Spider-Man's time in the MCU has taken a dramatic turn, signaling the close of a long-running perception of the iconic hero. Since Tom Holland first swung onto the screen in Captain America: Civil War (2016), the web-slinger has been a central figure in the MCU, starring in three solo films. While Holland continues to lead the franchise with a fourth movie slated for 2026, Marvel Studios is beginning to explore bold new directions for the character, particularly on Disney+, where the tone is shifting away from the family-friendly adventures fans have come to expect.
For the first time in Marvel Studios history, Spider-Man has officially crossed into R-rated (TV-MA) territory, marking the end of the character's long run as a strictly family-friendly hero. Every past appearance, from the Jon Watts trilogy and Avengers crossovers to Captain America: Civil War, held to PG-13 ratings, while even the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man carried only a TV-PG.
That all changed with Marvel Zombies Season 1 on Disney+, where Spider-Man took part in a bloodier, darker storyline across its four episodes that left Spidey's fate up for debate.
The shift signals a new era for the wall-crawler in the MCU, one that could expand further in Season 2 if Marvel Studios greenlights more episodes.
Throughout the four-episode season, Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) fought alongside Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Black Panther (Ajaka Coleman), and others as they tried to withstand Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) hungry undead army.
Along with his usual quippy combat, Spider-Man was seen tearing through hordes of zombies with his webs, ripping apart bodies, and even decapitating enemies in order to survive.
The imagery was a mix of the glossy animation introduced in What If...? and body horror, a far cry from the "friendly neighborhood" persona audiences had grown accustomed to.
These moments were especially shocking because they reimagined Spider-Man not as the idealistic kid trying to save everyone, but as a hardened survivor forced to kill (zombies) without hesitation.
As characters like Shang-Chi and Rocket Raccoon met horrific ends on screen, Spider-Man was shown desperately cutting through waves of the undead before meeting his most terrifying moment.
During the climax, a zombified Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) seized him and raised him toward her gaping jaws, seemingly seconds from devouring him.
Unlike other characters whose deaths were depicted in graphic detail, the camera cut away before audiences could see his fate.
That ambiguity sparked immediate speculation. If the show wanted to kill Spider-Man, it almost certainly would have lingered on his death, just as it did with others. Instead, by leaving his final moments unresolved, Marvel may have been hinting that Peter survived, saving his story for later.
The show's finale leaned further into uncertainty, blurring Kamala's reality and leaving viewers unsure what was real, what was an illusion, and who was still alive.
Whether Peter escaped Wasp's clutches or eventually succumbed to the zombie apocalypse, one thing is clear: Marvel Zombies shattered the family-friendly mold of MCU Spider-Man and opened the door to a darker side of the character.
How Dark Will Live-Action Spider-Man Get?
Live-action Spider-Man films are unlikely to ever receive an R rating, especially under Disney, which only just broke that barrier in 2024 with Deadpool & Wolverine.
The idea of Tom Holland appearing in an R-rated Spider-Man movie as Peter Parker would be shocking, even as Sony Pictures has produced darker spin-offs like the R-rated Kraven the Hunter (which was a disastrous flop).
That said, Spider-Man's MCU journey has steadily grown darker. Spider-Man: No Way Home was easily the most somber installment yet, bringing together a rogues' gallery of villains, killing off Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and pushing Peter 1 (Holland) to the brink of murdering Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) before Peter 2 (Tobey Maguire) stopped him.
By the film's end, Holland's Peter made the choice to erase himself from everyone's memory, leaving him isolated and alone. 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day could continue to explore those heavier themes, but it's still expected to remain within the PG-13 rating.
