5 Classic Spider-Man Stories To Adapt Following The Release Of No Way Home

As Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are mere months away from releasing their latest superhero venture Spider-Man No Way Home under the direction of Jon Watts (Clown, Cop Car), the joint partnership between the two massive studios is up in the air.

Spider-Man is perhaps the most lucrative Marvel superhero in the pop culture market, yet it's unclear what the future holds for the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), following the Tom Holland starring trilogy. Peter Parker is not getting any younger and 25 years old Holland only has a few films left in him before he begins to outgrow his high school years.

However, Spidey leaving high school for a college career in the original run of Amazing Spider-Man comics to entering adulthood begins a new era of adult and darker storytelling for Marvel's web-slinging icon. 

5. Kraven's Last Hunt

Perhaps the darkest storyline in the history of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,1987's Kraven's Last Hunt by writer J M DeMatteis and artist Mike Zeck sees Marvel's wall-crawler coming face to face with death itself.

Initially a zany Spidey antagonist, the six-issue storyline sees the disgraced and aging big game hunter Kraven finally best his prized target. A story with mature sensibilities, Kraven's knack for hunting the greatest game would be fitting for an older and seasoned Spider-Man down the line.

Bearing a lion's vest and a spear, Kraven isn't the flashiest supervillain around but one with the psychological edge and strength needed to torture a kid early (or later) into his superhero career.

While a Kraven the Hunter solo film is on the way with former Quicksilver Aaron Taylor Johnson in the role, Kraven is truly at his best when paired with the greatest hunt... Spider-Man. 

4. The Death of Jean Dewolff

Another of Spidey's darker affairs, The Death of Jean Dewolff published in 1985-86 by writer Peter David and artist Rich Buckler, sees Spider-Man lose trusted confidant and beloved police captain Jean Dewolff to the costumed serial killer known as Sin-Eater.

What follows is a never-ending crusade of pain, which takes the superhero through New York City coming across several fellow street-level heroes, on his path of vengeance. The previous Spider-Man film franchises included a major law enforcement figure in the form of Captain George Stacy, the father of Peter Parker's former girlfriend Gwen Stacy.

With the story of the Stacys done to death quite literally on film, introducing a new form of law enforcement through Jean Dewolff would provide Spider-Man an ally in uniform rather than tight spandex.

The tragedy is just as important to the Spider-Man mythos as his supporting characters and villains, with Jean Dewolff's demise being one of the most crushing defeats. 

3. Gang War

Unlike stories of the past, 1987's Gang War from writers Tom Defalco / Jim Owsley involves several crime figures vying for control of the New York City underworld with Spider-Man and a handful of costumed vigilantes from Daredevil, The Punisher, and even Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon caught in the middle.

The epic five-issue series is a culmination of decades worth of Spidey's affairs with the criminal underworld featuring notorious crime lords Hammerhead, Silvermane, and Wilson Fisk a.k.a. The Kingpin. As Spider-Man has yet to face street-level crime within the MCU, a Gang War adaptation could help place Peter Parker in familiar yet new surroundings.

While The Avengers and deal with aliens and time-traveling warlords, it's easy to forget the barrage of crime that occurs on the street. With comic Kingpin having a hand in several aspects of the Marvel Universe, it would be a shame to see the character merely confined to the small screen. 

2. Enter The Hobgoblin

If the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever matches their Spider-Man with a Goblin, the Hobgoblin may be the best option. Initially lacking the psychotic nature of the original variant, writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr. introduced Hobgoblin into the 1980s Amazing Spider-Man comics as a means to avoid yet another Green Goblin arc.

The Hobgoblin is infamous for having his identity shrouded in mystery for decades, which could make for an intriguing cinematic enigma that can appease both Spidey fans and general audiences. The Green Goblin maybe Spider-Man's greatest nemesis, but the MCU has currently ditched repeat villains in favor of underrated yet classic Spidey foes such as Vulture (Michael Keaton) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). A future Hobgoblin appearance would only continue the trend while continuing to build upon the arcs of past films.

1. Audition For The Fantastic Four

Perhaps the two biggest names in Marvel during the early 1960s, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four came to blows in only the debut issue of Spider-Man's first original comic series The Amazing Spider-Man from co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

A teenage and relatively inexperienced Spidey sought the Fantastic Four for employment while providing an exhibition on his astonishing abilities on the celebrated team of explorers firsthand. Spidey's defeat of the Fantastic Four proved impressive but ultimately fruitless, as the group was a non-profit organization.

Now that The Avengers is all but defunct for the time being, New York City and the world are in need of a new team of skilled superheroes to answer the call. As director Jon Watts transitions from the Spider-Man franchise to Marvel's upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, the opportunity for a crossover between Marvel's First Family and New York City's famous web-slinger seems inevitable.

In the history of the Spider-Man character, the arachnid-based hero has ventured from Midtown High School to the offices of The Daily Bugle before attending classes at Empire State University and returning to his own school to teach chemistry.

The coming-of-age nature associated with Spider-Man presents Marvel and Sony with an ever-evolving franchise capable of allowing the audience to truly age with its characters, who transition from teenagers to full-grown adults. Spider-Man was nearly dropped from the MCU canon in late 2019, but the wall-crawler's adventures in the MCU are far from over.