Marvel's Spider-Man was born to be an action figure. He sticks to walls. He swings around from building to building. He's super-strong. But not all of his action figures have incorporated his innate toyetic qualities, and certainly not all at once. Over the decades, many have tried, but only some succeeded.
Toys get better and better all the time, and consequently, so does Spider-Man. What constitutes a great super-poseable Spider-Man figure? Does he come with a talking feature to make quips? Maybe what's most important is the essence of the character, something the best figures bring to the table.
Updated on March 12, 2022, by Scoot Allan: The Amazing Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most popular characters, evidenced by the Spider-Man's success outside of the comics. Spider-Man has starred in a number of live-action adaptations on the big screen as well as a few video games over the years, all of which received tie-in action figures. With new toy releases coming every year, there will always be more fantastic Spider-Man figures for fans to add to their collection.
15 The Secret Wars Spider-Man Figure Is A Prized Collectible For Nostalgic Reasons
Is he the most poseable of Spider-Man action figures? Nope. Is he the most accurately sculpted? Nah. Is he a lot of fun? Absolutely. This version of Spider-Man hails from the '80s, aka the best decade for toys. Specifically, he comes from the mega Marvel crossover Secret Wars.
The best thing about this figure is the all-important nostalgia factor. As a figure in and of itself, Secret Wars Spider-Man may not be the best, but he represents the first Spidey toy for a lot of people. That gets them past his imperfections and keeps him a prized possession for many collectors today.
14 Mego Spidey Was One Of The First Spider-Man Action Figures Ever Produced
If the Secret Wars version inspires nostalgia in one generation of Spidey fans, then the Mego version certainly does in another. Back in the '70s, Mego produced action figures (not dolls!) of numerous comic books, film, and television properties (kind of like Funko does now).
Mego's Spider-Man debuted in 1973 and remains one of the best. He's simple, but so is the character. With poseable limbs and s soft goods uniform that collectors could take off, Spider-Man joined the ranks of many Marvel characters including the Hulk and Captain America.
13 Diamond Select's Amazing Spider-Man 2 Figure Fully Realizes Andrew Garfield's Movie Costume
This outstanding action figure from Diamond Select features the most accurate version of the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man in plastic. While the Garfield films may not have been as well-received as the others, they still have their fans and this figure represents the best token of that era.
Diamond Select's Amazing Spider-Man came with a wall-mountable base — which he could climb — as well as interchangeable heads and hands. Unfortunately, not all accessories were available with the figure. Some were exclusive to specific retailers making it a bit of a chore to complete the character.
12 Ben Reilly's First Spider-Man Costume Was Featured In A 2022 Marvel Legends Wave
The 90's Clone Saga introduced Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly, who first created the Scarlet Spider identity before he ultimately took over as Spider-Man for the first time. Ben Reilly created a new Spidey suit that extended the insignia across the entire torso and featured some other changes that soon became iconic.
Ben Reilly's first Spider-Man suit was included in a 2022 retro Spider-Man Build-A-Figure wave along with a few new figures that became instant hits with fans looking to expand their collection of Spider-Men.
11 Ultimate Mile Morales Is A Popular Character That Has A Few Versions From Marvel Legends
This 2016 standout from the Space Venom wave (each Marvel Legends figure comes with a piece of a larger buildable figure otherwise too big to pack on their own) is the definitive version of Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales. The key here is realizing Miles' younger, lankier body in plastic.
A unifying scale isn't something action figure lines always strive for, so to have a super-poseable and accurate Miles is a huge plus. Fans of Spider-Man: Miles Morales can pick up a Marvel Legends Gamerverse version of the character as well as Miles's early costume from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
10 The Six-Armed Spider-Man Figure From Marvel Legends Is A Must-Have For Comic Fans
Peter Parker once tried to cure himself of his powers in the comics. The serum Peter created had much different results than anticipated and he began to transform even further — growing four additional arms before he was able to reverse the process.
2019 saw the release of a Kingpin Build-A-Figure wave that included the Six-Armed Spider-Man, which brought his mutated comic appearance to life for the first time in the Marvel Legends line. The action figure features a slightly expanded torso to accommodate the extra arms, as well as a textured suit, further enticing fans looking to add a unique figure to their collection.
9 Marvel Legends' Spider-Man: Far From Home Brings The Ditko-Inspired Suit To Life
Action figure technology has advanced pretty far in recent years, so much so that it's rare a figure isn't a spooky plastic totem of an actor or character. A case in point is this Spider-Man from The MCU sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home.
A pitch-perfect replica of his Steve Ditko-inspired suit from the end of the film, this figure features all of the requisite Marvel Legends features: enhanced articulation, exacting detail, and playability in the form of swappable hands. This Spider-Man doesn't come with an unmasked head, as some do, which is a bit of a bummer given how accurate head sculpts are these days.
8 The Brief Appearance Of Spider-Hulk In The Comics Received An Action Figure From Hasbro
This is one serious action figure. Perhaps one of the best examples from the Toy Biz Spider-Man line, this amazing and gigantic piece from 2006 captures the comic book gonzo-ness of the Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk mash-up idea.
The mean, green Spider Hulk appeared in Web Of Spider-Man #70 in 1990, and that was it — but it was a memorable enough appearance to merit a great action figure, one Hasbro is likely to revisit at some point down the road.
7 2003's 18" Super Poseable Spider-Man Featured Over 67 Points Of Articulation
The king of the hill might be this amazing — no pun intended — 18-inch version of Spider-Man from 2004. Featuring 67 points of articulation, this is one of the biggest and most poseable Spidey action figures ever made.
Produced for the Toy Biz line celebrating the release of Spider-Man 2, few action figures today come close to its engineering. Thanks to rising production costs, ambitious toys of this type could soon be a thing of the past.
6 Marvel Legends' Line Of Spider-Man: No Way Home Figures Features His Integrated Suit
The release of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 introduced a couple of new looks for the young MCU hero as he took on multiversal villains from previous movies alongside other Spider-Men like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
While his Iron Spider suit was largely destroyed in battle, some of the nanotech survived and merged with his Far From Home costume to create a new Integrated Suit that separated the character from past versions. The Marvel Legends figure brings the new costume to life with gold accents and a perfected head sculpt that mirrors the MCU costume construction.
5 Miguel O'Hara Received A Dynamic New Marvel Legends Figure For Fans Of Spider-Man 2099
Fans of Spider-Man 2099 were rewarded with a new figure that was included in the Marvel Legends retro Spider-Man wave in 2022. Miguel O'Hara had his genetics blended with the DNA of a spider to gain incredible powers that he used to become Spider-Man in the far future.
While there was an earlier version of the Spider-Man 2099 figure from Marvel Legends, the new version features some minor modifications that include a new paint job, cape, and hand accessories that make this a truly improved version of the fan-favorite character.
4 Hot Toys Released An Amazingly Detailed Cyborg Spider-Man Figure From Sideshow Collectibles
While "Cyborg Spider-Man" isn't technically a cyborg, the additions he gained during the Revenge of the Sinister Six storyline were actually advanced prosthetics that helped Peter Parker heal and move after he was injured in battle.
Sideshow Collectibles released an amazing Spider-Man figure of this unique but short-lived comic costume in their extremely detailed Hot Toys line. While the price for this figure is quite a bit higher than the similar Marvel Legends version of Cyborg Spider-Man, it's clear attention to detail and poseability make the Hot Toys version well worth the price.
3 Marvel Legends' Black Suit/Symbiote Spider-Man Figure Continues To Be A Fan-Favorite Collector's Item
One of the most popular Spider-Man figures is also one of the comic character's most popular costumes — the Black Suit or Symbiote costume. Spider-Man first gained the symbiote during his time on Battleworld in the Secret Wars event before the symbiote left him to join with Eddie Brock and become Venom.
Spider-Man donned a fabric version of the costume a few times over the years, further proving its lasting popularity. Marvel Legends has released a few different versions of the costume over the years, and they usually sell out pretty quickly. Thankfully the 2022 retro wave included a new version of Symbiote Spider-Man for fans who missed out on the previous figures.
2 MAFEX's No.108 Spider-Man Figure Features Comic Paint That Makes It Look Like I t Just Jumped Off The Pages
Perhaps no figure captures the look and the feel of the classic comic book version of Spider-Man better than this version, produced by MAFEX. MAFEX No.108 Spider-Man (Comic Paint) is in the same six-inch scale as Marvel Legends, but much more expensive.
Because the figure is produced in Japan, it's much harder to come by and close to a hundred bucks. The price may be worth it for fans who value a figure that can recreate all of Spider-Man's classic poses with ease — looking like Spidey stepped out of a Todd McFarlane comic panel doing it.
1 Marvel Legends' "Pizza Spidey" Figure Is Still One Of The Wall-Crawler's Best Action Figures
Much less expensive — if you managed to get him back in 2015 — is the so-called "Pizza Spidey." This Marvel Legends version of the hero is generally considered the best Hasbro has yet done by Peter Parker.
Like the Miles Morales figure, Spidey features outstanding articulation, the right body type, and naturally, an alternate head sculpt that lets him munch on a slice between superhero gigs. While the butterfly joints in the shoulders have been surpassed by other figures, he remains one of the best Spider-Man figures fans have ever seen.