Spider-Man is a surprisingly vast franchise. The wall-crawler has 10 solo movies led by four Spider-Men and three crossover appearances in just over 20 years of starring on the big screen. The 10 films exist within the same multiverse, so sorting things out might challenge a new viewer. Here is our guide through the Spider-Verse as we take you through each film step-by-step.
There will be some mild spoilers since this list includes sequels, so keep that in mind when reading. However, there won’t be anything too significant that hasn’t been revealing the film’s trailers and marketing.
Spider-Man Movies in Order of Release
Here are the Spider-Man films in order of their theatrical release dates.
Spider-Man - May 3, 2002
Spider-Man 2 - June 30, 2004
Spider-Man 3 - May 4, 2007
The Amazing Spider-Man - July 3, 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - May 2, 2014
Spider-Man: Homecoming - July 7, 2017
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - December 1, 2018
Spider-Man: Far From Home - July 2, 2019
Spider-Man: No Way Home - December 17, 2021
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse - June 2, 2023
Spider-Man
The first Spider-Man film ever put to screen is the perfect starting point. Director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) delivers an incredible origin story for Peter Parker as he learns the responsibility of being a superhero and using his gifts for good. In an era where comic book movies constantly tried to avoid their campy roots, Spider-Man doubled down and embraced them—having him in his bright red and blue spandex, fighting against a villain as outrageous as the Green Goblin. You can say that this film is what defines the modern superhero blockbuster.
The film stars Tobey Maguire as the Spectacular Spider-Man, alongside Willem Defoe (Norman Osborne), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborne), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jamison), Rosemary Harris (Aunt May), and Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben).
Spider-Man 2
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The sequel to Spider-Man is none other than Spider-Man 2. This film takes us back into the life of Maguire’s Peter Parker, and we see how things have changed since the previous film. He’s now in college, has his own apartment, and meets one of his idols, Otto Octavius, played by Alfred Molina.
Spider-Man 2 builds on what made the first film work so well. The characters are great, the story is heartwarming, and Doc Ock’s robotic arms look incredible today. It’s almost a perfect film because it’s a story about Peter Parker, and that human element will always be the most interesting part of Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 3
The final film in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is Spider-Man 3. Here, Peter’s arc is coming to a close. Everything seems to be going his way, but things start to take a turn after coming in contact with an alien symbiote. Peter needs to decide who Spider-Man is supposed to be and how to honor the teachings he learned from Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
This film sees the web-swinger battle the New Goblin, Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Venom (Topher Grace). While primarily considered the weakest of the three, Spider-Man 3 still has a few moments where the characters shine, becoming a cult classic.
The Amazing Spider-Man
After the Spider-Man trilogy concluded in 2007, Sony Pictures decided to reboot the franchise. Leading to Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Here, we once again see Peter’s origin story, but with a few modern twists. He grapples with losing his parents, Uncle Ben, and now has to deal with his new spider powers.
Andrew Garfield is now the lead as the amazing Spider-Man. Joining him are Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), Rhys Ifans (Dr. Connors), Denis Leary (Capt. Stacy), Sally Field (Aunt May), and Martin Sheen (Uncle Ben).
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Stone) graduate High School and prepare for college. Like Spider-Man 3 before, we’re facing off against three new bad guys, and it’s a lot to juggle. Electro (Jamie Foxx), Rhino (Paul Giamatti), and the Goblin (Dane DeHaan). The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a lot of different storylines to juggle, but Garfield and Stone shine as the two leads. Their chemistry is undeniable.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Our third iteration of Peter Park in a 10-year span. Tom Holland takes over the role in the first MCU Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Coming off the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter returns to his life in Queens and has to balance his high school life and his hero life.
This film takes us back to school in a John Hughes-esque coming-of-age flick. The film manages to skip the origin story and get into the fun stuff. Parker must navigate life as a high schooler and a superhero. Holland is also a breath of fresh air since his take on Parker seems more immature than the previous two actors. Holland’s costars include Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Marisa Tomei (May Parker), Zendaya (Michelle Jones), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Laura Harrier (Liz Allen), Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes), and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan).
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
We interrupt the Holland trilogy with arguably the best superhero movie ever made. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is an animated film starring Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he gains spider powers and faces off against a multiversal threat. Becoming a superhero isn’t easy, but luckily, Miles has a perfect mentor to help him along the way, Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), a middle-aged multiversal variant of Spider-Man.
Into The Spider-Verse is everything you’d ever want to see. An incredible coming-of-age story that focuses on all aspects of Miles’ life, not just the superhuman regarding his newly found power, but also his human sides, such as his relationship with his friends, parents, and uncle. The film encapsulates everything we love about Spider-Man.
Miles and Peter aren’t alone! Here are Moore’s and Johnson’s co-stars: Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy), Nicolas Cage (Spider-Man Noir), John Mulaney (Spider-Ham), Kemiko Glen (Peni Parker), Mahershala Ali (Uncle Aaron), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferey Davis), Luna Vélez (Rio Morales) Chris Pine (Spider-Man), Kathryn Hahn (Doc Ock), Zoë Kravitz (Mary Jane Watson), and Liev Schreiber (Wilson Fisk).
Spider-Man: Far From Home
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Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Peter Parker return to everyday life after the near-universe ending event of the last Avengers outing. He and his friends are set to go on a fun school trip, but things go downhill once Mysterio and Nick Fury request his help against elemental monsters.
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home serves as an epilogue and pallet cleanser. The film tells a light-hearted story of Peter moving past the looming shadow of Tony Stark, and his quest for a normal life gets upended in pure Parker fashion. The film continues the John Hughes vibes established in Spider-Man: Homecoming while taking the show across the world, giving it a sense of adventure that the previous movie lacked.
Tom Holland reprises his role as Spider-Man along with returning cast members: Marisa Tomei (May Parker), Zendaya (Michelle Jones), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Martin Starr (Mr. Harrington), J.B Smoove (Julius Dell), Angourie Rice (Betty Brant) and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan). Making their first appearance in the film is Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), and Jake Gyllenhaal (Mysterio).
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Picking up mere moments after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Peter dealing with the fallout after his battle against Mysterio. Peter has to deal with the ghost of the past, and learn the ultimate lesson, that with great power, there must also come great responsibility.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a celebration of the films that came before it, but more importantly, it sees Holland’s take on Peter Parker shine in a way he never has before. The film leads us into the Multiverse Saga and firmly becomes one of the MCU’s best.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Jumping back into the Spider-Verse, Miles reunites with Gwen and Peter B. Parker as Miles’ world is turned upside down yet again. The Spider-Verse saga continues the themes of family and individuality seen in the first film, and Miles has to fight not only for his friends and family but for the safety of the multiverse. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters June 2.