James Cameron Once Wrote Cringiest Spider-Man Sex Scene Imaginable
You think Peter Parker's infamous hip-thrusting dance sequence in Spider-Man 3 is the cringiest the web-slinger can get? Think again.
James Cameron 's rejected Spider-Man script set that bar pretty high.
Cameron's back in the media spotlight with his release of the long-awaited Avatar sequel. His script for a 1990's Spider-Man movie has once again resurfaced, and it's a must-read.
The sex scene between Spidey and Mary Jane is particularly horrifying.
It reads like the journal ramblings of a teenage fan.
Cameron explains the mating rituals of spiders, saying that the male will circle the female and wave its front legs to show that he is not her prey. Spider-Man performs said ritual, dancing around MJ in a "hypnotic arc."
Like any poorly-written sex scene, Mary Jane has a trembling lip and weak knees, but her eyes are always steady.
Spidey then tells MJ that some male spiders bind the legs of their mate before intercourse. He then webs her wrists with his webs "glinting in the moonlight," which is far kinkier than any fans want to see their childhood hero.
"The male must be very bold," she says, "to take such liberties with the predatory female."
"He is very bold," he replies. "But he must also trust her."
He tells her to close her eyes before he removes his mask. She can't look at him, but she feels his power. Slowly, they "sensuously devour each other."
End scene; cue nightmares.
Cameron's script reads like someone who's never written a proper sex scene nor ever picked up a comic. It's horrifying to think about our first cinematic expression of the iconic character in this light.
The script, for (hopefully) obvious reasons, never saw the light of day. Cameron since said that he's no longer interested in working on a superhero film, saying that his fandom of Spider-Man was unique to the character.
Sony ended up giving the reins to horror maestro Sam Raimi with a script from David Koepp. The duo helped kick off an era of Marvel films, eventually leading to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008.
We'll forgive Cameron for his glorified fanfiction. Frankly, he's made a lot of good movies. His most recent, Avatar: The Way of Water, became the 52nd movie to gross $1 billion at the box office in its first two weeks.
Just about every filmmaker has an absolute dud on their resume; thankfully for Cameron, his never got made.