Spider-Man: No Way Home blew us all away by pitting the three live-action Spider-Men against a sinister quintet of villains, but not even that overshadowed what proved to be one of the MCU's most emotional moments.
After being attacked by the Green Goblin, Aunt May died in Peter Parker's arms. As the Department of Damage Control closed in, the wall-crawler was forced to leave her behind while Happy Hogan bought the hero a few precious moments to escape.
Now, a different spin on the scene has been revealed by Marvel Studios concept artist Phil Saunders.
"[Spider-Man: No Way Home] has one of the most poignant moments in the [MCU], the death of [Peter Parker's] beloved Aunt May," he says in the Instagram post below. "In an earlier version of the script, this moment took place in an ambulance racing to the nearest hospital. I always like to capture the emotion of a scene in my keyframes, so this was a wonderful shot to be assigned."
May dying in the back of an ambulance would have still been incredibly emotional. However, her making that trip to the hospital could run the risk of lessening the shock factor, especially if you compare it to the suddenness of her demise in the final cut. Ultimately, there were probably better ways for the threequel to use the time this extended sequence needed.
Saunders' work is fantastic, anyway, and we're hoping this leads to the artist sharing more pieces from the movie (this one, for example, wasn't included in Spider-Man: No Way Home's recently released "Art of" book).
Take a closer look at this emotional sequence below.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, for the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighbourhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his superhero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk.
When he enlists Doctor Strange’s help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.
The movie stars Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, and Rhys Ifans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available to buy wherever movies are available.