Spider-Man has been an icon since he debuted in 1963, quickly making the leap to film, television, and animation. Over the years, there have been plenty of movies and shows that have brought the character to life, with some of the most famous including the Sam Raimi-helmed Spider-Man (2002) trilogy or Tom Holland’s winning portrayal of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the most part, these takes on the character reflect the source material fairly accurately, recreating Peter Parker in new forms.
However, some of the adaptations of the character have found ways to experiment with the concept and introduce some truly wild takes on the idea. This ranges from tonally strange swings to alternate reality reimaginings, the latter of which has been bolstered by a pair of award-winning films that highlight the tonal and spiritual flexibility of the concept. Ahead of one of them getting their own show later this year on Prime Video, here are the seven weirdest versions of Spider-Man we’ve gotten in film and television, and where you can watch them do their thing on Disney+ and AppleTV.
Toei Spider-Man From Spider-Man (1978)
One of the weirdest versions of Spider-Man to come to our TV screens was also one of the first, thanks to the Toei-developed Spider-Man series. Although a more comics-accurate version of the character had previously appeared in The Electric Company (1971) and The Amazing Spider-Man (1977), the Japanese TV show took a much weirder approach to the character. In fact, the only thing that really is the same between most versions of the character and his Japanese counterpart was the costume—and even that was tweaked.
In the Toei Spider-Man series, motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro encounters an alien from Planet Spider, who infuses him with powers to defend the Earth from the villainous Iron Cross Army. He even has a giant robot known as Leopardon. The show was a success in Japan and even got a 24-minute spin-off film, simply titled Spider-Man (1978). While this version of Spider-Man has sparingly appeared in the comics and is largely remembered for just how weird he is compared to most versions of the mythos, it did have a bigger influence on Toei's other productions, including the Super Sentai series—better known to western audiences as Power Rangers (1993).
Man-Spider From Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
Spider-Man: The Animated Series was a fitting peer to the likes of Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and X-Men (1992), adapting many of the comic stories directly into the world of animation. This included a memorable arc where Peter Parker’s irradiated blood is amplified, causing him to mutate. This storyline served as a primary recurring plot for the show’s second season, with Peter eventually developing a transformed state where he became a monstrous and feral creature known as Man-Spider.
This gave the show a bit of a horror vibe, justifying the introduction of characters like Morbius and Blade into the premise, while also setting the stage for some fun crossovers with the X-Men. It’s a wild turn for the show, though, and a variant of Peter Parker who never escaped that transformation plays a big part in the show’s dimension-hopping final storyline. A great show that millennials will undoubtedly have some affection for, the series’ tonal hopping paid off in some big ways with characters like Man-Spider.
Spider-Man From Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)
Spider-Man Unlimited was a follow-up to Spider-Man: The Animated Series that took some wild changes with the source material. The show focused on Spider-Man's mission to Counter-Earth, a deep-cut concept from the comics that is ruled by the High Evolutionary—who MCU fans might know better as the villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Although this version of Peter Parker was fairly consistent with the mainline version of the character, the world surrounding him was truly wild.
This included human/animal hybrids fighting against the High Evolutionary, a hive-minded army of Symbiones known as the Synoptic, and morally flipped versions of classic villains like Green Goblin. Only lasting 13 episodes before ending on a cliffhanger, this strange version of Spider-Man may hail from one of the wildest universes of any version of the character seen on screen, but nonetheless remains a weirdly compelling hero throughout.
Spyder-Knight From Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)
Ultimate Spider-Man had a lot of fun with the larger Marvel Universe, especially once it was able to branch out into other universes. Coming out a few years ahead of Sony Animation’s feature films about the same concept, the alliance of Spider-Man variants at the heart of the series included a lot of now familiar faces like Miles Morales (making his first appearance outside of the comics and voiced by Donald Glover) and Spider-Ham.
It also featured Spyder-Knight, a medieval version of Peter Parker who protected Yorkshire, England, from villainous threats alongside his loyal steed, Spider-Horse. Ideal for younger audiences, the show leaned into the ridiculous nature of the hero for full effect, playing up the differences between the fantasy hero and his modern incarnation for laughs before turning him into one of the reality-hopping Web-Warriors.
Spider-Ham From Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse fully broached the multiversal potential of the Spider-Man character, highlighting all the different ways that the concept can be reimagined and still feel consistent with the core of the character. Among a team of variant Spider-Heroes from across the multiverse, the most obviously goofy is Spider-Ham. Played by John Mulaney, Spider-Ham hails from a world where physics plays out in a much sillier fashion, along the lines of a Looney Tunes (1929) short.
Mulaney plays the character with a full commitment to his silly side, wacky mallets included. However, he’s still also firmly a superhero, ensuring that the more somber and action-packed elements of the character are reflected—see his quietly tragic delivery of a moral to Miles Morales or his beat-down of the Scorpion for an example of how a weirdo Spider-Man variant can still feel like a Spider-Man. Hailing from the best Spider-Man movie ever, Spider-Ham is a great showcase of a weirdo Spider-Man character as pure comic relief.
Spider-Rex From Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a lot of fun with the central idea established in the prior film, introducing an entire army of Spider-Man variants known as the Spider Society. On top of being a great way to fill out the background of multiple scenes with plenty of deep-cut references to the comics and a litany of cross-media cameos, there are some strange choices that are among the oddest Spider-Heroes in any medium.
That includes Spider-Rex, a version of the Wall-Crawler who hails from a reality where dinosaurs are the dominant species. Spider-Rex only really gets one moment of note in the film, chasing after Miles Morales while he’s trying to flee the organization to return to his home timeline. Still, the sight of a web-slinging T.rex is something you won’t get in almost any other version of the franchise.
Spider-Noir From Spider-Noir (2026)
One of the versions of Spider-Man who was established in Into the Spider-Verse was a noir-tinted take on the character played by Nic Cage, who is now set to headline his own TV series, Spider-Noir. The show, presented in both color and black-and-white, focuses on a version of the Wall-Crawler known as Ben Reilly, who is a private investigator beyond his masked identity as a crime-fighter.
Scenes from the trailer hint at a Spider-Man who fought in a great war and has a habit of getting into bar brawls. If it’s anything like the comics that inspired it, then Spider-Noir will also feature some wild twists and turns on the established formula, and serve as a great reminder that no matter how weird he can get, Spider-Man remains a hero through and through.
