All 11 Spider-Man Movies Ranked

Marvel Comics' web-slinger Spider-Man has been adapted into movie format eleven times by major Hollywood studios, each delivering a fresh take on the iconic Marvel hero. Prior to Spider-Man's blockbuster movies, the young hero was the star of several TV series, made-for-TV movies, various acclaimed cartoons, and international takes like Italian Spiderman and 1978's Japanese Spider-Man.

In decades past, Spider-Man's film rights had been a major point of contention, thwarting plans for directors Tobe Hooper and James Cameron to bring the character to the big screen. Eventually, Columbia Pictures acquired the film rights to Spider-Man, allowing Sony to develop their first Spider-Man franchise under the watchful eye of Sam Raimi.

After Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, he and Sony parted ways, leading to Spider-Man being rebooted with Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man duology. Andrew Garfield replaced Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, but another shake-up came in 2015 when Sony and Marvel Studios joined forces, allowing Spider-Man to finally be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

Jon Watts took over as director for a new trilogy featuring Tom Holland as Spider-Man, while Sony put animated films featuring Miles Morales' Spider-Man into development. Holland's run even extended into a record-setting fourth solo movie. Spider-Man's film history is a long one, so here are the eleven current Spider-Man films, ranked worst to best.

11 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is often featured at or near the bottom of Spider-Man movie rankings, and for good reason. It is a desperate attempt from Sony to expand the rebooted wall-crawler franchise into a full-blown cinematic universe that becomes too crowded to tell a singular, cohesive, and meaningful story. Electro, Rhino, and Harry Osborn get poor, weak portrayals that really undermine the film.

But The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't all bad. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's chemistry is as great as ever, making Peter and Gwen's relationship emotionally captivating. The web-swinging sequences are top-notch, and Hans Zimmer's score is quite memorable. It's easy to imagine The Amazing Spider-Man 2's charms working even better if the film wasn't so overstuffed.

10 Spider-Man 3 (2007)

There is no denying that Spider-Man 3 is the worst entry to come from Raimi and Maguire's otherwise wonderful partnership. It's not a surprising result considering the filmmaker was at odds with the studio and producer Avi Arad about the direction it should take, namely over the inclusion of Venom. The differing creative visions are clearly felt in the final cut, resulting in a disjointed conclusion to this trilogy that has seen Bully Maguire and his viral dance become a lasting legacy.

Despite its obvious flaws, there is still a level of craftsmanship that Raimi displays that earns Spider-Man 3 some love. When he's able to tell the story he wants to, the movie can replicate the feeling of the first two, particularly with scenes involving Thomas Haden Church's Sandman. But since Spider-Man 3 also has its Venom plot, a forced love triangle with Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry, and so on, its weaknesses outweigh what enjoyment can come in spurts.

9 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Once Raimi's Spider-Man 4 fell apart, Sony opted to reboot Spider-Man and bring Garfield in to play a revamped version of the wall-crawler. He is immediately more comedic than Maguire's version and really comes alive when the Spider-Man suit is on. Believing Garfield as an unpopular high school student stretches the imagination, but the foundation of Peter and Gwen's relationship is rock solid and charming.

The pitfalls of The Amazing Spider-Man largely come with the need to retell Spider-Man's origin story. Audiences were already very familiar with the basics by 2012, so there was really no need to see Peter get bitten by the spider, Uncle Ben die, Peter hunt down his killer, and so on again. The most refreshing parts of the film are what it does differently than 2002's Spider-Man, even if The Lizard pales in comparison to Green Goblin as Spidey's first foe.

8 Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Spider-Man: Far From Home slots into the middle of this ranking as the least successful solo film for Holland's iteration. The movie takes Spider-Man out of New York for the first time, which is fun to some degree, and really starts to make Peter and MJ's relationship work. Mysterio proves to be a fantastic villain thanks to the inventive ways the movie uses his illusions and Gyllenhaal's amazing performance.

Far From Home is by no means a bad solo movie for Holland, despite this ranking, but it does have its flaws. The Elementals fall flat a bit as villains once Mysterio's involvement is confirmed. The Happy Hogan and Aunt May romance subplot feels unnecessary. There is also the inescapable weight of moving Peter's story forward after Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame.

7 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had almost impossible expectations to live up to. It takes everything that worked so great in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and pushes it further, giving us even more versions of Spider-Man, an even bigger scope, more gorgeous animation, deeper mythology, and another excellent soundtrack. It's just an amazing sequel and Spider-Man movie overall.

So, you may be wondering, why is it then in the bottom half of this ranking? It's because it doesn't give us a complete story. Across the Spider-Verse ends at the midway point of the arc it has set Miles on, spending its final minutes setting up a follow-up that originally even carried a Part 2 label. This isn't always a bad thing, but the endpoint for Miles and Gwen in Across the Spider-Verse just leaves too many threads unresolved and arcs unfinished.

6 Spider-Man (2002)

If we were ranking Spider-Man movies purely on their significance for the character and superhero movies overall, the first from Raimi and Maguire would be first. It is an iconic piece of Spider-Man storytelling, known for giving us everything from the upside-down kiss between Spider-Man and Mary Jane to Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin performance. Spider-Man effortlessly tells Peter's origin and gets Maguire's run off to an impressive start.

Over 20 years later, the nostalgia associated with Spider-Man is powerful. So many sequences and lines are stuck in the brain of anyone who watched this at the right age, but some aspects have aged poorly. Peter and his classmates hardly pass as high schoolers, and the CGI is clearly early 2000s. And while Maguire proves to be an incredible Peter Parker, the comedic presence of Spider-Man is lost a bit here.

5 Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day explores a whole new era for Holland's web-slinger, and does so in rather spectacular fashion. Destin Daniel Cretton steps in to direct this installment and brings a fresh approach to the storytelling, visuals, action, and scope. It's a blast seeing Spider-Man interact with Punisher and Hulk, as well as Jean Grey. The psychological journey to finding the right balance between being Peter Parker and Spider-Man really works, too.

The movie earns a top five placement in this list thanks to those strengths and more, like Holland, Sadie Sink, and Zendaya's strong performances. However, it's held back from going higher up due to a few factors. The Jean Grey revelation turns some of the attention away from Spider-Man in Brand New Day's ending. Some of the film's biggest emotional beats, like MJ telling Peter she doesn't love him, could have landed stronger. Meanwhile, it does feel overstuffed at times when Hulk, Scorpion, and Tombstone have such small roles.

4 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Even though Holland made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, his first solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, is the strongest start to any of the web-slinger's individual franchises. The movie takes the high school setting head-on and accurately casts young actors around Holland, giving it a youthful feeling Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man lack. It also smartly doesn't go back to Peter's origin story, instead showing him learning to be a friendly neighborhood hero after fighting with and against the Avengers.

Holland and Watts bring the most authentic version of a young Spider-Man to life here. He's full of quips and struggles with the responsibility of being Spider-Man and still having a normal high school experience. Iron Man's role is frustrating at times, but he doesn't overshadow the movie. Instead, Michael Keaton's Vulture becomes a top-tier Spider-Man movie villain, and not just for the twist of being Liz's dad.

3 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home is best known as being the place that Maguire, Garfield, and Holland's Spider-Men get to meet. It's understandable because of how electric and gratifying it is to see the three versions interact. No Way Home doesn't rely on them too much and makes Maguire and Garfield's return more than nostalgia bait; they become instrumental figures in Peter 1's arc and shaping who he'll become.

But there is also plenty of greatness in No Way Home that comes before the dream crossover. Peter's guilt for how him being Spider-Man ruins other people's lives is well done. His and MJ's relationship hits new heights. Aunt May's death scene is one of the more emotional moments in any Spider-Man movie. It's a real treat to see some of the previous villains return through the multiverse-cracking spell.

There is still some fluff to the story and underbaked ideas. And while its visuals are often (fairly) criticized, it's hard to blame the movie too much considering the nature of its pandemic production.

2 Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sequels aren't always better than the original, but that is true for Spider-Man 2. Raimi operates the second installment with even more confidence and manages to craft a blockbuster that is as exciting as it is scary and heartfelt. Maguire is better than ever here, riding the highs of being Spider-Man in a city that loves him and the lows of his personal life. Alfred Molina proves to be a genius portrayal of Doc Ock, easily navigating between Otto's natural smart and caring persona and the crueler, revenge-seeking persona when under the influence of the tentacles.

There's an argument to be made that Spider-Man 2 deserves the top spot on this list, rather than coming in at second. The scene of Doc Ock's tentacles coming to life in the middle of a hospital is legit terrifying, action sequences like the train fight are still among the best Spidey has been part of, and the conclusion is emotionally satisfying. That's why it still holds the title of being the best live-action Spider-Man movie for most.

Spider-Man 2 is a masterpiece and among the most influential superhero movies ever made. It would still be in the top spot if not for the release of a more modern trailblazing adventure for the web-slinger.