Spider-Man: No Way Home's Cut Plans: Venom Reportedly Meant to Save Tobey Maguire's Peter, Plus America Chavez Scenes

Early drafts of Spider-Man: No Way Home reportedly had Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker die during the final showdown, only to be brought back to life by the Venom symbiote. Newly released concept art also showed that America Chavez was originally meant to be the one who pulled Andrew Garfield's and Tobey's Spider-Men into the MCU.

No Way Home had one of the best endings to a comic book movie ever, packed with returning heroes and villains and with major deaths that I felt would truly alter the future of the franchise. But a lot of changes were made during production. Now that spoilers are hitting the web about what was originally supposed to be in the film, we know a lot more about the intended plans. Later in this piece I will also explain why I actually think the cut post credits scenes were a good sign.

The Multiverse of Madness release shuffle pushed characters out of No Way Home

Like most studios, Marvel's production slate was affected by the pandemic, and it turns out No Way Home was supposed to tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness a lot more. At the beginning of 2021, the Strange sequel was supposed to release in May, but it was then delayed to November. After Sony shifted No Way Home to that month, Multiverse of Madness was pushed back again.

Further delays meant No Way Home dropped in December, and because of reshoots, Multiverse of Madness was held until May 2022. Because the two films swapped places, major characters who also appeared in Multiverse of Madness were removed from No Way Home. We did not know all the ins and outs of that film at the time, but we did know America Chavez was set to play a big part in it and would be capable of opening portals in the multiverse. From its first trailer, it looked like America and Strange would be teaming up for an adventure across the multiverse together.

America Chavez was meant to pull Andrew and Tobey into the MCU

This is where America ties into No Way Home. According to concept art that had just been released, she was going to be the person who pulled Andrew and Tobey into the MCU. In the final film, it was Ned who did this after tapping into some of his wonderful wizarding abilities, but the concept art puts America at the centre of how they came into the main universe.

There are two images. One shows her at the Statue of Liberty battle hanging off a crane, with the Green Goblin flying through the air. It is possible that America ended up pulling Strange out of the Mirror Dimension. The other shows the group at dodgems, with Ned and MJ alongside Peter, Betty and Flash. If you look at America's hand, she is also holding a book, and this may or may not be the Darkhold, which was last seen at the end of WandaVision.

My theory on how America would have brought the two Spider-Men across

I think this makes a lot of sense. I took Strange having to redo the spell five times as the reason the five villains came across. Andrew and Tobey got pulled in too, and it was only when Ned wished to see them that they appeared.

Potentially, in the original version, they could have gone to America for help, "like the brits during World War 2". She then might have looked at the villains and those who had defeated them in the past, and that is why she brought the pair across.

Going forward, it will be interesting to see whether Ned continues to be a sorcerer, because I think forgetting Peter might also mean he does not remember using the sling ring to look for him. In the comics, Ned actually went on to become a version of the Hobgoblin, and they might even be going in that direction.

Venom's role was heavily cut, and he was reportedly meant to revive Tobey's Peter

It is interesting to learn that characters had to be taken out because of the switched release order, and Venom's role was heavily cut down too. According to New Rockstars, early drafts of the script had Tobey Maguire's Peter dying during the final showdown. I am guessing this comes at the part where Norman stabs him in the side, but it may have come earlier. At that point Venom was then going to come in, and Tobey's version would be revived by the symbiote.

In case you do not know, Venom and the rest of his race all share a consciousness, and they can tap into each other's memories and thoughts. This spans the multiverse, and it is also the reason Venom was able to come into the MCU without meeting Peter or knowing who he was. Tobey, of course, bonded with the symbiote in Spider-Man 3, and though it gave him "killer dance moves", he ended up tearing it off, which is when it went on to that version's Eddie Brock. That whole dance scene is burned into my brain, and no spell from Doctor Strange could ever make me forget it.

Why I prefer the version where Venom meets Peter

I think it is really interesting that the symbiote was going to bring Tobey's Peter back to life. Potentially, Brock might have been sent back to the Sony verse just as Tobey and Andrew returned home. However, a part of the symbiote might have been left behind, much like what we see in the post credits scene. Having already attached to a Peter Parker variant, it would know they were a match, and this could have set it on a quest to join with Tom Holland's version.

In all honesty, I do kind of prefer that. I think the post credits scene was a bit of a disappointment, as I was expecting the pair to face off before Venom returned home. I think Venom definitely needs a big introduction.

The cut post credits scenes for Andrew and Tobey were a good sign

Tobey and Andrew's future in the MCU was still uncertain, but there were rumours that the original post credits scene was supposed to feature the pair in their own universes. In an interview with Variety, screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna revealed they had several different end tags involving them, but they were all cut for the Multiverse of Madness trailer.

Though this might be disappointing to learn, I actually think it is a good sign. The fact that they removed scenes featuring the pair makes me think they have certain ideas for them in future movies. Taking the two out could mean they do not want to lock them into a plot thread that a movie would have to tie into down the line.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Thor: Love and Thunder show how plans can change

Over the couple of years before No Way Home, there were issues on the MCU slate caused by things changing behind the scenes. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was originally supposed to release before Thor: Love and Thunder, but after Disney fired James Gunn, he went to work for DC. He made The Suicide Squad before agreeing to come back, and the release order had to be reversed, much like what happened with No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness.

We last left Thor with the Guardians at the end of Avengers: Endgame, and according to rumours he was going to feature heavily in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With Love and Thunder releasing first, though, that film would have to tie up his travels with them before he went off on his own adventure, with Jane Foster becoming Thor. So I felt they did not have things set in stone with Andrew and Tobey, and just wanted to "take it slow" and see where they could go.

Andrew Garfield could lead his own corner of the Sony verse

Andrew Garfield has stated that he would love to come back, and I could not see Sony turning down the opportunity to make money, so I did think we would see the actor in future projects. Garfield in particular seemed to receive a lot of love for his return.

I think it would be great to see him go off on his own timeline in the Sony verse while Tom's remains in the MCU. If they could tie Andrew into live action Spider-Verse projects, it would open up a lot of opportunities for characters like Spider-Gwen and even Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir. There are so many ways they could take things, but those were the main stories about the film that came out in the days after the cast and crew started talking spoilers.

Which cut version would you rather have seen: America Chavez bringing Andrew and Tobey across, or Venom reviving Tobey's Peter?