Every Tom Holland Spider-Man Movie, Ranked

Spider-Man saga now moves to a new phase with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was introduced as an eager teenager operating under the influence and mentorship of Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War (2016). But he inherited a mythology that had already been invented (and reinvented) twice on the big screen. The challenge was to discover a new emotional territory for one of pop culture’s most well-known heroes.

Here’s the ranking of all four of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies. The ranking is according to these metrics: visual invention, direction, performances, thematic coherence, the movie’s contribution to Spidey mythos, and so on. A great Spider-Man movie is not merely about swinging about skyscrapers, after all. It should be about a young man who discovers heroism while often surrendering to the demands of the life of a typical, non-superpowered youngster.

4 Spider-Man: Homecoming Never Escapes Tony Stark’s Shadow

Spider-Man: Homecoming had its work cut out. The Andrew Garfield-led Spider-Man movies were not failures, exactly, but they were not the cinematic phenomenon Tobey Maguire’s movies were. And while Holland’s first appearance as Spidey in Civil War was well-received, it was brief. Jon Watts wisely decided to shrink the scale this time. We met the classic comic-book Spidey, who worries about school, homework, relationships, and so forth.

In addition to the hero, the movie also had a magnificent villain in Michael Keaton‘s Adrian Toomes, or Vulture, easily one of MCU Phase 3’s best villains. MCU audiences were used to intergalactic villains like Loki and Thanos, and in this movie they got a working-class man with a grudge. Who knew Keaton’s return to comic-book movies (after Batman) would be so compelling?

But the movie is not perfect. For an allegedly solo Spidey movie, there is too much Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr). Marvel Studios, after all, does not always have confidence that heroes can carry their solo movies without, at least, a post-credit scene thrown in. But here, Tony was basically Peter’s surrogate father. This is the biggest reason this movie is ranked last in this list. But it is like saying this particular gold nugget is the least shiny, for all four of these are great movies.

3 Spider-Man: Far From Home Strips Peter of His Safety Net

Spider-Man: Far From Home removes Tony Stark (RIP) from the equation, but still dwells a little too much on Peter’s memory of him. Stripped of his father figure, Peter takes shelter under the shadow of Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Quentin Beck, or Mysterio. Claiming to be an alien coming from a destroyed universe, he turns out to be a tech-savvy con artist. In his view, heroism is just branding. He uses an army of drones to make it seem like he is fighting elemental monsters. But no, they are just holographic illusions. 

The movie is best remembered for its visuals. And indeed, the illusions that Mysterio crafts to trap and torment Peter are some of the most visually inventive in MCU history. I would say they are even better than 2016’s Doctor Strange. Those sequences also prove that Peter Parker’s weakness is not physical, but not knowing what to believe. If he doesn’t know who or where his enemy is, how will he ever vanquish him?

The supporting cast, particularly MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), are excellent. MJ is more prominent here, and her romance with Peter feels genuine. And yet, what hurts Far From Home is the pull of the larger MCU. It squanders a lot of time in the post-Endgame world Peter lives in. It is ranked 3rd because of the wider world’s echoes.

2 Spider-Man: Brand New Day Makes Isolation Feel Earned

And now we come to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It earns the runner-up spot by doing something the franchise has not really attempted before. After its predecessor, No Way Home, ended with the world forgetting who Spider-Man was (after learning his real identity at the end of Far From Home) thanks to Doctor Strange’s reality-altering spell, Brand New Day introduces a lonely Peter. He had to sacrifice every single friendship and relationship to keep doing superheroics. It may be recency bias speaking, but Brand New Day is a superb addition to Spider-Man mythos. Oh, and he is undergoing an unsettling transformation.

It is to director Destin Daniel Cretton’s credit that he allows Peter to deal with his inner demons (real or imagined) instead of falling into the spectacle trap nearly every MCU movie falls into whenever things get heavy. Despite it being a fairly crowded affair, the ensemble does not drown out Peter’s arc. And Brand New Day‘s early box office projections indicate that the gamble worked.

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) brings a world-weary read on grief that mirrors what Peter is going through. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is also there, briefly. His efforts to keep his own transformation in check are a parallel to whatever is happening to Peter. The central threat also breaks formula. It is not a traditional Spidey rogue, and let’s leave it at that. The film is also smartly written (Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are the screenwriters) and a runtime of just over 2 hours and 45 minutes breezes past. We do not know where Spidey goes, but the post-credits of Brand New Day give a hint.

1 Spider-Man: No Way Home Is the Definitive Spidey Movie

In my view, the best Spider-Man movie is still Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. If we are talking strictly live-action, then it has to be Spider-Man 2 (2004). But I have to say, Spider-Man: No Way Home comes close. It is shameless in the ways it uses nostalgia of Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men. But it’s like that famous Curb Your Enthusiasm meme (“f*** you, and I’ll see you tomorrow”). No matter how I try to abhor the nostalgia-bait, I melt as soon as Garfield’s Spidey enters the MCU through the mystical inter-dimensional doorway.

Also, it has to be said that the presence of the two Spider-Men is only to reinforce the character arc of Holland’s Spidey. He is still the hero of this movie. The film frees Peter Parker. The multiverse is real, and he has not only his alternate versions to confront, but there is also the small matter of a bunch of other Spidey villains crossing over from other worlds. Thanks to the more senior wall-crawlers, Holland’s Peter learns what kind of a man he wishes to become. Holland delivers the defining performance of his tenure (thus far). His expression of rage, grief, guilt, trauma, compassion, and forgiveness is something to behold. The film understands that trauma does not immediately turn into wisdom. Peter must actively choose mercy at a moment where vengeance has to be far more satisfying.

And the ending of No Way Home is brave. Peter willingly accepts solitude and complete anonymity in order to protect the people he loves (well, surviving ones). It is the ultimate sacrifice. The backstory of nearly every Spider-Man is defined by loss, but this movie in particular understands that loss is meaningful only when freely embraced. 

Here’s every Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, summarized:

RankTitlePremiseIMDb (as of July 30, 2026)Rotten Tomatoes – Tomatometer | Popcornmeter (as of July 30, 2026)

#4	Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)	Peter Parker balances high school life with proving himself worthy as Spider-Man while taking on the Vulture, a working-class criminal dealing in advanced alien technology.	7.4/10	92% | 87%
#3	Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)	Following Avengers: Endgame, Peter’s European vacation is interrupted when he teams up with Mysterio to battle seemingly elemental threats that conceal a larger deception.	7.3/10	91% | 95%
#2	Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)	In a world that has forgotten Peter Parker, Spider-Man lives in isolation until a mysterious new threat and an unsettling transformation force him into his greatest challenge yet.	8.2/10	91% | 98%
#1	Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)	After his identity is exposed, Peter turns to Doctor Strange for help, inadvertently opening the multiverse and confronting villains (and Spider-Men) from other realities.	8.1/10	93% | 97%

Do you agree with our ranking, or would you put No Way Home, Brand New Day, or another film at the top? Share your ranking in the comments below.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in the US on July 31, 2026.