‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Almost Included The Spot, Here’s What Happened

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home‘ emerged as one of the most significant multiverse events in the franchise’s history, uniting villains from three different Spider-Man film series for an epic showdown. Iconic characters like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro crossed over from Sam Raimi’s and Marc Webb’s trilogies to challenge Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, solidifying the film as a true homage to Spider-Man’s cinematic legacy.

However, the final lineup was not set in stone from the outset. Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who collaborated on ‘No Way Home,’ have recently shared insights into how the film’s villain roster evolved during its development. Their latest remarks highlight a particularly surprising character that was nearly included.

During an appearance on The Bulwark’s podcast while promoting ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ McKenna disclosed that the animated villain The Spot was initially intended to be the antagonist of ‘No Way Home’ before plans changed. “We would break a story for two weeks, and we’d have Spot as our villain in ‘No Way Home,’ and then we’d find out, ‘Oh, sorry, I just read the new outline for “Across the Spider-Verse” and Spot’s in it. So you can’t have that,’” McKenna explained.

This scheduling conflict forced McKenna and Sommers to abandon The Spot entirely, as Sony had already committed the character to its animated ‘Spider-Verse’ franchise. The Spot ultimately became the main antagonist of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ transforming the once-obscure comic villain, known for his ability to create portals across his polka-dotted body, into one of the most memorable animated Spider-Man villains in recent times.

The loss of The Spot reportedly left McKenna and Sommers scrambling for alternatives, eventually leading them to consider Kraven the Hunter as another potential villain for ‘No Way Home’ before that idea was also shelved. This back-and-forth ultimately contributed to shaping the film into the multiverse-spanning narrative that audiences experienced, with the returning trilogy villains taking center stage instead.

This revelation is part of a broader series of behind-the-scenes insights from McKenna and Sommers linked to the release of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ during which they have discussed several other discarded concepts from their years working on the franchise, including early ideas that considered Kraven again as a potential villain for ‘Brand New Day’ before the film ultimately chose different antagonists.

For fans who have kept track of the complex web of Sony’s Spider-Man rights and their intersection with both live-action Marvel films and the animated ‘Spider-Verse’ universe, this kind of behind-the-scenes conflict is not entirely unexpected. The simultaneous development of multiple Spider-Man projects across different studios and mediums has often compelled writers to swap characters and discard ideas based on who secured a particular villain first.

It’s a captivating piece of what-if trivia for a film that already leaned heavily on nostalgia and crossover appeal. Had the timing been different, ‘No Way Home’ could have introduced The Spot to live-action audiences years before Sony’s animated team turned him into a scene-stealing fan favorite.

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