No Way Home Theory Reveals Aunt May & Daredevil’s Secret History

Spider-Man: No Way Home was packed with surprises, among them the official introduction of Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and to make his presence in this universe more believable, a theory suggests that he and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) have a secret history. Once the Infinity Saga came to an end, the MCU started focusing on building its multiverse, and after teasing the chaos that messing with it can create in the TV series Loki, Marvel went deeper into it in Spider-Man: No Way Home, its first proper multiversal adventure on the big screen.

If dealing with the reveal of his identity at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home wasn’t enough, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) had to find a way to undo the multiversal mess that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) created after Peter kept messing with the spell that would have made the world forget that Peter is Spider-Man. Peter counted on the help of Aunt May through all this, and though she didn’t let herself be intimidated by the Damage Control detectives, she knew they needed extra help so Peter’s situation wouldn’t get more complicated – enter Matt Murdock. Murdock’s scene in No Way Home was brief but enough to spark conversation about his role in the MCU and more, and a theory suggests an interesting link between him and Aunt May.

Aunt May’s Backstory In The MCU Explained

The MCU decided to skip the origin story of Peter Parker, so the audience didn’t get to see exactly how he gained his powers in this universe and what happened to Uncle Ben, but they did meet Aunt May. However, Aunt May was a minor character in the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, though she had a slightly bigger role in No Way Home, only to make her death even more tragic. Still, the MCU shared a couple of details about Aunt May’s life before her debut in Captain America: Civil War, and she was a very interesting and fun woman.

May Parker was a rebel when she was younger, and she would often sneak out of her house at night, but perhaps the most interesting reveal about her past was brought by No Way Home. During the interrogation scene, in which the Damage Control detectives tried to intimidate her, Peter, MJ (Zendaya), and Ned (Jacob Batalon), Aunt May let out her rebel side and defied the authority the best way she could. One of the detectives pointed out that she sounded like “someone who has been through the system before”, with May revealing that she was arrested at a couple of protests in the past. What exactly were those protests about is unknown, but this seemingly unimportant piece of information has made way for a theory that explains why Matt Murdock showed up in No Way Home.

Theory: Matt Murdock Helped Aunt May With Legal Problems Before No Way Home

A theory (via CBR) links Matt Murdock’s work as a lawyer with Aunt May’s “criminal past”, suggesting that Murdock helped May a couple of times in the past. Murdock has a preference for helping innocent clients, and May’s protests surely weren’t anything violent that should have gotten her arrested. Murdock, then, might have helped her have her charges dropped more than once, leading to them forming a quick friendship, which is supported by them being on a first-name basis in Daredevil’s only scene in No Way Home. When the Damage Control agents told May she would need to “lawyer up”, she called the only person she knew that could help them because he had helped her before, making way for Matt Murdock’s cameo appearance.

What Aunt May’s History With Daredevil Would Mean For Spider-Man

Throughout most of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the world knew that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, but Peter’s life took a major turn in the third act of the movie. In order to send the villains from other universes that crossed over to the MCU back to their respective worlds, Doctor Strange cast a spell that made the world forget Peter Parker, leaving the young hero completely alone at the end of the movie. This guaranteed Peter that the authorities won’t go after him anymore, but it also means that his friends and colleagues no longer know who he is, and that obviously includes Matt Murdock.

Now, Spider-Man is set to return for a new trilogy, but it’s unknown what Spider-Man 4 could be about as the project hasn’t even been officially announced. What’s for sure is that Peter’s current situation will finally lead to Spider-Man being a proper street-level hero, which in turn could lead to him meeting Daredevil. If Peter learns who Daredevil really is, he could try to get him to remember him through Aunt May, as Murdock would surely remember her, thus giving Spider-Man an ally and some hope that his previous relationships can be rebuilt somehow.

Will Daredevil & Spider-Man Crossover Again In The MCU?

Spider-Man becoming a street-level hero now that he’s starting all over again from scratch has made way for theories about Daredevil’s involvement in the web-slinger’s fourth movie and, of course, about a potential team-up. Now, although Spider-Man 4 hasn’t been officially announced, Spider-Man is expected to return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, where he will join forces with the rest of the MCU’s heroes one more time. Supposing Spider-Man 4 is part of the MCU’s Phase 6 and Daredevil doesn’t appear in it, Spider-Man and Daredevil could cross paths again in the upcoming Avengers movies.

When Will Daredevil Return In The MCU?

Matt Murdock’s cameo appearance in No Way Home was only the beginning of his long-awaited return, as he later appeared in the TV series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he not only joined forces with She-Hulk, but they are also dating now. Daredevil is confirmed to return in the TV series Echo before leading his own TV series, Daredevil: Born Again, but so far, he’s not confirmed to appear in any other movie from the Multiverse Saga. However, it’s highly likely that Daredevil will appear on the big screen again in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, the upcoming crossover events in the MCU – and, of course, he could return in the still unannounced fourth Spider-Man movie.