Spider-Man: Brand New Day is censored in India, and it may relate to a scene that suggests a spoiler.
Warning! Potential Spider-Man: Brand New Day spoilers are ahead.
As reported by Bollywood Hungama, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has an eight-second kiss and some swear words that have been completely cut out in India.
Some are taking this to suggest that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Zendaya’s MJ eventually rekindle their romance after Doctor Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home made everyone forget Peter Parker. But others have suggested the kiss may be between MJ and her new boyfriend, played by actor Eman Esfandi, which an already depressed Peter Parker may be forced to witness (there is much speculation about the identify of Esdandi’s character in Brand New Day).
It’s unclear which characters will be doing the kissing then, but this isn’t the first time India has censored a kissing scene in an otherwise unproblematic movie. James Gunn’s Superman had its famous mid-air kissing scene stripped from its release in India for being “overly sensual.” The 33-second sequence featured Superman and Lois Lane solidifying their love with an extended smooch as they slowly began to float and twirl through the air.
Oppenheimer was also censored in India and the Middle East, though in a more comical way. At one point in the film, Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh) have an extended conversation without any clothes on. In most regions, viewers can see Pugh’s nude body, but in some regions, a black dress was CGI-ed onto her body to cover her up.
These examples of censorship have often sparked backlash, with some feeling it’s an extreme reaction, particularly in the case of Superman. It’s unclear why the kissing scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day was censored, but if the Superman censorship is anything to go by, it might not even be that spicy.
Spider-Man as a franchise is no stranger to intense make-out sessions, though. In Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film, Mary-Jane Watson and Spider-Man share a passionate upside-down kiss during a thunderous rainstorm, leading to one of the most iconic kisses in film history. It’s hard to imagine Brand New Day topping that, but maybe they pulled it off.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will finally hit theaters later this week, with early screenings taking place this Wednesday through an Amazon Prime promotion. The film has been shrouded in secrecy for some time now, with most of the mystery revolving around Sadie Sink’s character. It’s widely theorized that Sink is playing X-Men’s telepathic mutant, Jean Grey, but Tom Holland has denied that. We’ll have to wait just a few more days to find out the truth.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
