Spider-Man films ranked: Worst to best

Is there a way to rank the Spider-Man movies? Are some films better than others? What is considered the worst Spider-Man movie?

Questions, questions, questions – and today, some answers!

In this post I am ranking all of the Spider-Man films from worst to best. This list includes every Spider-Man movie, including animated ‘shorts’ and the TV-to-cinema films of the 1970s.

I am also including films where Spider-Man has featured in a guest role, which includes all of Spidey’s entries within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spidey might not be the main focus of these stories, but as Marvel’s most iconic character his appearance is still important.

Now before I rank the movies, below is a list of the Spider-Man films that will be covered in this post. Listed in production order, these are all the Spider-Man movies/spin-offs/team-ups/solo films that have been released to date.

• Spider-Man (1977)
• Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
• Spider-Man (1978) – The Japanese film (Supaidāman)
• Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1979)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (2013)
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled! (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Venom (2018)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

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Spider-Man movies ranked from worst to best

OK, it’s time to put the Spider-Man movies through their paces according to this blog. I’ve ranked these movies in order of what I feel is a fair assessment, taking into account my personal preferences, as well as what I believe is a general consensus when it comes to ranking Spider-Man films.

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Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1979)

During the 1970s, CBS aired a live-action television series based on The Amazing Spider-Man. The show starred Nicholas Hammond in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and ran for a total of 13 episodes.

A handful of these episodes were edited together and put on the big screen as theatrical movies. One of these films was Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge which originated as the two-part story The Chinese Web.

Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge ranks worst on this list because it features a simple, and pretty slow narrative and little to no imagination in the storytelling. As you will see below, none of the 1970s movies are particularly great, but this one is arguably the least appealing.

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Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)

Another TV-to-cinema movie, and this time it is Spider-Man Strikes Back which originated as the two-part story, The Deadly Dust. As with Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge, this is a very pedestrian affair with very little appeal.

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Supaidāman (1978)

In 1978, a live-action Spider-Man television series called Supaidāman aired in Japan via Tokyo Channel 12. The series was produced by the Toei Company and presented a unique take on Spider-Man – a very unique take on Spider-Man.

The show ran for 41 episodes, but also produced one movie. The movie, which has the same running time as an average episode (around 24 minutes) received a theatrical release in Japan.

While Supaidāman (the name for the show and the movie) takes a lot of liberties with the Spider-Man character, it is still more interesting to watch than Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge and Spider-Man Strikes Back.

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Spider-Man (1977)

The final ‘70s-era Spidey film on this list is actually the one that started it all – 1977’s Spider-Man. This movie originated as the feature-length pilot for The Amazing Spider-Man television show and as with the other TV-to-film adventures, this one received a theatrical release.

This film ranks higher on this list than the others because it has a little more going for it. Spider-Man tells an origin story and tries a bit harder than the other films in selling the character.

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Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled! (2015)

Lego has had a great deal of success licensing pop culture characters (Batman, Harry Potter, Star Wars etc) and turning them into plastic playthings. The company has also successfully transformed a number of properties into films – either as feature-length tales or in a ‘short’ movie format.

Spider-Man has appeared in a collection of Lego Marvel shorts, including Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled. While this is a fun movie, I’ve ranked it low because Spidey only appears in a very brief cameo.

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Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (2013)

Another Lego movie, only this time Spider-Man gets a little more to do in a story that features the likes of Wolverine, the Avengers, Loki and more. As with all Lego movies, this film is packed with in-jokes and nods to Marvel mythology, but it is very short and best viewed by younger audiences.

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Venom (2018)

Venom is a stand-alone tale which does not feature Spider-Man but is included on this list as it is Spider-Man-related. The film is an origin story explaining how Eddie Brock becomes the anti-hero Venom.

The movie – which stars Tom Hardy in the title role – has its moments, but is hampered by a weak script and some truly bad CGI. The tone of the movie is also a little erratic, jumping from horror to slapstick without managing to blend the two in the right way.

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is an ambitious movie that should be higher on this list, however it ranks further down because it struggles to achieve its goals and ends up poorer for it.

The film stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and sees Spider-Man battle Electro, the Green Goblin and the Rhino.

Sounds good, right?

True, but with so much going on in one film things become a little too hectic and the movie loses focus when it should excel.

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Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Similar to The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 ranks lower on this list than it should because once again it is too ambitious. The film – the third to star Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man – attempts too much and falls apart as a result.

In Spider-Man 3, Spidey squares off against Sandman, the New Green Goblin, and Venom. Again, it is too much for one movie, but there is still a lot of good stuff going on.

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Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame is a huge movie that features Spider-Man in a brief, but memorable role. While it is difficult to rank this one high due to Spidey’s limited screen time, Avengers: Endgame is without doubt a triumph of Marvel movies.

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Captain America: Civil War (2016)

In 2016, Spider-Man entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Captain America: Civil War. Tom Holland took on the part of Peter Parker/Spider-Man for a guest role on Team Iron Man.

As with Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man’s appearance is fairly limited, so it is difficult to rank it any higher on this list.

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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

In 2012, Sony Pictures made the bold move to restart the Spider-Man movie series with a new director, new cast, and a (somewhat) new direction. Many fans were against the film and not everything worked for the better, but The Amazing Spider-Man remains an interesting picture with good ideas and a very strong cast.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Tom Holland takes on the role of Spider-Man for his first solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film focuses largely around Peter Parker’s high school years and sees him have to contend with the perils of being a teenager, while facing the villainous Vulture.

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Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Tom Holland reprises the part of Spider-Man in a summer vacation movie which pits Spidey against Mysterio. The film boasts some strong visuals, including an eye-popping illusion, and benefits from a great cast.

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Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Spider-Man is a guest star in this film but he gets a considerable amount of screen time, so for this reason alone I feel it is fair to rank Avengers: Infinity War high.

Almost every major Marvel hero appears in this film and it makes for true ‘event’ picture. From the moment it begins, the pace never lets up and Spider-Man becomes a key focus and the source of one of the film’s saddest moments.

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Spider-Man (2002)

In 2002, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man hit cinema screens. The movie – which starred Tobey Maguire in the title role – was a huge hit with audiences and helped to define Spider-Man in the same way that Superman: The Movie (1978) and Batman (1989) defined some of DC’s biggest heroes as a bona fide movie star.

Back in 2002, Spider-Man provided the perfect entry point for those unfamiliar with Spidey mythology. All these years later, the film continues to entertain and enthral audiences.

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Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Just edging out Spider-Man is the 2004 follow-up, Spider-Man 2. This film reunites the cast from the original, but ups the ante with a more interesting villain in the shape of Doctor Octopus.

Without the need for an origin story – something which took up a significant chunk of Spider-Man – Spider-Man 2 is able to dig deeper into Peter Parker’s role as a costumed crimefighter. The result is an emotional rollercoaster with a strong narrative and some great set pieces.

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Taking the top spot is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – the first feature-length animated Spider-Man movie. It is also the first film to feature Miles Morales as Spidey.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a fantastic movie, which demonstrates the true heights that can be achieved in Spidey stories, as well as in animation. The characters are appealing, the soundtrack is amazing, and visually it is stunning.

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Recap

Here’s a quick recap of the top and bottom Spider-Man movie rankings according to Don’t Tell Harry.

• Ranked worst: Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge
• Ranked best: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

And now top to bottom.

Here are the Spider-Man movies ranked best to worst:

• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
• Venom (2018)
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (2013)
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled! (2015)
• Spider-Man (1977)
• Supaidāman (1978)
• Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
• Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1979)

So, what do you think? Do you agree with the rankings?

There is no hard and fast rule for rankings, I have simply strived to be fair with the order in which these movies have been placed.

The Spider-Man movies of the 1970s are very basic and as they were originally intended for television, I feel they have to appear at the bottom of the rankings. Into the Spider-Verse takes the top spot because I genuinely feel that it is a superb Spider-Man movie which can be enjoyed by all, no matter the audience.

But regardless of my rankings, remember ratings and critical opinions are always subjective and just because a movie doesn’t rank well with one person, or a group of people, does not mean it is a bad movie. You have to judge a film on your own feelings and this will provide you with a different outcome to the next person.

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