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Best Marvel movies and TV shows on Netflix

Tobey Maguire in 2002's "Spider-Man."
Sony / Sony

In the good old days at Netflix, the streamer offered access to plenty of movies and TV shows from a wide variety of studios. Eventually, though, many of those studios got smart and realized how valuable the rights to stream their own content really were. As a result, they started to build streamers of their own, and now, all the Marvel stuff that you used to be able to find on Netflix has now been ported over to Disney+.

Netflix does still have a few Marvel or Marvel-adjacent titles, though, and fans with a subscription shouldn’t despair. The selection may be more limited than it once was, but there are still a handful of great titles worth watching or rewatching to get your Marvel fix.

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Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man
73%
7.4/10
121m
Genre
Fantasy, Action
Stars
Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst
Directed by
Sam Raimi
Watch on Netflix
The first Spider-Man launched the superhero boom. Although it was predated by X-MenSpider-Man was such an enormous success that it eventually led the team at Marvel to begin making movies out of less familiar superheroes like Iron Man. This movie tells Spider-Man’s origin story, and really bifurcates itself between Peter Parker’s life in high school and his life outside of it. Thanks to a wonderful ensemble cast and some real inventiveness from director Sam Raimi, Spider-Man soared to incredible heights at the box office, and elements of it were even pulled into the most recent blockbuster Spider-Man film, No Way Home.
SPIDER-MAN [2002] – Official Trailer (HD)

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2
83%
7.4/10
127m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
Directed by
Sam Raimi
Watch on Netflix
Perhaps the pinnacle of superhero moviemaking, Spider-Man 2 is so endlessly rewatchable that it’s really the only superhero movie you need. What this movie, and Raimi’s trilogy more generally, really nail is the way that being Spider-Man totally ruins Peter Parker’s life. He wants so desperately to be a regular guy, but he keeps having to save people, and every time he saves anyone, he’s invariably late or about to get fired or missing a chance to make things work with MJ. In addition to its understanding of this core truth, Spider-Man 2 also has some of the best action in any superhero movie ever made. The fight between Spider-Man and Doc Ock that climaxes on the top of a subway car is genuinely thrilling, and holds up better than almost anything you’ll see in your typical Thorvehicle.
SPIDER-MAN 2 Trailer (2004)

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Spider-Man 3
59%
6.2/10
139m
Genre
Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Stars
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
Directed by
Sam Raimi
Watch on Netflix
The movie that led Sam Raimi away from Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man 3 is better than you might remember it being. It’s true, of course, that the movie feels overstuffed, and certain character arcs don’t totally gel or cohere. Even so, Spider-Man 3 still feels like a far more inventive movie than much of what superhero movies have become in recent years. Kirsten Dunst is genuinely committed to the material, and delivers a great performance in every chapter. Spider-Man 3 is definitely not redeeming in its entirety, but every frame is bursting with ideas that don’t feel like they’ve been pushed through a content grinding machine. What’s more, Tobey Maguire’s famous dance sequence is incredibly cringey, but that is the whole point. Peter becomes a weird jerk for large stretches of this movie, and Spider-Man 3 knows it.
SPIDER-MAN 3 [2007] - Official Trailer (HD)

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man
66%
6.9/10
136m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Directed by
Marc Webb
Watch on Netflix
Andrew Garfield’s run as Spider-Man doesn’t have the best reputation among fans of the character, but Garfield’s Peter Parker was somehow a thrilling addition to No Way Home. Garfield himself is an incredibly gifted actor, and his take on Peter was always a smart one. Add in his undeniable chemistry with Emma Stone and you’ve got a recipe for some outstanding scenes, even if the movie as a whole is a bit of a letdown. The action is muddy and boring, and the actual plot is a little bit of a mess. Even so, if what you’re looking for is a dynamite romance, you probably can’t do much better than Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3D - Official Trailer

Morbius (2022)

Morbius
35%
5.2/10
105m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Stars
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Directed by
Daniel Espinosa
Watch on Netflix
Definitely not the movie to watch if you like genuinely great superhero movies, but Morbius is fun in its own twisted way. Jared Leto’s perverse commitment to the part, and the memes that have come out of the movie, have made it an object of fascination even though no one is really sticking up for the quality of the movie in and of itself. You may not want to devote all of your attention to Morbius, but if you’re hungry for superhero entertainment that you may have missed in the theater, you could do worse than putting Morbius on in the background while you do something else. If nothing else, the movie doesn’t adhere to the normal formula that has defined so many other Marvel projects.
MORBIUS - Official Trailer (HD)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008)

The Spectacular Spider-Man
8.3/10
tv-y7
2 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Animation
Stars
Josh Keaton
Created by
Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Watch on Netflix
An animated series that bridged the gap between Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s version of the character, The Spectacular Spider-Man is aimed primarily at kids, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun stuff to enjoy in the show. In some ways, TV is a more natural fit for a character like Spider-Man, who often has his regular life interrupted by the emergence of some new problem or villain that needs to be dealt with. The show only lasted two seasons, but it received widespread acclaim when it debuted thanks to its faithful interpretation of Peter Parker, and for the way it tackled mature themes without alienating its core audience of young people. If you’re looking for a great Spider-Manstory that feels the way the comics often did, then you should definitely check out The Spectacular Spider-Man. 
The Spectacular Spider-Man 2007 Trailer (4K Remaster)

X-Men (2011)

X-Men
6.8/10
tv-14
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Kaori Yamagata, Hideyuki Tanaka, Yukari Tamura
Watch on Netflix
X-Men Anime Trailer
Another animated series that arrived even as movies featuring many of the same characters were still in theaters, the limited series X-Men debuted in 2011 and is a great superhero story for viewers who are looking for a more adult animated story. This anime-influenced tale follows the X-Men after they disband following a tragedy, and are forced to come together a year later. The influence of Japanese styles of animation makes this X-Men series pretty stunning to look at, and while there are definitely some good movies featuring these characters, this may be a far more complete version of their story. The animated series from the ’90s may still be the gold standard, but the 2011 animated series is no slouch.
Movie images and data from:
Joe Allen

Joe Allen is a freelance writer at Digital Trends, where he covers Movies and TV. He frequently writes streaming recommendations and other best-of lists, as well as deep dives into some of his favorite movies. Joe has been in journalism for seven years, and has also written for The Washington Post, Inverse, and Distractify. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and a masters from Syracuse University. He is based in upstate New York, where he spends much of his free time playing in a band.

The best fantasy movies on Netflix right now
Kate Beckinsale and Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing.

Finding great fantasy movies on Netflix is a bit of a fantasy in and of itself. The king of the streamers neglects this category, and it also relies heavily on Universal Pictures' catalog to bail out its shortcomings. That's why it's The Scorpion King and Van Helsing's turn to be on this list while Conan the Barbarian waits for yet another Netflix return.

The Scorpion King and Van Helsing aren't bad movies, but fantasy fans deserve a better selection from Netflix than films that are two decades old. Even this month's third addition, The Covenant, is closing in on 20 years. Netflix has made some original fantasy movies of its own, but not lately. For the most part, the best fantasy movies on Netflix are pretty stagnant. But when something new arrives, we'll be here to add it to the list.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

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The best kids movies on Netflix right now
A carrot and a stalk of broccoli prepare to do battle in Daddy Day Care.

The countdown to the holiday season has begun, and now's the time to get the best kids movies on Netflix on deck to keep your kids entertained throughout the long holiday break. Whether you're hosting or going somewhere else for the holidays, it's always good to have some quality entertainment for the kids to fall back on. That's why we scour the streamer's extensive collection every month to highlight the best options for your kids.

December, somewhat surprisingly, is another slow month for kids' movies on Netflix. There's just one addition to the list this month: Daddy Day Care. Read on for the rest of our picks of the best kids movies on Netflix now.

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The best dramas on Netflix right now
Manuel García-Rulfo as Pedro Páramo looking at the camera with floating bodies behind him in Netflix's Pedro Páramo.

Spooky season is over, which means we are entering the entertainment industry's favorite time of the year: the holidays. And with it comes awards season. What better time to check out the best dramas on Netflix, many of which will hope to make a splash in the 2024-2025 Oscar season? This month alone, Netflix has the Oscar hopefuls Emilia Pérez and The Piano Lessen scheduled, meaning many surprises await Netflix subscribers in the drama department. Netflix caters to all tastes and ensures quality by recruiting some of modern Hollywood's most acclaimed auteurs. On any given day, you can find masterpieces from Scorsese and Cuarón while browsing Netflix.

Beyond the new arrivals and awards fare, the best dramatic movies on Netflix offer a mix of searing romantic tales, intense family dramas, passionate romances, tragic tales of woe, and a few small-scale, yet no less worthy movies. Although Netflix has a wide and diverse collection of quality films, it might be difficult for you to choose just one. Some are not as high in quality as others. To save you some time and effort, we've compiled a list of the best dramas on Netflix right now.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

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