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Spider-Man fans celebrate removal of 'homophobic' line from film

Sam Moore
·2-min read
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in 2002 superhero film 'Spider-Man'. (Credit: Sony)
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in 2002 superhero film 'Spider-Man'. (Credit: Sony)

Spider-Man fans have celebrated the removal of a "homophobic" line from the 2002 film.

The Sam Raimi directed film aired on ITV2 on 23 April and starred Tobey Maguire as the iconic character.

The scene in question occurs early on in the film when Peter Parker, who has just discovered his powers, enters a wrestling competition in an attempt to win some money.

Read more: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' marketing originally planned to keep villains secret

During a match, Spider-Man insults another wrestler by saying: "That’s a cute outfit. Did your husband give it to you?"

In the broadcast of the film aired by ITV, the line was shortened to: "That's a cute outfit."

Spider-Man fans praised ITV for enacting the change as many saw the line as homophobic.

One fan wrote on Twitter: "British TV network ITV removed the vaguely homophobic line Spider-Man says to Bonesaw in the first Raimi film. And nothing of value was lost."

Spiderman in a scene from the film 'Spiderman', 2002. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
Spiderman in a scene from the film 'Spiderman', 2002. (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

Another fan also wrote on social media: "They removed Peter Parker's homophobia."

While some said that the joke didn't work in its shortened format, one fan retorted: "When the punchline is gay marriage it’s not really a good punchline."

Another also called it a case of "adapting with the times".

Tobey Maguire played Spider-Man on the big screen three times between 2002 and 2007. (Credit: Sony)
Tobey Maguire played Spider-Man on the big screen three times between 2002 and 2007. (Credit: Sony)

Maguire played the first live-action version of Spider-Man in three films released between 2002 and 2007. Andrew Garfield then took on the role in two films before the character was implemented into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Tom Holland playing the character.

Maguire and Garfield returned to their roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home that brought multiple characters from the various Spider-Man films into one movie.

Michelle (Zendaya) catches a ride from Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man: Far From Home. (Sony Pictures)
Michelle (Zendaya) catches a ride from Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man: Far From Home. (Sony Pictures)

Also returning was Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx as Electro.

The return of Maguire and Garfield was well-received by fans and the film as a whole was praised for its "heart" and "emotional beats".

Watch below: Andrew Garfield: Nobody will believe me about The Amazing Spider-Man 3