As one of the greatest superheroes in comic book history, Spider-Man has gotten the movie treatment many times in the past half-century. A total of 23 movies featuring the web-slinging hero and characters associated with him have been made so far. While it may have taken a while for Spidey to get a film deserving of his character, the hero has now become amongst the cinema industry’s most profitable IPs.
How to watch the Spider-Man movies in release order
So now, with Beyond the Spider-Verse and Brand New Day on the horizon, here’s a chronological list of all the Spider-Man movies made so far.
- Spider-Man (1977)
- Spider-Man (1978)
- Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
- Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1981)
- Spider-Man (2002)
- Spider-Man 2 (2004)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Venom (2018)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Morbius (2022)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
- Madame Web (2024)
- Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
- Kraven the Hunter (2024)
Spider-Man (1977)
If anyone remembers CBS’s The Amazing Spider-Man starring Nicholas Hammond, they’ll know this film launched the whole show. After Peter Parker gets his powers from a radioactive spider, he dons the Spider-Man mantle to stop the evil Guru from using mind control to terrorize the city.
While this was technically Spidey’s first film, a bevy of bland effects, action, and overall production value made it clear fans wouldn’t see the wallcrawler done justice on the big screen for a long time.
Spider-Man (1978)
In this Japanese adaptation of Spider-Man, racer Takuya Yamashiro gets injected with the blood of an alien spider to become the titular hero. Yeah, it’s far different from the typical Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
He also piloted a giant robot called Leopardon to battle evil, essentially making him a prototype of the Power Rangers.
Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
In the second film in CBS’s Spider-Man universe, Nicholas Hammond’s hero must stop the villainous Mr. White (Robert Alda) from detonating a nuclear bomb using plutonium that the former is accused of stealing.
Spider-Man Strikes Back takes two episodes from the TV series and markets them as a film. Nevertheless, its cheesy, paper-thin story about the dangers of nuclear weapons came across as a half-hearted mix of James Bond and Superman: The Movie (the latter of which coincidentally premiered around the same time).
Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1981)
Like its predecessor, The Dragon’s Challenge combines two episodes from Nicholas Hammond’s TV show. In this movie, Spider-Man tries to prove the innocence of a Chinese Minister (Benson Fong) accused of conspiring against Chairman Mao. Yes, an adventure with this type of globe-trotting political intrigue seems too out there, even for Spider-Man.
But the film’s lack of action, a thrilling story, and focus on the wallcrawler himself failed to grab the audience’s attention, understandably ending Hammond’s run as the character.
Spider-Man (2002)
In Spider-Man’s first true blockbuster, audiences see Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) get bitten by a genetically altered spider and use his newfound powers to defend the city and his loved ones from the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe).
Following the release of 2000’s X-Men, Spider-Man reinvigorated the superhero genre in film and the summer blockbuster itself. Even 20 years later, it still holds up and is better than most recent comic book movies like Madame Web.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Two years after defeating the Green Goblin, this sequel shows Spidey trying to stop the villainous Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) as he struggles with his fading powers.
Taking cues from Superman II, this film analyzes who Peter Parker is without Spider-Man as he tries to give up his responsibilities as a crimefighter and live a normal life, only to embrace his identity as a hero and emerge better than ever. Thanks to this profound story and groundbreaking visuals, this film was long considered one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
After the previous two Spider-Man films wowed audiences, the hype leading up to the third one was incalculable, as it saw Spider-Man get his infamous black suit after bonding with the Venom symbiote.
Unfortunately, the excitement died down fast, as this film crammed too many villains and plotlines to present a concrete story, collapsing under the weight of its own ambition.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Though this was meant to be Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man film, Sony rebooted the franchise with Marc Webb as director and Andrew Garfield as the web-slinger. Depicting another version of Spidey’s origin story, audiences see the hero fighting the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and investigating his parents’ disappearance.
Despite its similarities to Raimi’s first film, the movie made bank at the box office, with audiences lauding the cast’s performances, Andrew Garfield’s street-level take on Spidey, and the movie’s extraordinary visual effects.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker must face off against the supervillain Electro (Jamie Foxx) while searching for the truth about Oscorp and his parents’ deaths. Though it tried to build up a cinematic universe by setting up the Sinister Six with the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) as its leader, this ambition once again proved to be the franchise’s downfall.
Ultimately, this sequel’s lackluster success and subsequent behind-the-scenes drama closed the book on Spidey’s journey just as it was beginning.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
While this film was more about Captain America (Chris Evans), Civil War introduced audiences to Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though he was relatively new at being a masked vigilante, Spider-Man drew the attention of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who briefly recruited him to capture Cap and his team of renegade superheroes.
With quick-titted banter, incredible action scenes, and a comics-accurate costume, Holland’s Spider-Man made a fantastic first impression on audiences.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
This was Tom Holland’s first solo film as everyone’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. With multiple references to the Avengers and the Marvel Universe at large, Spider-Man: Homecoming shows what it’s like for a teenager like Peter Parker to grow up in a world populated by superheroes.
It also gave comic book fans a terrifying new version of the winged supervillain, the Vulture, who was played to perfection by Batman actor Michael Keaton.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Donning his hi-tech Iron Spider armor, Peter Parker went where no web-slinger has gone before on the big screen in Avengers: Infinity War. As Thanos (Josh Brolin) emerged from the shadows to claim the Infinity Stones, Spider-Man joined the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in their epic fight against the evil Titan. In a film packed with heroes, Tom Holland stole the show in every one of his scenes, especially during the heartbreaking finale.
Venom (2018)
Being one of Spider-Man’s most popular enemies, it’s no surprise that Eddie Brock, aka Venom, got his own movie. However, this origin story painted the iconic comic book villain in a more antiheroic light as Tom Hardy delivered a wild and wacky performance as Brock and Venom.
Despite negative reviews and a notable absence of Spider-Man, Venom performed surprisingly well, making over $856 million against a $100 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, making for a strong start to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
This movie showed Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) getting the big-screen treatment for the first time as he tries to protect his universe from Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) as the new Spider-Man. Since it didn’t share a connection to the MCU, this animated film was very much an underdog in the superhero movie landscape.
But thanks to its groundbreaking animation, lovable characters, and powerful story, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse became one of the most beloved comic book movies ever, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Though Spider-Man bit the dust in Avengers: Infinity War, he and so many other beloved heroes came back from the dead to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in their final battle against Thanos.
Even with such little screen time, Tom Holland had some spectacular moments as Spider-Man fought Thanos’s army alongside several superheroes in Avengers: Endgame. He also brought a lot more heartbreak in his final scene with Iron Man, making for an unforgettable ending to Marvel’s most successful movie.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
After joining the Avengers in taking down Thanos, Peter takes a vacation overseas that gets crashed by the evil Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). With its entertaining story, spectacular visuals, and a killer new villain, Spider-Man: Far From Home made for a satisfying epilogue of the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
This film also shook the status quo by revealing Spider-Man’s identity to the world, ensuring the franchise would never be the same.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Directed by Andy Serkis, this sequel to Venom embraced the wackiness of its premise and showed Eddie and Venom struggling to live together. At the same time, this film finally brought the symbiotic serial killer Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson, to the big screen. While this movie didn’t make as much money as its predecessor, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was better received by critics.
Also, with its mind-boggling mid-credits scene, Let There Be Carnage sent Eddie Brock and Venom to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which seemed to set up the Lethal Protector’s long-awaited confrontation with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Just as The Avengers pushed franchise boundaries as a superhero crossover, Spider-Man: No Way Home connected three different eras of Spider-Men by bringing Maguire and Garfield’s characters to the MCU to face their greatest foes.
There were many times this film risked jumping the shark with its fan-servicing premise, but it delivered a satisfying blockbuster to fans with a genuine and heartfelt story that completed what turned out to be a three-film retelling of Spider-Man’s origin story.
Morbius (2022)
This film began the SSU’s fall from grace. Morbius brought another one of Spider-Man’s most notorious villains to the big screen, showing how Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) went from being a renowned scientist to a living vampire. Panned by critics and audiences alike, Morbius ironically became popular as the butt of a joke on the Internet.
The film was especially panned for its hastily assembled post-credits scenes, which featured Morbius and an interdimensional-displaced Vulture teaming up, making for another flawed attempt by Sony to set up a Sinister Six film.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Into the Spider-Verse may have revolutionized comic book movies, but the two-and-a-half-hour follow-up Across the Spider-Verse revolutionized the franchise itself.
Featuring many different kinds of animation, a bevy of new characters, and a meta-commentary about Spider-Man, this heavy sequel raised the bar for the Spider-Verse saga, which now seems primed for a jaw-dropping conclusion in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Madame Web (2024)
Madame Web continued the SSU’s downward spiral, introducing Dakota Johnson’s titular clairvoyant, who tries to save the lives of three young women destined to become crime-fighting web-slingers like Spider-Man.
Similar to Morbius, this campy superhero film was panned for its clunky writing and lackluster performances. Madame Web quickly became a joke on the Internet even before its release. Having bombed at the box office and failed to win over audiences, Madame Web seemed to mark the beginning of the end for the SSU in 2024.
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
In the last film in Eddie Brock’s Venom trilogy, the titular antihero returns from the MCU on the run from the military and a monster sent by Venom’s creator, the evil alien god Knull (Andy Serkis).
Featuring Venom fighting Knull’s beasts with several other symbiote warriors, The Last Dance made for a wild and explosive blockbuster with a surprisingly heartwarming story. Though it didn’t have Venom face-off against Spider-Man as many had hoped, it did give the Lethal Protector a touching and profitable sendoff.
Kraven the Hunter (2024)
Kraven the Hunter finally brought one of Spider-Man’s most infamous adversaries to live-action. The film shows Kraven’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) origins as the “world’s greatest hunter” as he confronts his abusive crime lord father (Russell Crowe) and the superpowered Rhino (Alessandro Nivola).
Unfortunately, Kraven the Hunter repeated the many mistakes made in previous SSU films, delivering yet another half-baked comic book movie with awkward writing, editing, visuals, and barely any connection to Spider-Man. Like Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter also bombed in theaters and disappointed critics and audiences, making for a sour end to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
