May Parker, commonly known as Aunt May, was the aunt of Peter Parker and a supporting character in Marvel's Spider-Man, the PlayStation 4 video game. She is the operations manager of the non-profit organization F.E.A.S.T.
History
Early history
May was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. Following the death of her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, she and her husband Ben became the guardians of their nephew Peter. Having no children themselves, they raised him as the son they never had. In 2010, Ben was murdered, leaving May a widow. May started volunteering at the F.E.A.S.T. homeless shelter in 2013, as a way to "find some light in the darkness" following Ben's death. 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.
Marvel's Spider-Man
The day of Wilson Fisk's arrest also marks the anniversary of May's employment at F.E.A.S.T. Peter helps Martin Li, May's employer, distract May long enough to get all of the preparations ready for her surprise party.
Despite the revelations of Martin Li's terrorism, which involved attacking a political rally with suicide bombers, May continues her work at F.E.A.S.T, feeling that it is important while also having a hard time believing that Martin was capable of such an act. At Peter's suggestion, she takes Miles Morales, whose father died in the attack, under her wing. They are both at the F.E.A.S.T. shelter when Doctor Octopus unleashes the Devil's Breath upon the city. Despite being among the infected, May continues to help the struggling residents of the city.
While Spider-Man manages to recover the antiserum, the portion is only enough for one usage, and May's condition has progressed too far for her to wait for more doses to be made. May reveals on her deathbed that she knew Peter was Spider-Man for quite some time, telling him how proud she is, and how proud Ben would be, of him. When she realizes that Peter must let her die to stop the plague, she wholeheartedly accepts it, spending her last moments reassuring him that it's the right thing to do. She dies as she lived, inspiring hope and decency in the hearts of people. May is buried next to Ben, and a commemorative plaque is placed at F.E.A.S.T. in her honor.
Appearance
May is an older woman with short reddish-brown hair and green eyes. She dresses simply in a buttoned shirt and blue jeans, and often keeps her sleeves rolled up.
Personality
When you help somebody, you help everybody.
May Parker
May's kind and selfless spirit who serves not only as an inspiration for Peter, but for everyone who knows her. A number of people at the F.E.A.S.T. shelter even feel that she works too hard in attempting to help others. Having lost her husband in a tragic accident many years before, May devoted her efforts to raise her nephew alone, molding him to become the man he is today. Hence, she shares her nephew's penchant for quipping, his trademark sense of humor as well as his innate desire to do the right thing, wherever possible. May, furthermore, is a strong-willed individual, not backing down to Sandman when the latter attempted to rob F.E.A.S.T. years ago.
She is also an optimistic and hopeful woman, shown in her firm belief that Peter and Mary Jane's relationship will work out because she wants them to have children, even quipping that the two will "make some beautiful babies". This becomes doubly heartwarming following her final revelation about her knowledge of the latter's secret identity.
May also possessed a strength of character that was not unlike Peter's, with her refusing to stop working to improve the lives of the homeless taking refuge in F.E.A.S.T, even as she coughs out blood from the Devil's Breath ravaging her elderly body.
Relationships
Peter Parker/Spider-Man
May and her husband Ben took their nephew Peter in following the death of Peter's parents. May loved Peter as a son, and did her best to raise him well. Following the death of Ben, May became Peter's only remaining family. She cares dearly for Peter and treats him like her own son after he lost his parents. Like the stereotypical mother, May comes off as unintentionally embarrassing, as she keeps Peter's childhood drawings as decorations in her office, including the period where Peter had a fondness for horses and ponies. It's unknown if her opinion on Peter after he became Spider-Man was high or not, but on some point she deduced his identity and wrote positive reviews of him on social media.
She later offers to give Peter money to help him with his rent and tells him to swallow his Parker pride and rely on others every now and then. Before passing away, May reveals to Peter that she knows of his identity as Spider-Man and that she is immensely proud of all the lives he has saved.
Mary Jane Watson
May is shown to be quite fond of Mary Jane Watson, wishing that Peter and Mary Jane could work things out and get back together after their breakup. She remarks that Peter and Mary Jane would make beautiful babies, although this may have been a joke to tease Peter.
Martin Li
May met Martin Li when she joined F.E.A.S.T. Their mutual desire to make a difference and help those less fortunate forged a bond and deep trust. Notably after Martin Li becomes Mr. Negative, he still professes his admiration for her years of hard work at the shelter, showing his earlier fondness of her was indeed genuine.
May is shocked when Li is revealed to be the leader of the Inner Demons, but chooses to remain at F.E.A.S.T to continue what they started together.
Miles Morales
At Peter's suggestion, May takes Miles under her wing at F.E.A.S.T. as a way to help him cope with his father's death. During the Devil's Breath outbreak, the two work closely together to help the infected. When May's condition progresses to the point of bed rest, Miles takes over her duties during the outbreak.
Original appearance
Aunt May's first appearance was in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962).
Behind the scenes
Aunt May is voiced by Nancy Linari in the game.
Notes
- In Aunt May's biography, her age is listed as 66. However, on her gravestone, her lifetime is listed as "1953-2018", a span of only 65 years.
- May is an adamant supporter of her nephew's alter ego, Spider-Man, as she's quite active on Spider-Man's social media feed, frequently tweeting messages of support. This is in stark contrast to her comic counterpart's usual criticism of the superhero up until The Amazing Spider-Man #200. This change was likely made in light of May knowing Peter's secret identity.
- This is the first ever Marvel occurrence in which Aunt May dies.
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