Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel StudiosAfter recasting the New York native and legendary wallcrawler, Marvel Studios has confirmed Spider-Man has been cut from a key Marvel Cinematic Universe project.
For over 60 years, Spider-Man has been entertaining superhero fans all over the world. From his beginnings in the pages of Marvel Comics in 1962, the character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko has become one of, if not the most, prolific and memorable heroes of the century.
More recently, Spider-Man has shown up heavily in the live-action world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Feige’s billion-dollar franchise has run since its humble start with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008), and became the largest comic book film series in history.
As part of the MCU, Spider-Man, whom British actor Tom Holland primarily plays, has not only been featured in live-action movies like Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), but also in its key animated effort, What If…?
In a recent interview, the creator of What If…?, A.C. Bradley, revealed some interesting information about Spider-Man, specifically regarding an episode featuring the web-slinger that ended up on the cutting room floor. Speaking to IGN following the end of What If…? Season 2, Bradley–who also just revealed that she was leaving Marvel Studios despite her successful What If…? series–shared that the episode with Spidey was far too “dark.”
On her decision to feature “scrappy” characters like Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Hela (Cate Blanchett) in the second season, Bradley explained that the What If…? Season 1 motive was to use big-name characters.
“With Season 1, there was a push to use the headliners, to do the Tony Stark episode, to do the Black Panther episode and Doctor Strange,” Bradley told IGN. “But with Season 2, we had a bit more freedom. At the end of the day, we’re not writing the big blockbuster, 100-million-dollar movie. We’re not even showrunning the live-action TV shows. We’re the scrappy, little animation show slipping under the Marvel machine radar.”
After explaining that the majority of Season 2 was written during the 2020 pandemic, Bradley shared that one episode, which she called “Children of Men with Spider-Man,” was far too dark to be made–“very, very, dark.”
For those unfamiliar with Children of Men (2006), the movie helmed by Alfonso Cuarón is a dystopian thriller set in 2027, based on the book, “The Children of Men” (1992) by P.D. James. It features a world ravaged by two decades of infertility, where Clive Owen’s former activist, Thelonius “Theo” Faron, must transport the miraculously pregnant Kee, played by Clare-Hope Ashitey, to safety.
Related: Marvel Officially Abandons Leading Character in MCU
It is not known how much of the Children of Men storyline would have featured in Bradley’s Spider-Man episode of What If…? Season 2, and fans will likely never know now that the script is in the “drawer,” as the executive told IGN. The removal of Spider-Man from What If…? Season 2 means that no project in 2023 featured the iconic hero at all. Of course, the hero had huge fanfare with Sony Pictures and with Insomniac Games’ “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023).
All episodes of What If…? Season 2 are now streaming on Disney+ after releasing on consecutive days from December 22 through December 30.
Looking ahead to Spider-Man in the future of the MCU, Tom Holland did reveal that discussions had taken place regarding Spider-Man 4, the fourth movie in Jon Watts’ Spider-Man series. It was not confirmed at the time if Watts was also involved in these discussions.
In a joint venture between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, with producers including Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, the Spider-Man movies (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home) are some of the most celebrated of the franchise. In more recent years, Marvel and Sony have blurred the lines between the MCU and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), with both Holland’s Spidey and Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom showing up in the other’s movies. It is likely, then, that the MCU and SSU will continue to merge if and when a fourth Spider-Man movie is made.
On the animated side of things, the next and final installment in the Spider-Verse trilogy is set for release in the future. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (TBD) will follow Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), bringing the next chapter of this Multiversal epic to the big screen.
In addition to Sony’s Beyond the Spider-Verse, Marvel will also drop an animated project in 2024. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, formerly known as Spider-Man: Freshman Year, will feature Hudson Thames as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Thames previously played Spider-Man in What If…? Season 1.
Are you sad that this Spidey “Children of Men” story was not featured in What If…? Season 2? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!