Jordan 1 x Spider-Man

Air Jordan 1 x Spider-Man

During the production of the 2018 movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, members of its crew involved with designing its central character, Miles Morales, decided to depict him wearing sneakers based on the Jordan 1. The designers themselves had grown up during a time when the first signature shoe of the legendary basketball player had just come out and felt that it was an appropriate cultural fit for a young kid from Brooklyn. In a bold move, they wrote to Nike asking if they could make the shoe an actual Air Jordan 1. The brand agreed, and the rest is history.

The first Jordan 1 Spider-Man release came out in tandem with the 2018 animated movie, its design based on the sneaker worn by Miles Morales in the film, which itself was inspired by the iconic Chicago colourway. As such, this high-top is dressed in a black, red and white colour scheme with specific details added to reflect aspects of the Spider-Man character. The Jordan 1 Retro High Into the Spider-Verse, which came to be called Origin Story for its connection to the Spider-Man movie that started its own trilogy, has a pattern of reflective white spots shimmering across its red overlays and touches of blue on the translucent outsole, the tongue patch and the inner lining to represent the superhero’s outfit. In addition to this men’s version, a toddler edition was released alongside another one for slightly older kids, both of which have a foam-filled midsole and red Nike branding on the blue tongue and insole.

Three years later, in 2021, the next live action Spider-Man movie was released. In the trailer for the film, which was titled No Way Home, actor Tom Holland could be seen wearing a pair of Air Jordan 1s, sparking excitement about the sneaker. It looks very different from the 2018 model, opting for a black leather upper with Neutral Grey suede overlays, retro Nike Air branding on the tongue and Hyper Crimson highlights around the collar. Although not appearing in the action hero’s classic colours, it was still a popular release that set the stage for the next Jordan 1 Spider-Man.

This was brought out in 2023 to coincide with the second animated film in the trilogy. Like its predecessor, the Jordan 1 High OG Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, whose shorter nickname is Next Chapter or Spider-Man 2.0, was inspired by the one worn in the movie and has a whole host of alterations to distinguish it from the Origin Story. While its colour combination is the same, a range of premium materials have been used across the upper, including suede, nubuck and patent leather. Its overlays are split into a patchwork of pieces containing different graphics, such as the comic-book-style polka dots on the collar wrap, thus reflecting the numerous dimensions depicted in the film’s multiverse. It also has a glow in the dark outsole which shines bright white when the lights are turned off. Like its predecessor, it was released in editions for all ages, including toddlers and kids.

A second sneaker was also brought out alongside the Next Chapter, though in highly limited numbers. Taking the more practical Jordan 1 Utility model, this high-top was a Friends and Family release that was named after the mysterious Prowler antagonist seen in the movie. Just like the Spider-Man 2.0 reflects the look of its namesake, this new shoe takes on the colours of Prowler, with a largely black upper made of leather and nylon, purple sections through the toe, collar and outsole and neon pink highlights on the additional pockets attached to the sidewalls and heel. Just 100 pairs were released, mostly going to those involved with the movie and employees of Jordan Brand, making this a very rare sneaker.

With the third instalment of the Spider-Man animated trilogy still in the making, fans of these unique Jordan 1s can be assured of at least one more design based on the web-slinging superhero. Thanks to the incredibly creative minds behind the Jordan 1 Spider-Man shoes that have so far been released, the collection is already highly sought-after, and many people will no doubt be eagerly awaiting the next Spider-Man sneakers as this favourable partnership continues to flourish.