From Spider Man (2002) to Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), the Spider Man movies have had some amazing fight scenes. There have been 10 theatrical Spider-Man films between 2002 and 2023, all of which brought something different to the character’s cinematic legacy. In those two decades, different versions of Spider-Man have faced multiple versions of classic Spider-Man villains in some incredible action sequences that will forever be associated with the character.
Spider-Man’s first theatrical film featured only one villain, the Green Goblin. Spider-Man’s latest film, on the other hand, featured several threats in a multiversal story where everyone Spider-Verse universes were at stake. From simple hand-to-hand combat to larger-than-life sequences, here are the 10 best Spider-Man movie fights, ranked.
10 Peter Parker vs. Flash Thompson
Peter Parker vs. Enter Flash Thompson Spider Man (2002) is obviously not a spectacular Spider-Man fight scene in the same sense as other entries on this list. After all, it’s not about Spider-Man fighting a supervillain. That said, Peter’s brief fight with Flash in Spider Man was a pivotal moment for the film that continues to be referenced to this day. The classic “Peter Parker stands up to his bully” trope is present in almost every Spider-Man adaptation, and Sam Raimi managed to portray it in a clever and visually interesting way. Slow motion may feel like it was too much, but it suited the tone of the film.
9 Spider-Man Vs. Mysterio’s Illusions
Spider Man: Far from home took the character in a very different direction compared to other Spider-Man films. E.g, Far from home takes place almost entirely away from New York. However, Far from home had in the Mysterio illusions one of the most comically-accurate depictions of a Spider-Man villain fighting style. Perhaps a Mysterio adaptation made in the early 2000s wouldn’t have worked as well as Jake Gyllenhaal’s version did. Spider Man: Far from home‘s stunning visual effects combined with the clever idea that Mysterio was essentially using “VFX tricks” led to an incredible sequence where Spider-Man was confronted by Mysterio’s illusions.
8 Spider-Man Vs. Electro’s final battle
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 may have had a lot of problems, but the film still had some of the most visually stunning Spider-Man sequences in the entire history of the character. The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s opening sequence set the tone for how good the film would look, which would later culminate in Spider-Man vs. The Electro fight at the end of the movie. While Spider-Man fighting Electro in Times Square midway through the movie was also a great moment, The Amazing Spider-Man 2the ending felt even bigger because of how much was at stake. Electro’s theme combined with cartoon-like visuals resulted in a great moment.
7 Spider-Man Vs. The Green Goblin’s final battle
In an age where so many superhero movies lean heavily on the fantastical aspect of these characters, visceral fight scenes that don’t focus on superpowers or CGI spectacle are hard to find. Spider-Man Vs. Green Globin at the end of Spider Man wasn’t interested in showing Peter swinging around or the Green Goblin using all his gadgets. Instead, Spider Manthe ending delivered a visceral, grounded fight, with Peter and Osborn essentially just throwing punches and kicks at each other. There was a sense of weight behind every movement, and not many PG-13 superhero movies have had scenes that showed so much blood.
Willem Dafoe’s intense performance as the Green Goblin also helped build the tension for the final confrontation between the villain and Spider-Man. In addition, one of the reasons why Spider Man (2002) has aged so well is the fact that it had so many practical scenes, from small moments like Peter catching the food before it touched the ground, to the Green Goblin and Spider-Man punching each other. The end of Spider-Man vs. The Green Goblin fight, which sees Peter dodge Norman’s glider and ends with Osborn’s death, is also an iconic moment in its own right.
6 Spider-people fight at Aunt May’s house
Five Spider-People fighting multiple Spider-Man villains in Aunt May’s house sounds like something that would only work in a comic book. Fortunately, Spider Man: Into the spider-verse wasn’t limited by what can and can’t work in a live-action film. Spider-People Vs. The Kingpin’s men fighting at Aunt May’s house highlighted how different the individual Spider characters in the film were, combining a sense of absurdity with the emotional build-up leading up to Prowler’s confrontation with Miles. Multiverse team-ups centered around Spider-Man have become quite common on the big screen, and it all started with this unusual team of Spider-People who Into the spider-verse put together.
5 Spider-Man Vs. Green Globin’s occasional match
Spider Man: No way home addressed a lot of complaints about the MCU’s Spider-Man, including the lack of hand-to-hand combat between Peter and his villains. Spider-Man and Vulture barely fought each other, and Mysterio never actually faced Spider-Man in real combat. Of course, Spider-Man fought some of the Avengers Captain America: Civil War as well as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Yet the MCU’s Peter still lacked a visceral, grounded fight that the character often encounters in the comics. Fortunately, Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin in Happy’s apartment exactly what the character was missing.
Spider-Man angrily punching Norman Osborn was unlike anything the MCU had done with the character up to that point. The Green Goblin hadn’t yet killed Aunt May, but Peter’s Spider-Sense could tell that something terrible could happen at any moment. Dafoe’s performance as the Green Goblin once again elevated what was already a fantastic, well-choreographed fight. Oddly enough, the two most grounded and violent Spider-Man movie battles featured Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, even though they took place in completely different universes.
4 Spider-Man Vs. Kingpin
Into the spider-verse offered a giant Ultimate-style Green Goblin, interdimensional portals, and multiple Spider-Men from across the multiverse. But the film’s best fight was a relatively simple confrontation between Spider-Man and the Kingpin. Miles had finally become Spider-Man after the iconic leap of faith scene, and Fisk couldn’t have been angrier after his plan to find a new family in the multiverse failed. Fisk’s wrath combined with the multiverse collapsing in the background made for a high-stakes battle that felt both fantastical and grounded. Into the spider-verse‘s Kingpin design paid off in this scene, with Fisk feeling like a threat even though Miles was the one with superpowers.
3 Three Spider-Men Vs. Multiverse villains
Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland all play their respective versions of Spider-Man in a scene that also features Alfred Molinas’ Dock Ock, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, and CG renditions of the Sandman and the Lizard sounded like an absurd concept. However, No way home made it work. The expectation until No way home potentially with the three cinematic Spider-Men created a difficult challenge for the film. Fortunately, No way home did not disappoint and had everything that longtime Spider-Man fans had dreamed of seeing. Despite being short, the three Spider-Men vs. The “Sinister Five” scene will forever be remembered as a classic Spider-Man moment.
2 Spider-Man Vs. Spider Society
To see the Spider Society in Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse was exciting in itself. Across the Spider-Verse‘s Spider-Man variants, as well as all the Easter eggs for Spider-Man’s pop culture legacy, raised Into the spider-verse sequel and made it an instant classic superhero movie. All these elements culminated in the scene where Miles has to run away from the Spider-Society. It was an incredible experience to follow Miles as he outsmarted hundreds of Spider-People, and while there weren’t many individual battles, the sequence itself is one of the best Spider-Man movie action scenes ever made.
1 Spider-Man Vs. Doc Ock’s Train Fight
Spider Man 2 widely regarded as one of the best Spider-Man films of all time, as well as one of the best superhero films in general. Sam Raimi brought back everything that worked in the first film and elevated it for the sequel. For example, every action scene in Spider Man 2 felt bigger and bolder than those in Spider Man (2002). Not only did Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus to fight age well, but it can still be considered the best Spider Man fight scene ever put on film. From the moment Spider-Man catches up with Doc Ock until Peter stops the train, Spider Man 2 delivered an instant classic sequence.