Anna Daniels
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an animated superhero adventure that takes advantage of a multiversal concept to introduce a tremendous ensemble of characters that all carry the Spider-Man mantle in some form. Each of these characters gained their own following when the film was released, but perhaps its biggest scene stealer turned out to be Spider-Ham, a cartoon pig version of Spider-Man voiced by John Mulaney. Spider-Ham, real name Peter Porker, won over audiences everywhere thanks to his frequent quips and cartoon mannerisms, but at least one of his rapid-fire jokes had to be cut even though everyone agreed it was funny.
Near the end of the film, as Miles Morales is suffering a crisis of confidence, Spider-Ham has a rare serious moment in which he explains to the young hero that all of the Spider-Verse heroes have lost someone. According to Sony Pictures executive Tom Rotham, though, Spider-Ham originally broke the seriousness with a joke, quipping that his Uncle Frankfurter was “electrocuted, and it smelled so good.”
According to Rothman, the joke absolutely worked in test runs of the film, but the filmmakers ultimately decided the quip was “throwing off the energy” of the moment, and cut it.
Written by: Looper
