Marissa Tomei stunned everyone with her role as the ageless Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to the Spider-Man trilogy, she appeared in Russo Brothers’ 2016 Captain America: Civil War and the 2019 Avengers: Endgame. Being part of a big franchise like this surely gives her a lot of memories to remember. However, her favorite part is watching lead stars Tom Holland and Zendaya fall in love.
During a panel at Fan Expo 2024 in Toronto, Tomei talked about her time in Spider-Man. By the looks of it, she was one proud aunt as she watched Holland and Zendaya grow up and eventually fall for each other.
“I think some of the favorite things were really just watching Tom and Zendaya grow up and watching them fall in love,” she said (via Entertainment Weekly).
In addition to seeing them end up together, the 59-year-old star was also flabbergasted by her young co-stars’ phenomenal talents. In fact, she was blown away by their incredible acting skills, which made them meant for their roles as Peter Parker / Spider-Man and Michelle “MJ” Jones.
“Just being, like, blown away from the get-go… I mean, I’m blown away,” she continued. “Some people are just meant for it, and they are meant for it.”
But aside from their great acting abilities, Tomei praised them for being real people off-screen and carrying enormous star power, especially when they were together. Not only that, but she also stressed their being multitalented, doing everything they could to entertain people.
“They can do everything!” she added. “They sing, they dance, they act, they do stunts, they design fashion. I mean, what are they not doing? They're incredible, incredible people.”
Tomei, Holland, and Zendaya worked together in Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Holland was only 21 when the first movie premiered, while Zendaya was 20. After spending much time together for years, the two confirmed their relationship in 2021.
Marisa Tomei is Open to Returning to the MCU
After trying to save Peter's life and cure Osborn, Aunt May met her demise in No Way Home. She was mortally wounded by the Goblin Glider and ultimately succumbed to her injuries. However, in an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2022, she revealed she was open to returning to the MCU through the Multiverse.
“I would love to come back and be a part of that. There's history there, too,” she said. “May Parker hooks up with Ant-Man. Well, I mean, she's a standalone character, of course, but there are more avenues to explore.”
Although Tomei knew the concept of the Multiverse, she admitted she didn’t fully understand it. She even asked the trilogy director Watts to explain it to her.
“But the thing was, if anyone asked me about it, I don't understand the Multiverse myself,” she revealed. “Our wonderful director, Jon, and I'm like, 'And so, where am I now? Okay, well, can you explain it to me one more time?”
Aunt May died during the Snap, which also killed Peter, but they were both resurrected after the Avengers’ actions. Although her return doesn’t seem unlikely today, there’s a chance for it to happen through the Multiverse.
