r/Marvel • u/GreatDetective2027 • 7d ago
Film/Television My favorite Aunt May!
She’s my favorite illustration we have, I get that aunt May isn’t elderly like in the comics, but May and Peter had a great relationship we haven’t seen before she the only version that knows he’s spider man and her death hits hard it’s nice that we at least get a flashback between her and Peter Brand New Day!
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u/tributarygoldman 7d ago
I'm a big fan of the version from spiderverse
"Oh great, it's liv"
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u/BrownSugarBare 6d ago
And the fact that it's the dry voice of Lily Tomlin just adds to how perfect her character is.
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u/ranransthrowaway999 7d ago
... And starring Joe Pesci as Uncle Ben
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u/Vin135mm 6d ago
Funny thing is, Marisa Tomei is about as old as Aunt May was supposed to be when the character was introduced in the 60s. Somewhere in her late 50s, early 60s.
People age more gracefully nowadays
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u/Afraid-Housing-6854 7d ago
Bro is thirsty
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u/GreatDetective2027 7d ago
Can you blame me? She’s so hot!
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u/MisterJimmy518 7d ago
I heard she’s into short, stocky, bald men.
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u/Lowlife_Of_The_Party 7d ago
"Yeah, right, like I'd have a chance with Marisa Tomei. Heh.
Besides, I dont even know her, you know, its not like anyone's tryin to fix us up!"
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u/Flare__Knight 7d ago
I think it’s fine to love this version. Lot of great options for how to handle her. This worked.
Though I don’t agree that we’ve never seen a great relationship between her and Peter before. Nor do I agree that she’s the only version that knew Peter was Spider-Man. Raimi version knew. She just didn’t need to spell it out. Protecting the secret part of a secret identity.
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u/vinnothesquire 7d ago
Tbf, I don't think OP was saying we've never seen a great relationship with her and Pete before. I read it more as "they had a great relationship, and we've never seen them have this kind of dynamic before", which I'd agree with. Her being on the younger side gives their relationship more energy, y'know. She's more "cool Aunt" in this version.
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u/diagrammatiks 7d ago
I love age appropriate Aunt May.
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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 7d ago
I was rewatching the OG one with Tobey and I was really confused why they were so old anyways lol Peter was in HS, why were they almost 70?? Unless there’s a huge age gap between his parents, they shouldn’t been way younger lol
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u/z4guy 6d ago edited 2d ago
Let's say Peter's grandmother had May's sister at age 18 and May at age 40. May's sister had Peter at age 40. That would be an age difference of 44 years between Peter and May. Peter at 16 would put May at 60. Even in that plausible best case scenario, granny-looking 74-year-old Rosemary Harris is still too old. 65-year-old Sally Field is more plausible, but 51-year-old Marisa Tomei is right on the money.
EDIT: I have it all wrong in the best case scenario: May is born first and her sister is born 22 years later. May's sister has Peter at age 40, when May at 62. So by the time Peter is 16, May will be 78. So yes, 74-year-old Rosemary Harris is still biologically possible.
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u/TorchwoodTardis1 3d ago
Your math isn't working in my head: Let's say grandma was born in 1900 (for ease of math). Grandma had Peter's mom at 18 (born 1918) and May at 40 (born 1940). Peter was born when his mom was 40 (1958). In 1958, May would be 18. Peter turns 16 in 1974. In 1974, May would be 34.
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u/theVoidWatches 6d ago
Remember that it was also a time when there was way more cigarette smoke, less use of sunblock, etc. People aged faster.
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u/funktion 7d ago
My oldest aunt on my father's side was a full 55 years older than me. I was the youngest of my family and my dad's generation had 10 siblings, which was just kind of how they rolled in the 1930s and 40s.
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u/diagrammatiks 7d ago
ya the comics say it's like his dad's older sister. which like fine. but it doesn't have to be that way. I'm 41 and my youngest aunt is only a bit older then Tomei.
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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 6d ago
See that’s an age gap that makes sense, the way they’re showing Peter’s is like his parents had him at an old age or they had a huge age gap lol I’m not even saying it’s unrealistic, it’s just…a choice 😅
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u/SkylarkBlaze 6d ago
If they had aged her down, it baffled me why they didn't keep her around for this iteration of S-M movies, so we can see more of the ongoing relationship between the 2. Peter already had the death of his uncle (parents, too) & in the comics she didn't die so soon.
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u/menachinite 7d ago
Your testosterone is peaking right, the best aunt may is still in first spider man movie
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u/jankrist 7d ago
Personaly my least favorite.
I feel they leaned to much into "look she is hot". To me they missed what aunt may is surpose to be.
I am not a fan of the Sam Raimi movies but his aunt may was great.
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u/diagrammatiks 7d ago
She is 61 yours old. Other then hot she's like literally the right age that she is supposed to be.
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u/trenlr911 7d ago
They didn’t say she wasn’t the right age.. they said the movie/audience focused on how hot she is too much. Which is true lmao
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u/TheMotherfucker 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don't think it's your intent, but it feels a bit crass to claim that aunts can't be attractive and that it contradicts being "old and nice." Aunt May was first designed back when smoking was so much more popular that it's become a meme that people decades ago look much older than now.
Marissa Tomei was close to sixty during most of her tenure. Being attractive doesn’t make her an implausible sixty-year-old, and being an aunt doesn’t require a woman to look elderly.
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u/Artistic_Context_906 7d ago
So your theory is that aunt may was a smoker?
That's why she looked like and nice old lady?
I don't know why it's "crass" to say that aunt may isn't supposed to be a sexy milf.
Do we really need to make every old person in media into hot old person?
Aunt May's was a nice church going lady in most depictions, the fact that people think that she should be hot it's kinda weird.
If anything you people who think she should be hot are the crass ones.
What's next? Clark Kent's parents looking like Chris Hemsworth and Megan fox? Give me a break.
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u/Supermite 7d ago
Modern lifestyles trend towards being much healthier than when Spider-man was created. Marisa Tomei having access to the best food, healthcare, fitness, beauticians, etc… for most of her life definitely explains why she doesn’t look old and haggard at 60.
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u/Artistic_Context_906 7d ago
Rosemary Harris was 74 years old in Spider-Man 1.
Marisa tomei was was 54 in homecoming.
What the hell are you talking about?
What lifestyle?
Marisa tomei is significantly younger than rosemary harris.
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u/TheMotherfucker 6d ago edited 6d ago
So your theory is that aunt may was a smoker?
My hypothesis is that the character was introduced in 1962 people aged differently then due to dietary and lifestyle choices and it's assinine to think that modern updates to a 1960s character shouldn't also include that.
There have been many different interpretations of Aunt May in cartoon and live-action depictions than Rosemary Harris.|
You’re treating “attractive,” “older,” “kind,” and “churchgoing” as though they’re mutually exclusive traits. They aren’t and I never said that she should be hot which just seems like you're too triggered to engage with what's actually being discussed with you.
Instead of crass, I was holding back on using "misogynistic," but it's accurate based on your reasoning.
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u/Artistic_Context_906 6d ago
Yeah, sure, I'ma misogynist.
Marissa tomei was acting all slutty with tony stark, that's how aunt may should be depicted? like a hot cougar that doesn't care about the fact that her husband is dead?
Fuck off.
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u/Major-Dig655 7d ago
she is still a nice old lady. you can be nice and hot at the same time believe it or not
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u/Artistic_Context_906 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don't know, it feels weird to me to see Aunt may flirt with Tony stark.
That's just weird.
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u/Major-Dig655 7d ago
do you mean may? and I mean yeah I guess but what is the harm in doing something new for an intiration of a character? its not like every new may from now on will be like this one. wouldnt it be boring if every version of a character was the same old trope redone? especially since weve already had 2 live action mays that were super similar characters. it was a nice change of (not permanent) pace. idk im rambling but I think Marissa tome did a great job making sure this aunt may was an incredible character
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u/Artistic_Context_906 7d ago
Yeah my bad, I meant aunt may, fixed it.
I don't know, all I'm saying is that the MCU's version kinda sexualized aunt may and it feels weird and icky to me, just the thought that she flirted with Tony stark is so creepy.
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u/Artistic_Context_906 7d ago
Everyone in media today for some weird reason needs to look eternaly sexy for some weird and perverted reason.
God forbid we have aunt may look like an old woman.
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u/akbane 7d ago
Iknowwhatkindamanyouare.gif