Marvel Studios' first animated series, What If...?, is set to explore the newly birthed multiverse that spawns out of the finale of Loki. The series will showcase many of the characters seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with changes to their stories, like Peggy Carter getting the Super Soldier Serum. However, one of the most interesting interpretations set to make his appearance is Zombie Hunter Spider-Man. This version of the wall-crawler wears Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation and survives in a world overrun by the undead. But the character's backdrop also calls back to a version of Spider-Man that may be too disgusting to ever appear in a Disney property.
One of the more recent abilities that Spider-Man has gained (and lost) is the power to shoot organic webbing. This came to the comics in the early 2000s and was made famous thanks to Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man film series. Since then, Peter has gone back to mechanical web-shooters. There are also rumors that organic webbing could return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Maguire possibly reprising his role as Spidey. This begs the question of how many more alternate versions of the character could appear and how they can turn the concept of Spider-Man on its head. Peter Parker from the Marvel Zombies timeline is one of the best examples of this that helps bridge the gap between Zombie Hunter Spider-Man and other alternate creations.
Marvel Zombies Return is a mini-series by writers Jonathan Maberry, Seth Grahame-Smith, Fred Van Lente and David Wellington and artists Wellington Alves, Andrea Mutti, Richard Elson, Nick Dragotta and Jason Shawn Alexander. The series follows a reality where most of the Marvel Universe falls victim to a zombie virus that allows its heroes and villains to retain their consciousness but also gives them an insatiable hunger for flesh.
Sadly, this affects Peter Parker in a particularly disgusting fashion, shown when he tries to fire off a web-line. Instead of his standard webbing, the hero's veins and arteries shoot out in its place. While the entire series is a dark look at the universe, Spider-Man's unfortunate evolution in webbing makes his change into a zombie the darkest in the entire series and a gross potential addition to the MCU. While Zombie Spider-Man's fate is terrible, other disgusting Spider-Men also exist in other timelines.
Patton Parnel is an alternate reality version of Spider-Man who appears in Edge of Spider-Verse #4 by Clay McLeod Chapman and Elia Bonetti. Unlike other Spider-Men, this version is bitten by a radioactive spider that turns him into a humanoid spider hungry for human flesh. Due to the psychotic tendencies Patton gained after being abused by his uncle, the monstrous form was even more heartless, killing everyone from his uncle to innocent animals and children.
Another version of Peter appears in Spider-Geddon #3 by Christos N. Gage, Dan Slott, Carlo Barberi and Todd Nauck called Spiders-Man. In his timeline, Peter is devoured by a nest of radioactive spiders who take on his consciousness and form. While they operate as heroes, they still have a hunger for human flesh. These disgusting spider-tales act as the perfect monster stories for What If...?, but could Disney ever adopt these dark tales?
For now, with Peter Parker still a teenager in the MCU and Disney+ targeting What If...? to a slightly younger demographic, it seems safe to assume that these disgusting versions of Spider-Man might never see the light of day. That being said, with the reveal of a reality with zombies, the outcome of the episode could dictate how dark the franchise is willing to go. Marvel Studios has conditioned its fans to expect the unexpected. Introducing these stories could benefit a show like What If...? as a series that isn't afraid to explore even the darkest corners of the MCU.
What If...? will make its debut Aug. 11 on Disney+.