Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #60! Aunt May was introduced over 60 years ago when the iconic web-slinger debuted in Marvel Comics, and for most of that time, May had no idea that her nephew was actually Spider-Man. And even during the brief periods when May found out in the past, she certainly didn’t take it very well (at least not right away). But now, after more than 60 years, Aunt May finally accepts that Peter Parker has to be Spider-Man.
In The Amazing Spider-Man #60 by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., Aunt May confronts Spider-Man after she helped him take down the Sandman by giving him a ‘Sandman-beating’ device that he dropped during the battle. Aunt May tells Spider-Man to leave Peter alone as she believes their partnership is only hurting her nephew. However, during the conversation, a spark appears in Aunt May’s mind, something that she spends the rest of the day reflecting on.
Later that night, while having dinner with Peter (and after a full day of introspection), Aunt May realizes something she already knew but was forced to forget: Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Instead of openly confronting him, May just tells Peter that she understands why he is Spider-Man and why he kept it a secret from her. Aunt May sums it up perfectly: “When my nephew runs away, tells a white lie or gets hurt… it’s because someone needs help, right?”, which tells Peter that not only does she know he is Spider-Man, but she accepts him as Spider-Man.
Aunt May discovers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man is a continuation of a previous story arc
The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #38 by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.
Before telling Peter (in so many words) that she knows and accepts that he is Spider-Man, Aunt May says something especially interesting: “I realized something… something I knew, but didn’t know I knew”. This line proves that this moment isn’t just a solitary example of Aunt May discovering that her nephew is Spider-Man, but actually a continuation of the first time she discovered the truth.
In The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2#38, Aunt May discovers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man after seeing him unconscious in his tattered suit in the previous issue. Aunt May then goes to Peter’s apartment and confronts him about it, which becomes a deeply heartfelt conversation and an exploration of the shared trauma after Uncle Ben’s death, and the underlying issues that arise when someone keeps such a big secret. a loved one. It’s one of the best exchanges between Peter Parker and Aunt May in Marvel history, showing just how strong this remarkable woman really was all along.
But then, after One more day story arc, this entire conversation and Aunt May’s revelation are erased from the canon, as One more day effectively brought Spider-Man back to square one in terms of his established continuity – and that included erasing Aunt May’s memory of him being Spider-Man. However, it appears that Mephisto’s spell on One more day didn’t catch on, as this new issue of Spider-Man reveals that Aunt May not only discovered that Peter is Spider-Man, she admits that she ‘knew she knew’, harking back to when she discovered the truth in #38.
Earth-616’s Aunt May is much more understanding of Spider-Man than her Earth-1610 counterpart
Ultimate Spider-Man #99 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Even when Aunt May initially discovered that Peter Parker was Spider-Man on Earth-616, she took the news very well. Obviously, the most recent issue shows Aunt May fully accepting Peter Parker’s other life as Spider-Man, but even in the past TASM Vol. 2, she still understands why Peter lied about being Spider-Man while confronting him with the truth. This cannot be said of Aunt May’s Earth-1610 counterpart.
In the original Ultimate Universe, Aunt May discovers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man #99. Instead of trying to understand and process this news, Supreme Aunt May lashes out at Peter in anger. She yells at him, saying he’s “not her son,” effectively disowning him while kicking him out of the house – something that’s especially harsh given he was just a teenager at the time.
Looking back at this moment, it becomes the latest The Amazing Spider-Man #60 much more exciting. Aunt May could have attacked Peter just like her Ultimate Universe counterpart did, but instead, she didn’t even fully confront him. Instead, she just let him know she knew one night over dinner, casually said she understood, and then promptly went back to being his aunt, telling him to eat dinner before it got cold. And most of all, Aunt May lets Peter know that nothing has changed between them because he’s Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Ultimate New Universe Reflects Aunt May’s Acceptance of Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto
Although Earth-1610’s Aunt May was far from accepting of Peter initially after she discovered he was Spider-Man, Earth-616’s Aunt May more than made up for it in The Amazing Spider-Man #60 – something that is being reflected in Marvel Comics’ new Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160. Unfortunately, on Earth-6160, Aunt May is dead, so she and Peter will never have a moment like theirs. TSAM #60. However, that doesn’t mean that Peter hasn’t received the same level of love and understanding from those closest to him regarding the truth that he is Spider-Man.
Peter Parker’s entire family – his wife, Mary Jane, and his two children, Richard and May – know that he is truly Spider-Man, and although initially shocked, they have all been overwhelmingly supportive. It appears this is becoming a trend in Peter’s life across the multiverse, which is incredible news for the web-head, as keeping himself hidden from those he loves most has only fractured these relationships in the past. But now, in the last Spider-Man comics set on Earth-616 and Earth-6160, Peter is receiving the support and understanding he never thought he would receive.
Aunt May discovering that Peter Parker is Spider-Man in the original Ultimate Universe served as the hero’s worst-case scenario, the manifestation of all his anxieties about letting those he loves most participate in perhaps the most important aspect of his life. It also acts as a stark contrast to other realities, highlighting how exciting his family’s acceptance of him into the new Ultimate Universe is. And the same applies to Earth-616, as after more than 60 years, Aunt May finally accepts Peter Parker as Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man #60 from Marvel Comics is now available.