Warning! Warning! Spoilers ahead for Radioactive Spider-Man!
Marvel just stated that Aunt May is legitimately “stronger and more impervious to damage than the Hulk” in her mutated Age of Revelation form. It’s a wild escalation for Peter Parker’s beloved aunt, and though it might not last, it still just low-key made May one of Marvel’s most powerful mutants.
AIPT shared an exclusive, early preview of Radioactive Spider-Man #3, written by Joe Kelly, with art by Kev Walker. The miniseries tie-in to the dystopian Age of Revelation future reaches its apex in this issue.
Aunt May’s Hulk-level status is bound to ruffle the feathers of some purist Marvel fans’, who prefer Hulk to be the standard-bearer for power levels.
In Marvel’s Dark “Revelation” Future, Aunt May’s Mutant Form Is Stronger And Tougher Than The Hulk
Radioactive Spider-Man #3, Written By Joe Kelly; Art By Kev Walker; Available December 10, 2025 From Marvel Comics
Marvel’s Age of Revelation features more than a dozen three-issue tie-in books, each telling a largely self-contained story that fits into the crossover’s bigger picture. Radioactive Spider-Man has been devoted to an irradiated Peter Parker, along with several other Spider-heroes, dealing with a deadly threat in New York City. The threat? Aunt May.
In the Age of Revelation future, the spread of the “X-virus” causes artificial mutations in anyone who is exposed to it. That includes May Parker, who has undergone a horrifying transformation into a deadly mutant creature. Prefacing the heroes’ climactic fight with mutant May in Radioactive Spider-Man #3 is a scene revealing the extent of her new powers.
The flashback is set eight years before the “present” of Age of Revelation. In it, Otto Octavius explains to Peter Parker that May has become “essentially a tumerous amygdala with teeth…stronger and more impervious to physical damage than the Hulk.” The preview then cuts to Peter and his allies fighting May’s nightmare-fuel form in the streets of NYC.
Don’t Think Marvel Has An OP Problem? Check Out Aunt May’s Final Form
Radioactive Spider-Man #3 “Days Of Future Past” Homage Variant Cover By Creees Lee
Aunt May’s final mutant form, as glimpsed in Radioactive Spider-Man #3’s preview, is a grotesque tangle of purple tentacles with multiple eyeballs. Setting her strength-level above that of the Hulk creates seemingly insurmountable odds for the Spider-heroes to overcome. Or not overcome, given Age of Revelation’s bleak tone. It’s possible she takes out her nephew and all his allies with him.
For some fans, though, the reveal is also the latest example of Marvel’s tendency to overpower characters, exponentially upgrading characters’ strength levels until there is no discernible hierarchy of physical strength in the Marvel Universe. It’s not a long-term change, and it takes place in a dark possible future, but it still rubs some readers the wrong way.
For the sake of Radioactive Spider-Man’s final chapter, it’s a great way to crank the stakes to eleven. In terms of Marvel losing sight of its characters’ power levels and limitations, especially when it comes to OG powerhouse the Hulk, it is another sign that a new, looser era of canon is upon fans.
Radioactive Spider-Man #3 will be available December 17, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
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Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
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Marvel