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Quote1 Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us. That keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes, we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams. Quote2
May Parker[src]

History

She encouraged Peter with her words of wisdom as Ben Parker had done before his death, and even managed to make Peter try to return to Spider-Man after losing his powers.

Aunt May and Uncle Ben took care of their nephew, Peter Parker. After Uncle Ben was shot and killed by a carjacker, Peter and May shared their grief for Uncle Ben.

Later, after Peter had moved into an apartment with his friend Harry Osborn, Aunt May visited them on Thanksgiving. She was not shy about reprimanding Harry's father Norman for his rude and boorish behavior. Shortly thereafter, when Norman (who had become the villainous Green Goblin), learned Spider-Man's identity, he attacked May at home while she was saying her prayers. May was terrified by the Goblin's demonic appearance, and was hospitalized after the Goblin injured her.

The Green Goblin then made a failed attempt to kill Mary Jane Watson, whom he believes to be Spider-Man's girlfriend, before he was killed. May showed up at Norman Osborn's funeral alongside Peter, MJ and Harry. Soon after that, she and Peter visited Ben's grave located elsewhere in the cemetery.[1]

Maybelle Parker (Earth-96283)* from Spider-Man (2002 film) 0001

Aunt May continued to look after Peter, and had had financial difficulties since the death of her husband, forcing her to sell the house and live in a smaller apartment. Her opinion of Spider-Man wasn't high, claiming "the less we see of him, the better". However, when May's visit to the bank with Peter was interrupted by a robbery perpetrated by Otto Octavius, Octavius took her hostage and climbed the side of a skyscraper with her. She was in turn rescued by Spider-Man, and from that point believed that he was good. Later in the film, Peter's powers began to wane because of a subconscious desire to live a normal life, and he decided to give up his costumed persona, Aunt May made a speech which encouraged him to resume his heroic activities.

Later, she expresses that she felt she caused Uncle Ben's death ("You wanted to take the subway, and he wanted to drive you. And if i had stopped him, we'd all be having tea together"), prompring Peter to admit that he caused the death by not stopping the killer. May was understandably stunned and sad, but later thanked Peter and told him that admitting the truth to her was a brave thing to do.[2]

Peter told Aunt May that he was going to ask Mary Jane to marry him, after which the two embraced. May then told him that he needed to come up with a good way to initiate the proposal, and that he needed to put his wife before, no matter what. She then related to Peter how Uncle Ben proposed to her, and that they would have been married for fifty years "this August", had Ben not been killed. She then took off her engagement ring and asked Peter to use it to propose to MJ.

May was also present alongside Peter when Captain Stacy told them that Flint Marko, his uncle's "actual" killer, was on the run. She played a strong role in providing moral support to Peter. Later, when Peter informed May about Sandman's apparent demise at the hands of Spider-Man (under the influence of an alien Symbiote), she delivered another speech, which was more of a warning to Peter of the danger to oneself in seeking revenge. Peter was at first shocked at his aunt's reaction, for he expected Aunt May to be happy as Sandman was the one who killed Uncle Ben. Peter soon realized that this was not the case, and Aunt May said that Uncle Ben would never have wanted revenge. Much later, May talked to Peter in his apartment where Peter said that he had done terrible things (after separating from the Symbiote suit that had caused him to hurt Mary Jane and Harry). He tried to return her ring to her, but Aunt May said that she knew he would find a way to put it right, and gave it back.

After Harry's death, May attended his funeral.[3]

Attributes

Abilities

  • She can play the piano

Notes

Trivia

  • Whether she had deduced Peter's secret identity or not was not made explicit, however, the bank robbery scene, in which she took notice of Peter fleeing, May reacted suspiciously after Spider-Man told her, "We sure showed him". May's later speech to Peter about the need for Spider-Man to return suggested that she may in fact have known of her nephew's alter-ego.

See Also

Links and References

References

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