Why is Aunt May typically depicted as two full generations older than Peter in Spider-Man?

[Lightning Count]

This has always bugged me in most versions of the character, May and Ben should really be one generation older than he is but they are almost always the age his grandparents would likely be. Case in point both my parents are the eldest in their families as a result most of my aunts and uncles are 20 - 30 years older than me.

In most families the aunts and uncles are similar age to the parents, so why do Marvel keep insisting on them being old enough to be his grandparents? MCU got it right with Marisa Tomei who is noticeably older than Peter but not so much older than it became unrealistic or a distraction.

 

[JuicyPlayer]

Shes more like grandma May. That's why i love MCU Aunt May.

 

[The Lord of Cereal]

In the original Spider-Man movies I always just assumed they were his great aunt/uncle. I call my great aunts/uncles just "aunt/uncle Name" so never seemed that weird to me.

But yeah, I don't know why it's like that in the comics if they specify that Aunt May is the sister of one of his parents

 

[KtotheRoc]

Because they wanted Aunt May to be in ill health. Keeping Aunt May alive was a brilliant idea on Lee and Ditko's part because Peter was afraid he could go through what he went through when Uncle Ben died all over again.

 

[DGenerator]

Clearly the most unrealistic factor of Spider-Man.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

Because that's the age they are? Seems kind of weird to act like it's something they "keep" doing as opposed to most adaptations just being faithful to the age they were in the comics. And yeah most aunts and uncles would be their parent's age but obviously that's not the case 100% of the time.

 

[KtotheRoc]

In the original Spider-Man movies I always just assumed they were his great aunt/uncle. I call my great aunts/uncles just "aunt/uncle Name" so never seemed that weird to me.

But yeah, I don't know why it's like that in the comics if they specify that Aunt May is the sister of one of his parents

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Ben was the brother of Peter's biological father. May was his Aunt by marriage. There is no blood relation between Peter and May.

 

[Richiek]

Sorta like how Peggy Carter is Sharon Carter's great aunt in the MCU.

 

[Olinad]

I call my great-aunt just "aunt" as well, so it's not that weird.

EDIT: also, there can be brothers and sisters with 10+ age gaps, and people having children late... Aunt May and Uncle Ben were usually on the older side in the original comics IIRC.
Doesn't make the MCU Aunt May wrong in any way tho.

 

[Doggg]

To defuse some of the sexual tension.

 

[jph139]

Because, narratively, Stan Lee wanted Peter to have a sickly old aunt to worry about while out fighting crime. It's plausible that she and Ben were significantly older than his parents, and it's plausible his parents were on the old side when he was born, so while odd there's nothing too crazy about it.

Really, his living with an elderly person in ill health who relies on him is more important than any specific blood relation. Make her Grandma May or his great-aunt, it doesn't really matter - that's preferable to me in an adaptation than aging her down.

 

[butalala]

Sometimes your aunts and uncles are way older than your parents. My dad is 12 years younger than his oldest brother and that's far from the widest sibling age range I've encountered.

 

[Dalek]

Ben Parker is Richard Parker's brother. Ben is about 20 years older than Richard. So he's about 40 years older than Peter.

 

[Darknight]

Wouldn't that depend on how old May is though? Some families have large gaps in the age of siblings. I have some aunts and uncles who are 20 years older than my parents.

 

[Rosebud]

She looks older than my grandma

 

[thecowboypoet]

Back in the 1960s, when Spider-Man was developed, anyone over 35 basically looked like what we see a 90 year as now.

 

[Dalek]

Back in the 1960s, when Spider-Man was developed, anyone over 35 basically looked like what we see a 90 year as now.

Click to shrink...

This is the real answer.

She was most likely in her late 50s early 60s but they made her look 90.

 

[Sean C.]

Partly I think that goes to changes in how people look as they age now versus in the 1960s (or in Lee and Ditko's childhood).

But yeah, it would always have made more sense if May was Peter's grandmother.

 

[ILikeFeet]

maybe Peter's parents had him very late

 

[Crashman]

If Trouble were canon, Aunt May may would have aged from this

To this

in the span of 15 or so years.

 

[The Albatross]

I always assumed she was a Great Aunt growing up. My great aunts/uncles all died decades ago, but when I was high school age some were alive and I still called them "Aunt molly"

 

[Mr. President]

Back in the 1960s, when Spider-Man was developed, anyone over 35 basically looked like what we see a 90 year as now.

Click to shrink...

They all grew up in the Great Depression eating lead and cigarettes.

 

[L Thammy]

I knew a guy in elementary school whose nephew was older than he was.

 

[Temp_User]

I am not sure but i think Ditko likes to use white hair to mean as an authority figure for Peter's supporting cast. Even at the risk of making them look older than they should.

 

[The Albatross]

If Trouble were canon, Aunt May may would have aged from this

To this

in the span of 15 or so years.

Click to shrink...

Who are you to say what sort of radiation Peter might be emitting to those in his household? He was bit by a radioactive spider.

 

[BWoog]

Remember when Aunt May had the best death scene in comic book history, only to be revealed that she was actually a genetically altered actress planted by Norman Osborn?.....God why do I still read these things.

 

[L Thammy]

If Trouble were canon, Aunt May may would have aged from this

To this

in the span of 15 or so years.

Click to shrink...

this is what happens to me when people post threads about how old super mario 64 is or some shit

 

[Crashman]

Who are you to say what sort of radiation Peter might be emitting to those in his household? He was bit by a radioactive spider.

Click to shrink...

That's pre-radiation! If anything the radiation is keeping her aging condition from getting worse!

 

[makonero]

If Trouble were canon, Aunt May may would have aged from this

To this

in the span of 15 or so years.

Click to shrink...

She doesn't ever moisturize, that's the true secret

 

[ZeroX]

Case in point both my parents are the eldest in their families as a result most of my aunts and uncles are 20 - 30 years older than me.

Click to shrink...

If we're using meaningless examples from our own family I have an uncle and aunt who are younger than me, kinda weird that Peter isn't raising Aunt May huh

There can be 30 year gaps between siblings. More if you've got half siblings through a father. Not that uncommon.

 

[The Albatross]

That's pre-radiation! If anything the radiation is keeping her aging condition from getting worse!

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... good point.

REVERSE THE IMAGES

 

[thecowboypoet]

This is the real answer.

She was most likely in her late 50s early 60s but they made her look 90.

Click to shrink...

It's like The Doctor, the first Doctor's actor was 55 when he started in he got the role. Capaldi was 56 but seems way more youthful. David Bradley played a very convincing version of the First Doctor in his 70s.

 

[BDrummer1606]

In some runs of the comics, Aunt May is younger. Specifically talking about Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

[grand]

She was designed during the 60s. It was typical for that generation and generations preceding it to have siblings with wide age gaps between youngest & oldest (as birth control wasn't as much of a thing). Especially with the gaps the world wars could've caused.

 

[Duane]

Yeah, it made no sense in the original 1962 version - Pete was 16, Ben and May were in their 60's or 70's. 🤷‍♂️

Maybe Dorothy anther Uncle Henry/Auntie Em kinda influenced their creation? May has definitely gotten dragged to different extents in different versions since then.

 

[makonero]

If we're using meaningless examples from our own family I have an uncle and aunt who are younger than me, kinda weird that Peter isn't raising Aunt May huh

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That…would actually be a pretty funny and good twist. Make Peter a young father figure who has to negotiate the responsibilities of early parenthood while also being a superhero. Maybe May is still his aunt but his grandpa died instead of uncle Ben or something.

 

[virtua_44]

I always wondered this too lol. I think in the MCU Tony says to Marisa Tomei "aren't you a little young to be someone's aunt?" and I was like no..... shes probably the exact right age lol

I just assume comic version is his Great Aunt

 

[Spacejaws]

This has always bugged me in most versions of the character, May and Ben should really be one generation older than he is but they are almost always the age his grandparents would likely be. Case in point both my parents are the eldest in their families as a result most of my aunts and uncles are 20 - 30 years older than me.

In most families the aunts and uncles are similar age to the parents, so why do Marvel keep insisting on them being old enough to be his grandparents? MCU got it right with Marisa Tomei who is noticeably older than Peter but not so much older than it became unrealistic or a distraction.

Click to shrink...

Marisa Tomoei is grandmother age. She's in her late 50s. Perfectly normal grandmother age to a teenager. So she's not really parent / aunt age either. I just don't think we really see woman that age in staring roles. They are either young, middle age mother or old ass grandma.

 

[PAFenix]

Family planning doesn't really extend past immediate, so things can happen that could be perceived as "weird."

I have a great aunt (who I ironically just call "aunt" because...that's what you do) and thus my grandmother's youngest sister that was born.....when my grandmother had her first daughter (my oldest aunt). So yeah, that overlap was kinda wild. She's survived two of her sister's daughters too.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Ultimate May is the best May.

 

[Maximum Spider]

I never jived with the idea that the MCU incarnation was preferable just because she had a more conventional age dynamic with Peter.

And yeah, older folks can have kids pretty late in life. When they were originally creating Peter, May and Ben, there wasn't any reason to believe that Peter's parents were notably younger than Ben and May.

 

[L Thammy]

What if Peter Parker was just really old as a baby.

 

[MarcelloF]

Not that hard to come up with an explanation.

Like, maybe his mom and dad had a kid late and were already 40 when they had him, Ben could be around 15 years older than him, so when Pete's 15, Ben and May are in their 70s 🤷‍♂️

I'm 12 years older than my sister, my brother is 17 years older than her.

I never jived with the idea that the MCU incarnation was preferable just because she had a more conventional age dynamic with Peter.

And yeah, older folks can have kids pretty late in life. When they were originally creating Peter, May and Ben, there wasn't any reason to believe that Peter's parents were notably younger than Ben and May.

Click to shrink...

MCU May kinda sucked before No Way Home.

 

[PBalfredo]

If Trouble were canon, Aunt May may would have aged from this

To this

in the span of 15 or so years.

Click to shrink...

View: https://youtu.be/ZG8d0x1WcAc

 

[Lkr]

there's a lot of variations in ages between family members, especially in previous generations. both my mom and dad have like 10 years between their youngest/oldest siblings.

that said, i've always viewed may/ben as grandparents due to their portrayal in the raimi films lol

 

[NinjaScooter]

its not entirely uncommon to have much older aunts and uncles, and in this case it was probably meant so that they can play up and portray Uncle Ben and Aunt May as more stereotypical "warm friendly parental figures".

 

[AuthenticM]

Back in the 1960s, when Spider-Man was developed, anyone over 35 basically looked like what we see a 90 year as now.

Click to shrink...

lol it's probably this.

 

[Supercrap]

Comic artists have gotten a lot more training and tools and print capability is way better today than it was when she was first depicted as well

 

[I am a Bird]

Because one of the core aspects of spiderman is a hero trying to balance the different aspects of his life while trying to be a hero. So aunt may is depicted as being older and more frail to give an additional thing to worry about.

Also if I recall she's actually based on dorothy's aunt from the wizard of Oz specifically.

 

[Gunny T Highway]

I mean you can have families where siblings are many years apart from each other. So it is not out of the realm to have an aunt and uncle that are way older than your mom and dad.