Spider-Man is being talked about a lot at the moment, thanks to a certain multiversal MCU movie being a huge hit at the global box office. It is, therefore, a great time to reflect on the iconic character’s past movies.
The Webbed Wonder has been played by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland and Shameik Moore in Hollywood offerings – and he’s appeared in some great movies along the way.
In this piece, we’ll be discussing every blockbuster Spider-Man has appeared in to date and providing you with links to the places you can watch them online. Please note that, at the time of writing, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (in which Spidey appeared briefly at the movie’s climax) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (both 2021) are too new to feature on streaming services, so they won’t appear on our list.
While you’re here, please take a look at our piece on why Shang-Chi is the most important MCU movie to date.
1. Spider-Man (2002)
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Along with the likes of the Blade trilogy and the early movies in the X-Men franchise, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy helped to propel the superhero genre to the amazing heights it’s reached today – and the opening installment was undoubtedly a massive part of that.
Tobey Maguire’s first outing as the Webbed Wonder is an origin story that sees Spidey coming up against Willem Dafoe’s brilliant portrayal of Norman Osborn – a character we’ve all been reintroduced to in Spider-Man: No Way Home – as the combination of losing Oscorp and using an experimental super-serum sends him insane and drives him to evil.
Spider-Man is fun, full of heart and teeming with action. Everyone knew from the moment it was released that the combination of Raimi and Maguire was perfect for adventures with Peter Parker – and it really set the standard for the superhero genre going forward.
2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
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Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and the supporting cast returned for another Spider-Man adventure in the aptly-named Spider-Man 2 – and it remains one of the very best superhero movies ever made to this day.
The movie sees Maguire’s Spidey taking on a new villainous threat in the form of Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius aka Doctor Octopus – a scientist whose mechanical tentacles corrupt his brain and another character the world has recently refamiliarized itself with, thanks to his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Molina’s performance is one of the finest in cinematic history as far as comic book movie villains are concerned – and he’s one of the main reasons this movie is so good. However, in general, Spider-Man 2 is an action-packed emotional rollercoaster that somehow manages to improve upon its predecessor in every way – and that’s no mean feat.
3. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
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The movie that rounded of Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is Spider-Man 3 – another apt if not unimaginative title. Tobey Maguire returned again, along with the core supporting cast of the previous two movies – but this one splits opinion.
It sees Spidey taking on no less than three villains, in the form of Topher Grace’s Eddie Brock aka Venom, Thomas Haden Church’s Flint Marko aka Sandman (another villain who reappeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home) and James Franco’s Harry Osborn aka the New Goblin – although the latter did end up teaming up with Spidey in the movie’s final battle.
It does pale in comparison to the first two movies – thanks largely to it having one too many villains – but Spider-Man 3 isn’t actually that bad. It’s a little sluggish in parts – and nobody likes the scenes in which Peter Parker behaves out of character thanks to the Venom symbiote – but it still has plenty of action and heart.
4. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
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The Amazing Spider-Man is the first of two Spidey movies directed by Marc Webb – and the first starring Andrew Garfield in the titular role.
Another origin story for the Webbed Wonder, it sees him going up against Rhys Ifans’ Curt Connors aka Lizard – a scientist whose experiments using reptile DNA to regenerate human limbs result in him turning into a hulking reptilian monster (and another who returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home).
It has a completely different visual style and tone to Sam Raimi’s trilogy, but this movie is still fairly decent. While not as “fun” as the previous movies, it’s still a slick, action-packed offering with plenty of intimacy and emotion. It does, however, revisit many of the plot elements from the previous movies, which is perhaps unnecessary.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
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Marc Webb’s second and final Spider-Man offering, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, sees Andrew Garfield returning to face new threats, along with the core supporting cast from the first movie.
This time, the threats came in the form of Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon aka Electro (yet another Spider-Man: No Way Home returnee) – an electrical engineer who gains electrical powers following an accident – as well as Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osborn aka the Green Goblin and, albeit briefly, Paul Giamatti’s Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino.
Truth be told, this is a fairly average movie that bears the brunt of having too many characters and no real focus when it comes to the narrative. However, the cast remains great and there’s plenty of action for true Spidey fans to enjoy.
6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Watch on: Netflix | Amazon Prime (Rental/Purchase) | Disney+
When Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures agreed a deal that would see Spider-Man appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans were excited. Marvel’s most iconic character went on to make his debut in the company’s flagship movie franchise in the Russo Brothers’ Captain America: Civil War, played for the first time by Tom Holland.
The movie sees Iron Man and Captain America coming to blows over the Sokovia Accords – a law that means superhuman activity is regulated by the government. As the two heroes build their teams for the fight, Iron Man recruits Spider-Man to his cause and the rest is history.
In spite of its superhero premise, this is a thought-provoking movie with some seriously complex themes. That being said, its main attraction is the cinematic superhero showdown we’d all been waiting for all our lives – and it definitely lives up to its hype!
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
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Directed by Jon Watts, the aptly-named Spider-Man: Homecoming was Spider-Man’s first solo outing in the MCU. Tom Holland reprised his role for the first time and a new cast of Spidey’s supporting characters were introduced to the world.
It sees Peter Parker trying to balance high school life (including the homecoming dance) with being Spider-Man, while facing off against Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture – a black market arms dealer and villain who also happens to be his love interest’s dad.
By avoiding the overused origin story and differentiating itself from previous Spidey franchises, this movie packs in a lot of fun! Holland proves that he’s been perfectly cast when it comes to Spider-Man and Peter Parker – with a lot of focus on the human side of the character. There’s also plenty of great action.
8. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Watch on: Amazon Prime (Rental/Purchase) | Disney+
Spider-Man’s first appearance in an Avengers movie came in the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War, with Tom Holland taking on the iconic role again.
This movie sees the Avengers being alerted to the fact that Josh Brolin’s Thanos is looking to collect all six Infinity Stones, with the intention of wiping out half of all life in the universe. Spider-Man joins the battle in New York, but ends up fighting the Mad Titan on his home planet billions of lightyears from home.
With the iconic Avengers taking on their most dangerous foe yet, Spider-Man still shines, bouncing off the likes of Iron Man and Star-Lord brilliantly. Avengers: Infinity War is epic, with some amazing action scenes – although it really doesn’t end well for Spidey!
9. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
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The only animated theatrical Spider-Man movie to date (there are, however, sequels coming in 2022 and 2023, respectively), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman.
It features a different version of Spider-Man, with Shameik Moore starring as the voice of Miles Morales – although the very premise of the movie sees him meeting other versions from throughout the multiverse, including Peter Parker, as he joins forces with them to save his universe from Kingpin and a plethora of other villains.
This is a magnificent animated adventure that looks incredible. The storytelling is superb, the voicework is exceptional, and there’s loads of action and humor. It’s undoubtedly one of the very best Spider-Man movies to date.
10. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Watch on: Amazon Prime (Rental/Purchase) | Disney+
The epic culmination of years of universe-building in the MCU, the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame brings heroes together from all over the universe to fight back against Thanos, after he succeeded in wiping out half of all life in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War.
It sees the heroes hatching a scheme to carry out a “time heist”, whereby they travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones (Thanos had destroyed the present-day versions), in order to undo what the Mad Titan did. Spider-Man is absent for most of the movie, having previously been snapped out of existence, but he returns for the epic final battle, as an army of heroes fight the intergalactic warlord and his forces one last time, resulting in an emotional climax.
Another epic Marvel Studios offering, Avengers: Endgame is everything a superhero fan could wish for. Every cast member is brilliant, resulting in three solid hours of action, heart and humor, with the most amazing climactic battle scene you could ever wish to see in a movie.
11. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2021)
Watch on: Netflix | Amazon Prime (Rental/Purchase)
The most recent Spider-Man movie currently available to watch online is the MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. Directed by Jon Watts again, it’s Tom Holland’s second solo outing as the Webbed Wonder.
The movie sees Peter Parker Parker recruited by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck aka Mysterio, to help them defeat a group of elemental beings while he’s on a school trip to Europe – but Mysterio turns out to be a villain himself.
An unpredictable movie, Far From Home is a blend of typical superhero action and high school romance, with an absolutely fantastic twist. It’s visually stunning, funny at times and teeming with great action. It’s a fine way to bring the Infinity Saga to an end.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home will undoubtedly appear on streaming services in 2022, with Amazon Prime being the most likely destination for both of them.
Now that you’re finished here, please make sure you check out our lists of the best live action Batman movie actors and the best live action Joker movie actors, ranked.
