Exclusive: Unbelievably Bizarre Spider-Man Cameo Cut from Across The Spider-Verse — You Won't Believe Your Eyes!

One of the directors of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse recently shared a fascinating cameo that was ultimately removed from the film. In this movie, we see various versions of Spider-Man as Miles Morales embarks on a journey through different dimensions, alongside Gwen Stacy. Throughout their adventure, different versions of Spider-Man make appearances in important roles, cameos, or even just in the background. However, there was one particular Spider-Man variant that could have added an extra element of surprise to the story.

During an interview with Empire Magazine, co-director Joaquim Dos Santos revealed an idea for a Spider-Man variant that didn't make it into the final film. According to Santos, the Spider-Society team was almost joined by a rather peculiar member: a Spider-Man toy from the Toy-Biz line. This unique Spider-Man toy would have had a giant kid's hand that would mysteriously appear off-screen to hold him. This unconventional idea certainly would have brought an unexpected twist to the Spider-Verse team.

Spider-Man's Toy Variant Is Better Left Out Of Across The Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse initially intended to include a toy variant, which could have been entertaining. However, this scene would have felt disconnected from the rest of the film. A human hand suddenly appearing in the animated world to grab the toy Spider-Man off-screen would have disrupted the film's controlled realism, despite its multiverse plot and diverse animation styles.

The decision to remove the toy Spider-Man from the movie was made because the filmmakers wanted the audience to be in awe of the Spider-Society's Headquarters, just like Miles Morales when he first arrives there. While the directors desired to incorporate humor and references like "Bag-Man" into the headquarters, having a toy Spider-Man operated by a human hand proved to be too distracting and didn't resonate emotionally with Miles.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which broke records, had an additional rationale for excluding the toy version of Spider-Man. The film already showcased a scene set in a LEGO universe, where LEGO Spider-Man assisted Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099, and Miguel O'Hara regarded the toy Spider-Man as one of the finest members of the Spider-Society. Including the omitted toy Spider-Man would have been both distracting and redundant, given the nature of the scene and the outstanding LEGO sequence. Therefore, it was advantageous for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to discard the notion.