- Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
- In a new interview with Marvel.com, Zendaya said that Marisa Tomei's Aunt May deserves more credit.
- Zendaya said that May is "a great role model" to Peter Parker and raised him on her own.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" star Zendaya recently said that Marisa Tomei's Aunt May doesn't get enough recognition for being an influential person in Peter Parker's life.
"[May's] a great role model," Zendaya, who reprises her role as MJ in Tom Holland's third standalone "Spider-Man" film, said in an interview with Marvel.com. "She's raised a lovely young man, and she's done it on her own. She doesn't get the credit she deserves."
Tomei is the third actor to play Aunt May on the big screen in a live-action Spidey adaptation, following Rosemary Harris' performance in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy (led by Tobey Maguire) and Sally Field's portrayal in Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-Man" films, released in 2012 and 2014 (led by Andrew Garfield).
In the past "Spider-Man" franchises, the death of Peter's Uncle Ben was a life-changing moment that altered the teen's trajectory and shaped the films.
When Holland's version of the web-slinger was introduced in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," it was revealed that he lives with May and there's no mention of Ben.
It's unclear what exactly happened to this universe's version of Ben, but there was a small nod to the character in 2019's "Spider-Man: Far From Home." In 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," a more overt scene planned to reference Uncle Ben, but the writers ultimately nixed it because it "veered away" from Peter's arc.
Aunt May becomes even more influential to Peter Parker in 'No Way Home'
Tomei's character guides Peter through his teen years and new responsibility as Spider-Man after she learns of his superhero identity at the end of "Homecoming."
The young web-slinger was mentored by Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in "Homecoming," followed by Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in "Far From Home."
In "No Way Home," May becomes a more prominent mentor to Peter as he grapples with how to navigate the world knowing that he's Spider-Man. She also encourages her nephew to help the multiverse villains, who appear after a spell cast by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) goes terribly wrong.
"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," Zendaya told Marvel.com. "But May has raised him. Shout-out to May!"
Unfortunately, May's life is cut short after she's wounded during a battle between Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin/Norman Osborn.
Moments before dying, May tells Peter that he has a gift, and "with great power, there must also come great responsibility." The famous line first appeared in the "Spider-Man" comics and was spoken by Uncle Ben in Maguire and Garfield's Spidey movies.
"The relationship between Peter and May throughout these films has been really integral to the heart and soul of the story," Holland told Marvel.com during the same interview. "This scene kind of seemingly comes out of the blue, like no one expects this to happen. It's going to be really, really hard-hitting for people [seeing the] movie."
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is now in theaters.