by Alyson Trager
July 5, 2017


A younger, more modern "Aunt May," played by 52-year-old Marisa Tomei, is hitting the big screen on July 7 in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

In earlier productions of Spider-Man, Aunt May is portrayed as a grey-haired, older woman - more like a great-aunt than a peer of Peter Parker's late parents. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter is a sophomore in high school, and the writers, who first introduced Tomei as Aunt May in the 2016 Captain America: Civil War, wanted Aunt May's and Peter’s age difference to be more realistic. In 2002, the role of Aunt May was played by a then 74-year-old Rosemary Harris, and in 2012, by a then 66-year-old Sally Field.

This modern Aunt May is not the May Parker that Marvel originally created as Peter Parker’s guardian. Tomei’s Aunt May is an independent woman who can take care of herself after her husband, Peter's Uncle Ben, dies. Tomei explained recent Screen Rant interview that Aunt May and Peter look out for each other all the time. “We’re the real dynamic duo,” Tomei said. It's Aunt May’s job to make sure Peter is having fun even when his school and work get stressful. She teases her nephew, and encourages him to go outside of his comfort zone, like any cool aunt. But, she also shows her concern when Peter chooses to spend more time at his Stark internship, deciding to quit his high school decathlon team. (As movie goers will come to learn, the Stark internship is a cover for Peter’s crime-fighting activities as Spider-Man.)

Not everyone is happy with a younger Aunt May. According to The Guardian, there was Twitter backlash when some fans of the classic Spider-Man comic book series felt it was “weird” that Aunt May would be played by a younger, attractive woman.


Classic Aunt May from Marvel Spider-Man comics

Still, a younger, more modern version of a superhero's aunt is a new trend in Hollywood. In Disney's 2014 Big Hero 6, Maya Rudolph, who voices Aunt Cass, said she “is that cool aunt you wish you had or want to be."  And Robin Wright’s Antiope in this year's Wonder Woman, trains her niece, Diana, to become a warrior who ultimately saves the world.

Besides, this modern version of "Aunt May" seems to do just fine; Peter Parker is a superhero, after all.

Want to see for yourself? Here's the Spider-Man: Homecoming Aunt May movie trailer:




Photo: Marvel Spider-Man Homecoming trailer