Iron Man may have been the focal point throughout much of the MCU so far, and its ultimate hero who sacrificed it all to save the day, but that still doesn't make him the biggest Marvel hero. For most hardcore Marvel fans, that mantle must surely go to Spider-Man, who in many ways, has been the face of Marvel Comics for decades.
One of the most recognizable heroes in the world, the charm of the character has always subsisted on the fact that, despite his powers and indomitable spirit, he was a superhero ordinary people could relate to.
Spider-Man has since had a long and illustrious comic book heritage that's seen him experience many iterations, iconic team-ups with other characters, some unforgettable story lines, and many triumphs and tragedies. That success was translated into other mediums, and since 1977, he's appeared in many films and animated shows.
The constant reinvention of the character has seen him don some really cool suits featured in films over the years. Here's our breakdown of how the best of those suits stack up.
10 The Original Suit — The Spider-Man TV films(1977 – 1981)
Spider-Man, Spider-Man Strikes Back, and Spider-Man: The Dragons Challenge were a series of TV films made between the late '70s and early '80s.
While they were cheesy and pretty tacky, they didn't have a massive budget, or any of the amazing technology the MCU has at its disposal today. Unfortunately, that did leave a lot to be desired in the films — like Spider-Man's suit.
A Product of Its Time
Looking back at it now, it's kind of laughable, but back then, it was more than good enough for the films. It was very much like a straight-forward classical Spidey costume, but also creased and wrinkled a lot.
The eyes on the costume were also weirdly shaped, giving Spider-Man a look of constant surprise, since they appeared to bulge a little. Nevertheless, this was still the first costume for the character in live-action films, and therefore will always be a special one for fans.
9 The Japanese Version — Spider-Man series (1978)
The 1978 tokusatsu show Supaida-Man series was a spin-off show made for Japanese audiences. Given the cultural differences and divergences in taste, the show saw Spider-Man as a Japanese man named Takuya Yamashiro.
It would have already seemed a little strange enough to western audiences, but the fact that it featured giant robots made it stick out even more for not even trying to stay true to the original character.
So Bad it was Good
The Spider-Man suit it featured was pretty terrible. Though it featured classical elements like the colors and the web patterns, it was garish and just looked pretty weird.
However, in a strange way, it was so bad that it actually became iconic as a funny reminder of how far Spider-Man and comic book films in general have come since those days when the superhero genre wasn't taken seriously.
8 Andrew Garfield's Suit — The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Back in 2012, The Amazing Spider-Man was a reboot after it seemed like the Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi films were done. Andrew Garfield stepped into the role, and the film saw another of the many origin stories of Spider-Man. It also featured Gwen Stacy, and saw a version of Peter Parker before he met MJ.
A Bold Move
The Spidey suit it featured had a classical look, but sported darker colors and a solid blue pattern that gave Spider-Man a grittier look. It was a bold move to depart from the brighter tones Spider-Man suits usually had, but it made for a great design, especially for scenes that took place at night.
7 The First Tony Stark Suit — Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War featured one of the best cameos in the MCU so far. It began with Tony Stark traveling to Queens on a recruitment mission.
The recruit was Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland), and his appearance in the film marked an important moment, since it was the official induction of Spider-Man into the MCU after many years of fans wondering if and when it would happen. Tony and Peter would go on to develop a close bond, and Stark, of course, gave him his first proper Spider-Man suit.
A Clever Design
Fans were already hyped for Civil War before it came out since the trailers for it ended with Spider-Man's appearance. The suit in the film featured lighter color tones and made for a fresh look different than any we'd seen before.
The texture appeared form fitting but more streamlined, so it still had a litheness to it whenever Peter performed an acrobatic move. However, the coolest part of it was that the eyes could expand and contract, making for a more expressive Spider-Man even with the mask on.
6 The Second Raimi Suit — Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Sami Raimi Spider-Man trilogy was a smash hit, since it was the first time Spider-Man had been seen in film for over 20 years, and the films were finally able to do his full range of powers and acrobatic abilities justice.
Tobey Maguire was eventually selected to play Spider-Man, amid a huge pool of famous actors that included Leonardo DiCaprio and Jake Gyllenhaal, and provided an iconic portrayal of the character in those films. In Spider-Man 2, subtle changes were made to the first costume to give it a more defined land authentic look.
Playing with the Light
The original suit from the first film had a fantastic design, so there was no need to make any radical updates to it. Instead, small, but distinct changes were made, like brightening the red parts of it while darkening the blue ones. The effect made for a wonderful contrast between the hues that gave its color a sharper, more distinct look.
5 Miles Morales' First Suit — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
With a 97% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a terrific animated film. It's told from the perspective of the alternate Spider-Man, Miles Morales.
After he receives his powers, Miles realizes he is like Peter Parker, and when they meet, he thinks he will train under Parker — that is, until Peter is killed right in front of him. With great humor, a great character-driven story and plenty of heart, it won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Critics' Choice Award for Best Animated Film.
A Visual Delight
A beautifully rendered mix of CGI, painting, line work and other comic book artistic techniques (like stippling), it was a visually stunning movie. This was also clear from Miles' suit, which had a unique design that retained some classical details, but went for a sharp contrast of black and red, with a graffiti version of the spider on his chest — an ode to the unique character of Miles.
The way it contrasted with the rich red tones made for a visually striking suit, and certainly one of the best and most original from the Spider-Man films there's ever been.
4 The First Suit in the New Era — Spider-Man (2002)
2002's Spider-Man became the first time the character was seen in a live-action film for more than two decades. After the older film renditions of him from the '80s and the technological constraints of the time, the '00s brought all the amazing digital tools and other rapid advancements from the era with it. The result was an iconic film that spawned a trilogy and almost saw more films than those three.
A Modern Design
Seeing the web-slinger in all his glory, swinging his way through New York and performing the kind of super acrobatics the character was known for in the comics, was an amazing experience for fans.
Since it was the first modern portrayal, the suit needed a modern upgrade, and it certainly delivered on that count too. The suit featured rich and vibrant color tones, but it was the web patterns on it that really stood out, with the embossed texture that gave the suit's final look a far more visceral feel.
3 The Updated Suit — The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Andrew Garfield brought his own kind of charm and likability to the new line of films. The first suit from his films was great, but the design leveled up in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The film itself was a much darker one that saw Peter Parker facing the harsh consequences of his choices and learning how much responsibility truly came with wearing the suit.
More Comic-Book Accurate
The new suit still retained most of the overall look from the first film. However, it also featured a glossier finish that gave it a great two-toned look, depending on the lighting.
The other major difference was that the eyes were white this time, which was more accurate given that the first suit was a DIY one Peter made using the lenses from sunglasses, resulting in black eyes.
2 The Iron Spider Suit — Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man doesn't actually wear the Iron Spider suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, we get a glimpse of it when he declines the offer to use it. We saw it more conclusively in Avengers: Infinity War, and it was pretty amazing. The product of Tony Stark's mind, it made for some jaw-dropping scenes when we finally see it in action.
A Formidable Suit
Since it was designed by Stark, the Iron Spider suit featured some awesome tech and gadgets. Its biggest surprise were the retractable spider arms that came out of the back of the suit, and provided Peter with more versatility and enhanced strength and agility.
Of course, as a Stark suit, it also came with an AI system that could control and operate a variety of other cool functions and weaponry.
Lastly, the suit just looked amazing, since it featured metallic armor that retained the classic red and blue design, but added a huge gold spider logo across the front and arms. While Peter ends up discarding the suit for different reasons in the films, in the comics, as Marvel explained:
"After May and Mary Jane went into hiding, an enraged Iron Man attacked Spider-Man, who was seriously injured when that fight morphed into a battle with S.H.I.E.L.D.-backed villains Jester and Jack O’Lantern. When Spider-Man subsequently joined Captain America’s Anti-Registration forces, he abandoned his Iron Spider armor, which had been compromised by Stark, and returned to his classic uniform."
1 The Symbiote Suit — Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spider-Man 3 saw Spider-Man battling an identity crisis. Unknown to him at the time, Venom's infamous Symbiote was behind much of it. In a classic story line, he begins losing his powers, as he faces an inner conflict and a battle for his own soul.
That conflict led to some of the most memorable scenes from the trilogy, and the black suit he wore at the time was at the heart of it all.
Evil Spider-Man
The suit itself came about when the Symbiote latches onto him and bonds with the fibers on his suit, turning it black. Despite the dark influence it had on Peter's mind and actions, the suit itself looked amazing.
Slowly sending him down an evil path, he thankfully manages to get rid of it later, only for the Symbiote to latch onto Eddie Brock and create Venom. Here's a look at how fans first caught a glimpse of the black suit back when the trailer for Spider-Man 3 first dropped.
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