Ask any comic book fan who their top 10 superheroes are, and Spider-Man will make it to the list. It’s no surprise then that the Spider-Man films are some of the highest-grossing superhero movies to date.
The spider verse expands beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Peter Parker has been played many times before. If you’re wondering how many Spiderman movies are there, this article is for you!
Full List Of Spiderman Movies
Original Films
1. The Amazing Spider-Man
Release Date: 1977
Lead Actor: Nicholas Hammond
Producer/Director: Edward J. Montagne / E.W. Swackhamer
Box Office Gross: $9M
Synopsis:
In this first Spider-Man film, a mysterious new age guru appeared in New York City (Byron) who donned a powerful mind control device.
Peter Parker worked as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle and was bitten by a radioactive spider granting him super strength, agility, and spider-like abilities. The entire movie revolved around Spider-Man pulling the plug on one of the Spider-Man villains’ (Edward Byron) evil plans.
2. Spider-Man Strikes Back
Release Date: 1978
Lead Actor: Nicholas Hammond
Producer/Director: Robert Janes & Ron Satlof
Box Office Gross: N/A
Synopsis:
Nicholas Hammond returns for a second superhero movie to play the web-slinger. Following the route of the first film, this time around, a new non-canon villain is in town, called Mr. White.
After learning how to make an atomic bomb, Peter Parker’s activist classmates planned to steal plutonium oxide from the school for their political statements. Spider-Man fails to foil the robbery, but White intercepts and steals the chemical to create a weapon for himself.
He threatens to destroy the world trade center, but Spider-Man manages to diffuse the bomb at the last minute. White escapes but vows to face the wall-crawler once more. But is Spiderman Marvel or DC?
3. Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
Release Date: 1978
Lead Actor: Nicholas Hammond
Producer/Director: Lionel E. Siegel & Don McDougall
Box Office Gross: N/A
Synopsis:
This is the third film where Nicholas Hammond starred in a Spider-Man movie. It leaned towards a more investigative, detective approach, like Batman.
Min Lo Chan, the Chinese Minister of Industrial Development, is endangered by being convicted of crimes he didn’t commit. The only way to prove his innocence is through witnesses. Being J. Jonah Jameson’s friend, the publisher asked Parker to locate the witnesses discretely.
It was then learned that another contractor named Zeider was behind the scenes all along. A series of kidnappings took place, and Spider-Man cracked the case with the help of Min Lo Chan’s daughter.
Cannon Films
1. Spider-Man
Release Date: 2002
Lead Actor: Tobey Maguire
Producer/Director: Laura Ziskin, Ian Bryce / Sam Raimi
Box Office Gross: $825M
Synopsis:
This is the first film that kickstarted Sam Raimi’s trilogy, put Spider-Man on everyone’s radar, and is the beginning of the nine Spider-Man movies (canon).
A college student named Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider that granted him spider-like powers, strength, and agility. After the death of uncle Ben, Peter’s life became dedicated to fighting crime.
Unfortunately, his friend’s dad, Norman Osborn, was developing an enhancement formula (similar to Captain America). After trying the problematic serum on himself, he developed a split personality and became Green Goblin's villain.
In the process, Spider-Man must foil his evil plans and save his love interest, Mary Jane Watson. The first Spider-Man movie was well-received by fans. More Marvel movies for you here.
2. Spider-Man 2
Release Date: 2004
Lead Actor: Tobey Maguire
Producer/Director: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad / Sam Raimi
Box Office Gross: $783.8M
Synopsis:
Sony Pictures partnered with Marvel studios to bring another flick.
Peter is now in college, this means having to balance his student life and having to fight crime as a masked vigilante. After a failed fusion experiment, Dr. Otto Octavius lost his wife and his life’s work. The only thing he had were his four titanium-steel tentacles earning him the moniker Doctor Octopus.
Spider-Man must face the threat of Doc Ock while overcoming an existential crisis as MJ (Kirsten Dunst) is set to marry someone else. Peter Parker’s life struggled further as he lost his powers, pressuring him to embrace a normal life.
However, he had to overcome his limitations to stop Doc Ock from destroying New York. By the movie's end, his friend Harry Osborn (played by James Franco) discovers his father’s Green Goblin lair.
3. Spider-Man 3
Release Date: 2007
Lead Actor: Tobey Maguire
Producer/Director: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, Grant Curtis / Sam Raimi
Box Office Gross: $890.9M
Synopsis:
Spider-Man 3 nipped the bud of the Sam Raimi trilogy. Despite being the highest grossing, not many appreciated how the Spider-Man movies progressed.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) are now together, and Peter expresses his desire to marry her. Little did he know that Harry (James Franco) was cooking up an evil plan. Harry took on the identity of the New Goblin and battled it out with Peter, only to lose and suffer from short-term memory loss.
A mysterious black goo called a symbiote also appeared and managed to latch onto Spider-Man, giving him enhanced strength and fueling his rage and anger. This forced him to get rid of the suit, eventually.
In the end, Spider-Man faced two other threats:
- The Sandman, who gained his powers after being subjected to a super collider
- The Venom, where the symbiote transferred after Peter forcibly removed it
The Columbia Pictures film felt too overwhelming, which jeopardized the story. Still, watching Spider-Man movies gives an element of nostalgia to fans who grew up watching it.
4. The Amazing Spider-Man
Release Date: 2012
Lead Actor: Andrew Garfield
Producer/Director: Marc Webb
Box Office Gross: $757.9M
Synopsis:
This placed a bit more emphasis on young Peter Parker. Instead of MJ, the love interest of Peter Parker is Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone). Like the original trilogy, Uncle Ben (played by Martin Sheen) dies, which drives Peter into a life of vigilanteism.
A scientist named Dr. Curt Connors was developing a cure derived from reptiles to grow missing limbs. Unfortunately, his incomplete experiment leads to him developing reptile-like characteristics. While not articulated on the big screen, he was one of Spider-Man’s greatest comic book foes called “The Lizard.”
Spider-Man’s mission is to stop the Lizard from turning the entire city of New York into the same reptilian beasts. Find out the best way to watch all Marvel movies here.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Release Date: 2014
Lead Actor: Andrew Garfield
Producer/Director: Avi Arad, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orc / Marc Webb
Box Office Gross: $709M
Synopsis:
Andrew Garfield reprises his role for the Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, despite the improved suit, many fans felt the same cramped casting.
Captain Stacy’s death haunts Peter Parker. For this reason, staying away from Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is a recurring theme in the film. For the first time in a spidey film, we also witnessed Jamie Foxx play the character of Max Dillon (Electro), and Spider-Man stops him during their first encounter.
Harry Osborn also appears in the film, starring Dane Dehaan, who suffers from the Goblin disease or “Retroviral Hypodysplasia.” When Spider-Man refused to help him, Harry sought Electro’s help leading to a 2 vs. 1 battle.
Spider-Man stops both villains, but this is at the expense of Gwen Stacy’s life. Several scenes in the film hinted at a sinister six movie. Unfortunately, the series ended with The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Release Date: 2017
Lead Actor: Tom Holland
Producer/Director: Kevin Feige etc. / Jon Watts
Box Office Gross: $880.2M
Synopsis:
Spider-Man: Homecoming kickstarted the Tom Holland trilogy as the masked vigilante called Spider-Man. While it expanded the Spider-verse, unlike the many Spider-Man movies prior, this had a more youthful and teenager-esque tone to it.
The movie picks up after the events of Captain America: Civil War, where his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), sends Peter home with his new suit. Wanting to prove himself, he consistently sought out a flying villain revealed to be Adrian Toomes or the Vulture (played by Michael Keaton).
Spider-Man repeatedly suffered losses because of his youth and inexperience. This forced Tony to retrieve the suit he gave from Captain America: Civil War. Given the circumstance that only Spider-Man was available to stop Vulture, he relentlessly fought until Toomes’ evil plans were foiled.
The reception on Spider-Man: Homecoming was fairly positive.
7. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Release Date: 2019
Lead Actor: Tom Holland
Producer/Director: Kevin Feige etc. / Jon Watts
Box Office Gross: $1.131B
Synopsis:
The next installment in Holland’s superhero films trilogy occurred after Infinity War and Endgame. At this point, Tony Stark has already departed, and Spider-Man feels the burden of living up to his mentor’s legacy.
Here, Peter was set to enjoy a school trip slash vacation to Paris. However, Nick Fury seeks him out to assist Mysterio or Quentin Beck (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) in fighting a group of powerful monsters called the elementals. The battle forced Peter to surrender EDITH to Beck willingly.
Later in the film, it was revealed that Beck was a fraud who wanted to deceive the world. He uses realistic illusions to torment people psychologically. Unlike other Spider-Man movies, this is where Peter’s spider-sense of “Peter tingle” shone through as he broke through Beck’s illusions.
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release Date: 2021
Lead Actor: Tom Holland
Producer/Director: Kevin Feige etc. / Jon Watts
Box Office Gross: $1.901B
Synopsis:
Unlike many Spider-Man movies, the reception to Holland’s portrayal consistently increased from Spider-Man: Homecoming to Spider-Man: No Way Home. This film became one of the most anticipated movies of 2021, especially with the hype from the trailer.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe hinted many times at the multiverse, and this delivered, along with another film entitled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.
After Beck’s revelation in the previous movie, Peter Parker received flak and unwanted negative attention from the public. For this reason, he seeks Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help the world forget who he is. Distractions during the spell opened up his world to the multiverse where every villain who knew Spider-Man came through.
In this part, we see the same cast from all previous Spider-man movies enter the current Spider-Man world, namely:
- Green Goblin
- Doc Ock
- Sandman
- The Lizard
- Electro
Not only the villains, but Marvel Studios brought back Spider-Men of the past, including Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire - a real Spider-verse extravaganza when the three heroes fought against the villains.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was a treat to older fans who grew up watching the Spider-Man movies in order.
Read: Our Top-Rated Spiderman Toys
4 Actors Who Played The Lead Roles
1. Nicholas Hammond
Hammond is the first ever American Spider-Man. Although he was a different Spider-Man, given he was limited by the technology of his time, having him in No Way Home would’ve been rad. He also expressed his desire to be recast [1].
2. Tobey Maguire
Tobey is one of the greatest Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Thanks to Columbia pictures, he was also a pioneering character that paved the way for superhero movies. The only problem with his portrayal is his lack of witty remarks and sense of humor.
3. Andrew Garfield
Garfield’s portrayal is a more depressed and brooding type of Peter who noticeably masks his sadness with a sense of humor. A little more depression, and he could replace Batman. Jokes aside, he was a good Peter and Spider-Man, too.
4. Tom Holland
Tom Holland is undoubtedly the definition of a pitch-perfect Peter Parker [2]. Despite being last in the Spider-Man movies in order, he accurately portrayed both the wall-crawler and the teenager underneath. His performance in Infinity War was also spot-on.
What’s The Animated Spider-Man Version?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an animated film produced by Phil Lord that gave justice to Spider-Man. Many fans loved Shameik Moore (Miles Morales) and Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker).
Despite the positive reception, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse earned a measly $375.5 million. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse definitely earned a chance for a sequel.
What’s The Highest Grossing Spider-Man Film?
Spider-Man: No Way Home bagged the highest-grossing Spider-Man film of all time with nearly 2 billion USD. The third installment of Tom Holland’s portrayal earned it 3rd in the highest-grossing MCU movies [3].
FAQs
Is Tom Holland done with Spider-Man?
No one knows for sure. There have been many speculations, but the most recent is that the MCU is already in the early developments of Spider-Man 4. While there isn’t any actual news yet, the cliffhanger from the previous film suggests a potential collaboration between Spider-Man and Venom [4].
Are Spider-Man movies coming to Netflix?
The Spider-Man movies portrayed by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland have already made their way to Netflix.
Should you watch the Spider-Man movies in chronological order?
Not really. Since Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man are set in another universe, there’s no need to watch them chronologically. However, it’s best to watch them in a chronology within their respective universes.
Final Verdict
There are 11 Spider-Man movies, if you include the original films. Spider-Man is a rich comic book character that’s been featured many times in films. To date, there have been countless versions of the hero, from actual actors to animations and even legos.
While not all movies are excellent, they’re all great novelty watches if you really love the wall-crawling vigilante. If you’re looking for Spider-Man merch, make sure to check out Toynk!
References:
1. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/spider-man-tv-star-nicholas-hammond-no-way-home-1235019437/
2. https://www.gamesradar.com/best-spider-man-actors/
3. https://gamerant.com/mcu-highest-grossing-movies-box-office/
4. https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38511637/spider-man-4-release-date/
