Since its onscreen debut in 2018, the Spider-Verse has captivated artists and creators worldwide, not excluding us here at Sneaker Fortress. From official sneakers to concepts, collaborations to customs, here are all of our favourite Spider-Man and Spider-Verse sneakers:
Official Spider-Man Sneakers
We rarely see our favourite fictional characters and worlds colliding with a sphere of life that is as important and entangled with pop culture as sneakers and fashion. Luckily, sneaker brands have sincerely liked Spider-Man and the Spider-Verse. While it is far from the number of stunning customs designed in the last couple of years, it speaks volumes that we even have official sneakers to look at.
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1. Adidas Superstar “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales”
Matching the sneakers that Miles Morales wore in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, adidas brought out a stunning official pair so players and Spider-Man fans could match their hero.
The pair combines the iconic adidas Superstar silhouette with a predominantly red colourway, perfectly representing the character. The subtlety of the sneaker makes it super versatile and simple enough that you can wear it with whatever you want, and non-gamers might not recognise it. Still, the subtle black and red webbing detail on the heel does give the inspiration away a little.
2. Adidas Ultra 4D “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Miles Morales”
In celebration of Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, adidas brought out a duo of Ultra 4D sneakers to celebrate the protagonists. Unfortunately for Adidas, the reception to the sneakers wasn’t the best, despite them having designed sneakers that perfectly matched the ones he was wearing in the game, allowing players to match their favourite hero.
The predominantly white design features web-shaped embroidery throughout the upper and a red leather mudguard with lightning bolts. The mesh outsole of the sneakers is represented in electric blue. Unfortunately, unlike the next pair on the list, fans thought that the opacity and colour of the mesh made the sneakers look cheap.
3. Adidas Ultra 4D “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Venomised”
While fans weren’t too impressed with the colourway and silhouette of these Adidas Ultra 4D “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Venomised” sneakers when they first released, they are still a win with an official pair of Adidas Spider-Man sneakers.
The mesh-like texture of the adidas Ultra 4D outsole is the perfect choice for representing Venom in a pair of sneakers. Still, the design could translate better when the aesthetic transitions from the outsole to the upper. The majority of the upper is red with blue accents. At the same time, the adidas triple stripe is the perfect representation of Spider-Man’s mask.
4. Nike Air Jordan 1 Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse
The Nike Air Jordan 1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse sneakers marked the start of a clearly continuing trend of Marvel and Sony Pictures working together to bring a pair of stunning sneakers inspired by their movie to life.
This pair takes on a more traditional Spider-Man feel, combining a blue semi-translucent outsole with white tumbled leather and rubber, red tumbled leather with comic-book-style dot shading, and black accents through the laces, the collar, the iconic Nike Swoosh and the Jordan Wings logo.
RELATED: Peter Parker Wears Nike Air Max 1 Sneakers In Spider-Man: Far From Home
5. Nike Air Jordan 1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
For both Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, Nike and Sony Pictures collaborated to create stunning sneakers to promote the movies. The Nike Air Jordan 1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is the second pair made to celebrate the universe.
Combining a stunning variety of textiles and styles that all share a red tone to tie them together, the sneakers bring the wacky and fantastic art style of the Spider-Verse movies to life in physical form.
The best part about these sneakers is that the outsole is glow-in-the-dark. The effect Nike created with the outsole, the first glow-in-the-dark sneakers that aren’t that weird ghostly glow-in-the-dark green colour and don’t light up green, is no easy feat. These outsoles light up like they are lit from within by LEDs and shine pure white with a bit of a glittery effect. Truly stunning.
6. Nike Air Max Plus “Spider-Man”
This pair of Nike Air Max Plus sneakers marks a nice departure from the very Jordan-heavy nature of this list. It is nice to see Nike embracing some versatility with their Spider-Man-inspired silhouettes.
Surprisingly, the Air Max Plus silhouette is perfect for representing Spider-Man, with its organic-looking rubber stripes that decorate the upper of the sneakers. The soft gradient from red to blue is perfectly complemented by the shading of the mesh upper.
7. Nike Dunk Low GS “Spider-Man”
Adding a bit of variety to the Nike official Spider-Man sneakers, the Nike Dunk Low GS “Spider-Man” silhouette was created to celebrate Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and his iconic sneakers.
The pair has a more understated look than the rest of the Spider-Man-inspired sneakers on the list. It is predominantly white and does not have a single web in sight. The bright red perfectly complements the bright blue of the branding and stitching of the sneaker. At the same time, the Nike Swoosh can’t help but be reminiscent of the eyes on each Spider-Man’s mask.
8. Nike Foamposite Metallic Gold “Green Goblin”
These sneakers were never released as a Spider-Man pair for the masses; they are way cooler. This pair of Nike Foamposite sneakers was customised and incorporated into Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin suit for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man (2002).
The sneakers had a custom paint job, and they were covered in an epic shroud that made it possible to incorporate the pair into the armour with buckles and flaps. Honestly, there couldn’t have been a more perfect pair of sneakers for the job, as the beetle-like exterior perfectly matched the hard outer shell of the suit.
Custom or Concept Spider-Man Sneakers
There are twice as many custom Spider-Man sneaker designs for as many official Spider-Man sneakers that have been designed and released in recent years. With many different silhouettes, custom artists, including ourselves, favour the Air Jordan and Nike SB Dunk range for bringing these beautiful sneakers to life and representing these stunning Spider-Man characters.
1. Nike Air Force 1 “Into The Spider-Verse Noir Suit”
A rare Air Force 1 silhouette amongst the plethora of Jordans on this list, the Nike Air Force 1 “Into the Spider-Verse Noir Suit” sneakers commemorates the character that was brought to life by Nicholas Cage in the 2018 movie that shares the name of the sneakers.
This version of Spider-Man is a super-detective with an all-black outfit, brought to life perfectly on the Air Force 1 silhouette. These stunning sneakers have a slight white shading, like airbrushing around the edges of the panelling, bringing to light the illusion of the character being lit from above. The reflective shine of the character’s mask is also represented thanks to the white threading on the outsole.
2. Nike Air Jordan 1 “Beyond The Spider-Verse”
After fans got to get a glimpse of The Prowler at the end of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it took mere minutes for sneaker artists to start designing their own take on the Prowler sneakers in hopeful anticipation of seeing more of the character in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
While this is an entirely different silhouette to what was seen in the movie, these Air Jordan 1 sneakers are undeniably beautiful with their pink and purple luminous elements, the grey mesh on much of the quarter, and the stark white leather decorating the sneakers’ collar.
3. Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Advanced Suit 2.0”
When we saw the striking colour play of the Advanced Suit 2.0 in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we couldn’t help but represent the look with a stunning pair of Air Jordan 1 sneakers.
The red, blue and white pair would be incomplete without the black rubber outsole that resembles the scarce black of the suit lining the eyes of the mask and the intricately designed cobwebs that decorate the upper and lower lace stays. The pair would be red, blue and white without them, but with them, it is instantly recognisable as a pair of Spider-Man-inspired sneakers.
4. Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Secret Wars: Civil War Suit”
I was also shocked when I saw Spider-Man wearing all pink and looking slightly like Fortnite skin, but you can’t say that the pink and teal don’t go perfectly together. This pair is a concept designed by the team at Fortress of Solitude.
This design was inspired by Peter Parker’s outfit in an alternate universe where the result of the Civil War and Secret Wars differed from what everyone expected. The pink and teal suit was one of the skin options for Spider-Man in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, proving that Spider-Gwen isn’t the only Spider character who can wear pink and blue.
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5. Nike Air Jordan 1 High Recon “Spidey”
This stunning pair of sneakers is part of a duo created by @reverse.land, and both are the perfect combination of sneaker and comic. The first pair depicts our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, down to the beautiful, almost woven, cell-like texture that makes up the appearance of Spider-Man’s suit. If you love this pair, wait until you see the other guy.
6. Nike Air Jordan 1 High Recon “Venom”
In the second part of the duo by @reverse.land, no superhero is complete without his or her villain. While Spider-Man has no shortage of villains to choose from, Venom is undoubtedly one of the most prominent in his lore and pop culture.
Perfectly marking the times when Venom manages to take over Spider-Man, corrupting and venomising him, the Nike Air Jordan 1 High Recon “Venom” is a symbiotic version of the first pair, complete with the same textured upper as the Spidey pair, clearly symbolising that Spidey has been venomised for this pair.
7. Nike Air Jordan 1 “Spider-Man India”
Another pair we designed here at Fortress of Solitude and Sneaker Fortress, the Air Jordan 1 “Spider-Man India”, is a stunning representation of Pavitr Prabhakar of Earth-50101, Spider-Man India.
Fittingly for the protector of Mumbattan, the sneakers are a colourful combination of textiles that include incredibly soft and plush leather, canvas, and rugged leather, all coming together to create a visually and texturally exciting sneaker.
8. Nike Air Jordan 1 “Venom Takes Over”
At the time that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was getting ready for launch and rumours were abounding around the internet that we would see Venom in the game, we couldn’t help but wonder what the official Nike Air Jordan 1 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sneakers would look like if it were taken over by Venom.
This pair we designed sated our curiosity, with inky dark blacks and organic-looking tendrils making their way up the sneaker and even taking over the tongue label.
9. Nike Air Jordan 3 “Scarlet Spider Suit”
This black, red and yellow pair of Air Jordan 3 sneakers is inspired by the suit that Scarlet Spider wears, known as Ben Reilly, a clone of Peter Parker. The suit was first designed for the 90s comic series and brought to life as a suit option for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We brought it to life in sneaker form here at Sneaker Fortress.
The Air Jordan 3 silhouette has a clear window in the heel and ample opportunities to add subtle hints of yellow that match the subtle touches of yellow on Ben Reilly’s suit. The predominantly black colourway perfectly reflects the mostly black suit. This design choice is a vast departure from the usual predominantly red and blue Spider-Man suits.
10. Nike Air Jordan 3 “Spider-Man”
Prepping for the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the incredible custom sneaker artist @jessewoods_collection created this beautiful pair of Nike Air Jordan 3 “Spider-Man” sneakers in anticipation of seeing Venom in the game.
Suppose you are looking at these sneakers, marvelling at the texture, and wondering why it is so beautiful. In that case, it’s because most of the details on the sneaker are hand embroidered with ”hundreds of thousands of stitches” in the design that depicts Venom taking over the sneaker. The beautiful pair even has alternating tongues and heels for Venom and Spider-Man on the left and right side.
11. Nike Air Jordan 3 “Superior Suit”
The story behind this design that we put together is more interesting than the design and the suit itself. The suit was seen in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It is based on a comic arc where Doctor Octopus takes over Peter Parker’s body and changes it to do some good.
The colourway combines a healthy helping of white, black and luminous green as accents, including the threading on the front of the midsole, the clear window into the Air unit in the heel, the inner lining, laces, and branding on the back of the sneaker. Once again, the subtlety of the design is where the sneakers shine, as the only way you would know this epic pair is part of a Spider-Man collection is the intricate spider web on the lateral side mudguard.
12. Nike Air Jordan 4 “Spider-Man”
This pair designed by us here at Fortress of Solitude and Sneaker Fortress isn’t dedicated to one particular character in the Spider-Verse but was inspired by the character of Spider-Man.
The Air Jordan 4, with its webbed-shaped support wings and netting that covers mesh inserts, is a perfect silhouette for representing Spider-Man, so we couldn’t resist putting our own spin on the design.
Instead of using leather or nubuck, we chose a woven textile that combines red, blue, white, and black to really bring to life the stunning details that we usually see in almost every Spider-Man suit. Accented with black and speckled white, the sneakers are gorgeous.
13. Nike Air Max Penny “Spider-Man 2099 Suit”
This pair of suits is a little different from the version of Miguel O’Hara’s Spider-Man 2099 suit that we saw in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It is inspired by the purple and electric blue suit seen in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
With his spikes, the sharp design of the spider emblem on his chest, and his all-around gritty look, there is no better sneaker to bring the design to life than the Nike Air Max Penny. The sneaker has a dark outsole that matches the dark gradient and shading of the suit but is predominantly purple, just like the suit. The accents correspond, and the heel tab floats over the collar area perfectly, representing the spikes that run along Miguel’s arms.
14. Nike Air Max Plus “Symbiote Suit”
Considering the stripes of a Venomised suit, there wasn’t a better silhouette for us to transform into the Symbiote Suit from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 other than the Nike Air Max Plus.
Black and white always work perfectly together, but the subtlety of the stripes weaving across the sneaker the way they do almost look organic in nature, working perfectly for the inky black look of Venom. An added bonus is that the Nike Check symbol on the lateral side of the sneakers really resembles Venom’s eyes and works perfectly to represent any Spider-man who has been venomised.
Of course, the best thing about this design is that if you aren’t looking at it as a pair of Venom sneakers, they could just be epic black and white Nike Air Max Plus sneakers, making them incredibly versatile.
15. Nike Air Max 97 “Scarlet III Suit”
These stunning sneakers were designed by us and inspired by Scarlet Spider’s stunning Scarlet III suit in his 2017 comic series. Luckily for us, the suit is one of the wearable designs in the PS5 game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, changing the usually predominantly black, red, and blue aesthetic to predominantly white.
The side wave of layered panelling on the Nike Air Max 97 is the perfect medium for translating the many layers that makeup Scarlet Spider’s suit, ideally bringing the design to life. We also designed this pair here at Fortress of Solitude.
16. Nike SB Dunk Low “Spider-Man 2099”
Introduced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as a morally ambiguous Spider-Man, Miguel O’Hara’s Spider-Man 2099 stole many hearts. The Irish-Mexican geneticist’s suit is described in stunning detail with @glitchedgarbage’s Nike SB Dunk Low “Spider-Man 2099”.
Just like every other pair that has been crafted by this brilliant artist, the Spider-Man 2099 model has a somewhat dual design, looking bright and grungy like Miguel’s suit in daylight and looking even cooler at night when glow-in-the-dark elements and reflective threading and printing are lit up stunningly.
It’s fantastic that we live in a world where we can create custom sneakers and enjoy art as part of the fashion world. While these are some of our favourite sneakers inspired by Spider-Man and other characters in the Spider-Verse, this isn’t nearly all of them, so let us know in the comments if you want to see more of them!
Which Spider-Man-inspired sneaker is your favourite?
