Marvel's What If…? originally had a Spider-Man plotline too dark for the show's PG-13 rating.
The pitch wasn't given the green light as a result, according to What If writer A.C. Bradley, who related the story on The Post Credit Podcast. More specifically, the episode was set to feature some Spider-Man-related body horror that would have been too much for the show's PG-13 rating.
"There were a couple of episodes that were just a little too dark," Bradley said. "There was a an original What If run where Spider-Man turns into a real spider, and that was just too dark and too body horror for their PG-13 (rating)."
It seems Marvel dodged a Rated-R bullet shaped like a spider, as well as an arachnophobia warning, by giving What If a no to that idea. Still, it's hard not to wonder what exactly this episode would have been about. Was it more like a "what if Spider-Man turned into an actual Spider" kind of episode, or more of a "Doc Ock turns Spider-Man into an actual spider with his limbs" kind of episode?
Regardless of the direction, it sounds like it was too dark for Marvel, so we'll likely never see what Spider-Man turning into a real spider in an MCU property looks like. In the end, i's not surprising that Marvel is sticking so rigidly to its PG-13 rating. After all, it's made the studio billions while similar R-rated superhero movies have consistently made less than their PG-13 counterparts.
This potential Spider-Man storyline isn't the only What If plotline rejected by Marvel. One storyline was rejected because it's already half of the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Meanwhile, a Star Wars-What If crossover was rejected too for more obvious reasons.
For more about Marvel's What If…?, read about how Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa will be in four episodes of the first season and then read about how the series will show the more roguish, flirty side of Boseman's T'Challa. Check out this story about how Peggy Carter's Captain Britain will appear in every season of Marvel's What If…? after that and then read about how the series' Star-Lord alters the MCU.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.