Pepper Potts might have been missing from Captain America: Civil War, but that doesn't mean Tony Stark didn't have his hands full. In an amusing, if not slightly uncomfortable, moment Tony crossed paths with (spoiler alert) Aunt May, Peter Parker's friendly aunt. The chemistry between actors Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei was impossible to miss, and, with Spidey now officially under Iron Man's wing (Robert Downey Jr. is set to appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming), fans are wondering if Aunt May and Tony Stark might become more than just friends. But should Tony Stark really move on from his "break" with Pepper to date Aunt May? I think not — Aunt May and Tony shouldn't become a couple, and here's why.
In Civil War, Tony and May meet while he is recruiting supers for Team Iron Man. And Spider-Man, the web-slinger from Queens, seems to fit the bill. So, Tony paid Peter and May a visit with some half-baked cover story about giving Peter a grant. Marvel fans know that you can't have Tony and a woman in a scene together without a little flirting (OK, a lot of flirting), and the sweet banter between Aunt May and Tony Stark was undeniably charming. With Pepper out of the picture (at least as far as Civil War is concerned), it makes sense that fans would start shipping May and Tony (couple name TBD, but I'm all in for Iron May). But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are about a million reasons why Aunt May and Tony dating is a horrible idea, but I'll just dive into a few.
1. Tony Is In Love With Pepper
I'm not quite sure if Tony had the time to watch Friends in his pre-Iron Man days, what with his schedule full from sleeping with countless women and designing massive weapons, but, if he did then he should know: sometimes a break isn't a break-up. Tony is in love with Pepper — that hasn't changed just because she wanted to take some breathing room.
2. Their Relationship Is Already Built On Lies
In Civil War, Tony lied to aunt May when he told her he was visiting Peter to give him a college grant. He then proceeded to sneak her underage nephew out of the country and lead him in battle against superheroes that could very easily have killed him. What good could a Tony Start-Aunt May relationship be when Tony has already been lying to her from the moment they met.
3. Tony Is A Womanizer
If Tony and Pepper really do split, Tony will be back to his old tricks in no time. Don't forget, when we first met Tony Stark in Iron Man, he was jumping into bed with everything that moved. If he hooked up with Aunt May before he was really over Pepper, he could leave behind a huge mess. Ain't nobody got time for that.
4. Aunt May Is Raising Peter
Tony definitely has a special relationship with Peter, and he isn't bad with kids, but I don't know if he could really handle dating a woman who is essentially a mom to a teenager.
5. It Would Mess With Peter's Story
Fans already know that Spider-Man: Homecoming won't be a total origin story, but a great deal of Peter's charm has to do with watching him struggle with balancing being a high school student and a superhero. Throwing Tony Stark, a man who takes pride in his identity as Iron Man, into the mix would immediately mix those two worlds together. It could be argued that, by incorporating superheroes into Parker's story, Spider-Man: Homecoming could differentiate itself from the previous two Peter Parker movie franchises. But, I still think it would mess with the innocence of Peter's story a bit too much.
Whatever happens between Tony and Aunt May, let's hope for Spider-Man's sake that they keep it PG-13.
Images: Walt Disney Studios; Giphy (4); loveholic198/tumblr
