Spider-Man is one of the greatest comic-book superheroes of all time. The phenomenal popularity of the Marvel character has led to 20 movies and some TV shows featuring Spider-Man. This makes one wonder about the right chronological order to watch the movies and better understand why Spider-Man has become such a beloved superhero over the decades since his creation in 1962.
Created by comic-book legend Stan Lee and illustrated by Steve Ditko, Spider-Man made his debut on 5 June 1962 in a comic book titled Amazing Fantasy #15. The comic book presented his origin story, including how a young Peter Parker became the wall-crawling superhero after being bitten by a radioactive spider.
The character became instantly popular and got a starring series with The Amazing Spider-Man #1 on 1 March 1963. Interestingly, the origin story and most of the powers of Peter Parker as Spidey have remained unchanged in the film and TV adaptations ever since the release of the 1962 issue.
But over the years, more Spider-powered superheroes were added to the Marvel roster through stories that were about multiverses, parallel universes or other dimensions. In the comic books and their related adaptations, they are not Peter Parker but entirely different personalities who may have got the same powers as the original Spider-Man in almost the same way.
The most famous of the alternate versions is perhaps Miles Morales, a young kid who is the hero of the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which hit the screens on 2 June 2023.
It is also noteworthy that there are technically two distinct Spider-Man universes when it comes to cinematic franchises. Since Sony Pictures holds the rights to Spider-Man and about 900 other characters connected to Spider-Man, it has been producing and distributing its own movies featuring Spider-Man or famous anti-heroes related to the character since 2002. In cinematic language, this universe is different from the Spider-Man portrayed by Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Both universes, however, co-exist because of a complex licensing agreement and their characters are expected to crossover in future movies.
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All the Spider-Man movies in order of their release
The first Spider-Man movie was released in 1977. It was actually the pilot episode of the TV series The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-1979), which is approximately 90 minutes. The movie version spawned two sequels, both of which were essentially episodes of the TV show combined into feature-length movies. These three films were shown by Columbia Pictures in some theatres outside the US, while audiences at home saw the same as part of the episodes of the TV series.
Since the three films received theatrical releases, they are considered the first Spider-Man trilogy. However, they are not part of the canon, which started with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002.
At around the same time, a new Spider-Man emerged in the Japanese entertainment industry. To put it simply, it was possible because of a licensing agreement between Marvel and Japan’s Toei Company, maker of the franchises Kamen Rider and Super Sentai. The agreement allowed Toei and Marvel to use each other’s properties. Toei created a new Spider-Man (Supaidāman in Japanese) TV series and related a movie in 1978.
Spider-Man (1977)
Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
Spider-Man (Japanese, 1978)
Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1980)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Venom (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Morbius (2022)
All the upcoming Spider-Man movies
Kraven the Hunter (expected release date: 6 October 2023)
Madame Web (expected release date: 16 February 2024)
El Muerto (Expected release date: 12 January 2024)
Venom 3 (TBA)
Spider-Man 4 (TBA)
The best chronological order to watch all Spider-Man movies
Spider-Man
Release date: 14 September 1977
Directed by: E.W. Swackhamer
RT rating: 53 per cent (Audience Score)
Cast: Nicholas Hammond, David White, Hilly Hicks, Jeff Donnell
Synopsis: Peter Parker (Hammond) becomes the superhero Spider-Man after he is bitten by a radioactive spider. With his newfound powers, he must stop a powerful hypnotist from carrying out mass murder in New York City (NYC).
More about the film: This film marks the first live-action appearance of some of the most important characters in Spider-Man’s world, including Spider-Man himself, his aunt May Parker and J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of Daily Bugle. Neither this nor its two sequels had any of the famous supervillains that Spider-Man faced in later movies.
Spider-Man Strikes Back
Release date: 21 December 1978 (Colombia)
Directed by: Ron Satlof
RT rating: 61 per cent (Audience Score)
Cast: Nicholas Hammond, Chip Fields, Robert F. Simon, Michael Pataki
Synopsis: Three college students create a nuclear bomb, which falls into the wrong hands. Spider-Man must save his beloved city before it is too late.
Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge
Release date: 5 December 1980 (Milan)
Directed by: Don McDougall
Cast: Nicholas Hammond, Robert F. Simon, Chip Fields, Rosalind Chao
Synopsis: Spider-Man travels to Hong Kong to clear the name of a Chinese government minister accused of treachery. But in his way is a greedy capitalist who wants the minister implicated to win a contract.
More about the film: The Dragon’s Challenge is essentially the theatrical version of the final two episodes of The Amazing Spider-Man TV series titled “The Chinese Web.” It was the last Spider-Man film made in the US till the licensing issues were settled in 1999, which led to the creation of Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man films.
Spider-Man
Release date: 22 July 1978 (Japan)
Directed by: Kôichi Takemoto
Cast: Shinji Todō, Izumi Oyama, Mitsuo Andô, Noboru Nakaya, Toshiaki Nishizawa
Synopsis: The alien Iron Cross Army led by the evil Professor Monster (Andô) has invaded Earth. Motocross racer Takuya Yamashiro (Todō) comes across the alien named Garia (Nishizawa) from Planet Spider. Garia gives Takuya the powers of Spider-Man as well as a spaceship named the Marveller, which can transform into the powerful robot Leopardon to fight the Iron Cross Army.
More about the film: The only Japanese Spider-Man film, its story was technically set within the larger story of the Japanese Spider-Man television series produced by Toei Company that was aired till 1979. The Japanese Spider-Man differed from the Marvel version in many ways, from his origin to his powers and the villains he fights — all of which were connected to aliens.
Spider-Man
Release date: 3 May 2002
Directed by: Sam Raimi
RT rating: 90 per cent
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons
Synopsis: Peter Parker (Maguire) is a shy teenager who is bitten by a genetically modified spider. With his powers, he decides to become Spider-Man and help fight crime in NYC.
More about the film: This is the first Spider-Man film in what is considered canon today. Hailed as one of the best movies on the superhero wall-crawler, the film is memorable for the iconic upside-down kiss between Spidey (Maguire) and Mary Jane (Dunst). It also marks the first live-action appearance of Green Goblin (Dafoe) in what is to date unanimously hailed by Marvel fans as one of the best on-screen villainous performances of all time.
Another noteworthy element of this film (and its two sequels) is how Spider-Man’s powers were presented. Maguire’s Spider-Man is able to organically produce webs inside his body and shoot them from pores in his wrists. In comic books and all other Spider-Man movies, this ability comes from a mechanical gadget attached to the wrists.
Spider-Man 2
Release Date: 30 June 2004
Directed by: Sam Raimi
RT rating: 93 per cent
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina
Synopsis: Peter is losing his powers and struggling with his personal relationships. On the other hand, a scientist named Dr. Otto Octavius (Molina) has become the villainous Dr. Octopus after his wife is killed in an accidental explosion during an experiment. Now, Peter must stop him as Spider-Man before he recreates the experiment that can cause a nuclear explosion in NYC.
More about the film: This film was the highest-rated Spider-Man movie on Rotten Tomatoes for 14 years till the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse surpassed it in 2018. It is still the joint highest-rated live-action Spider-Man film, tied with 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is the first Spider-Man film to have won an Oscar (for Best Visual Effects).
Spider-Man 2 was where fans were introduced to Dr. Otto Octavius for the first time in live-action. Molina’s performance received all-around appreciation from critics and fans alike.
Spider-Man 3
Release date: 4 May 2007
Directed by: Sam Raimi
RT rating: 63 per cent
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Thomas Haden Church, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons
Synopsis: An alien symbiote attaches itself to Peter’s Spider-Man suit, giving him more incredible powers than before. But its influence begins turning him into an arrogant and vengeful person.
More about the film: This is the final Spider-Man film directed by Sam Raimi. Not everyone was pleased with the larger number of villains, especially Church’s Sandman and Franco’s new Green Goblin characters, at the time of its release. But, it is remembered as the first live-action appearance of Grace’s Eddie Brock who becomes the iconic supervillain Venom.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Release date: 3 July 2012
Directed by: Marc Webb
RT rating: 71 per cent
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan, Denis Leary, Sally Field
Synopsis: Peter (Garfield) finds a clue that could help solve the mystery of his missing parents. In his quest, Peter finds himself protecting his city and the love of his life, Gwen Stacy (Stone), from a powerful reptilian beast who may be more than what he appears.
More about the film: The Amazing Spider-Man marked the start of a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, with Garfield playing the web-slinger for the first time. It is also this film and its sequel where the character of Gwen appears as Peter’s love interest. The character isn’t new; she was presented as Peter’s first love in the comic books whose murder at the hands of Green Goblin deeply affected him.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Release date: 2 May 2014
Directed by: Marc Webb
RT rating: 51 per cent
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field
Synopsis: Oscorp becomes the centre of a battle to save both NYC and Peter’s love, Gwen, from a vengeful enemy known as Electro (Foxx) and his backer, Harry Osborn (DeHaan) — Peter’s old friend who is now the Green Goblin.
More about the film: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the last film in the franchise the makers were hoping to build. But the franchise effectively came to an end when Sony agreed to a deal in 2015 that brought Spider-Man to MCU.
Nevertheless, it is in this film that Jamie Foxx first appears as supervillain Electro. Also, the character Rhino, perhaps the most famous antagonist of Spider-Man after Green Goblin and Venom, makes his first appearance in this movie, played by Paul Giamatti.
Captain America: Civil War
Release date: 6 May 2016
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
RT rating: 90 per cent
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl
Synopsis: The Avengers are split down the middle when Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey Jr.) disagree on whether the superheroes should come under governmental oversight because of the collateral damage their actions cause. It soon turns into a feud where two groups must battle against each other.
More about the film: This isn’t technically a Spider-Man film and is more like an Avengers movie with almost every major MCU superhero revealed up to this point making an appearance. But it is significant for fans of the wall-crawler, as it marks his first appearance in the MCU. Holland appears as Spidey at a crucial point in the film where superheroes were fighting each other. He is introduced by Iron Man straight into battle, indicating that Holland’s Spider-Man has been in his superhero avatar for quite some time.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Release date: 7 July 2017
Directed by: Jon Watts
RT rating: 92 per cent
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.
Synopsis: Peter is trying to juggle his life as a high school student and helping the city as Spider-Man. Frustrated that he is not getting a call-up to join the Avengers, he decides to confront a menacing evil known as Vulture (Keaton) on his own.
More about the film: Set soon after the events of Civil War, Homecoming is Holland’s first solo outing as the “friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.” But, interestingly, the film completely skips his origin story. It is never shown how Peter became Spidey and merely alluded that he was bitten by a radioactive spider. It is also shown that he uses technology developed by Stark Enterprises, including an advanced suit with unique capabilities.
Venom
Release date: 5 October 2018
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
RT rating: 30 per cent
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Synopsis: Eddie Brock (Hardy) is an investigative journalist who is trying to find information on a bio-engineering corporation secretly experimenting on humans. During one of his attempts, Eddie unknowingly becomes the host of an alien symbiote. It turns him into Venom, a super-powerful being who wants to kill humans.
More about the film: The Venom of the titular movie is presented as an anti-hero with a detailed origin story rather than just another supervillain as was seen in Spider-Man 3. Of course, Spidey does not appear in Venom, but the film is essential to watch at this point because it is the first film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The makers have also hinted in a later film that Venom might soon be making his way into the MCU.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Release date: 14 December 2018
Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
RT rating: 97 per cent
Voice cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Zoë Kravitz, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber
Synopsis: Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Schreiber) creates a collider that can open portals to different universes but at the risk of destroying the city itself. A young teen named Miles Morales (Moore), who has been bitten by a radioactive spider, tries to protect the city as Spider-Man. He finds help from five other Spideys from different dimensions, including Peter B. Parker (Johnson) who agrees to mentor him.
More about the film: This is the highest-rated of all Spider-Man movies, including spin-offs on characters in Spidey’s franchise. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2019.
Avengers: Infinity War
Release date: 27 April 2018
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
RT rating: 85 per cent
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Pratt, Letitia Wright, Zoe Saldaña, Tom Hiddleston, Josh Brolin
Synopsis: Thanos (Brolin) goes on a rampage to obtain the six Infinity Stones. The Avengers must keep their differences aside and join other heroes on an extremely dangerous quest of stopping him from wiping out half of all life in the universe.
More about the film: Infinity War isn’t about Spider-Man but, as fans know, the whole of the MCU. But Holland’s Spider-Man is certainly at the centre of action in the movie from the very beginning to the emotional end. It is in this film that his reverence for Tony Stark as a father figure and the latter’s protective concern for him becomes more apparent, which builds the stage for the follow-up.
Avengers: Endgame
Release date: 26 April 2019
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
RT rating: 94 per cent
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Benedict Wong, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Holland, Josh Brolin
Synopsis: Five years after Thanos succeeded in his mission, the remaining Avengers come together when Ant-Man (Rudd) triggers a ray of hope. The heroes decide to reverse the destruction caused by the Mad Titan by travelling back in time to get the Infinity Stones.
More about the film: Holland’s Spider-Man appears towards the climax of Endgame, one of the most expensive movies of all time. He joins Avengers and all the other superheroes in their final battle against Thanos. The highlight of his appearance was once again his brief, but emotional, reunion with Iron Man.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Release date: 2 July 2019
Directed by: Jon Watts
RT rating: 90 per cent
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal
Synopsis: Trying to adjust to a changed world, Peter Parker goes on a European vacation as part of his school trip. It soon turns into a planet-saving mission from beings known as Elementals, with Peter joining forces with Nick Fury (Jackson) and a mysterious superhero named Mysterio (Gyllenhaal) who has the power to create illusions.
More about the film: The film is set immediately after the events of Endgame and marked the end of Phase Three of the MCU. It marks the second outing of Holland in a solo Spider-Man movie. It ended as a massive box office success, becoming the first Spider-Man film to gross over USD 1 billion.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Release date: 1 October 2021
Directed by: Andy Serkis
RT rating: 57 per cent
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Woody Harrelson
Synopsis: Incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) escapes from a high-security prison when Eddie Brock (Hardy) inadvertently passes on part of his symbiote to him. Now as Carnage, Kasady goes on a killing spree and Venom must stop him.
More about the film: Let There Be Carnage is a direct sequel to 2018’s Venom, where Harrelson’s character was first seen in a post-credits scene. But this film is worth watching at this point in chronological order because of its mid-credits scene, which lays the foundation of Tom Hardy’s Venom entering the universe of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man following the events in Far From Home.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release date: 17 December 2021
Directed by: Jon Watts
RT rating: 93 per cent
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire
Synopsis: Immediately after the events of Far From Home where his identity is revealed to the world, Peter seeks the help of Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) to make everyone forget that he is the web-slinger. The spell goes wrong and Spider-Man’s villains from other dimensions enter Peter’s universe. Thankfully, he also meets two other versions of Peter Parker who can prove to be more than just allies.
More about the film: No Way Home is the highest-grossing Spider-Man film of all time, with a worldwide gross of USD 1.9 billion at the box office. It was evident given the manner in which the film succeeds in bringing together both Garfield’s version of Spider-Man and Maguire’s Spider-Man as well as their villains into the MCU, while adding more dimensions to the stories of the other two Spideys.
Morbius
Release date: 1 April 2022
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
RT rating: 16 per cent
Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson
Synopsis: Michael Morbius is a researcher suffering from a rare blood disease. Although he finds a cure, it transforms him into a vampire. As his bloodlust grows, Morbius struggles more to contain it.
More about the film: Despite being the only Academy Award-winning actor to lead a movie on a major character from the wider Spider-Man world, Leto could not save the film from severe criticism from critics and fans.
It is nevertheless a significant watch. References in the film suggest that it is set in the same universe where Tom Hardy’s Venom exists. The film also delivers a mid-credits scene where it teases a future merger of the SSU and the MCU.
(Hero and Featured images: Courtesy of IMDb)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: There are 20 movies, featuring Spider-Man or any major character related to him.
Answer: The best way to watch Spider-Man movies is in the order of their release.
Answer: There are six films in which Tom Holland has appeared as Spider-Man. Three of these are solo outings.
Answer: The best way to watch Spider-Man movies is to subscribe to the streaming platforms where the films are available. If the platforms have the option of downloading, it can be done on the sites themselves.
