With Great Power Comes Great Sneakers: Spider-Man’s On-Screen Sneaker History, Film by Film

Peter Parker first swung onto the silver screen as Spider-Man in 2002, spawning a movie franchise that spans ten films, with the eleventh on the way this month. Over the last 24 years, Nike sneakers have quietly played a role in nearly every film.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters later this month, and I’ve been revisiting the entire live-action catalog in preparation. I was raised on Spider-Man movies, being an impressionable young six-year-old when Tobey Maguire’s first movie was released, and picking up my first comic books a few years later.

Marvel’s Spider-Man has a remarkably long history on movie and television screens, dating back to the 1967 debut of his own animated series. Spidey wouldn’t appear on movie screens for another few decades, until Sam Raimi brought the colorful hero to theaters in 2002’s Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire. The ensuing trilogy cemented Spider-Man as an unstoppable force at the box office, generating a total of eight live-action films, three leading actors, two excellent animated movies, and nearly $9 billion in the process. The skin-tight onesie has changed multiple times throughout these movies, as has Peter Parker’s wardrobe outside the costume. One piece that has remained relatively consistent is Spidey’s love of timeless sneakers, with nearly every movie featuring a recognizable silhouette, or in some cases, a tie-in release.

Costume choices can make or break a movie, and while the most important element of Spider-Man is his onesie, the sneakers each actor wears tell a unique story about their version of Peter Parker. Tobey Maguire’s Peter is a quiet, shy approach to the character, and wears appropriately matching simple styles and colors, except for his appearance in the wrestling ring. Andrew Garfield’s Peter is cooler, and his personal style closely reflects fashion trends of the early 2010s – tapered jeans, messy hair, and simple, iconic sneakers. Tom Holland’s Peter is a mix of both, with his taste in footwear evolving through the movies as the character grows more confident, eventually landing in some of the most popular silhouettes of modern sneaker culture.

TOBEY MAGUIRE ERA: 2002 – 2007

Spider-Man

Tobey Maguire was the first actor to portray Peter Parker in a live-action movie. The trilogy kicked off in 2002 with Spider-Man, followed by Spider-Man 2 in 2004, and the much-maligned Spider-Man 3 in 2007. Tobey’s performance as the web slinger is widely regarded as the definitive Peter/Spider-Man for certain generations, and is credited with proving a simple, fabric suit would work well on-screen. Sneakers were not nearly as present in his trilogy as the later entries, though Tobey’s Spidey had some heat in his closet. The most famous shoe worn by his on-screen Peter is the Nike Dunk High, as a part of his homemade wrestling costume from the first film. Nike reportedly worked with the costuming department to create this one-of-one colorway in all red with a white Swoosh. Simple, but flashy enough to stand out in a busy scene.

Spider-Man 2

Sam Raimi’s second Spider-Man film delivered arguably the definitive superhero movie of this century. The movie’s pacing, characters and emotional stakes hold up to this day, and laid the foundation that Marvel would use to build the MCU in 2008. Tobey does not spend much of the runtime in sneakers, but in the opening scenes in which Peter is delivering pizza, he is wearing an all-black Nike running shoe. The model is 2003’s Air Span Triax, seemingly painted to cover the shoe’s white sole for a more subtle look. The sturdy, reliable silhouette is an excellent choice for a man on the move.

Spider-Man 3

Once again, Peter Parker’s sneaker choice turns all-black, matching the takeover of the Venom symbiote in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. During the infamous ‘Emo Peter’ scene, an angrier, vindictive Peter strolls down the street in his new black attire, giving finger guns to passing women. The moment is intercut with scenes from the Daily Bugle office, where Pete is in the middle of a power play to take the staff job as the Bugle’s photographer. In J. Jonah Jameson’s office, he puts his feet on the desk to display an all-black pair of Asics running shoes. I couldn’t find an exact match for the model given its limited appearance, but with the movie being shot in 2006, they are most likely the Asics GEL-Kayano 12 or the GEL-2110.

ANDREW GARFIELD ERA: 2012 – 2014

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man released in 2012, just a few years after Sam Raimi’s fourth entry was cancelled. Andrew Garfield was announced as our new red and blue hero in July 2010, replacing the fan-favorite Tobey and becoming the first British actor to portray Spidey. Andrew’s version of Peter Parker was noticeably cooler than Tobey’s, showing a real talent for skateboarding and just generally being a quiet, mysterious guy. As a skater, this Peter’s sneaker of choice in ASM1 is the Nike Dunk Low. The actual shoes went up for auction some years ago, and detailed photos from the listing revealed this pair as a custom Nike ID pair from the late 2000s.

After Peter gains his amazing spider-like abilities and designs his first Spider-Man costume, we get a few brief glimpses of his sneaker-like soles attached to the onesie’s feet. By no means a full sneaker, Peter appears to have ripped up an old pair of the Asics Dirt Dog 3 to attach a little extra cushioning and traction to the suit.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Garfield’s Peter Parker makes a brand change for his second outing as Spider-Man in TASM2. With a noticeable lack of his love for skateboarding in this film, Peter switches to a more classic silhouette for everyday wear, the Converse Chuck Taylor. Often paired with jeans and a t-shirt throughout the movie, he is wearing a standard black and white edition of the iconic model.

TOM HOLLAND ERA: 2016 – PRESENT

Spider-Man: Homecoming

The MCU Spider-Man made his debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War portrayed by Tom Holland, the youngest actor yet to step into the role. Peter Parker’s introductory scene is the only time in the film where we see him in plain clothes, with no clear shot of his footwear. The next Spidey sneaker moment would occur in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first web-head movie produced by Marvel Studios, after wrestling back the rights from Sony to use him in certain projects. Holland’s Peter is seen wearing a pair of New Balance trainers throughout the first half of the movie, specifically the U420 silhouette in grey and red. The style is paired with a blue sweater and grey pin-rolled pants, a relic of sneaker culture in the mid-2010s.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Tom Holland’s second outing as Spider-Man got a noticeable upgrade to his wardrobe, and with it, a return to Nike sneakers. During the movie’s first half, specifically the Venice fight scene with the water “elemental”, Peter is wearing a lightly beat-up pair of the Nike Air Max 1. The colorway is a simple white, grey, and black combination, most likely the “Gunsmoke” pair from 2018, when principal photography for the movie took place. His personal styling has improved, too, thanks to letting his pants fall naturally instead of pin-rolling.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

For his third appearance in a Spider-Man movie, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker gets a sneaker upgrade in No Way Home. This time Peter rotates through several brands and styles, all of them classics. The first shoe appears during Peter’s visit with Dr. Strange at the Sanctum Sanctorum, when a spell to make the world forget his identity as Spider-Man goes catastrophically wrong. Peter is back into high tops at this point, rocking a pair of the “Light Crimson” Air Jordan 1. That colorway released in early 2019, when Jordan Brand was still releasing tons of new colors for the high-top version.

After the spell goes awry and Doc Strange chastises Peter for not appealing to his college of choice directly, he makes his way to the Queensboro Bridge, in search of the school’s admission official. Peter somehow finds the time for a complete outfit swap on his way, changing into his best and most rumpled suit, and a clean pair of Vans Old Skool. Sporting a simple black and blue with white Jazz stripes, this colorway of the Old Skool has been around for years, and was a staple among my friends and me in high school. Pairs are still widely available today, and look pretty good with a suit.

MILES MORALES ERA: 2018 – PRESENT

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Into the Spider-Verse arrived in 2018, bringing Miles Morales to the big screen for the first time since his 2011 introduction in the comics. Though unsure of himself, and mentored by an aging, washed Peter Parker, Miles’ on-screen style is the coolest a Spider-Man has ever looked. Thanks to the film’s unique animation style, a hand painted Spidey suit comes alive under his hoodie, bomber jacket and shorts. Also one of the only Spider-Men to be portrayed wearing shoes over his costume, Miles sported the iconic Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”. Nike brought the shoes to life through an official wide release of a modified pair, adding blue accents to mimic the classic suit and Kirby Dots to give the shoe a comic-like appearance.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The animated sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, released in 2023, and once again Nike tapped in for a modified release of a “Chicago” AJ1. The new pair featured a patchwork of patterns and materials across the upper, representing the various art styles used to convey different universes in the multiverse-hopping adventure. This pair does not explicitly appear in the movie, but earns a spot on this list for being my personal favorite Spider-Man related shoe. However, Miles’ pair from the first film appears briefly, worn by his roommate Ganke Lee while playing the Spider-Man 2 PS5 game. Very meta.

The Air Jordan 1 makes one more appearance in Across the Spider-Verse at the end of the film. When Miles finds himself trapped in an alternate dimension, pulled there by the DNA of the spider that gave him his powers, he meets an alternate version of himself, a Miles Morales who runs the Sinister Six crime syndicate as the Prowler. This Miles is also a Jordan 1 fan, but his choice of color is much darker, dressing the shoe in black and purple. Jordan Brand also made a limited run of this AJ1 Utility, gifting pairs to friends and family of the brand and the people who worked on the movie.

(DIS)HONORABLE MENTIONS: VIDEO GAME TIE-INS

The release of 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games on the PlayStation 4 gave us another way to interact with Spider-Man on screens. The first game was focused entirely on Peter Parker, but introduced a young Spidey protégé at the end of the game in Miles Morales. Miles would get his own semi-spinoff in 2020, tied to the release of the PS5. Early in the game, Peter gifts Miles an old Spider-Man costume to replace his street clothes, which Miles pairs with a striking red and black pair of the adidas Superstar. adidas has a standing relationship with Disney and Marvel to create sneakers based on iconic characters, turning this pair into a three-way collaboration that released to the public alongside the game’s debut.

Insomniac Games and Sony released the third installment of their Spidey games in 2023 with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. After several years of teases and speculation, the game gave us the ability to control both Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ Spider-Men, switching seamlessly between the two for varied combat styles and special powers. During the game’s third act, Miles and Peter meet up to chat before taking down the big bad Venom, with both of them showing up in new costumes for the special occasion. Miles debuts a new suit he calls a “Miles Morales original”, despite several minutes of cutscene in his solo title dedicated to the creation of a brand new, original Spidey suit. He pairs the look with a custom pair of the adidas Ultra 4D Mid, turning his new outfit into a walking advertisement for the Three Stripes, and the reason this section is titled Dishonorable Mentions. adidas held off on the launch of this colorway for a few weeks, allowing us to play through the game and experience the costume change before releasing them in real life in November 2023.

Over twenty years of Spider-Man on film screens, and we have plenty more to look forward to in the near future. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters later this month, bringing Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker back for the first-ever fourth entry in a Spider-Man series. Miles’ third movie, Beyond the Spider-Verse, is currently scheduled for a 2027 release, and Insomniac is working hard on the third mainline entry in their Spider-Man games, coming, well, eventually. Just not on a physical disc. I am all set for this summer’s movie with tickets and a fresh pair of Spider-Verse Jordan 1s to wear, and looking forward to seeing what Peter’s sneakers of choice will be in his new era.

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