Women In Spiderman Movies

Before we delve into the female characters in Spiderman movies, let’s find out how many Spiderman movies there are. The Spiderman Universe is one of the most complex ones in the world of comics. Marvel Comics has had over 500 iterations of Spiderman. Despite having such a humongous fan following for Spiderman movies, surprisingly, there are many movie buffs who do not actually know about all the versions of the Spiderman movies. So, let’s first take a look at the movies.

Spiderman Movies in Hollywood

There have been at least 15 Spiderman movies, excluding the movies in which Spiderman appears. Yes, it does sound incredible right? But is true that there are actually quite a few Hollywood movies that have been made around the concept of Spiderman. Some of them are:

Spiderman (1969)

Spiderman Strikes Back (1978)

Dawn of Spiderman (2014)

Spiderman: Eclipse (2012)

Spiderman 2: A Darker Path (2017)

Ultimate Spiderman (2014)

Spiderman 2: Age of Darkness (2014)

Spiderman: Vengeance (2016)

Spiderman: Commencement (2017)

Spiderman: The Lost Avenger (2015)

These are the lesser-known Spiderman movies too. We all know Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and the most recent, Tom Holland’s Spiderman versions. But Spiderman has been around for generations. The characters have had the same names with different versions.

Directors and writers did take the liberty of changing up a lot from the comics over the years. But the key women in Spiderman movies have made conspicuous appearances in almost all major Spiderman movies.

Female Characters in Spiderman Movies

The key women characters in Spiderman movies have been more or less persistent throughout the movies. There are quite a few female characters in the Spiderman movies that have left a mark on us. Despite the films all about being a superhero, these female characters have been successful in creating their own audience. Here is a list of the familiar women characters from the Spiderman Universes.

1] Mary Jane Watson

She is Spiderman’s love interest who keeps getting caught in the crossfire and in some movies has a tragic ending. In recent times Mary Jane Watson appeared in Spiderman (2002). Yes, you can imagine how long the legacy of Spiderman movies is if 2002 is relatively recent. Brilliant women like Kirsten Dunst have played this character in recent Spiderman movies. But the latest iteration is Zendaya’s MJ in Marvel’s Infinity Saga and Spiderman: No Way Home (2021).

2] Gwen Stacy

Gwen Stacy is also Peter Parker’s love interest, his original love interest in fact. Her death at the hands of the Green Goblin is the inspiration for Spiderman’s heroic acts against villains in the comics. In the movies of the current generation, Gwen Stacy was portrayed by Emma Stone in The Amazing Spiderman (2012).

3] Madame Web

Cassandra Webb or Madame Web is Peter Parker’s ally and guide. She is part of the Web of Life and Destiny. She is not only a psychic who can look into the future, but also one of the clairvoyants tasked with the responsibility of maintaining the course of the world. A dedicated Madame Web movie is currently in development with Sony and MCU.

4] Betty Brant

Betty Brant is like Peter Parker’s godmother, only she is not a fairy or one with superpowers herself. At least in the popular movies, she is just a dedicated human at the Daily Bugle, ensuring that Peter Parker has all the resources and security he needs. In some iterations, she was also Peter Parker’s love interest for a brief time. But the importance of the character is that she ensures he stays alive and safe. The wonderful Elizabeth Banks played her in Spiderman (2002) and Spiderman 2 (2004).

5] Black Cat

The infamous jewel thief, Felicia Hardy was one of the problematic romantic encounters of Spiderman, rather, Peter Parker. Yes, the difference matters here because she was only interested in Spiderman and didn’t care for Peter Parker. This is one of the characters that Spiderman comes close to but does not reveal his identity to. Black Cat always reminded Peter Parker of the importance of his anonymity. Her notorious acts also reminded him to stay on his path. MCU claims to be making the first official Black Cat movie. So far, the character has appeared as playable characters in several video games.

6] Aunt May

Aunt May is Peter Parker’s guardian and friend. She is his second parent after he lost his parents. He has to dodge her and lie to her about his heists just so that she can be at peace but she always finds out and supports him. The most popular Aunt May representation in movies is Marisa Tomei’s lovable portrayal of the character in the MCU. She also reminds him of what his Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility” right when he needed to remember it.

7] Spider-Girl

May Parker is Peter Parker’s daughter from a different Universe. She inherited his strength, speed, and spider senses. She is also a hero who saves people and even collaborated with the primary Universe Spiderman on a major Spiderverse event.

8] Spiderwoman

Jessica Drew became Spiderwoman when she took a serum that her parents had given her. She grew to become an ally of Spiderman through several Spiderverses and fought villains by his side. So far, the depiction of Spiderwoman in Hollywood has been more sexualized and the heroics have not been the point of the movies. However, Marvel is developing a Spiderwoman movie that will hopefully do justice to the character.

9] Silk

The same spider who bit Peter Parker also bit Cindy Moon, who originally chose the path of self-preservation by laying low to avoid being murdered by Morlun. But eventually, she was set free by Peter Parker and joined him in his heists. The two characters also had a romantic angle in their Universe.

Despite there being so many popular female characters in the Spiderman movies, the female characters, barring a few, have so far mostly been the love interest of the superhero. Some of them did come across as an ally or perhaps a guide, but eventually, none of them has been given the spotlight of imminence. However, these ladies have had such wonderful personalities and played such crucial parts in the overall development of both the superhero and the script that these movies are incomplete without them.