Get ready to swing into some fascinating “what ifs” because the creative minds behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day have revealed that the film almost featured a very different kind of villain before settling on Jean Grey. While the movie explores themes of metamorphosis and identity, it could have taken us down a completely different path with a classic Spider-Man foe.
The Chameleon Conundrum
According to screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who spoke on The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, the initial brainstorming sessions for Spider-Man: Brand New Day considered Dmitri Smerdyakov, a.k.a. Chameleon, as a potential antagonist. This villain’s ability to perfectly mimic anyone would have been a unique challenge for Peter Parker.
“We came up with metamorphosis, and everyone was very excited about that idea,” McKenna explained. “Then, we were trying to come up with a villain. I think [Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige] himself admitted that we had mind control, but we hadn’t settled on what character that would be for the villain that had mind control. Early days, we were talking about Die Hard with a Vengeance. Like, ‘Can we just do a Spider-Man story that was set in ground-level New York, where you had a mysterious bomber, a villain who was basically toying with Spider-Man?'”
“Erik and I, right after we had the metamorphosis story idea that people were on board for, we were trying to think of a villain that would fit that bill, and we were thinking, ‘Gosh, what’s a Spider-Man classic villain that no one has really done yet in the films?’ We were going, ‘Chameleon?’ But how do you do that?”
The challenge, as McKenna pointed out, was that the MCU had already explored shapeshifting with the Skrulls. To make Chameleon work, he would have needed a fresh take, potentially incorporating mind-control abilities.
Kraven’s Shadow
Ultimately, the Chameleon idea was scrapped because Dmitri Smerdyakov appeared in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, portrayed by Fred Hechinger. This seemingly unfortunate timing led to Chameleon being cut from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, although the exact decision-making process remains unclear.
“It was like, ugh, you can’t do Chameleon,” McKenna lamented. “But that got us on the path of mind control, and then mind control eventually led to us getting who was the perfect character for that role, who was Jean Grey. That was a journey.”
Reception and Beyond
Despite the initial detour with Chameleon, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been generally well-received. IGN gave it a 7/10, praising its focus on classic Spider-Man elements. For those eager to delve deeper, you can explore why McKenna and Sommers believe that Jean Grey “technically” didn’t kill anyone during the events of the movie or discover details about the cut cameo from a fan-favorite Daredevil character.
Source: IGN Gaming
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