Mayday's Eyes

 

With Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse bringing more attention to our favourite MC2-alumni with the introduction of Peter B Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker’s adorable baby daughter Mayday Parker, I thought now would be the perfect time to discuss Mayday’s Eyes.

 

One of the most notable talking points in the lead-up to Across the Spider-Verse was baby Mayday’s unique eye colour choice; heterochromia. This was seen in the officially released concept art which coincided with the first trailer’s debut online. With one iris blue and the other brown the design was distinctive, but having viewed the film, it did not appear to have been retained for the character as she appeared on screen. Unless I am mistaken, baby Mayday on the big screen had two blue eyes. Presumably in both cases the intent was to show Mayday inherited her eye colour from her parents, with Peter B having brown eyes and this Mary Jane having blue eyes in her brief appearances.

 

Now, let’s take look at the eye colour of the MC2’s May ‘Mayday’ Parker. While the comics have often been inconsistent with varying eye colours between issues, there is one colour that Mayday appears to have more consistently: blue. This is supported by a rather obscure source for official character information: Spider-Girl Battlebook: Streets of Fire. As I mentioned a very long time ago, with a cover date of November 1998, this was the first published source to provide officially approved physical characteristics for May ‘Mayday’ Parker.

 

However, when the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Women of Marvel 2005 gave us a full profile for Spider-Girl, Mayday was instead listed as having brown eyes. This was corrected to blue once again when the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Hardcover Vol. 11 updated the profile information. It is worth noting that the Main Marvel Universe and MC2 Mary Jane is firmly established to have green eyes and similarly, Peter has hazel eyes.

 

Now, let us look at one other aspect of May ‘Mayday’ Parker’s eyes you may not have considered: poor vision. If we go all the way back to the beginning with What If #105, we do briefly glimpse May rocking glasses, presumably for some kind of vision impairment. Notably, this instance takes place shortly after Mayday’s powers first manifested during a basketball game and she does not continue to wear them in future appearances. As far as I can tell, the only other occasions of May donning eyewear are for the purposes of fashion, disguise, or safety such as Spider-Girl #42, #60, #65 and Amazing Spider-Girl #20.

 

What is interesting is May did not revert to using glasses when she lost her spider-powers following her battle with Killerwatt in Spider-Girl #25. Maybe Mayday only uses glasses in some circumstances or her spider-powers had already ‘healed’ any deficit in her eye-sight? It is not a certainty, though Peter has not returned to using his glasses on the occasions his own spider-powers have been lost.

 

Until I gain some perspective and take a long-sighted view on what I focus on, *eye* remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Baby Mayday in Across the Spider-Verse

 

It is not exactly news now, as I am sure you have already heard or seen it: Baby Mayday is coming to the big screen for the first time in Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. We have seen snippets and glimpses of little Mayday in trailers for the movie, as well seen some officially released concept art.

 

It seems the downtrodden Peter B. Parker who mentored Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse reconciled with the Mary Jane of his universe and the couple brought the little bundle of joy into the wide world. From concept art we know that this depiction of Mayday has heterochromia and red-hair. We got our first look at Mayday last year around the release of the initial full trailer with this colourful concept art:

 

 

 

In the YouTube Afterparty video following the full trailer, in conversation with Hailee Steinfeld

 Phil Lord and Chris Miller had this to say:

 

"Peter B. Parker is in a family way. Peter got back with Mary Jane and they had a baby named Mayday. She has half spider-blood. Parenting is hard enough when they don't have the ability to stick to walls."

 

With the latest trailers and tv spots we see more of the cutie Mayday, though I do not believe we know who voices her just yet. I am not sure if this adorable baby can talk, but she sure can ‘Coo!’ so someone’s providing those vocalisations. Someone is getting paid to make baby noises, I wonder who?

 

I am very excited for this movie, and not just because of Peter B. and Mary Jane’s bouncing, wall-crawling baby girl, either. The original Into the Spider-Verse film set an exceptionally high bar that I hope this first sequel can reach if not exceed.

 

Until I stop finding babies utterly adorable, which, let’s face it, is impossible, I remain

 

frogoat