Far From Home’s Most Awkward Relationship Doesn’t Involve Peter Parker
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home, in theaters now.
As was hinted at throughout the trailers for the film, Spider-Man: Far From Home reintroduces romance to the heart of Spider-Man. Peter (Tom Holland) spends most of the film trying to find the right way/time to share his feelings with MJ (Zendaya). Meanwhile, this is contrasted with the sickeningly sweet coupling of Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Betty (Angourie Rice), who spend most of the film attached at the hip.
But the oddest romantic relationship in the film centers around Tony Stark’s former bodyguard/best friend Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Peter’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). The couple moves surprisingly fast throughout the film, only for the ending of the movie to seemingly derail the relationship.
Happy is, Well, Happy!
Happy Hogan has had an interesting journey in the background of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While other close people in Tony’s orbit (like James Rhodes and Pepper Potts) gravitated more towards the superheroic side of the billionaire’s life, Happy remained consistently one of his few completely mundane friends, eventually promoted to Head of Stark security in Iron Man 3. He was put into a coma in towards the start of that film but still got to play a part in solving the mystery of Killian’s forces. Happy reappeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming as a reluctant guardian for Spider-Man and as one of the mourners at Tony’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame.
But he’s never been more overtly joyful than he is in Spider-Man: Far From Home. While Tony’s recent death still hangs over him, Happy seems to have found happiness with May Parker. He’s head over heels for her, acting like a lovestruck teenager when he’s around her. He spends as much time as he can with her (to Peter’s surprise), and often speaks fondly of her.
When he thinks he’s going to die, he blurts out that he’s in love with May. The suddenness of the moment suggests this is the first time he’s really thought about it like that. All in all, Happy is, er, happily in love by the end of the film.
Better As FRIENDS
It’s just too bad for him that May doesn’t feel the same way. She clearly likes Happy and the two are casually dating throughout the film. May mentions their relationship (without going so far as to actually call it a relationship) over the phone to Peter. She talks about a lot with Happy, particularly about Peter’s life as Spider-Man. It seems to be a good outlet for her, someone she can discuss a major secret with who doesn’t happen to be her nephew.
It’s an apparently healthy situation, something the (now single) May obviously appreciates. But while Happy is completely gung-ho for the future of the relationship, May, it turns out, is a little more cool on the subject of longevity than Happy. Towards the end of the film, Peter outright asks if they’re a couple. And while Happy joyfully calls them such, May is more reluctant.
The two try to talk over each other, and May calls them more friends than anything else. She even seems to casually break things off with Happy, saying they’ll always have fond memories of each other but should just stay friends.
What’s Cute (AND WHAT’S NOT)
In theory, the relationship between May and Happy is a fun diversion for the film to take. It always throws Peter (who’s busy trying to get his own romantic life sorted) off-kilter in an entertaining way. It helps that May and Happy seem to genuinely like each other. They openly flirt when they’re around each other, they take lunches together and share a lot of things that they couldn’t otherwise tell people. But while it’s obvious that Happy wants to take the relationship to the next level, May just… doesn’t.
What’s especially weird about this relationship is the disconnect between the two. It seems that she values Happy more like a friend than a partner. She likes being able to talk to him, but isn’t anywhere near the level of publicly confessing her love for him. If anything, the relationship outright ends the same way it began. For Happy, it was true love. For May, it was a fling with a friend. It might be lingering pains over the loss of her husband Ben just a few years ago (which, by the way, is never addressed by the film directly.)
Sometimes, one half of a relationship is more invested than the other. But it’s weird that what appears to be the most stable relationship in the film is actually just as short-lived as the high-school couple Ned and Betty. In fact, those two teenagers have a more civil and understanding break up than the adults do.
Star Cast: Spider Man:Far from Home
Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon and Martin Starr, with Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvSJ3N2azYM
Source: cbr ,
