Spider-Man’s Aunt May Doesn’t Get Enough Credit, Says Zendaya

Spider-Man star Zendaya believes Aunt May deserves far more credit from fans. Everyone’s favorite web-slinger just received his biggest movie yet with Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Jon Watts-directed adventure once again starred Tom Holland as the MCU’s Peter Parker, this time facing his biggest challenges yet. When a spell from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) goes horribly awry, Peter must face multiple villains from alternate universes, all of whom have fought their own version of Spider-Man. No Way Home pushes Peter out of his comfort zone as he works to help each multiverse transplant, but at least he has his allies to help him.

In addition to best friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya), that includes his aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Like all the Peter Parkers who have come before, Holland’s iteration has a May as his main parental figure. Aunt May is just as much of a Spider-Man staple as the radioactive spider that bites him, yet No Way Home switches things up drastically by having May fill in a pivotal role in the Peter Parker origin story. No spoilers for those who haven’t seen the movie, but it is quite the twist.

The MCU’s Spider-Man might have enjoyed multiple mentors over his entire arc, but according to Zendaya, it’s May who deserves the most credit. Speaking to Marvel.com following No Way Home, Zendaya stood up for May and called on others to pay her respect. She said:

“[May’s] a great role model. She’s raised a lovely young man, and she’s done it on her own. She doesn’t get the credit she deserves.

“It’s important to acknowledge May in the respect that everybody is like, ‘Oh, he always has to have a mentor,’ All these father figures and all this stuff. But May has raised him. Shoutout to May!”

Holland joined in on the praise, adding, “She’s an incredible role model, shoutout to May.” Over the years, Spider-Man has gone through a few male mentor figures, from Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) to Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Through it all, though, May has stood by his side and offered unwavering support. Even in the pre-MCU Spider-Man movies, Aunt May represents a key part of Peter’s life, and she shouldn’t be pushed aside. Some might say the MCU movies have done exactly that, but at least those involved with the making of the films recognize how big of an impact May has had on Peter.

Going forward, Peter is in a unique place post-No Way Home. He’ll need to utilize the lessons he’s learned from all of his mentors, May included. In No Way Home, Aunt May taught him the importance of compassion and offering second chances, and while it wasn’t exactly an easy lesson to learn, it will surely be one he keeps close to his heart. Aunt May might not have much of a presence in future Spider-Man movies, but hopefully her influence will continue to be felt for as long as Holland’s Peter is swinging around.

Source: Marvel.com

About The Author

Rachel Labonte
(3420 Articles Published)

Rachel LaBonte is a news, feature, and movie review writer for Screen Rant with a deep passion for film and television. A graduate of Emerson College, she majored in Media Arts Production while specializing in screenwriting. She’s been a writer ever since high school when she realized she was rather good at it and joined as many entertainment news clubs as she could while in school. Most notably, she wrote for Emerson’s website Emertainment Monthly, and one of her film reviews won an Evvy (Emerson’s student awards) for Best Review. Her deep love of movies led to her working at a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite the angry customers. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up on all the movies/TV shows she longs to watch.

See also  Every Legendary In Pokémon Legends: Arceus (& How To Get Them)

More From Rachel Labonte