Every Spider-Man Movie Ranked Worst To Best

When it comes to superheroes, Spider-Man remains at the top of the pack. Even as discussions surrounding superhero fatigue persist, it becomes clear time and time again that people will show up for a Spider-Man movie no matter what. He represents the best in all of us — someone who struggles with paying the bills and being there for the people he loves while saving the day from an assortment of street-level bad guys and world-threatening supervillains.

It's no surprise to see the web-head has appeared in a ton of movies over the years, going back to the 1970s. Sure, they weren't always great, but the fact that studios keep putting the films out is a testament to this superhero's legacy — assuming, of course, that Spider-Man is actually present in your Spider-Man movie. On this ranking of every Spider-Man movie ranked worst to best, we're also including movies about Spidey villains even if the web-slinger isn't actually there, for reasons that continue to remain baffling.

We're also adding team-up films where Spider-Man isn't the main character but has a role of some kind. For those, we'll be ranking them based on their Spidey scenes as opposed to taking into account the overall quality of the entire movie. Basically, if it's a movie and has Spider-Man involved, even tangentially, it's on this list.

Remember how we said people will always show up for a Spider-Man movie? Yeah, that only applies if the movie in question actually features Spider-Man as opposed to his rogues gallery. For some reason, Sony thought it would be a brilliant idea to produce Spider-Man villain spinoff movies that don't actually feature the web-slinger. Most of them were just awful, and easily, the worst of the bunch is 2022's "Morbius."

Critics weren't kind to "Morbius" for a reason: It's the definition of a generic comic book movie where Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) cures himself of a rare blood disease but becomes a vampire in the process. Character motivations are all over the place, especially when it comes to Michael's brother, Milo (Matt Smith), who takes the cure too and becomes evil. Why does he become evil? Because the movie needs a big, boring battle to close things out.

Just when you think the whole thing will mercifully end, we get one of the most confusing post-credits scenes in cinematic history. Vulture (Michael Keaton) from "Spider-Man: Homecoming" gets sent to Morbius' universe and wants to form a team. He thinks all this multiversal madness has something to do with Spider-Man, even though he liked his version of Spider-Man (Tom Holland) enough to keep his secret identity hidden at the end of "Homecoming." The Marvel Cinematic Universe has its flaws, but at least some care is taken in fleshing out that interconnected franchise. Sony just threw a bunch of nonsense at the wall and waited to see what stuck (hint: nothing).

In 2021, X user @topherflorence coined the term "Surf Dracula," about how modern media is so focused on giving audiences a character's backstory that it neglects to say anything interesting about the character at all. "Madame Web" is a Surf Dracula through and through.

In the comics, Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) is a clairvoyant with the ability to see into the future and connect Spider-Man to other realities. However, the "Madame Web" movie forces us to see how she got those powers in the first place, as she tries to save the lives of three young women who are destined to become spider-based heroes. That's right; it's not just Madame Web who gets the Surf Dracula treatment, but three future Spider-Women. A movie where an elderly Madame Web assists three Spider-Women in their crusade against crime has potential, but that gets squandered here. 

The whole movie has a certain level of incompetence to it. There's incredibly poor ADR where the lips don't match up with what a person is saying. And there are huge gaps in logic, as when Webb just leaves the three girls she's supposed to be protecting so that she can fly to the Amazon for an extended subplot while a madman is still on the loose. 

To make matters even worse, 2024's "Madame Web" gets the closest of any of the Sony spinoffs to introducing Spider-Man, since it introduces Ben Parker (Adam Scott) and a pregnant Mary Parker (Emma Roberts). But it still falls short: When someone asks Mary what she plans on naming her kid, we don't even hear her say "Peter." These movies feel scared to introduce any variant of Spider-Man, which makes them feel even more disposable. 

Is it unfair to litter the bottom of this list with Sony spinoff movies? Perhaps. One could certainly argue that some earlier Spider-Man efforts were far worse. But those at least feasibly have the benefit of much lower budgets and weren't specifically designed to squeeze every last penny out of the Spider-Man brand sorely to please shareholders. 

2024's "Kraven the Hunter" ranks higher than some others because the best thing we can say about it is that after its failure, Sony paused all future Spider-Man spinoff films. It may have been bad, but it was at least so bad it stopped this machine in its tracks. That being said; it's still awful. The first act of the movie runs at a snail's pace as it unveils Kraven's elongated backstory. In the comics, he's just an amazing hunter whose skills have been sharpened through a lifetime of training. Here, a magic lion blood subplot explains his prowess in the field and his ability to communicate with animals. 

He becomes an anti-hero, tracking down a list of even worse guys. This leads to a gauntlet of villains Kraven has to face, including Rhino (Alessandro Nivola) and the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott). It's hard for the film to build up any momentum when it feels like it has to reset every 20 minutes or so with a new threat. "Kraven the Hunter" proves Spider-Man's villains are interesting when they exist in conversation with the web-head. Alone, there's not much to offer.

Spider-Man is a superhero who truly came to benefit from advancements in CGI. Things were still pretty primitive in 1977 when CBS released the made-for-TV movie, "Spider-Man," which also functioned as the pilot for the live-action series to follow. There's a certain retro charm to the whole affair, but as a proper Spider-Man story, it leaves a lot to be desired. 

It'd be one thing if the movie simply cut out Spidey's web-slinging. That would be understandable. But the film also removes Uncle Ben from the narrative. Therefore, Peter Parker (Nicholas Hammond) gets bitten by a radioactive spider, gains spider powers, and then fights crimes just because he feels like it. There's no emotional crux of Peter feeling like he has to make the city better in honor of his uncle. And instead of drawing from Spidey's rich rogues' gallery, the film brings in the Guru (Thayer David), who uses mind control to get average New Yorkers to commit crimes. 

Most of the film winds up feeling nonsensical, and there's a severe clash in tones. You can feel as though the creative forces behind the scenes want to take Spider-Man seriously, but then he'll sneeze and alert some goons to his presence. It's a neat pop culture curio, but for modern audiences, they'll probably be bored silly watching it today. 

Out of all of the Sony spinoff movies, the Venom franchise at least felt like it knew its place. At their best, they could function as campy fun, with the dynamic between Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the Venom symbiote offering some fun when everything else felt flat. But the Venom trilogy ended with a whimper with 2024's "Venom: The Last Dance," which promises a conclusion but bafflingly makes the decision to promise more to come (that never came to fruition).

A large chunk of the movie is devoted to exposition involving Knull (Andy Serkis), creator of the symbiotes, who sends a bunch of Xenophages to Earth to kill Venom and acquire a Codex within him that'll free Knull from his prison. You might be wondering if you missed something in the previous two Venom films that established all of that, but you didn't. The third chapter decides to introduce an all-powerful cosmic force, namely Knull, and does nothing with him. It almost feels as though the movie's setting up Knull to be a Thanos-like figure in an eventual Sony team-up movie with all of these secondary and tertiary Spider-Man characters, but that never happened.

"Venom: The Last Dance" should have been a fitting swan song for this lovely dysfunctional duo. Instead, it adds so much lore and set pieces designed to be paid off later that the whole thing becomes too bloated for its own good. On top of everything else, the movie wastes an awesome villain like Knull, who will hopefully get redemption later in the MCU. 

When Christopher Orr reviewed 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" for The Atlantic, he wrote that the best thing about it was that it only took director Marc Webb "two films to reach the same exhausted, exhausting endpoint that [Sam] Raimi required three to achieve." Which is mean. Accurate, but still mean. But also accurate.

Like "Spider-Man 3," Webb's second "Amazing Spider-Man" entry has too many bad guys. There's Jamie Foxx as Electro, Dane DeHaan as Green Goblin, and Paul Giamatti ... kind of as the Rhino? He encounters Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) early in the film as a gunman but doesn't show up as the Rhino literally until the last few minutes. Rather than the Hulk-sized baddie from the comics, he's just a dude in a big mech suit, and the movie ends without any resolution to his battle with Spider-Man.

"Amazing Spider-Man 2" feels like what it's a film whose potential is spoiled primarily by the focus on setting up sequels and other franchises. Foxx is great as Electro — as "No Way Home" proves — and if the film instead focused on the conflict between him and Spider-Man, Garfield might still be wearing the red and blue. Instead, the filmmakers were so focused on planting seeds for future projects, they didn't realize they were stomping all over what was already growing. 

Arguably, it was for the best. If "Amazing Spider-Man 2" hadn't been a failure, Sony probably wouldn't have been as receptive to the idea of partnering with Marvel Studios and the letting ol' webhead come home.

There is at least one Spider-Man adaptation that doesn't feature fit young men like Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland: the Australian-made parody "Italian Spiderman." YouTube was blessed with the first trailer for "Italian Spiderman" in 2007, and viewers were treated to a chubby, trumpet-playing, dancing, smoking, and occasionally flying version of Spider-Man who freaks out over toy snakes. The roar of some kind of wild cat regularly accompanies clips of "action" scenes, which could mean Italian Spiderman chasing the villain in the Wrestler mask, or it could mean the "hero" punching out the woman he just defended from a couple of cat-calling jerks.

The trailer appeared to be just a parody of foreign films using American characters without permission, like 1973's "3 Dev Adam" (which featured Spider-Man and Captain America) or 1987's Hindi "Superman." No one imagined an "Italian Spiderman" film would actually be made, but in May 2008 the first episode of 10 was uploaded to YouTube. All told, "Italian Spiderman" was just over 45 minutes long and ends on a cliffhanger.  Every second is as wonderfully ridiculous as the trailer. "Italian Spiderman" director Dario Russo went on to make the Australian action comedy "Danger 5," which starred and was co-created by David Ashby, the same mustachioed maniac roaring through "Italian Spiderman" as the hero.

"Italian Spiderman" would be a contender for the top spot on this list if it were an official Spider-Man vehicle. It isn't dead last, simply because it's not "Morbius."

Though Venom's origin was divorced from his comic book beginnings for 2018's "Venom," the symbiote is still firmly in Peter Parker's world — so much so that "Venom" director Ruben Fleischer called a Venom vs. Spidey confrontation "inevitable." Even with the white version of the Spidey logo missing from Venom's chest, it's difficult to look at those eyes without seeing more maniacal versions of the eyes on Spider-Man's mask. 

"Venom" is not the best movie ever made, and the critics noticed. In spite of the marketing arguing that "the world doesn't need another superhero," one of the more common criticisms of "Venom" was a formulaic script. Sure, Venom eats people, and sure, once Eddie Brock starts talking back to Venom, he has the tendency to seem less Superman and more Son of Sam, but regardless, "Venom" feels like a standard superhero flick. But audiences didn't seem to care. Old and new fans filled seats and broke ticket sales records. 

At the end of the day, formula-driven or not, "Venom" accomplishes its goals. Tom Hardy and his CG half create a genuine, interesting dynamic, and while the CGI isn't always perfect — it's surprising so much advertising includes the shot of Venom's tongue licking a criminal's face, considering it's one of the least convincing CG shots in the film — some of the effects shots are incredible, and it's a fun flick.

The original "Venom" had all the warning signs of a disaster. Reshoots, out-of-left-field stars who ran the risk of being overwhelmed by wild comic book material, a main character who would be almost entirely CGI — but then the film somehow emerged all that as an enormous, unexpected hit. All the eccentric mugging, the disturbingly dark humor, the not-really-the-comics dynamic between Eddie and Venom make it feel more like "All of Me" as a horror film rather than a superhero popcorn flick — it gives "Venom" a unique flavor that makes it stand out from all those other comic book flicks.

So you could be given for feeling déjà vu when you sat down to watch the sequel. How could they ever re-capture that anarchic, seemingly spontaneous, over-the-top vibe so perfectly set by Tom Hardy's body-be-damned performance as a ragdoll for an alien symbiote? Somehow, they did it — and arguably, even better.

2021's "Let There Be Carnage" is a slimmed-down, cut-the-fat sequel that steps on the gas in its opening sequence and never relents. Woody Harrelson is clearly having so much fun updating his "Natural Born Killers" persona for the comic book age, Stephen Graham chews some great scenery as a hardboiled cop, and Naomie Harris is a blast as Shriek. But once again, it is Hardy who shines, giving a performance that is quickly making his Eddie Brock downright iconic. 

If you love superhero movies, you have to love "Let there Be Carnage." If you love watching unbridled madness, you have to love "Carnage." And if you've ever dreamed of watching a head-chomping alien symbiote take the stage during an LGBTQ-pride rave and rant about its toxic relationship with a sweaty guy who feeds him chickens, well ... you should probably tell your therapist. Seriously. Oh, and be sure to watch the end credits — where you'll finally see this Venom's universe crossover into Spidey's.

It's honestly amazing the 1970s Japanese Spider-Man TV show exists. He's one of the best alternate universe Spider-Men to ever exist because of how little he has to do with his comic book counterpart. He's basically Spider-Man in name only, receiving his powers from a dying alien from Planet Spider who gives motocross racer Takuya Yamashiro (Shinji Tōdō) the abilities of a spider. He also has a sick leopard-inspired mech to fight kaiju. 

The TV series ran for 41 episodes, but there was a 1978 movie amidst all of that, albeit one that only ran for 24 minutes. Unlike other TV movies, it's not like there's anything to really differentiate it from a standard TV episode. There's a generic plot where the villains are trying to sabotage oil tankers with the help of a mechanical swordfish monster, and Spider-Man has to save the day. 

Let us repeat that: Spider-Man fights a mechanical swordfish monster. That makes it worth a watch in our book. It's so bizarre you almost can't look away, and while it doesn't represent the best of what Spider-Man has to offer, it's a neat oddity. 

As the first MCU entry to follow "Avengers: Endgame," 2019's "Spider-Man: Far from Home" not only had a tough act to follow, it had a lot more jobs than "Spider-Man: Homecoming." While "Homecoming" is also connected to the MCU, it didn't need to accomplish anything specific in terms of the larger narrative. "Far from Home" pulls double duty — it needs to tell its own story as well as act as kind of an unofficial epilogue to "Avengers: Endgame."

It answers the bothersome questions arising from the "blip," and usually does it in humorous ways that further Peter's (Tom Holland) story, like the young Brad (Remy Hii) who grows from freshman to stud during the five-year span between "Infinity War" and "Endgame" and now acts as Peter's rival for MJ's (Zendaya) affections. And it still manages to be a funny, suspenseful, and emotional film all on its own.

Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as the deceptive Quentin Beck, and the revelation that he and his followers are disgruntled Stark employees is brilliant. Really, all the surprise reveals of "Far from Home" are done well, and they are, for the most part, genuinely surprising. It likely doesn't shock anyone that Mysterio is a bad guy, though few probably guessed exactly who he was. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) being unmasked as Skrulls, Spidey's secret identity broadcast to the masses, and (perhaps most of all) the crowd-pleasing return of J.K. Simmons to the role of J. Jonah Jameson — they're all handled perfectly.

"Avengers: Endgame" doesn't feature a ton of Spider-Man, which is why it ranks relatively low on this list of the best Spider-Man movies. Again, we're focusing on Spidey's involvement here and not the film as a whole. But even though Tom Holland's Peter Parker doesn't show up until way later in the film, he makes the most of his limited role. 

Peter had one of the most heartbreaking lines in "Avengers: Infinity War," which Tom Holland improvised, when he turns to dust following Thanos' (Josh Brolin) snap. He tells Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) "I don't want to go," and it's hard not to imagine that his disappearance inspired Tony to figure out time travel so that the Avengers could bring everyone back. They succeed, and it was a glorious moment in the movie theater to behold seeing Spider-Man coming through that portal. 

Sadly, Peter's reunion with Tony is brief, as the latter sacrifices his life to defeat Thanos and his army once and for all. From there, we pretty much get the inverse of the "Infinity War" ending where now, Peter has to say goodbye to Tony. Even with only a few scenes, Holland proves why he's a great fit for Spider-Man: he's had many mentors to guide him down a better path, and unfortunately, he's had to watch most of them die. 

You couldn't say Andrew Garfield's first shot in Spidey's red-and-blue getup received universal praise, but it's certainly better received than its sequel. "The Amazing Spider-Man" showed up five years after Tobey Maguire hung up the tights, and while it's good, it never quite manages to escape the strangeness of a franchise rebooted while its predecessor was still relatively fresh in the culture's collective mind. "The Amazing Spider-Man" has to walk a tightrope of being different enough from the Maguire films that it distinguishes itself, but not so different that it's polarizing and unrecognizable.

There are definitely some benefits of the reboot for comics purists. "The Amazing Spider-Man" jettisons the hero's organic web-shooters and makes it so Parker himself invented mechanical one for his crimefighting. Rather than tacking on a halfhearted Gwen Stacy as Sam Raimi did in "Spider-Man 3," Emma Stone stars as the doomed love interest from the get-go.

You can argue back and forth about whether Garfield or Maguire was better as ol' webhead, but there's at least one way in which Garfield's portrayal simply is superior, and there's no argument: he's funny. Now, Raimi's "Spider-Man" films have lots of humor, but Maguire's Peter Parker is never very funny himself. At least not intentionally. One of Spidey's defining characteristics is his wisecracking in the face of danger. That's something Garfield delivers on, and it goes a long way toward making "The Amazing Spider-Man" feel more authentic to the comics.

Some might say "Spider-Man 3" should be further down the list, but we're here to argue it's far better than most give it credit for. Yes, it winds up feeling bloated, mostly due to Venom's (Topher Grace) addition. But the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) scenes are great. The sequence where Flint Marko gets trapped in the particle accelerator and has to reassemble his body out of sand is truly touching. The score is marvelous in that scene, and the fact that he's only able to reform his body when he looks at a picture of his daughter — that's better than certain entire movies on this list. 

Other things are definitely cringey. Harry Osborn (James Franco) getting amnesia for a big chunk of the runtime makes the story feel like a soap opera. And even though the internet has made fun of Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) emo dance ad nauseam, it's not actually that embarrassing. In fact, it's supposed to be awkward, because Peter simply doesn't know what it means to be cool and has to improvise. 

And the ending really saves it. Peter and Harry make amends, officially wrapping the Green Goblin arc, while Peter forgives Flint Marko for his role in Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson) death. They don't make superhero movies like this anymore, and that final dance between Peter and MJ (Kirsten Dunst) is a heartwarming scene to close out Sam Raimi's trilogy. 

Even though "Avengers: Infinity War" has a slew of characters crammed into its epic runtime, Spider-Man's arc is one of the movie's best. Exiting a school bus to fight alongside Iron Man and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), he soon finds himself headed into deep space. Taking Spider-Man to fight on another world is a great way to elevate Spidey, taking him from a street-level hero (your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man) to a more sizable character within this cinematic universe.

Peter also has great moments and jokes, like referring to "Aliens" as a really old movie in front of the much older Iron Man and Strange. Of course, his most notable scene comes at the end, when he hugs Iron Man as he's fading away. It's an absolute gut punch. We're already seen plenty of heroes dusted by that point, but to see Spider-Man, many people's favorite, go away was devastating. 

The fact that "Spider-Man: Far From Home" was announced before he even came back in "Avengers: Endgame" does take away from the emotional catharsis a little bit. But Spider-Man is vital to "Infinity War." He's the physical manifestation of Tony's goal of protecting the Earth. He represents the next evolution of Earth's mightiest heroes — and then he's gone.

When you consider all the demands placed upon "Spider-Man: No Way Home," it's a minor Marvel miracle that the film turned out as well as it did. As the third Tom Holland "Home" film, it needed to bring closure to that trilogy. It also needed to set the stage for a new era of the MCU grappling with the multiverse, juggle over a dozen main characters, and then drop in cameos featuring familiar faces from other studios (Doctor Strange), other movies (Venom), and even other "Spider-Man" series.

The result is a fast-paced, audience-approved blockbuster that keeps the fan service zooming at you as frequently as the "thwip" of webs. Jamie Foxx redeems a flat, unfunny character with his refreshed take on Electro, Willem Dafoe reminds us how much we've missed his demented cackle, and Alfred Molina shines as a Doc Ock newly confused about whether he should still want to kill a Peter Parker he doesn't even recognize — but it's Tom Holland who truly shines, bringing newfound depth to his character in the face of tragedy, then starting anew as we watch his growth and anticipate a more mature, stripped-down Spider-Man.

Sure, the script doesn't always hold up to close scrutiny. But at the end of the day, it's impossible to not get chills when Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man gets a second chance, tears in your eyes when Peter and MJ say goodbye, or cheer when three Spider-Men swing into action together atop the Statue of Liberty. If your tingle thing tells you that this is the most fun "Spider-Man" movie ever made, it's unlikely anybody would argue the point.

Tom Holland is Spider-Man. With his fearlessness and confidence in his heroic abilities, contrasted with his awkward insecurity when it comes to facing any other aspect of his life, his desperate need to please Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and that all-important snarky bravado, neither of the other two 21st-century Spider-Man actors so embody exactly what we think of when we think of Peter Parker.  

By dialing down the age of the actor, we get a much better, more authentic look at what it's like for Peter to be a superhero and a teenager. And unlike the Tobey Maguire Parker, who was almost completely friendless, Holland has his own small circle of outcasts — but the fact that he has friends highlights exactly how alone he is when he puts on the suit. The same can be said of Iron Man's involvement in the story. Knowing that Holland's Spidey exists in the same world as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) makes it feel that much more precarious for the young hero when he's the only one trying to take down the Vulture, even though it's all of those other heroes' stuff the guy's trying to steal.

The casting of Michael Keaton as the Vulture adds a nice bit of brilliance. Keaton plays villains well, and more directors should cast him as bad guys. Not to mention that Keaton's involvement with "Birdman" — and that film's director's less-than-generous views on superhero films — makes it that much more delicious that Marvel Studios cast the "Batman" star as another winged, costumed dude.

One of many movies that killed a planned cinematic universe, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" wasn't a box office flop, but it underperformed and wasn't particularly well received. And it still isn't, given it's placement on this list. But rather than continue with Andrew Garfield's franchise, Sony pivoted hard and was finally willing to play ball with Marvel Studios, allowing them to introduce a new version of Spider-Man into the already established MCU. 

Tom Holland's Spidey makes his debut in "Captain America: Civil War" and what an entrance it is. Much of the movie centers on an ideological divide between Iron Man and Captain America (Chris Evans), leading to a major battle between two teams of heroes two-thirds into the film. Tony fills out his roster with Spider-Man, a young upstart hero from Queens, establishing Tony's mentor relationship with Peter Parker that would be fleshed out further in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." It was a great way to bring in this new Spider-Man, who's already been fighting crime with a while and is trying to find his place in a world already populated by heroes. 

"Civil War" did exactly what it needed to do by introducing a new Spider-Man so soon after "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." It showed that Tom Holland could bring the necessary pathos and humor to the role, and that he could play brilliantly off all the pre-existing MCU characters. 

With the glut of superhero movies we see today, it's easy to forget how important the first "Spider-Man," released in 2002, was to everything that followed. "X-Men" had been released two years before, and "Blade" two years before that. But "Blade" was a grittier, more violent superhero and the X-Men had a cool rebel vibe unique to the franchise. And of course they were all dressed in black leather. 

"Spider-Man" was the first 21st century superhero movie success to feature a more traditional crimefighting hero in bright red and blue. Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) coming-of-age story proved that the less edgy superheroes like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America could thrive on the big screen under the right direction. 

It wasn't perfect, but it created the framework every Spider-Man movie that followed — including the ones with Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield — would need to reference. Even its mistakes served to improve all the superhero movies that came after. Perhaps the biggest fault of "Spider-Man" is that the filmmakers went out of their way to cast the brilliant Willem Dafoe and then stuck him in a green plastic helmet that made him look like a "Power Rangers" villain. Every time you notice how relatively dynamic Ryan Reynolds' mask is in "Deadpool" or its sequels? Those are lessons learned from "Spider-Man." 

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is to American feature animation what "The Matrix" was to the action blockbuster back in 1999 — a masterpiece of pop art that pushed the limits of its medium, inspired a string of imitators, and became the benchmark by which they were judged. There's before "Into the Spider-Verse," and there's after "Into the Spider-Verse." The success of its expressionistic, comic book-influenced visuals and the remarkable artistry and technology that brought them to life has encouraged other animation studios to get more creative and ambitious, putting an end to the tired, homogenous era of Hollywood animation that's so long resisted growing beyond the formulas of Pixar and DreamWorks.

So it's only appropriate that its sequel, 2023's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," would be, essentially, its "The Matrix Reloaded." It's a colossal, visually dazzling endeavor that expands the world(s) of the original both outward and inward, pushing the technological envelope, challenging audience preconceptions, and making us wait months to see how the damn thing ends. The action is even bigger and arguably better, and the stakes and emotions are higher, but the story ends in a cliffhanger and is left incomplete, and therefore hard to judge on its own merits.

Compared to the first film, "Across the Spider-Verse" is heavy stuff. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is growing up, and his secret double life is complicating his future and his relationship with his family, which is the beating heart of the movie. While the eye-popping action and a gajillion Spider-People are the film's most obvious draws, it's the intimacy of the personal drama among Miles, his parents (Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Vélez), and Spider-Woman Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) that really brings this one home.

With decades of movies under his belt, it wouldn't be surprising if Spider-Man movies dipped in quality after a certain point. Eventually, it might even start to feel like every Spidey story has already been told. But then something like "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" comes along and makes the hero feel fresh again by, ironically enough, taking him back to basics. 

The film opens in a world that has literally forgotten Peter Parker. He goes it alone in his drab apartment, spending all his time as Spider-Man and not enough as Peter. But several events, including the emotional trauma of seeing MJ and Ned again, causes changes in his body. He develops organic webs shooters and his senses are enhanced to almost painful levels, all while he's trying to track down a dangerous telepath. 

"Brand New Day" feels like it gets the closest to recapturing that Sam Raimi magic from the 2000s Spider-Man films, as Peter genuinely struggles with powers he doesn't fully understand. More than anything, "Brand New Day" feels like the most lived-in MCU film to date, as Peter goes to the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) for help, gets scientific advice from Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and contends with the fearsome powers of future X-Men charter member Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). 

Tom Holland's fourth solo film in the costume confirms that Spider-Man is now rightfully the focal point of the MCU. So many characters can converge naturally through him, and "Brand New Day" sets up numerous exciting plot points for future MCU Spidey flicks to follow up. And it doesn't seem like the world is going to get tired of Spider-Man anytime soon. 

There are many differences between 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and the 2014 comic book event, "Spider-Verse," it's loosely based on. One thing it has in common is the cast of parallel-reality Spider-heroes (though the comic book version had a ton more), and another is the delight it takes in the medium of comics and its long history. Not only does "Into the Spider-Verse" feature a teenage hero of color alongside an aging Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), but there's a cartoon pig Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), the anime and manga-inspired SP//dr (Kimiko Glenn), Spider-Gwen, and of course Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir.

Unburdened from live action and from the continuity restraints of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Into the Spider-Verse" is action-packed, hilarious, has a tangible emotional core, and is kid-friendly while still complex enough for adults to appreciate and enjoy. It introduces diversity to the Spidey franchise as naturally as Miles Morales swinging from one building to the next. And if you didn't tear up a little at Stan Lee's cameo or laugh your head off at the post-credits scene, thaw your frozen heart already.

Before Tom Hiddleston won audiences' hearts as Loki, few movie supervillains were simultaneously as ruthless, brutal, and sympathetic as Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus. Visually, he manages to be both more human than the Green Goblin and more menacing. While it may look a little choppy compared to today's effects, in 2004 the extended battle between Doc Ock and Spidey on a moving train is intense and amazing.

As a middle chapter, "Spider-Man 2" hits all the right notes. The conflict between the life Peter wants and the one his life as a hero demands, the revelations Harry Osborn comes to about his best friend and his father, and the setup for the next (disappointing) chapter are executed perfectly. Since visual effects are so important to superhero films, this might not be so true today, but in 2004, "Spider-Man 2" felt like a movie made just to show everyone else exactly what a superhero movie should be. 

"Spider-Man 2" is also the film that feels like it understands the character best. The entire movie finds Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker grappling with his dual identities, eventually surrendering the mantle of Spider-Man so that he can have a normal life for once. But he has a responsibility to do good in the world. It's not a matter of picking one identity over another, but instead finding a balance between the two, as exemplified when he removes his mask for Doc Ock to appeal to his humanity and get him to destroy his miniature sun. With an amazing villain, action set pieces that continue to impress, and a powerful story on the burden of heroism, "Spider-Man 2" is easily the best Spidey film of all time, and it's hard to imagine anything else ever unseating it.