovable Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) — major emotional stakeholders in Spider-Man’s story, affording them powerful scenes that further flesh out Peter’s responsibility (to them, and to the world at large). From its horror-comedy segues, to its moving action crescendos, to its reflection on who Spider-Man might be without his abilities, it builds on the straightforward themes of its predecessor while forcing Peter to wrestle with his identity, his power, and his responsibility, in a world where heroism is in short supply.