With Spider-Man Far From Home now out in theatres across the globe, fans are flocking to see the latest blockbuster involving the webhead. Despite the fact that we've now had seven solo movies featuring Peter Parker since 2002 - eight if you include 2018's excellent animated blockbuster Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - people are still excited at the prospect of yet another outing for everybody's favorite bug.
Given Peter always ends up in sticky situations, he seems to find himself locking horns with more enemies than he'd probably prefer. With that in mind, we now take a look at the top 10 fight scenes involving our hero - with Into the Spider-Verse included.
Spider-Man vs The Lizard (The Amazing Spider-Man 2012)
When Sony rebooted Spider-Man in 2012, they opted to bring in a villain that had not been done before. That meant no Green Goblin, no Doctor Octopus, no Venom and no Sand-Man. So in came the Lizard and, while the character's CGi-heavy look raised eyebrows, he proved a worthy enough opponent for the movie's protagonist.
It's not the best Spidey movie by a long shot but it has a cool sequence where Peter Parker battles the Lizard inside his own school. Emma Watson's Gwen Stacy also helps which, after three previous movies of Mary Jane always being the damsel in distress, was a much-needed change of tact. The fight scene even features a cameo from Stan Lee, who is in the library oblivious to the room being ripped to pieces due to the fact he has headphones in. All in all, it was the highlight from an otherwise-forgettable outing.
Spider-Man vs Green Goblin (Spider-Man 2002)
During the first-ever Spider-Man movie released back in 2002, starring the likes of Tobey Maguire, William Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco, the web-slinger ends up going up against the Green Goblin after Norman Osborn takes a serum that alters his already-questionable personality and his physical strength. The two enemies have numerous fight scenes but it's their one at the end that stands out from the rest.
Goblin gives Spidey a choice: does he save Mary Jane Watson, the girl he loves, or does he save a bus packed full of schoolchildren? Well, Peter being Peter, he manages to rescue both. But a fight with Osborn then breaks out and they exchange brutal punches in an old abandoned building. Just as it looks that Goblin would trick his way to victory, Spidey manages to dodge the spike on his glider - seeing it impale his best friend's father instead. It was an act that was to have lasting consequences with Peter's relationship with Harry Osborn consequently falling apart.
Peter Parker vs Harry Osborn (Spider-Man 3)
Before Spider-Man 3 came out in 2007, everybody was intrigued by what would happen with Peter Parker and Harry Osborn. The duo had been friends for years but, following the death of Norman Osborn, they had drifted. The previous outing had seen audiences witness Harry discover the truth about his father and when he’s spotted at Mary Jane Watson’s wedding sporting a green bow tie, it’s hinted he’d be out for revenge in the sequel.
And the fight early on between the two is rip-roaring fun. Harry takes Peter, not wearing his Spider-Man suit, by surprise and the duo go at each other with everything they can off the ground. It’s a cool mid-air action sequence and comes to an end only when Peter knocks Harry out with some clever web-work. They go on to fight again later in the movie but the acting in these scene trumps what comes later.
Spider-Man and Harry Osborn vs Venom and Sandman (Spider-Man 3 2007)
After two previously successful movies in the franchise, Sony tried to up the stakes significantly when it came to Spider-Man 3, But while their tinkering angered director Sam Raimi and made the blockbuster a jumbled mess as a result, the action scenes were a class above anything we'd seen before. And the battle between Peter, Harry, Venom and Sandman was the cream of the crop.
Sure, the CGI is a bit of a mess and some of the dialogue is goofy, but it was the first time we genuinely feared our favorite hero may meet a sticky end. He very nearly does, too, only for Harry to sacrifice himself in an emotional moment that had fans reaching for the tissues. Sandman also has a touching moment with Peter at the end and it had fans hoping for a Spider-Man 4 - only for Sony to axe it and start anew.
Spider-Man vs Harry Osborn (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 2014)
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it looks as if Spider-Man has saved the day - and the inhabitants of New York City - yet again. But, just as he celebrates beating Electro with girlfriend Gwen, his heart sinks as Harry Osborn enters the picture. Harry, after growing angry at Spidey's reluctance to give him his blood to cure a genetic disease, has become the Green Goblin in order to try and fend off a genetic disease.
It means the stakes are high when Harry and Peter fight but what makes the fight scene so memorable is what happens at the end. Osborn is knocked out but not before Gwen falls to her death while Hans Zimmer's beautiful soundtrack plays in the background, making the moment something straight out of the comics. We love Mary Jane in the original films - and MJ in the current ones - but were gutted to see Gwen bow out in such devastating circumstances.
Spider-Man vs Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017)
Another Spider-Man reboot meant another Spider-Man villain. But, while fans were skeptical at first due to his mechanical wings, Michael Keaton's Vulture lived up the billing and proved himself to be one of Peter Parker's most-difficult on-screen opponents to date in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
At the end of the movie, Adrian Toomes is trying to steal technology from the Stark ship which Happy Hogan had sent on its way. But Spidey is determined to catch him in order to prove a point to Iron Man and risks it all by engaging Vulture, who happens to be the father of love interest in Liz, in combat. It looks as if Toomes is set to die when his suit malfunctions after their fight but Spider-Man saves the day and webs his enemy up, leaving a cheeky note in true webhead style.
Spider-People vs Kingpin (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse succeeded when it came to giving us multiple interpretations of the character - and all at the same time. There's Miles Morales' Spidey, Peter Parker's classic version then the likes of Peni Parker, Spider-Ham, Spider Gwen and Spider-Man Noir. It was certainly a gamble to include so many iterations but one that paid off and helped it scoop the Oscar for Best Animated Movie.
And their fight with Wilson Fisk is spectacular, with all playing their role in stopping him. Despite it being animated, the battle between Miles and the Kingpin is emotional and you find yourself rooting for the former to get his revenge for the death of his uncle, Aaron. Thankfully he does and Fisk is left hanging in the middle of New York City in a humiliating turn of events.
Spider-Man vs Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019)
When it comes to special effects, Marvel have shown that they're in a league of their own. And the illusion sequence from Far From Home is something special, with the web-slinger struggling to keep Mysterio and his tricks at bay.
It's not every day you get treated to a sequence as spectacular as this. After Mysterio discovers that Peter Parker is aware of his grand plan to trick the world into thinking he's a hero - when really he's anything but - the trickster subjects the web-slinger to some serious mental torture. During the illusion Spidey fends off multiple versions of himself (in what appears to be a nod to the Spider-Man 2 video game released in 2004) and also has to battle past a zombie-looking Iron Man, who has spiders coming out of his skull. Yikes.
Spider-Man vs Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Another special fight sequence between Spider-Man and Mysterio comes at the very end of the movie. With Quentin Beck determined to stop Peter Parker's friends Ned, Betty Brant and MJ from spilling the beans on his plans, he attacks the school's tour bus in London and creates another one of his sensational illusions to act as cover for his villainy.
It looks as if Peter has no chance of getting near his enemy, what with Beck in control of hundreds, potentially thousands of Stark drones. But he uses his intelligence to find a way to trick them into destroying each other, eventually freeing him to take down Mysterio. The Stark-wannabe tries to trick his former friend once again but his plan fails and he ends up dying. But, as the post-credit scene reveals, he manages to have the last laugh by turning the city against the webhead.
Spider-Man vs Doc Ock (Spider-Man 2 2004)
There's a common consensus that the second Spider-Man movie, released two years after the first, is still one of the best superhero movies ever released. In a day and age where the MCU sets records galore and the DCEU gets people talking, that's quite some achievement. And the fight between the webhead and Doctor Octopus on a train is the standout moment of not just the movie, but Sam Raimi's entire trilogy.
They fight on the moving vehicle in an enthralling action sequence before Doc Ock fiddles with the controls and sets in on course to crash. Audiences are left holding their breath as Peter screams in agony while slowing the train down by shooting webs onto the side of buildings at astonishing speed. The feat tires out Spidey and Otto Octavius comes back for him afterward before taking him to Harry Osborn to kill him.