


It’s been good times for Spidey fans ever since, with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (the animated blockbuster that brings Miles Morales into the fold), Spider-Man: Far From Home, and No Way Home. Thus, Tom Holland made his debut in 2016 for the centerpiece battle in Captain America: Civil War, before starring in his own celebrated film, Spider-Man: Homecoming one year later. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe in full motion, Marvel Studios was able to negotiate a deal with Sony, which holds the theatrical rights to Spider-Man, to get the character to jump to the MCU. The second Amazing Spider-Man fell for the too-many-villains trap (we had Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino), and the franchise shut down again. The film sought to bring in the pre-Mary Jane flame, Gwen Stacy, and pitted Spider-Man against another classic villain, The Lizard, as director Marc Webb developed a more realistic portrayal of Peter’s world, as opposed to Raimi’s comic-book overtone. In 2012, Spider-Man was rebooted with The Amazing Spider-Man, with Andrew Garfield as Parker. Though a box office hit like the others, Spider-Man 3‘s tepid critical and fan response was enough to kill the momentum on continuing the series. Doctor Octopus gets his tentacles all over Spider-Man 2, while Sandman, Venom, and junior Goblin stack the cast in Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man arguably fights the greatest rogues gallery in all of Marveldom, and they certainly got their due on-screen in the Raimi trilogy. Jonah Jameson, and finally Parker’s iconic battle with the Green Goblin, whose son just happens to be Peter’s best friend. That’s because director Sam Raimi was a lifelong fan who fully knew how to navigate and celebrate Spidey, from the relatable morality at the core of Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire) and the shattering death of his Uncle Ben, to his stormy relationship with Mary Jane and those workplace shenanigans with hard-ass newspaper boss J.

And though 2000’s X-Men felt the need to modernize its team, Spider-Man fully embraced its classical roots, down to the iconic outfit. Spider-Man swung into theaters in 2002, cementing Marvel Comics as a viable player in the superhero movie arena, which had been dominated by DC with Superman and Batman. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases this Friday! (Photo by Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection) All Spider-Man Movies Ranked (Including Venom and Morbius)
