A line deemed ‘homophobic’ has been cut from the original 2002 Spider-Man by ITV. Check it out:
The first film of the trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as the famed Web-Slinger arrived in cinemas long before the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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And while the movie enjoyed box office success, paving the way for Tom Holland’s iteration of Peter Parker, one line in particular was deemed problematic by ITV’s censorship team.
As shown in footage shared by Twitter user PaperPlane, the line appeared to be edited during a recent screening on ITV2.
Before playing the edited clip, the Twitter user says: “They cut out Peter Parker’s homophobia in Spider-Man one on ITV2.”
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The moment in question sees Spidey attempting to insult pro wrestler Bone Saw by saying: "That's a cute outfit. Did your husband give it to you?"
In the scene, the Wall-Crawler instead just says, “That’s a cute outfit,” leaving out the part of the insult that carries a homophobic connotation.
Numerous people agreed with the edit, with one writing: “When the punchline is gay marriage it's not really a good punchline.”
Another said: “I am glad they changed it. BUT they could have at least changed the line to ‘did your MOM pick it out for you’.”
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However, others felt the network missed the point, claiming the intention of Peter’s joke was to roast Bone Saw’s toxic masculinity.
“Everyone can’t seem to understand that Spider-Man says this because Bone Saw is very clearly a big, burly macho man… alpha-male kinda guy,” said one.
Another wrote: “If anything the wrestler reaction is the homophobic part.”
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LADbible has contacted ITV for further comment.
Maguire made a cameo as a multiversal Peter Parker in the 2021 megahit Spider-Man: No Way Home, as did Andrew Garfield’s iteration of the famed superhero.
Their appearance was kept on the down-low, even for the stars themselves, who hadn’t read their scripts before signing up to the film.
Speaking about the duo, screenwriter Erik Sommers told The Hollywood Reporter: "They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts.
"No one knows the character as well as – or gives as much thought to the character – as someone who has to then embody it and sell it… It definitely shaped what we did."
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Chris McKenna, another screenwriter, added: "There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him [Holland’s Spider-Man] get through in the climax of the movie.
"So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story."
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: LGBTQ, Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU, TV and Film