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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just dropped, and it's turning out to be a financial success and a critical hit. With over 60 years since Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first created Peter Parker in 1962, the beloved Marvel hero has transitioned from comics to films better than most characters from the latter medium. We take a look below at which of those Spider-Man movies rank best, from the first big outing with Tobey Maguire in it to Miles Morales' recent appearance that's changing everything for the franchise.
The greatest Spider-Man movies, ranked
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
After Sony failed to redefine Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield as the lead, the clamor from fans to have the hero appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe got stronger during the 2010s. Thanks to Sony playing ball with Marvel, the fans finally got what they want when everyone's favorite webslinger appeared made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War. With the fans finally back in the fold, Marvel and Sony took the momentum they got and used it to launch Peter back to popularity via Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Homecoming itself redefined Spider-Man and made the hero fit well into the overall narrative of the MCU. Gone was the depressing ending of The Amazing Spider-Man, a film that saw Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy killed off by the Green Goblin. Instead, fans saw a fun-filled and lighthearted Peter running around with Iron Man and learning what being a hero means. Although some would say that this Spider-Man looked more like Tony Stark's sidekick more than anything else, the fact remains that this interpretation of the neighborhood-friendly Spider-Man infused life back into the character when it sorely needed it.
5. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Back when Sony didn't have any idea on how to use Spider-Man properly, leading them to lend the hero out to Marvel, the studio went in a different direction. The result is an animated hit that introduced the world to Miles Morales, leading a lot of people to know more about his story and why he deserves to be as well-known as Peter Parker.
As compared to most films in this list, Into The Spider-Verse totally delivered something new and refreshing to the lore by introducing Miles and several other versions of Spider-Man, such as Spider-Ham and Spider-Man Noir. More than those characters, the film's Multiversal concept opened the doors for more stories to be told about the Webslinger, an idea taken from Marvel Comics' Spider-Verse crossover event. With the success of this execution, the world got a new Spider-Man in Miles Morales and a multiverse worth of exciting possibilities that's far from what everyone has gotten used to from the live action films.
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home
What started with Homecoming exploded with so much power in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The third and latest outing of Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the MCU gave fans a story that took what happened before in the previous films made by Sony and made them canon. Along the way, we see Holland's version finally become closer to his comic counterpart after saving the Multiverse with the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield versions of the character.
The end result is a story that doesn't lack excitement and stakes, not to mention the all-out battle royale between the Spider-Men and various villains from the different films of eras past. When everything is said and done, No Way Home is an entry that won't leave anyone disappointed when the film concludes.
3. Spider-Man
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While the previous entries were exciting and fun in their own right, there's still that special kind of magic from the very first Spider-Man film directed by Sam Raimi. With Tobey Maguire leading the iconic cast, the foundation for Spider-Man's heroic journey is cemented here in his very first live action film.
The story itself is a solid one that makes viewers believe Peter Parker's origin is as real as it gets with Uncle Ben dying from his mistake. Since then, the movie unfolds the teenager's journey to becoming Spider-Man and saving the day against Norman Osborn's Green Goblin. And although the character itself has gone through so many adventures on the big screen, the way he is defined here for the first time makes the first Spider-Man movie a classic to look out for.
2. Spider-Man 2
If Spider-Man set the bar high, the sequel definitely topped it without effort. Now that the first film established the character, Spider-Man 2 gave everyone a story that made the most out of Peter's struggles with his double identity and how it has set him apart from the people he loves. That, and finding out how to win against Harry Osborn and Dr. Otto Octavius in the climactic battle while doing his best to keep Mary Jane in his life.
All of these different elements come together in a masterful way that showed everyone what can be done to Peter and his life as Spider-Man. In the end, fans got one of the most powerful stories revolving around the hero, one that still ranks high among everyone's list to this day.
1. Spider-Man: Across The Universe
Topping Spider-Man 2 has been a futile attempt for a long time. Turns out, the victor isn't a live action film at all. It's the recent animated movie starring Miles Morales and a bunch of Spider-People from the Multiverse coming together in this highly-anticipated sequel.
Using the foundation built in Into the Spider-Verse and the familiarity with Spider-Man in previous films by Marvel and Sony, Across the Spider-Verse blows it all up and uses that impact to cement Miles Morales' place as one of the best characters to look out for. That ending, reminiscent of Empire Strikes Back, has left everyone wanting more and eagerly waiting for Beyond the Spider-Verse, the final film in the trilogy. In any case, the most recent animated hit from Marvel and Sony has definitely changed the game.
With Spider-Man becoming more and more popular with each film, it only stands to reason that there's a lot more coming our way. Keep your eyes peeled for further Spider-Films because it can only get better from here on out.
