All Of Spider-Man’s Love Interests, Ranked
Spider-Man movies are fun for me because I’ve been watching them since I was much younger and Tobey Maguire took up the mantle in 2002. Since then, I’ve seen the titular character evolve on screen. Wildly, that’s 24 years and most of my life. In that time, the superhero’s love interests have also changed. That’s been interesting to watch because superhero media has thankfully evolved from the place where love interests should and would only be just that. Now, romance is one of many important elements of a larger character who has her own ambitions, complications, and purpose within a Spider-Man movie.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) having just released in theaters, now is as good a time as any to reflect on Spider-Man’s love interests in the movies. This list leaves out some supporting characters who were underutilized and more often used as plot devices to stir drama between Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), like Betty Brant (Elizabeth Banks), Ursula Ditkovich (Mageina Tovah), and Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard). On the other hand, it includes the significant crushes and romances in Spider-Man’s life, whether he be Peter Parker or Miles Morales. All of which are with women who are far more than only a love interest. You can watch the following movies on Disney+, Netflix, and more.
5. Liz Allan in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
I appreciate Liz Allan (Laura Harrier) and Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) romance for what it is and what it does for Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). To call it a ‘relationship’ is a stretch as their dynamic never really gets off the ground, given that Liz’s dad is Vulture (Michael Keaton). That reveal is one of my favorite things to come from Holland’s tenure as Spider-Man. It’s such a fun way to play with the characters in this teen comedy/superhero movie mashup. It also realistically establishes the stakes of Peter developing relationships while being Spider-Man.
Peter and Liz are enjoyable but obviously short-lived. Yes, Liz moves away, but Peter’s future wasn’t ever going to be with Liz. In yet another great reveal, the movie recontextualizes Zendaya’s Michelle Jones. When she says, “My friends call me MJ,” it’s like a light bulb goes off. It makes you want to rewatch the movie and pay extra close attention to Michelle and Peter’s dynamic because that’s where all of this is going—they’re the great love story here. Spider-Man: Homecoming is just the first, very gradual step to telling that love story on the big screen.
4. Spider-Gwen in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) deserve all of the love they get. They are creative feats and should be recognized as such. They should also get their flowers for Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen’s (Hailee Steinfeld) dynamic. They have such a great friends-to-lovers arc happening. As of now, Miles is the one who falls first and harder in their dynamic.
The only reason why they’re lower on this list is that they aren’t officially a couple yet. The Spider-Verse movies are taking their time to tell this story, and I like that. Consequently, they can lean into the romantic tension. It’s also exciting to see one of Spider-Man’s love interests be a superhero in her own right. Not to mention, she has her own backstory and motivations, which Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse further explores. So, the pairing, whenever it happens, will be about and for both of them, and that’s better for the characters and their romance.
3. Mary Jane Watson in the ‘Spider-Man’ Trilogy
I should be so transparent and mention that I grew up on Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies with Sam Raimi. They were my introduction to the character—and to Peter Parker and MJ’s relationship. I quickly learned how iconic this pairing was because of Maguire and Dunst’s characters and their chemistry. I remember being completely obsessed with their relationship when I was younger. How could I not be? They kissed on a web in Spider-Man 3 (2007).
In retrospect, I wish that this trilogy had more about and did more with Mary Jane—outside of her relationship with Peter or any of the guys. When I rewatch that trilogy now, I want more for her. I want to see more of her independence and interests. As for their relationship, the opening voiceover in Spider-Man (2002) suggests that the movie will be about Peter’s relationship with Mary Jane, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Instead, it and the two sequels have iconic, solid moments—the cafeteria scene, the upside-down kiss—in between more chaotic developments in Spider-Man’s life. All that said, Mary Jane still holds a special place in my heart.
2. Gwen Stacy in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Duology
I can’t really think about Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy without wanting to violently sob because her story and, in turn, her relationship with Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker, is so tragic. Mind you, I came into Spider-Man movies as a Peter and MJ fan, so I was hesitant to appreciate the relationship between Peter and Gwen. Thankfully, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) proved me wrong so that I could feel the emotional weight of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). Peter writing “I love you” to Gwen in webs on the Brooklyn Bridge? Just swoon-worthy.
Garfield and Stone have some of my favorite chemistry in a live-action superhero movie ever. Their banter is sharp yet warm. Peter and Gwen complement and challenge one another. They honestly feel like such a positive jump from the early 2000s because Gwen is a complete character alongside that of Peter. She has dreams and feelings and a life with and apart from Peter. All of which come together to make her ending so gut-wrenching that Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) can reference it seven years later, and I’ll still weep.
1. MJ Watson in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
No other Spider-Man love interest can be #1—and not only because this list comes on the heels of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I love the arc that Michelle Jones (Zendaya) goes on from Spider-Man: Homecoming. As much as I tune in to see the next chapter of Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland), I’m just eager to see what’s new with MJ—and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). The Holland Spider-Man movies have done such a great job with her gradual characterization that MJ has developed believably and considerably since that first project.
It’s such a beautiful reflection of her friends-to-lovers romance with Peter that, as she opens her heart, MJ becomes a more vulnerable character. She’s still quick-witted and inquisitive. For those reasons alone, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home are smart not to sideline MJ. In the former, she literally figures out that Peter is Spider-Man. In the latter, she (and Ned) help Peter remember who he is when he believes that all hope is lost. Zendaya and Tom Holland’s chemistry as these characters is unparalleled. It’s such a gift to get to see Peter and MJ evolve as characters and a couple over a decade. That doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it serves the romance so well because everything is richer. Need more proof? Look at their scenes in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
