Directors and showrunners today face a unique dilemma: how to protect their surprises in an internet age overflowing with spoilers, leaks, and obsessive fan theories. When Spider-Man: No Way Home was in the works, director Jon Watts encountered exactly that and made a major decision that would reshape a crucial scene.
While speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Watts said, “I was on Reddit, and I was looking at people who had already made fan art of, ‘This is probably what it’s going to be like when the two Spider-Men get revealed.’”
But while Watts believed he was preserving the moment by pivoting away from predictable storytelling, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has long cautioned against this exact move, warning creators not to let fan speculation steer their vision. It’s a fascinating creative divide and one that highlights the challenges of storytelling in the modern era.
A fan theory made Jon Watts change the scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home, released in 2021, was a cultural moment in modern-day pop culture. Ever since the concept of the multiverse was introduced in the MCU, fans have been expecting to see the three actors, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, perform their own version of the superhero together.
Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home | Credit: Marvel Studios
All wishes came true as Jon Watts brought them all together in a way that didn’t seem forced. The big reveal fit the storyline perfectly, and Benedict Cumberbatch, as Dr. Strange, was there to help smooth things out. Interestingly, the makers managed to keep everything under wraps until the movie was released.
Related: The Reported Salary of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield for Spider-Man: No Way Home Was Criminally Low
While that would have been a task in itself, keeping the story from being too obvious was what Watts was dealing with.
“We were writing the script, and we were working on where we wanted to reveal the guys, and it always seemed like Peter’s going to be sad because Aunt May has just died, and that the portals are going to open, and the two Spider-Men are going to step out. It’s probably a rooftop somewhere. It’s all sort of hazy. You’re still trying to figure it out.”
Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker 2 in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) | Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios
The idea seemed like a winner initially. Then, Watts stumbled upon a fan theory on Reddit. Watts immediately saw the problem. The moment, while exciting, lacked surprise. So he rewrote it. The introduction was relocated to a far more mundane and unexpected setting: the home of Ned Leeds’ grandmother in Queens.
Spider-Man: HomecomingSpider-Man: Far From HomeSpider-Man: No Way HomeIMDb7.4/107.4/108.2/10Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)92%92%93%
This new scene felt personal, quirky, and grounded in the emotional narrative of Peter Parker rather than a multiverse gimmick. In doing so, Watts created a moment that not only defied audience expectations but became one of the film’s most memorable.
It was a last-minute pivot based entirely on fan speculation, and it worked. But this is exactly the kind of reactive storytelling that George R.R. Martin has urged creators to avoid.
George R.R. Martin has warned against letting fan theories dictate the story
George R.R. Martin has long been vocal about steering clear of fan speculation. In interviews and blog posts, he has admitted that he avoids fan forums, Reddit threads, and theory videos altogether, not because he doesn’t value his readers, but because he believes stories should follow their own logic, not change course because someone has figured out the ending early.
Emilia Clarke and Drogon in Game of Thrones / Credits: HBO Entertainment
Martin has explained that even if fans guess a twist correctly, he wouldn’t change it. To him, the satisfaction lies not in shocking the audience, but in crafting a story that feels true and inevitable, even when the ending is clear. Altering a plot because someone on the internet guessed it would mean sacrificing narrative integrity for surprise, which he believes undermines the work entirely.
Related: I Can’t Forgive MCU if ‘Brand New Day’ Repeats the Comics Storyline to Erase What ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Achieved
He told The Telegraph:
“I’ve wrestled with [the issue of fan speculation online], because I do want to surprise my readers. I hate predictable fiction as a reader, I don’t want to write predictable fiction. I want to surprise and delight my reader and take them in directions they didn’t see coming.”
Watts and Martin represent two ends of a storytelling spectrum. One values adaptation in the face of internet leaks, while the other values narrative commitment above all else.
You can watch Spider-Man: No Way Home now on Disney+. Game of Thrones can currently be watched on HBO Max.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
