Photo by Sony Entertainment
Spider-Man is surely one of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s most popular creations. Since the dawn of the comic book movie golden age, he has been the focus of seven films so far and one more on the way in Spider-Man: Far From Home. In some ways, Spider-Man is one of the most sympathetic superheroes, if there is such a thing. The development of his powers mirrors that of adolescence itself, with its massive physical and emotional changes that can feel as gargantuan as developing superhuman abilities.
Spider-Man resonates even today. But what is next for the web-slinger? Audiences anxiously await Spider-Man: Far From Home, but after that, his future is far less clear. Marvel and Sony Entertainment’s five-film agreement over the character will end and he will return to the latter. Will Sony Entertainment keep Tom Holland, or will Spider-Man be recast once again, for the fourth time in less than two decades? Only time will tell. Until that fateful moment comes, here are the many Spider-Man movies so far ranked from worst to best.
Do your homework: The Top 10 Spider-Man Comics to Read Before ‘Homecoming’
Ask away: 6 Sticky Questions Provoked By The’Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Trailer
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7. ‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
Tobey Maguire doing that dance sequence wasn't something we planned to have burned in our brains, but here we are. Didn't help that Topher's Venom was atrocious either. The Toms put you boys to shame.
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6. 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014)
We started to wonder if Marc Webb was hired to reboot the Spider-Man franchise simply because of his last name. All joking aside, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is easily one of the weakest films of the Spider-Man franchise with its poor acting, weird pacing, and strange digital effects. The second and final entry to Andrew Garfield’s run as Spider-Man is hardly worth the verbiage spent on discussing it.
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5. ‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Raimi’s daring sequel remains the gold standard of Spider-movies. It gives audiences a compelling, layered Peter Parker as his powers wane at the same time his relationship with Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) does. But it still has Tobey Maguire.
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4. 'The Amazing Spider-Man’ (2012)
Andrew Garfield’s debut as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is not much better than its sequel. Webb falls well short of his predecessor Sam Raimi in bringing the web-head to the silver screen. It is clear that he is working very hard to make something new, but it rarely, if ever, comes together in a way that is enjoyable.
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3. ’Spider-Man’ (2002)
Spider-Man can be credited with helping make what superhero and comic book movies are today. Compared to its contemporaries—such as Daredevil, Elektra and the Blade movies—it made far and away the most at the box office, proving to studios that these films could potentially be very profitable. As for the film itself, Raimi’s first picture of the franchise is an exciting ride, satisfying both longtime devotees of the Spider-verse and newcomers. Plus we love Willem Dafoe and James Franco in all things.
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2. 'Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017)
The movie eschews the typical Spider-Man origin story beats. Of course, it replaces that tired trope with our favorite Avenger as a father figure, which we're not more grateful for than ever. In amongst all the heavy Marvel movies, this one kept it light, which we expect the sequel to do (once all the crying is over).
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1. ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse’ (2018)
Speaking of the Spider-verse, Sony’s latest entry to their own Spider-Man franchise was a sleeper hit last year. From the minds of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, its unique style of animation set it apart from other animated films and other Spider-related films that surrounded it (Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as well as Sony’s own Venom). Instead of repeating Peter Parker’s origin story again, it opts for a bombastic ensemble feel, bringing together vastly different Spider-people with young Miles Morales at the center.
