Spider-Man: Homecoming is the third new start the franchise has had in 15 years. Under each new reboot, not only has the face of Spider-Man changed, but so has that of Aunt May.
As the franchise has changed and gone through yet another redevelopment, Aunt May is a fascinating lens through which we can judge how the series itself has changed. With Spider-Man: Homecoming now in theaters, Aunt May reflects the studio’s desire to put a fresh face on a franchise that is close to overstaying its welcome.
In Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man, Rosemary Harris played Aunt May. At the time, Harris was 74. When Spider-Man 3 was released five years later, she was nearing her 80th birthday. Raimi elected to play into Harris’ age as a part of Aunt May’s characterization.
In the original trilogy, Aunt May is elderly; physically feeble, naïve to the ways of the world, but emotionally wise. These are tropes audiences are familiar with in popular culture. The films play up her age using her costumes and demeanor; she wears headscarves and thick wool clothing, she knits, and she doesn’t have a job.
Given the way the subsequent reboots of the franchise have aged down the role of Aunt May, this characterization is notable. Sally Field was 65 when The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012 and Marisa Tomei is now 52 upon the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
However, what’s more important is the way Aunt May is used in the actual plot of the film. The clearest example of this is at the end of Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man. The Green Goblin attacks Aunt May while she is home in her nightgown saying her prayers. After the attack, May is hospitalized, causing Peter severe emotional distress.
May’s near-death experience is even more significant given the guilt Peter feels about Uncle Ben’s death. Raimi uses Peter’s relationship with his aunt and uncle as a way of strengthening the film’s emotional core. Uncle Ben and Aunt May are Peter’s last remaining relatives, so their mortality is of great significance to him and the story.
Aunt May provides Peter with both an emotional outlet and a moral compass. She plays a substantive role throughout Raimi’s trilogy as a guiding and corrective force for Peter. This is a narrative potency that neither Sally Field nor Marisa Tomei are afforded in their roles.
Sony originally planned for Sam Raimi to make a fourth installment in his Spider-Man series, but the project ultimately fell apart. The studio opted to reboot the project with Marc Webb in the director’s chair, starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Sally Field as Aunt May. The film aged Aunt May down nearly a decade, this time giving her a job as an emergency room nurse and steering away from characterizing her as an elderly woman.
Like the original installments, Webb’s film still operates as an origin story. Again, audiences watch Uncle Ben die, leaving Aunt May alone to care for Peter. Unfortunately, Aunt May’s role is severely diminished Webb’s reboot.
Both The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) use Aunt May as a peripheral character, only seen when Peter comes and goes in her home. She is never given much of an arc beyond how she is affected by her husband’s death. She is only seen outside of her home a couple times. Her path never substantially crosses with that of Spider-Man.
Webb’s reboots use Gwen Stacy’s character (played by Emma Stone) as a way of heightening the emotional stakes for Peter’s character. Presumably, the choice to remove Aunt May as a central component of Peter’s arc is to avoid hitting the same emotional and narrative beats as the original series.
However, the consequence of this choice means that the heart of the film rests solely on Peter’s relationship with Gwen. The film is able to skate by on the undeniably strong chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (the two dated for nearly two years during this time), but Aunt May’s reduced presence marks a clear shift in the franchise’s image and approach to building Peter’s emotional arc.
After one sequel in Webb’s franchise, Sony gave up on Garfield’s Spider-Man and cancelled plans for another.
In 2015, Sony and Marvel Studios agreed to share the rights to Spider-Man. This was a big moment for fans that had long awaited the chance to see Spider-Man appear alongside the Avengers. More than two years later, Spider-Man: Homecoming is finally in theaters. After appearing briefly in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland shines as he leads the newest reboot of the Spider-Man property as the youngest web-slinger to date.
Not by coincidence, Aunt May is also the youngest she’s ever been. In the role is Marisa Tomei, dressed in hip high-waisted jeans, bright colors, and 80s-era glasses. Several characters, including Tony Stark, refer to her looks several times, both directly and indirectly.
Tomei’s Aunt May is a far cry from Rosemary Harris in Raimi’s original film, but not just in age. She is also the most inconsequential Aunt May audiences have seen yet.
Unlike the two previous series, Spider-Man: Homecoming is not an origin story. When his character is introduced, he already knows of his unique powers and Uncle Ben is already dead.
As a result, the story has little vested interest in giving Aunt May much of a story. The assumption exists that audiences are familiar with Aunt May, her role in Peter’s life and the Spider-Man universe. So, rather than give her any role whatsoever in Peter’s story, she’s sidelined.
Tomei’s Aunt May is barely used in Spider-Man: Homecoming. When she’s on screen, it’s almost always in passing. Unlike Sally Field, who was at least given some material – usually some vague advice about life, love, and purpose – Tomei is practically inconsequential to Peter’s story.
As a result, the film lacks any serious emotional landscape. For all of the film’s jokes and John Hughes-style high school charm, Spider-Man: Homecoming is remarkably lacking when it comes to real, earned emotions.
All of this is to say that it’s a shame that Aunt May’s character, one that is so integral to the story of Peter Parker, has been one of the biggest sacrifices as the story has been rebooted again and again. As the creators attempt to avoid falling into the same steps as their predecessors, they have shirked on giving Aunt May the attention she deserves.
This is particularly frustrating given that the last two actresses to play the character – Sally Field and Marisa Tomei – are both Oscar winners, capable of much more than they’re given.
For all that Spider-Man: Homecoming does right, it’s remarkably lacking in any genuine emotional depth. With a character like Aunt May that could easily serve to strengthen that depth, I’m hopeful that we will see her character utilized more in the future.