Spider-Man is one of the most beloved characters in American comics. Outside of Batman and Superman, there is probably no other character more recognized, loved, and adored around the globe. And there are plenty of reasons for that. With a rich and deep story, with comics that continue to this day and numerous adaptations for different generations, Marvel has done an excellent job of making him our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

That doesn’t change the fact that neither Marvel nor Disney+ is the big beneficiary of its time in theaters. Not in modern times. Because if you want to watch Spider-Man streaming, we fear it has been more difficult than it should have been for a long time. At least until the man in red decided to get to work and bring us our favorite spider. Because Spider-Man is coming home for Christmas.

Spider-Man arrives with all his movies to streaming

The first movie to arrive in the HBO Max catalog on December 22 is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. An animated film directed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti that surprised both fans and newcomers for several reasons. The first is that this Spider-Man was not Peter Parker, but the more recent Miles Morales. The other is that it took place in a comic book line that has been very popular in recent years: the Spider-Verse.

For the uninitiated, the Spider-Verse is a comic book series published since 2014, featuring Spider-Mans from different universes within the continuity of Marvel comics. This means that there are all kinds of Spider-Man, with all kinds of unique characteristics, something that had been explored previously in Spider-Man comics, but which began to be exploited more methodically starting with this comic book series.

With Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, they wanted to bring this to the big screen with a movie that not only introduced as many different Spider-Men as possible but also featured a striking and very dynamic visual style. And they succeeded. With a vibrant and very unique style, this movie cost 90 million dollars and managed to gross over 384 million dollars, becoming one of the most beloved and appreciated Spider-Man films to date.

So much so that even the critics surrendered at its feet. Winning the Award for Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards, the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Oscars, it was the big winner of 2018 among live-action and animated films. Demonstrating that there were still many things to do with Spider-Man.

Three for the MCU and a much-anticipated return

But Spider-Man doesn’t end here for Christmas. On the 24th, to have the best possible Christmas plans, the three most recent movies of the web-slinger will arrive on the streaming service Max: Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Directed by John Watts, the three films need no introduction. Although they cost 200 million dollars each, they made ten times their budget at the box office and were a tremendous success for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, who made a joint investment in these films to allow Spider-Man to appear in the MCU. With Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Zendaya as MJ, they have already become three films that, for an entire generation, are synonymous with Spider-Man.

The next movie in the franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is scheduled to be released on July 31, 2026, and we only know one concrete detail: this time it will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This also explains why this trilogy is now coming to streaming services.

On December 27, just in time to close the year, we will get the last of the Spider-Man movies we were missing, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, directed this time by Joaquim dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and which expands the premise of the original by having Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy travel through the entire Multiverse to save the rest of Spider-Man from a threat that could jeopardize their existence.

Thanks to the success of the previous film, its budget swelled to 150 million dollars, but with the audience already familiar with the movie, they also responded better. Achieving over 690 million dollars at the box office, it was one of the big successes of 2023, being considered by critics as the best animated film of the year and even one of the best films of the year, overall.

With a sequel in development, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, scheduled to be released on June 25, 2027, we will still have to wait to see the continuation of the stories of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. But in the meantime, thanks to Max, we have a fantastic way to spend this Christmas.