Spider-Man Movies Ranked
While Spider-Man was first introduced in the comics in 1962, he didn’t get a proper big-screen adaptation until 40 years later in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. Since then, we have gotten 11 Spider-Man movies over the course of 24 years, equating to almost one Spider-Man movie every other year. We’ve had three actors play a live-action Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, and one animated Spider-Man in Shameik Moore, and have gotten a slew of iconic villains to make an appearance, like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Lizard, and Mysterio. It feels like every generation has its Spider-Man, yet regardless of who your favorite is, there is no denying the iconography of the friendly neighborhood hero
Looking at all the big-screen Spider-Man movies, this is a pretty good franchise. There are a couple of duds, but when a Spider-Man movie is done right, and they’ve gotten it right more than once, they end up being truly great films. While each film deals with its own story and character arcs, they have a common story thread of Peter Parker/Spider-Man learning what it means to be a hero and his struggles to balance the importance of being a hero with a personal life and people he loves. Spider-Man is a character everyone can empathize with and root for.
Here is my ranking of all the Spider-Man movies.
11. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Marc Webb, 2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man wasn’t a great movie, but it did do a solid job of starting a new Spider-Man franchise led by Andrew Garfield. But unfortunately, Sony and director Marc Webb quickly launched the franchise off the rails with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a movie that defines what a bad superhero movie is. Garfield and Emma Stone carry most of the movie with their chemistry and performances, and it was genuinely shocking when they decided to kill off Gwen Stacy. But the rest of the movie is over-stuffed with too many villains, uninspiring action, and little emotion. Much of that can be attributed to Sony focusing more on trying to make an expanded Spider-Man universe (whatever happened to that Sinister Six movie?) and less on the core story of Peter Parker.
Despite its shortcomings, I still believe Garfield deserved a third and final movie as this Peter Parker, one that could have focused on him losing Gwen and feeling the guilt over her death and the death of her father in the first film. Garfield was never the problem with this series, and he deserved his trilogy.
10. Spider-Man 3 (Sam Raimi, 2007)
Spider-Man 3 was the beginning of the end for the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man franchise. Raimi initially wanted the film to have Vulture as the main villain and Sandman as the secondary villain, a story focusing on forgiveness, and only introducing Eddie Brock as a rival photographer to Peter and not Venom. The studio nixed Vulture and threw more focus on fan-favorite villain Venom, much to Raimi’s dismay.
Like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 is also incredibly overstuffed. Trying to fit the iconic Venom/symbiote storyline into the movie while trying to wrap stories from the first two films, most notably Harry Osborn becoming Hobgoblin and seeking vengeance on Peter/Spider-Man, was too much for the movie to handle. And yes, the emo Peter sequences are very silly and are still confounding to this day. And then there’s the casting of Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom, an absurd casting at the time that has aged like fine milk.
However, Tobey Maguire’s performance and Raimi’s visual style still make Spider-Man 3 mostly entertaining.
9. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jon Watts, 2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a totally fine, almost forgettable Spider-Man movie. Taking Peter Parker (Tom Holland) across the pond to Europe was fun, as we had never had a Spider-Man movie where he left New York before. But Far From Home suffers from an underbaked villain in Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal, in a strong performance) and some weak and ugly-looking set pieces that look like green screen goop.
The best aspect of Spider-Man: Far From Home, as is the case with most of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films, is the Peter Parker story. Watching Peter wrestle with being a regular high school kid who wants to go on a European trip with his friends is compelling, and his relationship with MJ (Zendaya) is the heart of the movie and the Holland series. We also get some good emotional sequences with Peter dealing with the death of his hero Tony Stark, as well as pressure from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) about Peter leading the Avengers now. That part hasn’t really played out in the MCU as of this moment, but it was a good idea at the time.
8. The Amazing Spider-Man (Marc Webb, 2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man was not Sony’s original plan following Spider-Man 3. Sony initially intended to make a fourth Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie with Sam Raimi directing once again. It was slated to come out in 2011, but like the troubles on Spider-Man 3, Raimi and Sony could not agree on a script. Rather than rush a sequel with a different director, Sony made the decision to do a clean reboot, with Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man and Marc Webb, coming off the success of (500) Days of Summer, as director.
The Amazing Spider-Man is a fine origin story, but it doesn’t do anything different compared to Raimi’s first film. We are introduced to Andrew Garfield’s angsty Peter Parker and quippy Spider-Man, and see the classic origin story unfold, as Peter gets bitten by a radioactive spider, gains his powers, and learns to become a hero following the death of his Uncle Ben (a superb Martin Sheen). There are some different characters, like Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) instead of MJ, and Kurt Conners/Lizard (Rhys Ifans) as the main villain, and the way Webb shot the web-slinging between buildings was unique. Otherwise, it’s just another go-around for a Spider-Man origin story, just with a new sheen to it.
7. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Jon Watts, 2021)
There are a lot of good things in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was undeniably awesome to see Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland all rock their respective Spider-Man suits to do battle together at the Statue of Liberty. I loved seeing Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx all locked into their villainous roles. And it does feature some emotionally powerful sequences, like the death of Aunt May and Peter saying goodbye to MJ and Ned.
But Spider-Man: No Way Home is a gigantic movie. It is juggling a lot of characters and stories while dealing with the multiverse and trying to keep a grounded Peter story. It’s a lot of balls in the air, and some of them get dropped. The multiple villains and Spider-Mans (Spider-Men?) all feel very Twitterverse fan service. The multiverse nonsense ultimately took away from the power of Peter and Spider-Man’s story, and when you start thinking deeper into the spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker was, it brings up more questions than answers. Also, the CGI is terrible, and makes some cool action scenes look horrendous. No Way Home is a cool movie, but severely flawed.
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts, 2017)
Spider-Man was a character that was begging to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he finally made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War, with young British actor Tom Holland behind the mask. Heralded by critics and fans as one of the film’s standouts, many could not wait for his solo movie, and the wait was worth it.
Though only three years following The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming felt like a true breath of fresh air for our friendly neighborhood webslinger. The world we are introduced to in Homecoming was different and more fun compared to the previous Spider-Man iterations. Director Jon Watts did away with the typical Spider-Man origin story and started the Holland-led series off with Spider-Man already having his powers, allowing him to focus as much of his energy on Peter as a high school student as he did on a superhero. The result was a surprisingly layered Spider-Man film that perfectly established the personalities and story lines we would be interested in nearly a decade later.
Holland immediately proved he was worthy of the red and blue spandex and was accompanied by two equally good performances by Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as his best friend Ned. Michael Keaton is also spectacular as Adrian Toomes/Vulture, chewing up every scene with menace and fun. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a delightful and exciting movie, and a great introduction for the MCU Spider-Man.
5. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Dustin Daniel Cretton, 2026)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the best Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie and, frankly, it isn’t particularly close. Dustin Daniel Cretton, stepping in for director Jon Watts after he directed the previous three films, stepped behind the camera and made a 2026 Spider-Man movie that understood the story and characters that were written before him, but gave the film new life by giving us a film that had sprinkles of Raimi and Webb’s films, while also having a visual touch we hadn’t seen in some time.
Holland gives the best performance not only as Spider-Man, but of his career. With the whole world forgetting Peter Parker exists and the death of Aunt May, Peter is a lone soul in New York City, yearning for the love of MJ and Ned once again, though he knows how complicated it is to get them back in his life. Holland gives a great performance, conveying how complicated Peter’s life is, while displaying the charisma and physicality that comes with being a great Spider-Man.
Brand New Day has excellent set pieces, strong character development, and is the best-looking MCU film in a long time, thanks in large part to Cretton shooting much of the film on location rather than in front of a green screen. If this is a sign of what future Spider-Man movies will be, it’s an exciting future for our friendly hero.
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, 2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the first time we saw an animated Spider-Man on the big screen, and the film made sure we wouldn’t forget it anytime soon. The animation is insane, blending comic books and pop art into a visual stunner. The character designs (particularly Kingpin) are fun, and the action sequences are wild, but as well-constructed and exciting as any other Spider-Man set piece.
Into the Spider-Verse was also the first time we had seen a Miles Morales-led movie. Voiced wonderfully by Shameik Moore, Into the Spider-Verse does what all great Spider-Man movies do in making a movie that is just as much about Spider-Man as it is about Morales. His story throughout the film is what drives Spider-Verse to be as good as it is, showing complex family dynamics and the classic Spider-Man tale of trying to understand what it means to be a hero. He isn’t alone on his journey, however, as a time portal has allowed other Spider-men and women to join him, including Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), and Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), among others. Led by a great voice cast, smart humor, and thrilling action, Into the Spider-Verse is an entertaining and visually stunning Spider-Man film.
3. Spider-Man (Sam Raimi, 2002)
The production of the first Spider-Man movie lived in development hell for over two decades. The rights to the iconic hero were originally purchased in 1985, and in the 1990s, director James Cameron was slated to bring the film to life. But due to legal battles and bankruptcies, Cameron’s vision was never brought to the big screen. Sony landed on horror maestro Sam Raimi to direct due to his love of the source material and his stylish directing. The result was nothing short of brilliance.
Spider-Man was a phenomenon in 2002. It was the first film to break over $100 million at the domestic box office opening weekend and wound up being the highest-grossing movie of 2002, and rightfully so. Spider-Man is as good as superhero origin movies get. It set up a world and tone that we would stay with for five years. The characters are smartly written, layered, and empathetic. It gave us a great villain in Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), who was more than just a “take over the world” villain, and we were introduced to Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, still the best to ever don the red and blue. Spider-Man is one of the defining comic book movies ever made.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, 2023)
After the award-winning success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the filmmaking team followed it up with one of the most epic animated movies I have ever seen. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a rousing and astonishing sequel that finds Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) launched into the Spider-Verse and meeting several other Spider-People who protect the existence of all timelines. However, Miles begins to clash with these Spider-People, particularly their leader (voiced by Oscar Isaac), when he tries to stop a future event from happening and must redefine what it means to be a hero.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a game-changer. The animation in the film, in which they used six different styles of animation throughout the film, is unlike anything I have ever seen before and even more complex and insane than Into the Spider-Verse. The film is one of the longest animated movies I have ever seen and one of the biggest animated films ever made in terms of scale and scope. It questions the conventions and tropes of superhero movies and, like all great superhero movie sequels, it’s bigger, bolder, and has more emotion than the first film. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a revolutionary film, and I cannot wait for Beyond the Spider-Verse to come out, whenever that may be.
1. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
Spider-Man 2 is simply one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. It took everything that was great about Spider-Man and elevated it to new levels. It was only the third sequel in the modern superhero era, following Blade 2 and X2, but it set the template for what a great superhero movie sequel should look like. It elevated the internal stories, such as Peter (Tobey Maguire’s finest hour) learning to balance his duty as a superhero and his personal life, as well as his guilt over the death of his Uncle Ben. It established a new story revolving around Doctor Otto Octavious (Alfred Molina, the best cinematic Spider-Man villain performance ever) and his lust for power and added a revenge story between Harry and Spider-Man that took us into the third film. It’s superhero writing at its best.
Raimi’s direction is the best of his career. He is fully invested in character stories while giving us stylish and expertly crafted action. In typical Raimi fashion, we get some great horror moments (Otto’s surgery is iconic) and incredible hero moments by Spider-Man and Peter, most notably Spider-Man and Otto fighting on top of the train and Spider-Man’s attempt to stop the train from going off the tracks, which is one of the greatest heroic sequences ever in a superhero movie.
Spider-Man 2 could be argued as not only the greatest superhero sequel ever, but also the greatest superhero movie ever, sequel or not. While there are some great Spider-Man movies, nothing comes close to Raimi’s masterpiece.