One of the most treasured Marvel superheroes is Spider-Man.
Even Stan Lee, one of the main creators of Marvel, calls Spider-Man his favorite hero.
Due to Spider-Man’s age, he’s able to resonate with most readers.
From petty school drama to losing someone when you’re young, Spider-Man has been through it all.
If you’re curious about how many Spider-Man movies there are featuring the hero, here’s what you need to know.
How Many Spider-Man Movies Are There?
There are nine major Spider-Man movies that have come out in the last few decades.
This does not include the animated shorts that feature Spider-Man in them.
Of the nine Spider-Man movies, there are eight live-action and one animated film.
These films include:
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 3
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
You can split the live-action films into three categories.
1. The Sam Raimi Trilogy
The first category is the Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
This trilogy featured Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man and was a big hit with audiences and at the box office.
The films brought Spider-Man into the current age in all his web-slinging glory.
Within the trilogy are the three films titled:
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 3
The first Spider-Man film was released in 2002 and pit Spider-Man against the Green Goblin.
The second Spider-Man film was released in 2004 and featured Doc Ock against Spider-Man.
In this second film, Peter also faced problems with his powers.
On the romantic side of things, he also had to contend with Mary-Jane Watson, the girl he had feelings for, having a brief engagement with another man.
The final film, Spider-Man 3, came out in 2007.
Of all the Spider-Man films, the audiences disliked this one the most.
This film pit Spider-Man against his nemesis, Venom.
There was also some drama with Mary-Jane that audiences found difficult to stomach.
Despite the third film not receiving as much love as the previous two films, many fans agree that Sam Raimi’s trilogy is among the closest to the very heart of the Spider-Man everyone knows and loves from the comics.
2. Marc Webb’s Duology
There was some time before a new Spider-Man film tried to see the same success as the previous trilogy.
Instead of returning to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Marc Webb chose to revamp the character.
Andrew Garfield stepped into the shoes of Spider-Man this time.
The duology includes:
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012, and instead of Mary-Jane Watson taking the place as Peter’s love interest, Webb chose Gwen Stacy instead.
Stacy was another of Peter’s great loves in the comics.
The first film depicted Peter going up against Dr. Curt Connors and his alter-ego, The Lizard.
While The Amazing Spider-Man did well in theaters, it didn’t gain quite the following or love that the first trilogy received.
That said, Marc Webb decided to make another Spider-Man film with the same cast.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released in 2014.
At the start of the film, Spider-Man is living the good life.
He’s the hero of the city and he has a great relationship with Gwen.
That all changes with the arrival of Electro whose powers prove difficult for Spider-Man to overcome.
Electro isn’t the only threat that Spider-Man faces.
He eventually discovers that his best friend, Harry Osborn, is part of a wider scheme through his company, OsCorp, that associates with several of Spider-Man’s enemies.
It all leads to a tragic ending.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did not perform as well with audiences at the box office.
It may have been the lack of numbers that cut Webb off from making a third and final Amazing Spider-Man film.
Whatever the reason, Garfield would only swing around the city of New York twice in his career.
3. Jon Watts’s Trilogy
While The Amazing Spider-Man was out, something was happening at Disney.
They had acquired Marvel and were setting up the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It all began with Robert Downey Jr. taking the helm as Tony Stark in the first Iron Man film which was released in 2008.
The movie was a success and Disney saw an opportunity.
Soon, a bunch of superhero movies followed and they all shared the same universe.
The heroes started to crossover into each other’s films as the plot became bigger and the stakes rose higher.
Many fans wondered if Spider-Man would be joining the fun.
At this point, there was a complication because Spider-Man’s film rights technically belonged to Sony and not Marvel or Disney.
As such, Disney and Sony had to work out a deal to get the web-slinging hero into the film.
Sony allowed it and the world saw Tom Holland take on the role of the new Peter Parker in the MCU.
Jon Watts directed the films with Holland’s Spider-Man which shared the wider universe of the MCU.
The trilogy includes:
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
The first film was Spider-Man: Homecoming, which was released in 2017.
It followed the events after Captain America: Civil War which introduced this incarnation of Spider-Man.
Fresh off his encounter with the Avengers, Peter is looking to continue the high-stakes fighting that he had taken part in with them.
However, his mentor, Tony Stark, wants him to enjoy high school and focus on being a kid for a while.
That all gets thrown out the window when Peter faces The Vulture.
The next Spider-Man film directed by Watts is Spider-Man: Far From Home.
It was released in 2019 and followed Avengers: Endgame.
With Tony Stark’s death, Peter found himself coping with his loss and looking for a new mentor.
He found one in the mysterious “hero” called Mysterio.
Mysterio eventually reveals his true colors and ends up telling the world about Spider-Man’s true identity.
The final film in the trilogy is Spider-Man: No Way Home, released in 2021.
Peter found himself having to contend with the fact that the world now knew his identity.
This film also introduced some other MCU characters as well as characters from other films.
It introduced the idea of the multiverse which seems to be the direction that the MCU is exploring next.
At this stage, this is the last of Watts’s Spider-Man films, but it’s still possible that Holland will reprise his role as Spider-Man once more in the future.
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
There are two major differences between Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the other Spider-Man films.
The first is that the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie isn’t live-action.
It’s an animated film.
Secondly, three directors worked on the film instead of one.
Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, and Rodney Rothman all directed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The film was released in 2018 and featured the Spider-Verse.
While many consider Peter Parker as Spider-Man, he’s not the only one to have used that name.
There have been plenty of others who have also called themselves Spider-Man or variants of it.
Throughout the comic’s history, you’ll find other names with similar powers to Parker.
The Spider-Verse did its own version of the multiverse by bringing in some of the most famous Spider-Mans and other versions together.
The story centers on Miles Morales who also gets bitten by a radioactive spider.
When he finds himself with new abilities, he eventually discovers that he isn’t alone.
He teams up with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man and several others to take down Kingpin, a dangerous and complex gangster.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a hit with fans and audiences.
In fact, it generated a sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) which is set for release in 2023.
Considering that “Part One” is in its title, it’s probable that there will be at least a third film, making Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a trilogy.
Until then, however, the total number of released Spider-Man films is nine.
Will There Be A Fourth Spider-Man Movie In The MCU?
Due to the complication of Sony owning Spider-Man’s film rights and Tom Holland’s desire to take a break from acting for a time, some fans are wondering if there’s ever going to be a fourth Spider-Man film.
According to Kevin Feige, who is essentially the mastermind behind the MCU, there is going to be a Spider-Man 4.
Since they’ve used Holland’s Peter Parker as a way to deal with some of the ripples of other MCU films as well as to jettison the MCU into a new direction, there’s no telling what’s in store for Parker if that’s the case.
Some even wonder if Parker’s love interest, MJ, might end up suiting up and joining him on his adventures.
Fans will have to wait, however, as the MCU will need to continue to build up its next story arch with all its returning and new characters.
Do You Need To Watch The Spider-Man Movies In Order?
If you’re new to Spider-Man or the MCU, then you may wonder if you need to watch the previous films before starting with Holland as Spider-Man.
While the first two sets of Spider-Man films don’t influence the MCU, it’s still a good idea to watch them.
This is because, thanks to its interest in the multiverse, the MCU has now connected Holland’s Spider-Man to the previous two iterations of Spider-Man.
As such, if you want to appreciate the reveal and weight of the moment, it’s a good idea to watch Maguire’s and Garfield’s films before venturing into the Holland films.
To watch them in order, you’ll need to start with Tobey Maguire’s first Spider-Man movie.
Once you’re done watching that trilogy, then you’ll need to watch Andrew Garfield’s two films as The Amazing Spider-Man.
Then you’re able to start watching Holland’s film.
For a complete Spider-Man viewing, however, you should actually start your journey by watching Holland’s first appearance as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
Then you’ll need to watch Avengers: Infinity War after watching Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Right after Infinity War, you’ll need to watch Avengers: Endgame.
At long last, you can return to watching the Spider-Man films by watching Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is its own universe, you can watch that whenever you want.
The order thus goes:
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 3
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
- Captain America: Civil War
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
For a complete understanding of what’s going on in Holland’s Spider-Man universe, it’s worth watching all of the MCU films in order.
Otherwise, watching Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, is going to be very confusing.
Why Does Peter Parker Use Web-Shooters In Some Of The Movies And Not In Others?
To general fans of Spider-Man, they do not realize the difference between Peter’s web-generating powers.
To hardcore fans, however, the fact that some Peters use web-shooters while others have an organic web-generating ability was quite controversial.
However, there’s a reason different Peter Parkers have different web-generation abilities.
In the comics, after Peter gets bitten by a radioactive spider, he gains several new abilities.
He gains unique senses, super strength, agility, hardiness, and several other skills.
He does not get the ability to generate webs.
Taking inspiration from his new abilities and the fact that a spider bit him, Peter designs his own web-generating shooters.
This was to show off Peter’s intellect.
While Peter is a web-slinging hero with a lot of strength, he’s also incredibly smart.
That’s downplayed at times in the MCU’s version, but the films do give him a few moments to shine.
The fact that Tony Stark took him on as a mentee indicates that he recognized Peter’s sharp intellect.
There are also several hints in his room and school hobbies that indicate that Peter’s sharp-minded.
He also invents things on the fly.
In the span of the recent Spider-Man movies, Andrew Garfield’s and Tom Holland’s Peters both use web-shooters.
They design them themselves and make a unique fluid that’s similar to the sticky nature of cobwebs.
It’s Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, however, that uses organic web-generating material.
In his films, Peter can generate webs from his own body.
This is also a nod to the comics.
In some of the comic book story arcs, Peter can generate webs organically.
As such, both versions are correct.
What Movies Are In The Spider-Man Universe?
Since Sony owns Spider-Man and all related entities, it’s a bit complex to know which characters might show up in the MCU and which ones don’t count.
You might go see a movie thinking that you might see them in an MCU movie only to discover that you won’t.
That’s because Sony has also been attempting to make its own Spider-Man universe to obtain the same sort of success that Disney is with the MCU.
However, since they’re only able to make movies showing characters directly related to Spider-Man and his comics, there are only a few directions that they can take.
Here are the movies set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
1. Silk
Silk is an upcoming TV series released by Amazon that features Cindy Moon.
Cindy Moon was a classmate of Peter Parker’s who found herself bitten by a radioactive spider as well.
Unfortunately, when her abilities emerged, Ezekiel Sims approached her to train her.
She accepted his help but found herself locked up instead.
Peter Parker eventually discovers what happened to her and frees her.
He trains her, himself, and she ends up becoming the superhero known as Silk.
At first, Silk was going to be a movie, but it has since transitioned into a TV series.
Amazon has the distribution rights, but due to the slowdown of the COVID pandemic, the show hasn’t progressed into production or filming yet.
2. Kraven The Hunter
This movie is set for release in 2023.
It features the villain Kraven, a famous hunter from Russia, who often finds himself allied with other Spider-Man villains like Doc Ock, Mysterio, and Vulture.
With his hunting abilities, he intends to hunt down Spider-Man and end him for good.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play Kraven and other actors, like Russel Crowe, Fred Hechinger, Ariana DeBosse, and Alessandro Nivola are also expected to be in the film.
3. Morbius
Morbius was released in 2022 and didn’t receive the greatest ratings among critics or fans.
It featured Jared Leto as Michael Morbius.
The character suffers from a disease and ends up becoming a living vampire in an attempt to cure his disease.
Although the movie itself didn’t seem to fit into the Spider-Man universe, Sony productions assured everyone that there was a Spider-Man in the film.
However, due to its box office failure, it’s unsure if Morbius will ever have a more direct interaction with Spider-Man or not.
4. Venom
One of the big successes in Sony’s Spider-Man universe was Venom.
It was released in 2018 and featured Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom.
The film featured Eddie Brock’s descent into near madness as he came to terms as a host to the Venom symbiote.
The character became a sort of anti-hero.
Many fans wonder if Venom will eventually crossover into the MCU or if a different Spider-Man will feature in one of the future Venom films.
5. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
The sequel to Venom was released in 2021.
Hardy returned as Eddie and Venom who found themselves pitted against the serial killer Cletus Kasady.
Kasady, played by Woody Harrelson, is host to the symbiote known as Carnage.
Once again, Venom appeared as an anti-hero rather than a villain or hero.
The film was another success and Venom 3 is already in the works.
Conclusion
There are several Spider-Man movies with each phase having its own directors and stars portraying Peter Parker.
With the involvement of the MCU and Sony’s Spider-Man universe, there are likely going to be even more Spider-Man films in the future.
At the very least, fans can enjoy other Spider-Man universe characters like Venom and Kraven in the near future.
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