Ultimate Ranking: Every Live-Action Spider-Man Movie and TV Show, From Worst to Best — Including Spider-Noir

Spider- Man has basically been a live-action fixture for half a century, starting with a shoestring CBS pilot in 1977 and now stretching all the way to Nicolas Cage stalking 1930s New York as a trench-coated webhead in 2026. Across three big-screen eras (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland ) and a couple of TV swings, the quality is... not consistent. By the numbers, the U.S.-aired live-action outings land anywhere from a 52% Rotten Tomatoes thud to a couple of shiny 93% highs. With Cage now adding his own multiverse-flavored take on Prime Video, here is where the 10 releases that have actually aired in the U.S. shake out for me.

Quick note before we start: this list goes up through 2026 and only includes projects that have aired. Tom Holland has a fourth movie, 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day, ' slated for this year, but it is not part of the ranking below.

1. The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-1979)

   Nicholas Hammond was the first live-action Peter Parker on CBS, and the pilot did big numbers. The problem was the show that followed: barely any recognizable comic-book villains, lots of generic crooks and mind-control scientists, and effects that looked cheap even then. CBS pulled the plug after 13 episodes. It lands last because it never really embraced the comic book part of 'comic book TV.'

2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

   Andrew Garfield's second round set up a third film that never happened. Marc Webb pits Spidey against Electro (Jamie Foxx) and the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), and adapts the 'Death of Gwen Stacy' arc. There are teases about Peter's parents that go nowhere, and it posted a franchise- low 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sony hit pause on its solo Spidey plans until striking a deal to fold the character into the MCU.

3. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

   The studio insisted Sam Raimi cram in Venom, and you can feel that note all over the movie. The Sandman material works; the Venom thread doesn't. Years later, 'No Way Home' brought back Thomas Haden Church's Sandman and sidestepped this version of Venom entirely, which kind of says it all. Critics put it at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and its 51% audience score is even lower than 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' with fans.

4. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

   Garfield nails a quippier, more comics-accurate Peter, and his chemistry with Emma Stone (Gwen) carries a lot of weight. But critics dinged it for retracing too many beats from Raimi's 2002 film, and The Lizard shifts from tragic to mostly monstrous. It still lands a solid 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the story never quite matches the performances.

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

   Holland's second solo outing sends Peter, MJ, and Ned to Europe, where Elementals wreak havoc and a supposed ally named Mysterio enters the chat. Shocker: the illusionist is the real villain. The good stuff is Peter processing Tony Stark's death and his dynamic with Happy Hogan; the overall storytelling just isn't as sharp as the other two MCU Spidey films. For timeline sanity: as of now, this is the middle chapter of Holland's first three, with a fourth, 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' (yes, a cheeky nod to the comics), due this year.

6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

   The MCU debut finally locks Peter in as the scrappy, neighborhood-scale hero he is on the page. Robert Downey Jr. swings through in mentor mode, and Michael Keaton's Vulture is a top-tier villain with a blue-collar motive who just happens to be Liz Allan's dad. Emotional stakes, character-first storytelling, and a sense that Spider-Man fits better inside the MCU than he did in Sony's solo lane.

7. Spider-Noir (2026)

   Nicolas Cage headlines this Prime Video series, and it is a swing. Set in 1930s New York, the show puts Ben Reilly under the mask as 'The Spider' instead of Peter Parker, reimagining the hero as an older private eye who moonlights as a vigilante. It drops in both black-and-white and color, which is a fun choose-your-flavor release strategy. Reviews are way up there: 91% from critics and 93% with audiences. Easily the strangest, most unpredictable live-action Spider-Man project to date, in a good way.

8. Spider-Man (2002)

   Raimi's first is still a blueprint: a clean origin, the Uncle Ben tragedy, and a pivot straight to Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) instead of Gwen. Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is the perfect first foe, and the movie defines the character on film for an entire generation. If this tone and control had carried into 'Spider-Man 3,' we might have gotten a much different trilogy closer.

9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

   Is it a nostalgia machine? Absolutely. Does it deliver? Also yes. Peter asks Doctor Strange to make the world forget his identity, the spell explodes in his face, and suddenly villains from the Raimi and Webb films crash the party — along with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. It is the most pure-fun Spider-Man movie to date, clocks a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, and nearly hits $2 billion worldwide, which plants it among the highest-grossing superhero films ever.

10. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

    Still the champ. Tobey Maguire fully settles into Peter/Spidey, and Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus is the franchise's best villain — a tragic figure with real weight. Raimi, now trusted by the studio, cuts loose with his signature visual style (you can spot the DNA from his horror days), and the result is a sequel that deepens the character while raising the bar on action. Another 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the rare superhero follow-up that improves on everything.

That is the ride so far: 10 very different live-action takes, from a scrappy TV start to a moody noir detour with Cage. Agree? Disagree? Hit me with your ranking — I can be convinced, but you better bring receipts.