An Into The Spider-Verse Deleted Scene Almost Gave Us Tom Cruise As The Worst Spider-Man
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is one of the greatest works of American animation, one of the best superhero movies, and one of the greatest films of all time, period. It democratized superheroes with a tale about how anyone can wear the mask, in addition to telling a fantastic story of identity with cultural specificity.
The movie remains the best use of the multiverse, giving us compelling, memorable, and very funny alternate dimension Spider-People with unique looks and personalities. But we almost got another Spider-Man, one that would have been absolutely horrible as a portrayal of Peter Parker, but would have been voiced by none other than Tom Cruise.
Cruise has a history of almost playing superheroes. Despite having (sort of) portrayed a comic book character in "Edge of Tomorrow," based on the light novel "All You Need Is Kill," he has never actually played an American superhero character — though not for lack of trying. At one point, Cruise was considered for the role of Iron Man, which is a relatively popular fun fact (especially once rumors began that he would pop up as an alternate universe Iron Man in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"). But it is perhaps not that well known that Cruise was, at one point, considered for the role of Peter Parker in a 1980s adaptation by Cannon Films — one that could have also included Bob Hoskins as Doc Ock.
The thing is, Cruise almost got to play Spider-Man, just not in live-action. Instead, a deleted scene for "Into the Spider-Verse," available in the extended Alternate Universe mode, has Miles learn about his powers from none other than Cruise and James Cameron ... kind of.
A different Spider-Man
The extended cut brings a lot of changes to the movie, starting with Miles' roommate Ganke, who finds out about Miles' superhero abilities very early on in the story and helps him figure out his powers. In the final cut, Miles reads all the Spidey comics he can find to pinpoint his similarities with Peter's backstory, but the earlier version was different. There, Ganke turns to "Spider-Man: The Motion Picture" for answers.
This fictional movie stars fictional actor Todd Crews and is directed by Will Gluck. Miles watches the film with the director's commentary, as Gluck explains that they changed things to protect Spider-Man's identity but did consult with him to make sure they portrayed his powers correctly.
The original plan was to have James Cameron play Gluck, a reference to him almost directing a "Spider-Man" movie in the '90s, with Tom Cruise playing Todd Crews.
Of course, the scene didn't make it to the final cut, and it makes sense. As producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller explained when "Into the Spider-Verse" was released, they had to basically scrap much of Ganke's role in the film after "Spider-Man: Homecoming" came out with its own take on the character. Still, by taking out this scene, the film aids Miles's story by isolating him in the beginning as he tries to figure things out, before learning from and training with Peter B. Parker. This last part is important because it is a unique strength of this movie, the only one (prior to "No Way Home," that is) to have a Spider-Man able to learn from another, more experienced Spider-Man — someone who understands him and has similar struggles.
An awful Peter Parker
Still, the whole fake movie scene is fantastic. You see, Todd Crews' Spider-Man sucks. He's a ridiculously handsome and buff millionaire who drives a sweet Maserati during the day and becomes a hero by night. He's essentially Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark.
The scene works as a fantastic joke about how Hollywood misunderstands mundanity. A biopic about someone's life has to be extraordinary, and so a movie about Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood superhero who is a huge dork and kind of dull in person, with an incredibly non-flashy lifestyle, would not compute for Hollywood executives. You know what does? Iron Man, so they make Spider-Man that.
This is why Miles is such a great Spider-Man and why "Into the Spider-Verse" works as an intimate Spider-Man movie despite its large cast and multiversal story. We get to know Miles as a regular, awkward, and more than a little dorky kid with family problems before he gets powers. As Spider-Man, he struggles deeply with being unable to live up to the previous Spider-Man. Miles doesn't work a crappy photographer job or live in the worst apartment in New York, but he has all the issues that make Spider-Man who he is.
Sure, getting to see Tom Cruise swing around New York in tights might be fun, but no Spider-Man should ever drive a Maserati.