Spider-Man, in contrast to his other superhero friends, is so much more than the mask. The 10 cinematic adventures released in the 21st century have all leaned hard on exploring the essence of a good-hearted geek who gets great power courtesy of a spider bite. Whether played by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, or Shameik Moore, one thing endures: Spider-Man has to face that with great power (say it with me) comes great responsibility — a burden that’s never easy to bear.
For the sake of history, we’ll note that while Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was the first mainstream theatrical film to star the web-slinger, that movie was preceded by a series of 1970s TV movies cut together from the live-action series starring Nicholas Hammond. Also, around the same time, a Japanese Spider-Man movie was spun off from a Toei Company-produced live-action series, pronounced in Japanese as “Supaidāman.”
However, Peter Parker’s worldwide cinematic history truly began with Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster, a game-changing film not just for the character, but for superhero movies in general. Over two decades later, and we’re still making new Spider-Man movies, with 2026’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day promising a new era for Holland’s version (the current reigning champion of the character, who’s now played Peter in seven separate movies, including Avengers films).
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Over that time, there have been plenty of highs as well as lows — and the highs outnumber the lows by a long shot. No matter how bleak things might get for Spider-Man, there’s almost always a moment that will leave you smiling.
— Liz Shannon Miller
Senior Entertainment Editor