The webbed wall crawler is one of the most important superheroes ever created by Marvel. The film rights were sold to Sony Pictures who made a trilogy of films starring Tobey Maguires, two films starring Andrew Garfield and have worked with Marvel Pictures to make a trilogy of films starring Tom Holland. They’ve also made an animated film about the Spider-Verse and a villains universe featuring Venom and Morbius. Some are availble on Disney+ globally, while others are only available in certain countries. Let’s rank the Spider-Man films.

Note: I will not be ranking the Venom or Morbius films. This is just the films where Spider-Man is a main character.

9. SPIDER-MAN 3

Tobey Maguire’s final outing as Spider-Man is the absolute bottom of the barrell. This film is packed with too many villains, so none get enough screen time. Topher Grace is miscast as Eddie Brock/Venom. The Sandman gets completely lost in the shuffle. And Harry’s turn as Green Goblin following the realization that his father had been Green Goblin and his best friend was Spider-Man deserved its own film. This movie is an all around dud.

8. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

Another sequel that just wasn’t very good, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is a let down at every level. Andrew Garfield’s version of Spider-Man was more cruel than quippy, although his Peter Parker was an improvement over Tobey Maguire’s version of Parker. This film is a mess with Electro, Rhino and, again, Green Goblin fighting for screen time. It’s another case where too many villains hurt the film.

NOTE: This film is not available on Disney+ in the US at this time.

7. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

Sony’s second attempt at launching the Spider-Man franchise had a decent opening film. Andrew Garfield played Peter Parker well, but his Spider-man left a lot to be desired. Lizard was an interesting choice for a villain, but it was, at least, someone the viewers hadn’t seen in the Tobey Maguire efforts, so it felt fresh. This film is fine on its own, but is dragged down by a disappointing sequel and just pales in comparison to the Tom Holland efforts that came later.

6. SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Tom Holland’s second outing as Spider-Man was good but feels a little weak compared to the other two in that trilogy. I place the blame on its placement in the timeline. This should’ve been the film that kicked off phase four. Instead, Marvel tacked it on as the last film of phase three. It felt more like an epilogue to the Infinity Sage rather than its own adventure. It was great seeing Mysterio on screen, but this feels like it could’ve been better.

NOTE: This film is not available on Disney+ in the US at this time.

5. SPIDER-MAN

This 2002 film brought the wallcrawler to the big screen for the first time. Tobey Maguire played the titular “Spider-Man.” He played the hero part well, although he looked too old to be playing Peter Parker in this first film. Green Goblin was a safe choice, but the inspired casting of Willem Dafoe helped him standout as a villain. Unfortunately, that has worked against the character in every future iteration, except one where Dafoe returned to the role. Still, this film was a success and Marvel fans have this film to thank for the company deciding to pursue its own cinematic universe.

4. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

“Spider-Man” is now part of the proper MCU and Marvel and Sony have teamed up to make him the star of his own in-universe film. Tom Holland excels where the two previous Spider-men have failed. He fits the description of Peter Parker better than Tobey Maguire and his Spider-Man is far better than Andrew Garfield’s version. Plus, fans get to see a different villain in Vulture and a brand new take on Flash Thompson.

NOTE: This film is not available on Disney+ in the US.

3. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

The only animated “Spider-Man” film on this list, it’s easily the best effort Sony Pictures has done on its own. It tackles multiple universes better than the MCU, overall, and introduces several different versions of Spider-men. Plus, Miles Morales gets to take center stage for the first time on screen.

2.SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

The most recent outing starring Tom Holland is the very best of his “Spider-Man” films. Cramming five villains seems like a recipe for failure given all of the outings with three, but this film finds a way to make it work. It also brings back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, giving each of them one last chance to star as the wallcrawler. It also introduces the concept of multiverses that would be further explored, albeit not as well, in “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The returns of original actors for Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Electro and Lizard strengthen this film’s interconnective place.

NOTE: This film is not currently available on Disney+.

1. SPIDER-MAN 2

This is one of the rare superhero films from the early 200os that clicked on all cylinders and still holds up. Tobey Maguire has grown into the Peter Parker role better here than in his first outing, and certainly better than his third. Doc Ock is a great villain to show new challenges for the filmmakers and the characters. He’s far less basic than Green Goblin, but they keep the focus on him so it doesn’t become too much. For my money, this is still the best “Spider-Man” film we’ve ever gotten.

Those are my rankings. What do you think? How would you rank the “Spider-Man” films?

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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