Across multiple realities in the Marvel multiverse, Spider-Man has been defined in part by his love for his Aunt May. Following the death of his beloved Uncle Ben, most iterations of Peter Parker relied heavily on May's love -- and in turn, based many of his early decisions on helping her.

But in the varied realities of the multiverse, that wasn't always the case. In some timelines, it was May who was lost instead of Ben and in these variant realities, it's clear that a Spider-Man without May Parker's influence would have become a less effective hero.

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In What If...? #46 (by Peter B. Gillis, Ron Frenz, and Sam DeLaRosa), May's death at the hands of a burglar on Earth-8408 left Ben as Peter's guardian. Unlike his wife, Ben figured out Peter's secret identity before he even left for college. Due to Ben's influence, Peter revealed his identity to J. Jonah Jameson. This resulted in Jonah gaining power over the young man. Increasingly put upon by Ben's high standards, his feelings for Betty Brant, and J. Jonah's machinations, this Spider-Man brushed off many of his responsibilities.

That was until he barely saved J. Jonah and his son John from a plan by the Green Goblin. The issue ended with Peter and Ben making peace, and deciding to work together to better the ideal of Spider-Man. A similar premise occurred on Earth-52136 in What If...?: Aunt May Had Died Instead of Uncle Ben? (by Ed Brubaker and Andrea Di Vito). In this world, Spider-Man was so enraged by May's demise that when he confronted the burglar and inadvertently killed him. Ben Parker arrived and took the blame for his nephew, landing himself in jail. Now an orphan, Peter ended up a ward of the state.

Increasingly lashing out at a world that didn't care for him, Peter eventually ran away from juvenile hall and lived on the streets. He still fought villains but not because of any moral reason, solely so he can claim rewards for their capture. It's only after he tried to free Uncle Ben from prison that Peter embraced the idea that he needs to become the man May would have wanted him to be and becomes a hero.

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In both those worlds, Spider-Man eventually realized his destiny, albeit with far less initial commitment. But that isn't even the case in the world Earth-6078 from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 (by Peter David and Roger Cruz). In this timeline, May died before the burglar ever even came to the Parker residence. Still an entertainer by this point, a despondent Peter revealed his identity as Spider-Man to his uncle, turning Ben into his manager. But as time wore on and fame went to Peter's head, Parker embraced celebrity and never learned great power means great responsibility. He relocated to Los Angeles, became a movie star, and eventually lost touch with his uncle completely -- never becoming a hero, similar to other worlds.

In all of these realities, Ben's presence initially seemed to be a boon, helping protect Peter from a harsh world. But in turn, each of them made Spider-Man a harsher young man. These were Spider-Men who didn't swing into every dangerous situation, meaning lives were inevitably lost. These were worlds where Spider-Man was not the heroic ideal that he becomes in most worlds. While he may have still become a hero in these worlds, it's only after unnecessary suffering that he could have prevented -- hinting at the importance May's influence really had on the wall-crawler, even if she dies in later stories.