The Funniest Moment in Every Spider-Man Movie
For the last two months, Sony and Columbia Pictures have re-released each live-action Spider-Man movie in theaters for a week at a time to celebrate Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary. The event concludes this week with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which featured the epic team-up between Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland.
While the Spider-Man movies vary wildly in quality — from the wonderful to the unwatchable — they all have at least a few bright spots, which is why we wanted to spotlight the single funniest moment from each.
J. Jonah Jameson Names the Green Goblin in ‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson has a trio of hilarious scenes in the first Spider-Man movie, and each is funnier than the last. In the final one, he comes up with the name “Green Goblin,” remarking, “These weirdos all gotta have a name now.” He then calls in one of his staffers and tells them to copyright the name, saying, “I want a quarter every time somebody says it.” He also humorously educates Peter Parker on the difference between slander and libel.
‘Could You Pay Me in Advance?’ from ‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Simmons is also the funniest part of Spider-Man 2. In another rapid-fire scene, he names Doctor Octopus, fires Peter Parker and then rehires him to take some pictures at a high-society event, explaining to him, “My society photographer got hit in the head by a polo ball, you’re all I got.” But the best part of the scene comes when Peter asks to be paid in advance, to which Jonah gives his legendary, meme-worthy laugh.
‘That Is What I Said — Pecker’ from ‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
The funniest moment in this very bad movie is Bruce Campbell as the French maître d’. He’s as hilarious here as he is as a wrestling emcee in Spider-Man and an usher in Spider-Man 2.
Stan Lee’s Cameo in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ (2012)
Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man films are heavier in tone than Tobey Maguire’s, but they’re not devoid of humor. The funniest scene in the first one is Stan Lee’s cameo, as he plays a librarian who is completely unaware of the fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard going on behind him, thanks to his oversized headphones.
‘I Was Cleaning the Chimney’ from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ (2014)
A particularly funny scene in the Garfield sequel comes when Sally Field’s Aunt Mae is trying to collect the laundry from Peter’s room, but Peter is still in costume, covered in dirt from his previous night of crime-fighting. When Peter awakes, he struggles to get the costume off before Aunt Mae enters. It’s some good physical comedy, followed by Mae remarking how dirty he is. The best excuse Peter can come up with is that he was cleaning the chimney, to which Mae says, “We don’t have a chimney.”
Captain America’s PSA in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017)
Throughout Homecoming, the kids in Peter Parker’s high school are shown a series of cornball PSAs hosted by Captain America, which offer lessons in physical fitness and doing the right thing. After the movie ends and 10 minutes of credits roll, Cap reappears to do a PSA about patience and not always getting what you want. It’s a joke directly at the audience’s expense, as they had been conditioned by that point to remain in the theater until the final frame of every Marvel movie to get whatever tease they could of the next MCU installment.
Miles Takes the Stairs in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Jake Johnson’s Peter Parker provides most of the best jokes in Into the Spider-Verse, but the single funniest moment comes when Miles is at the top of a tall building, about to jump off and take that leap of faith that we’ve seen in so many other Spider-Man films. Just as Miles is about to jump, though, the scene cuts to him descending the stairs and proceeding to a different, much shorter building.
‘It’s a Little Tight Around the Old Web-Shooter’ from ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
When Spider-Man first suits up in his black “Night Monkey” costume in Far From Home, Nick Fury asks him how it fits. Spidey’s reply: “The suit’s great. It’s awesome.” But he then adjusts his crotch and adds, “It’s a little tight around the old web-shooter.”
Tobey Maguire Explains His Organic Webs in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
The most hilarious moment here comes when the two other Peters discover that Maguire’s Peter has organic webs, which completely freaks them out and prompts them to ask all sorts of embarrassing questions.
The Spider-Man Pointing Meme in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
There’s a similar joke in No Way Home, too, but the recreation of the meme in Across the Spider-Verse is better because it’s done with hundreds of Spider-Men. Less is more — except when it isn’t.