Warning: contains spoilers for Spider-Boy #19!
It may seem hard to believe, but Aunt May has endured a lot, including the death of her husband, Ben, and experiencing various supervillain attacks. Now, six decades after she first appeared, Aunt May has seemingly developed a cool, and handy, superpower, as seen in Spider-Boy #19.
Spider-Boy #19 was written by Dan Slott and drawn by Paco Medina. Mister Negative is brainwashing people throughout New York City, using them as pawns. Meanwhile, Aunt May leaves her apartment to run errands, including heading to the same bank where both Spider-Boy and Spider-Man are fighting Mister Negative. Aunt May arrives at the bank, finding all hell has broken loose.
Mister Negative sees her, and immediately tries to bring Aunt May under his spell, but she is somehow able to resist his influence.
A stunned Mister Negative is then taken out by Spider-Man.
Aunt May is One of the Pillars of the Spider-Man Mythos
Spider-Man Creators Have Changed How They Depict Aunt May
Aunt May developing a superpower after 63 years is the latest chapter in her storied life. Introduced alongside Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15, Aunt May, alongside Uncle Ben, raised Peter after his parents died. For all intents and purposes, May and Ben were Peter’s real family. The couple instilled in Peter a strong sense of right and wrong, and encouraged him in his studies. Aunt May’s life came crashing down when Ben was murdered by a burglar, the same one Spider-Man had an opportunity to stop earlier. Ben’s death upended Aunt May’s life and was the catalyst for Spider-Man’s career.
Just how Aunt May has been depicted in Spider-Man comics has changed considerably since 1963.
Just how Aunt May has been depicted in Spider-Man comics has changed considerably since 1963. For many years, writers and artists depicted Aunt May as frail, and seemingly always a step away from death’s door. Spider-Man’s anxiety during the early parts of his career stemmed from many sources, including Aunt May’s health and well-being. Peter fretted over Aunt May: she was his last link to his Uncle Ben as well as the rest of his family. In turn, Aunt May constantly worried about her nephew, which went a long way to affecting her health.
Aunt May has been portrayed in live action by three different actresses: Rosemarie Harris in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Sally Field in The Amazing Spider-Man, and Marisa Tomei in the MCU.
Yet, around 20 years ago, how the creators chose to portray Aunt May changed. Beginning with the first Ultimate Spider-Man title in 2000, Marvel took a new approach to Aunt May. Ultimate Spider-Man showed a slightly younger May, and it refashioned her and Ben as old hippies. While still old and not necessarily in the best health, this was still a more vital and urgent incarnation of the character. Creators then began applying this idea to the Earth-616 Aunt May. She was drawn younger looking, and was decidedly less frail and sickly.
Aunt May's New Superpower Is Well-Earned (and Important For Her Safety)
Will Aunt May Keep this Superpower? Or Was it Just a Fluke?
Aunt May’s new superpower, as revealed in Spider-Boy #19, adds a new layer to the character, one that is essential to her survival. Aunt May has been in proximity to Earth’s super-heroic community for a long time. In addition to Spider-Man, Aunt May has met other Marvel heroes and villains: she even came close to marrying Doctor Octopus at one point. Being so close to dangerous villains and powerful heroes puts Aunt May in a precarious position. Several of Spider-Man’s foes have attacked Aunt May, even going as far as putting her in the hospital.
10 Best Versions of Spider-Man's Aunt May (With Superpowers)
One of the most important characters in Spider-Man's lore has always been Aunt May, which has allowed writers to put her into absurd positions.
The ability to resist mental domination that Aunt May displays in Spider-Boy #19 will come in handy in the future. Thanks to this power, she was able to easily shrug off Mister Negative’s influence, giving Spider-Man time to take the villain out. Aunt May even shoved Mister Negative after shaking him off, showing she is willing to get physical when threatened, a far cry from the May of old. Whether Aunt May will display this ability in future Spider-Man stories remains to be seen, but it nevertheless makes her character cooler and even more crucial to Peter’s life.
Spider-Boy #19 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
