9 Movies You Should Watch Before Spider-Man: No Way Home

9 Movies You Should Watch Before Spider-Man: No Way Home
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Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man film is quickly swinging towards us and is set to be the biggest yet. Spider-Man: No Way Home will not only expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it will also build on 20 years of Spider-Man movie history.

If you want to be properly prepared for your viewing of the next Spider-Man film, there are a few Marvel movies you’ll want to watch beforehand.

Which movies should you watch before Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Spider-Man: Homecoming

spider-man homecoming
Image: Sony/Marvel

To get the full experience of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man journey, let’s go back to where it all began in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Well, technically Holland’s Spider-Man first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, but this was his first major outing as the web-slinger.

Spider-Man: Homecoming introduces us properly to all the important players in Peter Parker’s life – his Aunt May, best friend Ned and love interest MJ. It also puts him against one of his most formidable foes, Michael Keaton’s Vulture.

It’s not your typical Peter Parker/Spider-Man origin story, but it’s definitely essential viewing before No Way Home.

Watch Spider-Man: Homecoming on Netflix or Binge.

Doctor Strange

doctor strange marvel
Image: Marvel

The inclusion of Benedict Cumberbatch in Spider-Man: No Way Home is just another classic example of Marvel making use of its expansive roster of characters.

Doctor Strange’s backstory and the rules to his magic are sure to be important in the new Spider-Man film and you’ll find all those details in his solo film, Doctor Strange.

Watch Doctor Strange on Disney+.

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame

Image: Disney

While they’re technically two movies, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are so integral to each other that you really need to watch both together to get the full story.

For Peter Parker, Avengers: Infinity War marks the first time he meets the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange. This will be important to know for when the two reunite in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The events of Avengers: Endgame are also pivotal for the MCU as well as for Peter, who comes back swinging to fight Thanos after being snapped for most of the movie. Endgame is the perfect lead-in to Spider-Man: Far From Home, so make sure to add this one to your list.

Watch Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.

Spider-Man (2002)

green goblin
Image: Sony Pictures

Given what we know from Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s trailers so far, it’s well worth adding the legacy Spider-Man movies to your list.

Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie from 2002 is integral because not only does it introduce Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, but it also gives us Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, who will be appearing in No Way Home.

Spider-Man is available for digital rental via Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime or the Microsoft Store.

Spider-Man 2

spider-man 2
Image: Sony

Another iconic Spider-Man villain you may have noticed in No Way Home‘s marketing is Doc Ock.

Alfred Molina played the notorious villain in Spider-Man 2, which is also arguably Maguire’s best Spidey film. The backstory behind Otto Octavius and his mechanical arms is also an important one to know prior to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Watch Spider-Man 2 on Netflix.

Spider-Man 3

spider-man 3 sandman
Image: Sony Pictures

Rounding out the Raimi trilogy is Spider-Man 3, which was not as well-received as Tobey Maguire’s other Spidey films.

Not going to lie it will probably be a slog to get through this one, but seeing as Sandman will be back in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it is an essential watch if you want to be properly prepared.

Watch Spider-Man 3 on Netflix.

The Amazing Spider-Man

amazing spider-man lizard
Image: Sony Pictures

Shortly after the release of Spider-Man 3, Sony decided to revamp the web-slinger franchise and brought Andrew Garfield in as the titular hero.

This one is important viewing prior to the new Spider-Man film as we’ve seen from the trailers that Rhys Ifan’s Lizard will be making an appearance to challenge Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

The way that Lizard came to be is intertwined with the origin story of Garfield’s Spider-Man, so definitely don’t miss this one.

Watch The Amazing Spider-Man on Netflix.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Image: Sony Pictures

Another Spider-Man film that is required viewing thanks to its villain is The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

In the film, Jamie Foxx plays Maxwell Dillon, a disgruntled Oscorp employee who becomes a walking source of electricity after an accident. Electro gets a bit of a re-design in No Way Home’s trailers, but his origin story will likely be the same one from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is available for digital rental via Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime or the Microsoft Store.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Tom Holland Spider-Man
Credit: Marvel, Disney

The most recent Spider-Man film is definitely the most important one to watch before No Way Home.

After engaging in some misadventures during his European school field trip, Peter Parker is sucked into fighting Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. This has some life-altering consequences for Peter after Mysterio reveals his identity as Spider-Man to the world.

This is a huge plot point going into Spider-Man: No Way Home, so make sure you get all the backstory from Far From Home before watching the new film.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is available for digital rental via Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime or the Microsoft Store.

Bonus: Venom: Let There Be Carnage

venom movie rotten tomatoes
Image: Sony

So far, Sony’s Spider-Man-related universe and the MCU haven’t crossed over, but Spider-Man: No Way Home looks to change all that.

While it’s unknown if Tom Hardy will appear in the new Spider-Man film as his notorious nemesis Venom, it looks like things are heading that way.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage was only released in Australian cinemas recently, but make sure you stay for the post-credits scene, which could set things up for a potential Spider-Man/Venom crossover very soon.

You can see Venom: Let There Be Carnage in cinemas now.


As you can tell from the sheer amount of films on this watch list, Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to be an event movie for the web-slinger. You’ve got until December 16 to watch all these titles before the new film hits cinemas, so get bingeing!