While Spider-Man: No Way Home marks the eighth solo Spider-Man movie, the cinematic side of the character doesn’t come anywhere close to the sheer number of stories from the comic books. Spider-Man debuted in Marvel comics in 1962 and has appeared in countless adventures since then.

Fans of all ages likely have their own favorite Spidey stories, from certain eras or featuring other favorite characters. But the fans on Reddit have highlighted some particularly special comics that they feel help to capture the timeless appeal of Spider-Man.

10 If This Be My Destiny…!

While fans have found plenty of modern Spider-Man stories that deserve recognition, it is impossible to ignore some of the classics that helped shape who the character is. One of those defining stories is If This Be My Destiny…? which follows Spider-Man as he does battle with Doc Ock and searches for a cure to the mysterious illness threatening Aunt May’s life.

The story introduced several key supporting characters to the Spider-Man lore while also featuring the iconic moment of the hero trapped under rubble. Redditor DarkLoad1 claimed the story “set the tone for Spider-Man for the next thirty years.”

9 Maximum Carnage

Certainly, one of the fan-favorite villains in the Spider-Man universe is Venom. But while it is always fun to see Spidey do battle with the symbiote baddie, Maximum Carnage has a lot of fun seeing these two fighting alongside each other against the even more deadly Carnage.

After Carnage escapes prison and recruits a team of supervillains, Spider-Man and Venom join a collection of heroes that includes Captain America, Iron Fist, and Black Cat. It is a fun, high-stakes adventure with iconic characters. Redditor Sean_Bean_ considered it the ideal example of a “classic” Spider-Man story.

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8 Spider-Man 2099

While Spider-Man 2099 seems as though he is going to be a big part of the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the character became a fan favorite thanks to the comic book storyline.

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Spider-Man 2099 found yet another new approach to Spider-Man with this storyline which was part of Marvel 2099. The story takes Spider-Man into the future with Miguel O’Hara becoming the hero of this era. The new approach worked very well for fans like Redditor mundayz who called it “a lot better than the Spider-Man comics I’ve read.”

7 Spider-Island

The main theme behind Spider-Man as a hero is that he is someone who gained these powers yet Peter Parker understood the responsibility of it enough to use them for good. This is something that is explored in Spider-Island and the idea that others might not feel the same sense of responsibility.

The story finds everyone living on the island of Manhattan suddenly gaining the powers of Spider-Man. This results in an exciting, funny, and thrilling adventure that Redditor MySonsdram felt “is a lot of fun.”

6 Spider-Man: Blue

As with most famous heroes in the comics, it is fun watching them do battle with some of their most famous enemies, but it is also rewarding to see them explored in a more intimate story on occasion. Fans were treated to this kind of story with Spider-Man: Blue.

The story follows Peter Parker as he reflects on his relationship with Gwen Stacy and how her death defined his life in many ways. One Redditor simply called the emotional story “brilliant.”

5 The Death of Jean DeWolff

Though fans of the MCU have seen Spider-Man go into space and deal with the multiverse, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man aspect of the character has often been a big part of the comics. The Death of Jean DeWolff is a story that very much embraces the street-level adventures of the hero.

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The story follows Spider-Man as he investigates the murder of his friend and police captain Jean DeWolff which finds him teaming up with Daredevil. Redditor badluckartist praised it as a story with “top-notch character work.”

4 Spider-Verse

Seeing as both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: No Way Home became big hits by drawing inspiration from Spider-Verse, it’s not surprising it is such a popular story among fans. The story brought together many alternate versions of Spider-Man to fight alongside Peter Parker when Morlun and the Inheritors begin attacking them.

The idea of uniting many of the iconic characters who have taken up the mantle of Spider-Man, as well as some lesser-known versions, was made for crowd-pleasing moments. Despite the epic scale of the story, one Redditor liked “the interactions between Spider-Men” more than anything.

3 Ultimate Spider-Man

One of the versions of Spider-Man who was featured in Spider-Verse was Miles Morales. And while Peter Parker is still the most famous Spider-Man to date, Miles is quickly becoming nearly as iconic and the defining Spider-Man for a certain generation.

Ultimate Spider-Man saw this new young hero becoming the web-headed hero who quickly became endearing thanks to his grounded origins. Redditor CptPanda29 thought that seeing Miles “struggle to live up to Peter Parker’s legacy is a fantastic read.”

2 Kraven’s Last Hunt

Fans are extremely excited to see another classic Spidey villain get the big-screen treatment with Kraven the Hunter’s upcoming solo movie. However, the brilliance of the character was likely best cemented in the storyline, Kraven’s Last Hunt.

The story follows Kraven as he sets out to take down Spider-Man once and for all proving himself as the greatest hunter. While Redditor twenty__2 didn’t think this story was the best for new readers to start with, they insisted it “has more impact” the more familiar fans are with these characters.

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1 The Superior Spider-Man

While fans might assume that the best Spider-Man stories feature the hero himself in a central role, that is not the case for the surprising Superior Spider-Man. The story follows Spider-Man’s iconic villain Doc Ock who switches consciousness with Peter Parker, trapping the hero in Ock’s own dying body.

However, the story also goes into some interesting territory as Ock decides to become an even better Spider-Man than Parker was and find redemption at the same time. One Redditor called it “a great character piece” for Doc Ock which is a new look at the classic character.

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Colin McCormick
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Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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