May Parker, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in the Marvel's Spider-Man series. The operations manager of the non-profit organization F.E.A.S.T., May was the aunt of Peter Parker and his main legal guardian after her husband Ben Parker passed away. She ran the organization, under Martin Li, following Ben's aforementioned passing.
History[]
Early history[]
May and Ben Parker on their wedding day
May was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953.[1] As a teenager, she overachieved, as head of the debate club, captain of women's sports team, and second violin in orchestra, falling apart while attempting to be an honor roll student. This weakened her performance across the board, leading her to scale back.[2]
After Peter lost his parents,[3] Ben and May took him in. May would tell Ben often to scale back his "Parker pride", in which he sacrificed for others while not accepting help himself.[4] She was guilty of this herself, however, and Ben would often use May's words against her.[5] May once recalled that, through their rough patches (something Peter noted were so rare he never noticed them), honesty helped them resolve their issues.[6]
May with her late husband Ben
Ben was killed in 2010,[b] leaving May a widow. In 2013,[c] May started volunteering at the F.E.A.S.T. homeless shelter, as a way to "find some light in the darkness"[1] following Ben's death. May was employed by Martin Li, the founder and owner of F.E.A.S.T. who grew to like her and her nephew Peter greatly and admired their dedication to others and was particularly inspired by May's motto, "When you help someone, you help everyone."
Sometime after Ben's demise, May had figured out that her nephew was the heroic vigilante, Spider-Man. While she was worried for Peter's safety, she secretly supported him and his actions without him knowing. Additionally, May was very proud with what her nephew had accomplished.[8]
At an unknown point, Sandman attempted to rob the F.E.A.S.T. shelter. Telling him that there was nothing there for him, May convinced Sandman to leave peacefully.
May was fond of Mary Jane Watson, and rooted for her and Peter's relationship.[7][9]
Marvel's Spider-Man[]
The day of Wilson Fisk's arrest also marked the anniversary of May's employment at F.E.A.S.T.. In "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow", Peter helped Martin Li, prepare a surprise party by distracting her.[7] After the surprise, May called Peter to thank him, telling him she often wondered if she was doing right by him.[3]
At one point, May wrote into J. Jonah Jameson's show to describe him as "so full of anger" and express wish he would get himself help managing it for his own health. Jameson angrily responded telling May that his crusade in calling out injustice was driven by love of New York.[10]
In "Couch Surfing", after Peter was evicted, May offered him the couch at her F.E.A.S.T. office as a place to stay. She left him money, which Peter declined, but May insisted he take it.[4]
After the City Hall bombing, and with Martin Li absent, May took Miles Morales, whose father Jefferson Davis died in the attack, under her wing.[11]
Despite the revelations of Martin Li's terrorist attack on a political rally, May continued her work at F.E.A.S.T., feeling her losing "a few hours of sleep" was worth helping those who needed it, while also having a hard time believing that Martin was capable of such an act and choosing to remember the Martin she had known and not the terrorist.[6]
May and Miles were both at the shelter when Doctor Octopus unleashed the Devil's Breath upon the city. Despite being among the infected, May continued to help the struggling residents of the city, and hid her condition from Peter and Miles. May was also present with Miles trying to secure supplies from the veteran's center only for the building to catch on fire, though both Peter and Mary Jane rescued them.[12]
Aunt May shortly before passing away
After "Pax in Bello", when Spider-Man managed to recover the antiserum, the portion was only enough for one usage, and May's condition had progressed too far for her to wait for more doses to be made. May revealed on her deathbed that she knew Peter was Spider-Man for quite some time, telling him how proud she was, and how proud Ben would be, of him. When she realized that Peter must let her die to stop the plague, she wholeheartedly accepted it, spending her last moments reassuring him that it was the right thing to do.[8]
Legacy[]
May is buried next to Ben, and a commemorative plaque is placed at F.E.A.S.T. in her honor. After her death, she left the Parker house for Peter, who eventually moves back into it, effectively solving Peter's housing issues, while at the same time, MJ restarts her relationship with Peter and decides to live with him there.
Two years later, a foundation named after both May and Peter's best friend Harry Osborn's mother Emily has been built, out of respect of their passing and legacy.
When Miles and Martin Li successfully destroyed the symbiote core inside Peter's head to free him, they saw a guilty Peter crying on May's deathbed and he's blaming himself for not saving her.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Martin Li and May in his office at F.E.A.S.T.
May is an older woman with short reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. She dresses simply in a buttoned shirt and blue jeans, and often keeps her sleeves rolled up.
Personality[]
These people need help. If I lose a few hours of sleep, so be it.
May Parker, Marvel's Spider-Man § "Reflection"
May was known for her optimistic, kind, and selfless spirit, and for overextending herself. As an overachiever at school,[2] May later took on roles at F.E.A.S.T. while raising Peter alone after Ben's passing.[7] Following Li's absence, she took on his responsibilities while still having her own.[11] May as such became an inspiration for those around her,[7] especially Peter, who described her as the one person in the world he would choose to emulate.[1]
May's work ethic and overextension run in the family, as what she refers to as "Parker pride". It is something she has said Ben was guilty of,[4] but that Ben would call her out on too.[5] May was able to scale herself back as a youth,[2] but her overextension remained a weakness, and may have contributed to her succumbing to her illness.
Original appearance[]
Aunt May's first appearance was in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962).
Behind the scenes[]
Aunt May is portrayed by Nancy Linari, who reprises the role after previously voicing an incarnation of the character from the 2017 Marvel's Spider-Man animated series (dubbed by fans as the "Radomskiverse"), which premiered one year prior to the first game's release.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ There is a continuity error regarding May's age. In Aunt May's bio page, she is listed as 65 years old. However, her tombstone places her year of birth as 1953, which would make her 65 at the oldest.
- ↑ Ben Parker's gravestone lists his years from 1952-2010.
- ↑ May's anniversary for employment at F.E.A.S.T. was five years in Marvel's Spider-Man,[7] which takes place in 2018.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Marvel's Spider-Man menu § "May Parker"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Marvel's Spider-Man 2 script § "Roll Like We Used To"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Don't Touch the Art"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Couch Surfing"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Supply Run"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Reflection"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Pax in Bello"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "The Mask"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "May from Queens"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Hidden Agenda"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "...Into the Fire"
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2018). Marvel's Spider-Man [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.
- Insomniac Games (2023). Marvel's Spider-Man 2 [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.