'Brand New Day's Original 'Man-Spider' Plans Were Horrifying (And Amazing) - EXCLUSIVE

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) showed that even after four films, Tom Holland's Spider-Man can still bring something new to the table and excite fans. In this case, it was watching him wrestle with a loneliness he had never experienced while also dealing with powers that were evolving and transforming him.

During an interview with Brand New Day writers, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, JustWatch explored the ideas that led to the final product of Peter Parker's evolution. This also included discussion of Man-Spider, who was heavily considered for the movie and would have been utterly terrifying if it had been used in the final product.

Did 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Really Almost Get Man-Spider?

While talking with McKenna and Sommers, they explained what they tried to do to bring the body horror of the Man-Spider narrative to life. The Fly (1986) was a heavy inspiration for the concept, and while not a lot was approved, one idea that stuck was the black eyes that would appear when the spider DNA took over.

McKenna and Sommers also talked about the cut elements that they made up, including spider hairs on Peter's legs. Sommers stated: "I was really obsessed with him growing those hairs spiders have on their legs." Because spiders could use them to smell, the idea was to use these hairs to track down a character.

The gross humor of the scene was that Peter would also try to shave off the hairs, all the while being disgusted by what was happening to him. But even though body horror was always in the back of the writers' minds, it was never something that became a major focus of the larger narrative, considering so much wasn't allowed.

Man-Spider Would've Been A Terrifying Direction To Take Spider-Man

Initially, Man-Spider was teased in Marvel Comics, but only as a result of experimentation while on a mission in the Savage Land with some of the X-Men. However, Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-1998) gave us Man-Spider as a form of mutation as Peter's DNA continued to evolve.

What started as six arms quickly changed into a horrifying form that was nearly unstoppable and utterly gross even by children's cartoon standards. It pushed the envelope back in the '90s, and trying to adapt that in Brand New Day would've taken the film in a wild direction. At the same time, Jean Grey was the antagonist; the idea that Man-Spider could've been a secondary antagonist would've really made the film unique.

Seeing Peter evolve, even with black eyes and organic webbing, was starting to push things in the film because Peter's discomfort as he sees his changes mirrors how we feel about his situation. While Brand New Day irons out a lot, if Peter turned into a monster, it would've changed the film into a superhero horror movie that no one would've expected. But the reception of that might've also been something that creators wouldn't have expected, and critics wouldn't have liked.

It Was Smart To Avoid Man-Spider In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'

Man-Spider would've been an amazing nod to the '90s cartoon and a great way to weaponize nostalgia and introduce that era for new audiences. However, the journey to get there would've been problematic because of the things Peter would've had to endure. From growing leg hairs to possible fangs and more, seeing him become Man-Spider isn't what we want to see a tortured hero go through.

Peter has already been through enough living in isolation and, at that point, having him transform would seem more cruel than anything else. In the end, a balance was met, as mutation, more than anything, is about a person learning more about themselves. Peter has to understand and embrace who he is, even if it scares him, because if he doesn't, he will let those changes rule him.

Turning him into a monster would be unique but would also undermine the Brand New Day's larger message. It proves that nostalgia can be fun, but every choice in crafting a story has to serve the overall message trying to be conveyed to audiences. As a result, Peter evolving into something that scares him is even more impactful than evolving into something that scares others.