Spider-Man scribe reveals two discarded ideas: "Home Alone with Kraven" and a Matt Murdock courtroom comedy

# What the writers tried before Brand New Day

Chris McKenna, one of the writers who has worked on every Tom Holland Spider-Man film, discussed two notably different story paths that were considered for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He revealed the concepts on the Bulwark Goes to Hollywood podcast and explained why they were abandoned.

Idea 1 — "Home Alone with Kraven"

The first concept cast Kraven the Hunter not as a single-scene antagonist but as a roaming predator who fills New York City with elaborate traps aimed at Spider-Man. The writers imagined Kraven turning the city into a giant death-trap, setting booby traps across locations and stalking Peter Parker throughout the movie.

Kraven wouldn't need to be the film's primary villain in this version. Instead he would remain an ongoing menace, a character who keeps appearing and escalating the threat. The tone suggested playful danger: large-scale, signature traps reminiscent of home-invasion set pieces rather than a conventional action beat.

This idea fell away when McKenna and Sommers learned Sony was already moving forward with Aaron Taylor-Johnson's standalone Kraven the Hunter, which effectively ruled the character out for their Spider-Man story.

Idea 2 — Peter vs. an imposter, with Matt Murdock as counsel

Peter learns, via video, that a charismatic imposter in New York is using his suit and web fluid and has even trademarked the Spider-Man brand. The imposter sends Peter a cease-and-desist forcing the real Spider-Man into a legal fight over an identity Peter never bothered to protect.

To resolve it, Peter hires Matt Murdock as his lawyer. Rather than an immediate vigilante tag-team, the story leaned into courtroom and trademark complications. The writers found the premise amusing and different — a Spider-Man plot driven by intellectual property and legal maneuvering rather than purely physical threats.

Why neither idea made it

McKenna cites both logistical and external reasons. The Kraven idea was blocked by Sony's own Kraven project. The trademark-and-Murdock story remained an alternate draft as the writers explored many directions before Brand New Day coalesced around a Jean Grey-centered narrative.

Despite these shelved concepts, Brand New Day became the finalized film and achieved massive commercial success, surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become the highest-grossing movie domestically.

# What this means for future Spider-Man projects

# Concrete takeaways

• Kraven standalone film.