Thunderbolts* Just Made Spider-Man’s MCU Story Way Darker But We’re Never Going To See It

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Spider-Man‘s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has received a dark new chapter thanks to Thunderbolts*, but I don’t think we will ever be able to see it. Thunderbolts* has come to shake up the MCU in quite a few ways. The biggest of those was the creation of the New Avengers, which happened in Thunderbolts*‘s shocking ending. After that, the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene cemented the arrival of a new Avengers team, with a time jump showing the heroes in matching costumes and more.

However, plenty of interesting events happened before then. Lewis Pullman’s Sentry is the film’s standout character, in my opinion, and I thought the MCU’s depiction of the Void and how it affects Bob was pitch-perfect. Thunderbolts* takes place in New York City, but many of the heroes we know are in the MCU’s version of New York, such as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, and more, were nowhere to be seen. Due to that, I think Spider-Man’s MCU story just got a dark development, only it happened offscreen.

Thunderbolts*’s The Void Was Beaten By Friendship

The MCU Movie Had A Different Plan For Its Final Fight

In many ways, Thunderbolts* is quite different from most MCU movies. Its cinematography gives the film a distinct look, the action sequences are heavily on the practical side, making things look more real, the tone is darker, and more. I have grown used to expecting major CGI battles at the end of most MCU projects, and I was surprised by how Thunderbolts* found a very different, but fitting, way to avoid that for its final fight.

The Void took people into his shadows to show them shame rooms. That is meant to isolate everyone and make them cower in the face of their darkest fears. It felt thematically fitting that, instead of having a huge fight between the Thunderbolts and the Void, Bob is able to defeat that twisted representation of himself through the power of friendship. Thunderbolts* is a found family movie, and by the end of the MCU film, the heroes truly feel like a family, and that friendship, in the form of a group hug, is what pulls Bob out of the darkness.

Spider-Man Would Have Been Affected By The Void’s Shadow

New York City’s Biggest Hero Was Absent From The Marvel Film

While watching Thunderbolts*, I could not stop thinking about how the Void’s giant shadow over New York City could have impacted the other heroes that operate in the city. Recently, Daredevil: Born Again showed that Mayor Wilson Fisk has taken control of New York, implementing a curfew through martial law. One of the MCU show’s biggest complaints was how Spider-Man, the hero who is the face of New York, was nowhere to be seen while Fisk took over the city.

MCU Spider-Man Movies	Release Year
Spider-Man: Homecoming	2017
Spider-Man: Far From Home	2019
Spider-Man: No Way Home	2021
Spider-Man: Brand New Day	2026

Once again, Spider-Man does not appear at all in Thunderbolts* while the Void casts a giant shadow over the city and transforms countless citizens into shadows on the pavement. However, this time, I think there is a good explanation for Peter Parker’s absence. Spider-Man could have gotten caught by the Void’s shadow, being forced to see his darkest moments over and over again. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has a lot of trauma, so he could have been stuck seeing Aunt May’s death, Tony Stark’s death, his friends forgetting who he was, and more.

Spider-Man Would Not Have Been Able to Escape The Void Like Bob Did

The Two MCU Heroes Have A Major Difference

The absence of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from Thunderbolts* would then be easily explained, as Peter Parker could not simply escape the Void in the same way that Bob did. Lewis Pullman’s Sentry had the help of his friends, the Thunderbolts, led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, to get out of the Void and end the nightmare that had befallen New York. Sadly, Peter and Bob are in two very different situations currently in the MCU.

Be it in whatever medium, Spider-Man’s greatest strength has always been his love and bond with his friends. The MCU showed that through Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds and Zendaya’s MJ. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Doctor Strange crafting a spell that led to everyone forgetting who Peter was. Since he chose not to help MJ remember in order to keep her safe, Peter is now all alone, with no friends. As such, he would not have been able to find a way out of the Void like Bob did, and thus Spider-Man would be stuck in Thunderbolts*.