‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Death Scene Changed During Filming
This post includes SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
According to Spider-Man: No Way Home writer Chris McKenna, one key scene in the newest Spidey flick almost looked a lot different. We're talking about that tragic death scene, and for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, this would be a good time to stop reading.
Those who have seen No Way Home can firsthand recall just how heartbreaking Aunt May’s death scene is. After attempting to heal Norman Osborne’s Green Goblin alongside Peter Parker, she is injured beyond recovery. As she dies in Peter’s arms, she tells him, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” — words that will influence the superhero for the rest of his journey.
In a new interview on the Gold Derby YouTube Channel, McKenna and writing partner Eric Sommers discussed the sensitive moment in the film. McKenna stated that the scene was originally supposed to take place inside an ambulance after May is fatally wounded. But Covid-19 protocols made it difficult to shoot a scene in such close quarters.
"It was tricky [to write]. It was also tricky production-wise because we had different ideas for where the scene could take place, but because of Covid [it had to change],” explained McKenna. “We had one idea that maybe it was going to be inside an ambulance, and we had a whole version that was constructed around that, but that was not practical for shooting during Covid.”
McKenna assured that it’s not uncommon for movie locations to change due to logistics, but ultimately, everything worked out for the best.“We had to make adjustments, and that’s the kind of thing that happens in production,” he said. “So it was [tricky], but I’m glad that it turned out the way it did, and that it affected people the way we wanted — that it resonated — because it’s so important to Peter's story and to his journey.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing in theaters now.