‘What If…?’ Writer Says A “Children Of Men With Spider-Man”-Esque Episode Was Written But Never Produced For Season 2

Over the holidays, you probably saw Marvel Studios hype the hell out of the second season of animated hit, “What If…?” The series doesn’t necessarily qualify as “required viewing” for the MCU, but for those who just can’t get enough of the characters, it serves as an outlet to take these beloved icons and put a new spin on them. (More about that in our review.) But apparently, the real world shitshow that was going on in 2020 led to the showrunner of “What If…?” to change course a little and focus on having more fun, which meant ditching what would have been a very dark episode featuring none other than Spider-Man.

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In a recent interview with IGN, A.C. Bradley discussed the newest season of “What If…?” breaking down all of the episodes of Season 2. However, the head writer/showrunner also talked about an idea that was written but will never see the light of day. Why wouldn’t it see the light of day? Well, due to the fact that Season 2 was written in the middle of 2020, when COVID was devastating the globe, Bradley believed “What If…?” shouldn’t turn into another “Black Mirror” and depress the shit out of everyone watching.

“It felt like the world was already ending and we didn’t need to add to it,” Bradley said. “And so it became kind of an escape and a fun release. However, I did write an episode, which is forever going in a drawer, that was very, very dark. I was calling it ‘Children of Men with Spider-Man.’”

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“Children of Men” but with Spider-Man, you say? As dark and depressing as that sounds, it really would be pretty amazing to see that happen, right? 

For those who haven’t seen the Alfonso Cuarón thriller, “Children of Men” is set in a world where years and years of infertility has led humanity to be on the brink of chaos. It’s a dystopian tale that is very dark and very not-Marvel. That said, if you put a Spidey twist on it, then perhaps it could be a fun exercise in storytelling—inserting the most joyous and lovable hero into a near-future where everything is going to hell would be an interesting juxtaposition. 

And that’s exactly what “What If…?” does best. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound as if this is ever going to be produced, and it’ll likely live in Bradley’s drawer forever. 

The first two seasons of “What If…?” are on Disney+ now.