Far From Home The Aunt Tomei er, Aunt May thread

[Dark Raven]

Not a fan of the MCU's version of Aunt May.

Well the comic version is old enough to be MCU Aunt May's grandmother. Why would Peter have an aunt who seems more like she's in her 90s?

Even MCU Aunt May is old enough to be MCU Peter's grandmother. So giving him one who is more like a great, great grandmother doesn't make sense.

 

[CaptainWagner]

^^^ This. I've never gotten the "Aunt May must be an octogenarian" thing. It just makes absolutely zero sense. My dad's the youngest of a big family, and even then my oldest aunt was 60 when I was in high school. And Richard and Ben are supposed to be pretty close.

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

^^^ This. I've never gotten the "Aunt May must be an octogenarian" thing. It just makes absolutely zero sense. My dad's the youngest of a big family, and even then my oldest aunt was 60 when I was in high school. And Richard and Ben are supposed to be pretty close.

Look at the color episodes of Dragnet or Emergency a few years later when Jack Webb gave an age to a female character. Back when Spider-Man was first drawn Aunt May at 60 would look octogenarian in popular culture

 

[Dark Raven]

Is it that people didn't know what 50 or 60 year olds looked like at the time? Or that people genuinely looked older? Or it was just a symbolic representation of an older person for youths reading comics?

Maybe illustrators found it difficult to depict someone who was middle aged without them appearing young. Or perhaps a lot of leading characters in comics already looked middle aged such as Reed Richards, Ben Grimm or Bruce Banner etc, especially as drawn by Jack Kirby. Perhaps they thought making Uncle Ben or Aunt May look the same age as that would make them seem no different from these other lead characters and wouldn't convey the wisdom and maturity of Peter's two relatives.

If they drew Aunt May looking like Marisa Tomei in the comics right from the start, would she have just looked like any other superheroine or female relative or love interest?

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

We take better care of ourselves today. Except when the plot is the teenage mother is almost a sister of her now teenager daughter, the sexy romantic lead of TV has gone from a 20 something actress to an early 50's n the last 50 years

 

[The Guard]

So she's just comic relief now, then?

 

[Havok83]

I thought she looked alot older in this film and not as young and "hot" as the first film. I would have been fine had she not been snapped and was actually 5 years older

 

[JannTosh]

Aunt May being an 80 year old frail woman actually doesn't make sense. What 17 year old has an 80 year old aunt? Wonder if the original artist kept thinking "grandmother" for whatever reason instead of "Aunt"

 

[Schlosser85]

A high school kid with an ancient aunt doesn't make a lot of sense, but Tomei's version and her dynamic with Peter is super shallow and underdeveloped, and even more so in FFH.

 

[Havok83]

Aunt May being an 80 year old frail woman actually doesn't make sense. What 17 year old has an 80 year old aunt? Wonder if the original artist kept thinking "grandmother" for whatever reason instead of "Aunt"

It can happen. I have a brother thats 47 and sister thats 18. If our sister starts having kids in her 30s, he'll be old enough to be a grandparent to his nieces/nephews

 

[Dark Raven]

It can happen. I have a brother thats 47 and sister thats 18. If our sister starts having kids in her 30s, he'll be old enough to be a grandparent to his nieces/nephews

Of course it can happen, just like Peter's aunt could've also been a mere baby and younger than him. But these would be more the exceptions, and you'd have to jump through more hoops to explain things than necessary.

 

[Havok83]

Of course it can happen, just like Peter's aunt could've also been a mere baby and younger than him. But these would be more the exceptions, and you'd have to jump through more hoops to explain things than necessary.

but when people say stuff like it doesnt make sense, well actually it doesnt. You dont need to go trhough hoops to explain anything as its not that hard to grasp. Not all siblings are close in age and/or have kids around the same time in life. I guess since its been my reality, I dont find it all that odd. That same brother is older than one of our uncles. These things happen

 

[spider-neil]

It's not the first time it's been said and it won't be the last but, Aunt May is hot.

 

[Zant]

So she is cool with Pete risking his life....no discussions fallout from her finding out his secret...glossed over....Nothing...

 

[MrWayne]

So she is cool with Pete risking his life....no discussions fallout from her finding out his secret...glossed over....Nothing...

I agree but they cant cover every little detail we think of lol I think after all that he endured from Infinity War to End Game, I think she knows by now Pete can handle himself.

 

[psylockolussus]

Well the comic version is old enough to be MCU Aunt May's grandmother. Why would Peter have an aunt who seems more like she's in her 90s?

Even MCU Aunt May is old enough to be MCU Peter's grandmother. So giving him one who is more like a great, great grandmother doesn't make sense.

Not exactly 90s. Aunt May doesn't need to be as old if Peter's mom was still alive. Someone in her 50s or late 40s that doesn't look hip and cool would have been ideal imo. They could have cast Kim Catrall, make her look old fashioned, perhaps a pair of reading glasses and not make her look like a cool outgoing aunt, then I would have been fine with that. I prefer the Ps4 Spider-Man or the Sally Fields version despite not having white hair.

Nothing about Marisa Tomei screams Aunt May. The hairstyle, the clothes, does May even swear in the comics?

 

[Dark Raven]

Not exactly 90s. Aunt May doesn't need to be as old if Peter's mom was still alive. What I liked the Ps4 Spider-Man or the Sally Fields version despite not having white hair, May still looked elderly.

Nothing about Marisa Tomei screams Aunt May. The hairstyle, the clothes, does May even swear in the comics?

Well, no-one swears in the comics (unless it's a Max comic) but they do in the Marvel films - even Spider-Man.

Why does she need to look elderly? Unless she hasn't taken good care of herself, then someone in their 50s shouldn't look so decrepit. So in order to achieve that look, they'd have to be at least in their 70s, and even then they don't always look so aged.

Comics Aunt May definitely looked like she was in her 80s or 90s.

 

[Havok83]

Well, no-one swears in the comics (unless it's a Max comic) but they do in the Marvel films - even Spider-Man.

Why does she need to look elderly? Unless she hasn't taken good care of herself, then someone in their 50s shouldn't look so decrepit. So in order to achieve that look, they'd have to be at least in their 70s, and even then they don't always look so aged.

plenty of characters swear in the comics; its just censored with a @!$%$#

So she is cool with Pete risking his life....no discussions fallout from her finding out his secret...glossed over....Nothing...

to be fair any discussions would have happened years ago (well months with the Snap). Thats the problem with having the reveal happen as the cliffhanger to the last film instead of within it bc alot of time has passed since then

 

[psylockolussus]

Well, no-one swears in the comics (unless it's a Max comic) but they do in the Marvel films - even Spider-Man.

Why does she need to look elderly? Unless she hasn't taken good care of herself, then someone in their 50s shouldn't look so decrepit. So in order to achieve that look, they'd have to be at least in their 70s, and even then they don't always look so aged.

Comics Aunt May definitely looked like she was in her 80s or 90s.

Well I dont want a frail looking or a barely can walk Aunt May. But like I said, nothing about this Aunt May feels Aunt May. Aunt May isn't hip and cool, she'snot a cool aunt in the comics. In the MCU, she's also not even motherly to Peter. Like she comes across as an older cousin to me. Also some people just look great or younger for their age. Marisa Tomei just doesn't look the part at all. If the reason of May looking younger in these films is because she "takes care of herself", then what does that say about the Raimi/Webb/Ps4 version? So agree to disagree. Also styling plays a huge factor. If they didn't give her dresses and she didn't show her arms/cleavage, she wouldn't look so hip, cool, glam up for a 50 or above aunt that isn't hip, cool and glam up in the comics. My aunts dresses more conservative for example.

Anyway, if she was supposed to be a new character like Michelle Jones okaybut nope.

 

[Havok83]

Well I dont want a frail looking or a barely can walk Aunt May. But like I said, nothing about this Aunt May feels Aunt May. Aunt May isn't hip and cool, she'snot a cool aunt in the comics. In the MCU, she's also not even motherly to Peter. Like she comes across as an older cousin to me. Also some people just look great or younger for their age. Marisa Tomei just doesn't look the part at all. If the reason of May looking younger in these films is because she "takes care of herself", then what does that say about the Raimi/Webb/Ps4 version? So agree to disagree. Also styling plays a huge factor. If they didn't give her dresses and she didn't show her arms/cleavage, she wouldn't look so hip, cool, glam up for a 50 something aunt that isn't hip, cool and glam up in the comics.

Anyway, if she was supposed to be a new character like Michelle Jones okaybut nope.

it says that those versions are older regardless of how well she takes care of herself

People need to get over the fact that this isnt like the comics bc this isnt a comic. Its a brand new interpretation inspired by the comics. As mentioned, there are already several versions which are more alligned with the books which still exist for people to watch. This doesnt need to be. The two films are great ones despite May being different as she doesnt take away from them

 

[psylockolussus]

Or those aunt May just dressed more conservatively and just looked their age. I know 50 to 70 something women that look glam up and are fitness lovers and I wouldn't consider any of them as aunt may. like I said, styling is a factor. Its like they just hired Marisa to play an Aunt to Peter but not exactly THE aunt May from the comics. She just doesn't look the part at all. Plus Even her interactions with Peter in these movies aren't even great. So it just magnifies my reaction that it isn't really the aunt May from the comics.

 

[Havok83]

Or those aunt May just dressed more conservatively and just looked their age. I know 50 to 70 something women that look glam up and are fitness lovers and I wouldn't consider any of them as aunt may. like I said, styling is a factor. Its like they just hired Marisa to play an Aunt to Peter but not exactly THE aunt May from the comics. She just doesn't look the part at all. Plus Even her interactions with Peter in these movies aren't even great. So it just magnifies my reaction that it isn't really the aunt May from the comics.

No, those Aunt Mays were actually older. The MCU version isnt meant to be the same age or even in the same range as those other ones. People act like she's dressed like a ho. Her wardrobe is fine. You are right in that her relationship with Peter is different. It used to play off more like a grandmother to me but now its like an actual aunt. They changed everyone in Peter's supporting cast so yeah this isnt meant to be like the comics. He's the only character thats relatively consistent; everyone else has been altered to bring a new interpretation to life. May makes sense with that vision

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

The traditional May functions basically as an annoyance to nag Peter and be someone he has to worry about constantly because she could have a heart attack at any moment. Rosemary Harris did a great job in spite of this, but I definitely prefer this interpretation of the character. She actually seems like an aunt and not a grandmother, and I love how she tries to help and nurture Peter's ambitions as opposed to being an albatross for him.

 

[Enriquespy]

Quite unusual that saying "Being an albatross". I learned what it means just today.

 

[Dark Raven]

Quite unusual that saying "Being an albatross". I learned what it means just today.

Looks like @Kahran Ramsus killed two birds with one stone with that post.