No Way Home’s Original Aunt May Death Was MUCH Better

Aunt May’s heartbreaking death in Spider-Man: No Way Home almost turned out very differently, and it could have ended up better than the actual final result. Although the Green Goblin was an excellent foe and actually had a connection to Aunt May before he killed her, the initial execution of her passing might have seen an even darker version of Spider-Man arise than what was seen during his final battle with the Goblin. No Way Home was emotional enough, but May’s original death would better encapsulate her MCU journey.

Drawings recently released by Marvel storyboard artist Phil Langone revealed that Aunt May was initially going to be killed by Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s main villain Mysterio.

With this plan, Mysterio’s return would’ve made him Spider-Man’s MCU archnemesis instead of only having a singular appearance. Neglecting to return for Spider-Man: No Way Home doesn’t just confirm Mysterio’s death for now, but it also continues the trend of Marvel villains being killed off or not returning after their onscreen debut.

Mysterio Killing Aunt May Makes Way More Sense

From a narrative standpoint, Mysterio being Aunt May’s killer makes more sense than Green Goblin. Quentin Beck was from Peter Parker’s Marvel universe and actually had a deep connection with the teenager, despite inevitably betraying his trust. Being the cause of Parker’s aunt’s demise would have been the final step in ruining the superhero’s life and is a better setup for Peter later wanting to avenge her death. Norman Osborn, a previously established Spider-Man villain, was pulled from a different universe and had only just met Peter, so his ultimate villainous turn was more expected and didn’t have the amount of weight it could have had.

Aunt May was wasted in the MCU, but her death added more to her story as someone who cared deeply for her nephew and admired what he was doing despite the danger he constantly put himself in. Langone further revealed in his storyboards that Peter had gone “berserker mode” on Mysterio, going so far as wailing on his helmet and shattering it. While it certainly inspired Spider-Man’s final confrontation with the Green Goblin, Peter having to force himself to hold back so he didn’t kill his ongoing enemy would have worked excellently if Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man wasn’t set to step in and stop him.

No Way Home’s Ending Is Much Better With May’s Original Death

If Mysterio had been the one to kill Aunt May, it would have instantly made him more intimidating. The antagonist had already ruined Peter’s life by revealing his identity as Spider-Man in Far From Home, but Spider-Man’s No Way Home fate would be worse if Mysterio ended up murdering the only remaining member of Parker’s family. It would further intensify Peter’s desire to kill Mysterio and his eventual decision not to. The Green Goblin was terrifying as he destroyed Peter’s life, but Mysterio ultimately would add more damage to Peter since he already knew how to get under his skin.

Mysterio was the catalyst for everything that happened to Peter Parker since Spider-Man: Far From Home, so he would have seemingly been the best candidate to take Peter’s aunt away from him. In Spider-Man’s MCU trilogy, Mysterio became Spider-Man’s greatest enemy because of how easily he was able to trick him. Always one step ahead of him, Spider-Man’s future setup has been altered forever due to everything that Mysterio did. Aunt May’s death at the hands of Mysterio could have been better for Spider-Man’s character arc, along with setting a darker tone for the rest of Spider-Man: No Way Home.