Spider-Man: Brand New Day is pulling off another major surprise by bringing back one dead MCU character (and the return makes sense). At the core of Brand New Day's story is Peter Parker trying to rebuild his life from scratch after Doctor Strange's spell erased his identity from the world at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Layered on top of that crushing isolation is the lingering grief he still carries over the devastating loss of Aunt May, one of the most important pillars in his life. Brand New Day's trailer confirmed that Peter has yet to move forward with May's death, with a shot of him still visiting her grave when he has the chance.
Entertainment insider My Time to Shine Hello reported on X that Marisa Tomei's Aunt May will return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day despite her death in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Exact details about her MCU return are still being kept under wraps, but May's confirmed death in No Way Home suggests that the upcoming installment will explore flashbacks, hallucinations, or dream sequences to bring the character back.
Spider-Man: No Way Home delivered a tragic blow after it killed off Aunt May. Chris McKenna, the sequel's screenwriter, described No Way Home as "born in the blood of May," acknowledging that Aunt May's death served as the catalyst for Peter Parker's moral awakening and transformation in the MCU:
"This is his moral discovery because we don’t know anything about Peter from Civil War. He’s just like, ‘Okay, a bad thing happens to other people and you don’t do anything…’ It was the Russo brothers and Marcus & McFeely’s version of 'With great power comes great responsibility,’ but it wasn’t born in sacrifice. And in this movie, it is born in the blood of May, that’s why it comes down to ‘I’m gonna kill this guy,' and then the only way he can learn that lesson is because two Peter Parker’s from the Multiverse come in and they help teach them the lesson that they’ve learned the hard way. "
In essence, this shift elevated May from a supportive guardian and confidant to the sacrificial mentor whose death finally drove home the full weight of responsibility, forging the iconic "With great power comes great responsibility" mantra at the core of Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man.
This is what makes her legacy so potent heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Peter's isolation and relentless drive to protect innocent lives in New York, who had completely forgotten about him, stems directly from the trauma he suffered from losing the last person who truly knew and loved him.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day already has a massive ensemble with its collection of villains, headlined by Scorpion, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Tombstone, alongside a trio of MCU heroes led by the titular web-slinger, Jon Bernthal's Punisher, and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters on July 31.
How Aunt May Fits In Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Street-Level Story
Even in her absence, there is no denying that Aunt May remains one of the most crucial emotional anchors for Peter Parker, and her return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes a lot of sense because she serves as the embodiment of the responsibility he carries every time he goes out and puts on the suit to become a hero protecting New York.
Bringing Marisa Tomei's Aunt May, whether in a flashback or a hallucination, gives Brand New Day a chance to push its emotional core to the forefront amid the villain-heavy chaos, while also serving as a reminder of the defining sacrifice that completed Peter's origin story.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already confirmed to include some sort of physical mutation involving Peter Parker due to the unstable nature of his powers, and hallucinations triggered by these incidents could lead to visions of Aunt May, which could further amplify his mental strain.
Flashbacks showing Aunt May in events before the chaos in No Way Home could also be featured, revealing deeper layers of her bond with Peter and adding more context to their close dynamic.
While it seems far-fetched, Tomei previously said in an interview in March 2022 that she would love to return as a Multiverse Variant of Aunt May if given the opportunity, but Brand New Day's contained, street-level plot makes that less likely:
"Oh yes, there is a Multiverse. That was part of the secrecy originally, now a lot of people know. But the thing was, if anyone asked me about it, I don’t understand the Multiverse myself. Our wonderful director, Jon, and I’m like ‘And so, where am I now? Ok, well, can you explain it to me one more time?’"
Whatever the case, seeing Aunt May return (even briefly) is a welcome development for Spider-Man: Brand New Day because it gives Peter a chance to reconnect to his past while ensuring to keep her legacy alive by not allowing himself to be swallowed by the darkness of the street-level world.
