The MCU's Spider-Man Era Has Come to an End.

 

The MCU's treatment of Spider-Man has taken a dramatic turn, signaling the end of a long-held view of the iconic hero. Since Tom Holland first swung onto the screen in Captain America: Civil War (2016), the web-slinger has been a central figure in the MCU, starring in three solo films.  While Holland continues to lead the franchise with a fourth movie slated for 2026, Marvel Studios is beginning to explore bold new directions for the character, particularly on Disney+, where the tone is shifting away from the family-friendly adventures fans have come to expect.

 For the first time in Marvel Studios history, Spider-Man has officially crossed into R-rated (TV-MA) territory, marking the end of the character's long run as a strictly family-friendly hero.  The Jon Watts trilogy, Avengers crossovers, and Captain America: Civil War were all rated PG-13, while the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man only received a TV-PG rating. All of that changed when Marvel Zombies Season 1 premiered on Disney+. In its four episodes, Spidey took part in a bloodier, darker storyline that left Spidey's fate uncertain. 

The change signifies a new era for the wall-crawler in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one that may continue in Season 2 if Marvel Studios approves additional episodes. 

Throughout the four-episode season, Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) fought alongside Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Black Panther (Ajaka Coleman), and others as they tried to withstand Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) hungry undead army.

Spider-Man was seen tearing through hordes of zombies with his webs, ripping bodies apart, and even decapitating enemies in order to survive, in addition to his usual quick combat. 

The imagery was a mix of the glossy animation introduced in What If...?  and body horror, a far cry from the audience's familiar image of the "friendly neighborhood" These moments were especially shocking because they reimagined Spider-Man not as the idealistic kid trying to save everyone, but as a hardened survivor forced to kill (zombies) without hesitation.

As characters like Shang-Chi and Rocket Raccoon met horrific ends on screen, Spider-Man was shown desperately cutting through waves of the undead before meeting his most terrifying moment. 

 During the climax, a zombified Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) seized him and raised him toward her gaping jaws, seemingly seconds from devouring him. 

 The camera stopped before the audience could see what happened to him, in contrast to other characters whose deaths were shown in great detail. 

That ambiguity sparked immediate speculation.  As it did with other characters, if the show wanted to kill Spider-Man, it would almost certainly have continued on with his death. Instead, Marvel may have been implying that Peter survived by not telling us what happened to him in his final moments. 

The show's final episode veered even further into ambiguity, blurring Kamala's reality and leaving viewers wondering who was still alive and what was real and what was a hoax. 

One thing is certain: Marvel Zombies shattered the family-friendly mold of MCU Spider-Man and opened the door to a darker side of the character, whether Peter escaped Wasp's clutches or succumbed to the zombie apocalypse. 

How dark will Spider-Man live-action get?

 Under Disney's watch, live-action Spider-Man films are unlikely to ever receive an R rating—Deadpool & Wolverine just broke that barrier in 2024. 

Even though Sony Pictures has produced darker spin-offs like the R-rated Kraven the Hunter (which was a disastrous flop), the idea of Tom Holland playing Peter Parker in an R-rated Spider-Man movie would be shocking. 

That said, Spider-Man's MCU journey has steadily grown darker.  Spider-Man: No Way Home was easily the most somber installment yet, bringing together a rogues' gallery of villains, killing off Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and pushing Peter 1 (Holland) to the brink of murdering Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) before Peter 2 (Tobey Maguire) stopped him. 

 By the film's end, Holland's Peter made the choice to erase himself from everyone's memory, leaving him isolated and alone. 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day could continue to explore those heavier themes, but it's still expected to remain within the PG-13 rating.