'Spider-Man' Star Reveals Key Character Could Have Had LGBTQ Story Arc - Inside the Magic

Marvel fans who have already seen Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) know that Aunt May Parker (Marisa Tomei) plays a key role in the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy conclusion.

Related: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Surprisingly Made Disney+ History

Now, Tomei has opened up about some plans for her character that never came to fruition in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the fact that the team had been “talking about” May having an LGBTQ+ relationship, until they decided, instead, that she should have a relationship with Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey, Jr.) chauffeur and confidante, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).

Related: Zendaya Spills That Filming ‘Spider-Man’ Was “Difficult” For Boyfriend Tom Holland

The 57-year-old actress shared:

“At one point, before the idea of Happy showed up, there was a moment where I felt like, ‘Maybe she should just be with a woman.’ Because Ben is gone and who should she be with, and we were kind of talking about it.”

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Tomei went on to say that she had, at one point, been gunning for producer Amy Pascal — who recently teased the potential for a second Spider-Man trilogy collaboration between Sony and Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios — to play Aunt May’s love interest:

“I actually really wanted Amy Pascal from Sony to be my girlfriend. I was like, ‘No one even has to know Amy. I’ll just be in a scene and you’ll be over there and I’ll just be like, Hey,’ and it’ll just be a subtle thing.”

Related: Marvel’s Kevin Feige Confirms Charlie Cox is Returning as Daredevil

At this time, it seems that Tomei’s time in the MCU has come to an end, but now that the Marvel Multiverse has been broken wide open, never say never to a future appearance.

More on Spider-Man: No Way Home

Related: Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin Confirmed in ‘No Way Home’ Trailer

Joining Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), the official description of Spider-Man: No Way Home reads:

For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Related: ‘Loki’ Star Received Warning Texts From Kevin Feige’s “Burner Phone”

Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Zendaya (MJ) are joined by Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus) in the film.

No Way Home has already broken box office records in the United States and around the world.

What did you think of Aunt May’s role in No Way Home?