Spider-Man: No Way Home co-writer explains how the pandemic changed a major death scene

Spider-Man No Way Home trailer time
(Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios)

A major death in Spider-Man: No Way Home would have played out differently if not for the pandemic, the film's co-writer Erik Sommers has explained. Huge spoilers ahead!

When Tom Holland's Peter Parker gathers the multiversal villains together in the hopes of curing them, it's revealed that Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin is the big bad of the movie, and he and Spidey immediately clash. In the fight, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is hurt in what turns out to be a fatal injury.

Sommers talked to Gold Derby about the challenge of getting Aunt May's death right – and spoke about some logistical problems that changed the moment. 

"It was also tricky production-wise, because we had different ideas for where the scene could take place, but because of Covid [we couldn't]," he said. "We had one idea that maybe it was going to be inside an ambulance, and we had a whole version that was constructed around that, but that was not practical for shooting during Covid. That's the kind of thing that happens. So then we had to move the scene, physically, to another place while trying to keep all the other elements working, and we had to make adjustments. That's the kind of thing that happens in production."

He added: "I'm glad it affected people the way we wanted, that it resonated, because it's so important to Peter's story, and to his journey, so I'm glad that people feel that it worked."

It's unclear when we'll next see any version of Peter Parker again, with Holland saying he doesn't know his MCU future, and fans calling for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4. Marvel will next dive into the multiverse with the upcoming Doctor Strange 2, AKA Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which arrives this May 6 and is directed by Raimi. 

While you wait, check out our ultimate guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else the MCU has in store for us.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Sony reportedly could have used Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in its Spider-Man Universe movies all along, but wanted to focus on the villains instead
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Deadpool walking in front of a damaged store during the Marvel movie Deadpool and Wolverine.
There's a moment in Deadpool and Wolverine involving Spider-Man that you might have misinterpreted
Spider-Man: No Way Home
This is why fans think Spider-Man will become the MCU's most important character after Avengers: Doomsday
Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse
Bad news, webheads: Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse reportedly has "no plans" to release in 2025
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ending explained and what it means for a new game
The Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse release date, plot, cast, and everything we know so far
Latest in Superhero Movies
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
The cast of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts director says the new Marvel movie is inspired by Toy Story 3: "Can they get out of the trash can together?"
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in The Batman
Robert Pattinson worries he will be a "f*cking old Batman" by the time filming on The Batman 2 finally starts
Lewis Pullman as "Bob" in Thunderbolts
The first look at Thunderbolts' Sentry suit seemingly leaked in new Marvel merchandise
Spider-Man: No Way Home
This is why fans think Spider-Man will become the MCU's most important character after Avengers: Doomsday
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip