Highlights
- Fans have noticed changes in the digital release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, including the removal of Gwen Stacy's panicked state and concern for Miles Morales' safety.
- Gwen's panic showed her caring nature and the trauma she has already experienced, making the audience sympathize with her character.
- The decision to remove Gwen's concern alters the character and is seen as a poor choice by Sony, with viewers urging them to change it back.
Following the digital release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, fans have pointed out some of the movie's changes from the theatrical release. Those changes included cutting Gwen Stacy's panicked state when she worries that Miles Morales died while trying to save everyone in Mumbattan.
In the original Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse theatrical release, Stacy tries to stop Miles from saving Police Inspector Singh. When Miles does so anyway, along with other Mubattan citizens, Gwen panics when she sees the rubble that piled up from the incident, worrying that Miles may have died. The audience can hear Gwen repeatedly saying, "No! No! No!" as she frantically searches for him before seeing that Miles was alive and well. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's digital release removed Gwen's concern, which, in a way, alters the character.
The YouTube channel Schnee spotted this change while watching the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse digital release. Not only does he compare the two scenes side by side, but Schnee also explains why this was a poor choice on Sony's end to take the audio out. Gwen panicking not only showed how much she cared about Miles, but his death is also her potentially re-living what she had to go through with her dimension's Peter Parker, who died similarly after trying to play the hero. Miles' survival shows that it's different this time and that Gwen was, in fact, willing to let the canon be broken to save someone. For that reason, Schnee pleaded for Sony to change it back.
Other changes have been spotted in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse digital release. Among the changes made in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was the scene in which Miles realized he was in the wrong dimension. In the theatrical release, Miles' monologued to himself with comic boxes to let the audience know that while he may have escaped the Spider society, he didn't return to his original dimension. In the digital release, Miles' monologue is largely removed, while the previous audio of Miguel telling Miles the spider that gave him his powers helps put the audience put the two and two together of how Miles put himself in the wrong dimension.
However, the difference between the two scenes is that Gwen's panic regarding Miles' possible death shows a lot about her character. She's already been through enough pain because she's suffered through her best friend's death. So to go through that same trauma a second time would make her have to experience such immense pain all over again. It shows that Gwen Stacy is an all-around caring person who's already been through a lot and shouldn't have to go through more. The other Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse scene is simply a different presentation of the same plot point and not much else.
They say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This is one of those instances where that saying applies. What was the point of making this change? Having that in the original Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cut makes the audience sympathize with Gwen because they don't want her to be punished for caring like she already has. Removing that callback changes the character for the worse, so it's in Sony's best interest to change it back.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters and be streamed digitally.
Source: schnee/YouTube