Leaked Flashback Could Bring Marisa Tomei Back as Aunt May for One Heartbreaking Scene in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
Marvel’s upcoming web-slinger adventure has been generating enormous buzz since its trailer dropped, teasing a darker and more isolated Peter Parker than fans have seen before. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ picks up with Peter entirely alone, grieving the death of his Aunt May and navigating a world where no one remembers who he is. It is shaping up to be an emotionally raw chapter for Tom Holland’s version of the character, and the anticipation surrounding it has opened the floodgates for leaks and speculation.
The weight of Peter’s grief is already baked into the film’s promotional material in meaningful ways. The official trailer includes a gut-punch of a moment where Peter visits Aunt May’s grave in the pouring rain, a visual reminder of everything he has lost. The gravestone places her age at 60 at the time of her death, and the film is expected to hold a magnifying glass on Peter’s unending trauma as a result of losing the only family he had left. With Marisa Tomei’s version of the character gone, the question of how the film honors her has become one of its most talked-about mysteries.
Now a leak is suggesting that Tomei may not be entirely absent from the story. Prominent scooper MyTimeToShineHello posted on X that Tomei “IS in Spider-Man Brand New Day,” with a follow-up suggesting she could appear in a flashback or dream sequence that reminds Peter of his responsibility as a hero. The audio trailer leak circulating online adds a more specific claim, pointing to a scene that may depict the moment Aunt May discovered that Peter is Spider-Man. That would be a revelation never previously shown on screen in the MCU, and one that would carry enormous emotional resonance given how the character later gave her life to reinforce the very lesson that moment would have sparked.
MyTimeToShineHello also shared what appears to be Aunt May’s flashback dialogue, reading “I know this whole thing can get really scary, but I want you to remember your responsibility. Never forget it, no matter how powerful you become.” The scooper has reported accurately on several occasions in the past, though since the dialogue does not appear in the official trailer, its authenticity will only become clear once the film is released.
MyTimeToShineHello had previously responded cryptically when asked about May’s return, writing “don’t be so sure” in response to speculation that she would not appear, which further fueled the idea that a cameo of some kind is in the works. Marvel has not officially confirmed any flashback or memory sequence involving the character.
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is set to open in theaters on July 31, 2026, with the cast including Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, Sadie Sink, and Mark Ruffalo. Whether or not Tomei’s Aunt May appears in a single emotional flashback, the film is clearly intent on honoring her absence as a driving force behind Peter’s journey. If the leaked audio scene is real and shows May learning Peter’s secret for the first time, it could become one of the most quietly devastating moments Marvel has ever put on screen.
Would a scene like that land differently for you knowing it may be the last time Tomei suits up as the character, or do you think ‘Brand New Day’ is better off leaving Aunt May as a memory?
