One of Marvel's most popular characters is the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, which has resulted in a number of adaptations over the years – from animated series to live-action films that have mined the hero's rich comic history for stories to adapt for each new iteration.
Yet with three different live-action franchises and numerous animated series dating back to 1967's classic cartoon that have all tapped into some of Spider-Man's greatest comic storylines, it might be surprising to hear that there are still a few important storylines that have yet to be adapted.
10 Kraven's Last Hunt
J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck teamed up to bring fans one of Spider-Man's darkest storylines with 1987's "Kraven's Last Hunt," which featured the final confrontation between Spider-Man (in his iconic black suit) and classic foe Kraven the Hunter. Spider-Man is seemingly killed and buried while Kraven replaced him on the streets of New York to prove he was better than his enemy.
Spider-Man then crawled out of his grave after two weeks to find Kraven dead by suicide. The dark story is obviously difficult to adapt for a kid-friendly animated series, but fans have been dying to see Kraven on the big screen for years with hopes his "Last Hunt" would finally be adapted.
9 The Death of Jean DeWolff
Similar dark territory was explored in Peter David and Rich Buckler's "The Death of Jean DeWolff" storyline that began in Spectacular Spider-Man #107 when Spider-Man first learned that his ally and friend on the police force had been murdered in her own home.
The masked killer was revealed as the Sin-Eater, and Spider-Man was brought to some to his lowest moments during Sin-Eater's killing spree and later apprehension. The villain has returned to plague the lives of several Marvel characters over the years, making his debut even more appealing for adaptation.
8 Maximum Carnage
Spider-Man was forced to gather a team of street-level heroes to deal with the threat of Carnage and his own twisted family of killers during the Maximum Carnage crossover that ran through all of the Spider-Man titles and inspired the hit video game of the same name.
While he violence and mayhem from the comic series (and complicated rights issues for involved characters) have limited the crossover's spread outside of comics, the upcoming live-action debut of the symbiotic serial killer in Venom: Let There Be Carnage has fans dreaming of an adaptation in the future.
7 The Clone Saga
While the Clone Saga of the 90s had some definite issues, there's no denying the importance it had on Spider-Man's mythology as it continued to affect the storylines for years after the overdue finale brought the saga to a relieving close.
Elements of the Clone Saga like Scarlet Spider and Kaine have made appearances in various animated series over the years, and the Ultimate Universe's take inspired an adaptation on Marvel's Spider-Man cartoon, but the original Jackal-led storyline has yet to appear despite the cinematic potential of introducing new spider-people.
6 Identity Crisis
After Spider-Man was framed for murder, Peter Parker was forced to create four new costumed characters so he could go clear his name without putting himself or others in danger as Spider-Man during the "Identity Crisis" event. Peter created the Dusk and Ricochet identities to go undercover as criminals while Prodigy and Hornet took over as new superheroes.
Spider-Man was eventually cleared of all charges and the superhero identities were later taken over by a team known as the Slingers. It makes sense that a live-action film would be hesitant to try and introduce four other heroes, but the storyline seems like perfect source material for an animated series to explore further.
5 The Gathering of Five
"The Gathering of Five" storyline (and "The Final Chapter" follow-up) led into Howard Mackie and John Byrne's relaunch of the Spider-Man titles, and while it might not be considered one of the characters most important, it does have great adaptation potential. The Gathering was a mystical ceremony that assembled a five-piece talisman in order to grant the five possessors one risky gift.
Norman Osborn, Madame Web, and Mattie Franklin/Spider-Woman were part of the gathered who randomly received gifts like knowledge, power, immortality, insanity and death, and could offer a new origin story for Norman Osborn since he has appeared multiple times on the big screen already.
4 Coming Home
J. Michael Straczynski began his run on The Amazing Spider-Man with the "Coming Home" arc alongside John Romita, Jr., which introduced the similarly powered Ezekiel Sims, who offered an alternate explanation for Peter Parker's powerful abilities.
While he undoubtedly got his abilities from the radioactive spider that bit him, Sims revealed that Peter's powers were also derived from the totemic energies of the spider that connected Spider-Man to other characters across the multiverse. The villain Morlun was also introduced, which would lead into the Spider-Verse series that has only been teased on the big screen.
3 Back In Black
Aunt May has factored into almost every single adaptation of Spider-Man, yet rarely have they ever explored the comic storylines that dealt with the loss of the woman who raised Peter Parker. "Back in Black" by Straczynski and Ron Garney followed Spider-Man's unmasking during the events of Civil War, which resulted in Aunt May getting shot.
Spider-Man returned to his classic black costume and tore through the criminal underworld to get to the man who had ordered the hit on Parker, the Kingpin. Fans have been hoping to see Spider-Man and the Kingpin clash on the big screen for years, and "Back in Black" features one of their best encounters.
2 One More Day
While it wasn't loved universally by fans, the "One More Day" storyline was undoubtedly important to the overall Spider-Man mythology because it rewrote the character's entire world after he made a deal with the devil.
Following the shooting of Aunt May, Peter Parker was able to bargain with Mephisto for her survival, but it ultimately cost him his marriage to Mary Jane Watson. This rewrote his timeline and launched the "Brand New Day" era, opening up multiple new story avenues for the character while leaving decades worth of stories behind.
1 Worldwide
Dan Slott spent a decade writing Spider-Man and created a number of storylines that are ripe for adaptation, with the recent Marvel's Spider-Man animated series exploring some of the elements from "Big Time" and the "Superior Spider-Man" storylines. However, Peter Parker entered into brand new territory during the "Worldwide" storyline as he took over Parker Industries.
Peter followed in his former mentor Tony Stark's footsteps as he used his resources to spread his reach across the world, while also designing a high-tech new suit of armor and Spider-Mobile. This highly successful version of Spider-Man may have been short-lived, but would still offer quite a different take on the character than fans have seen outside the comics.