Spider-Man No Way Home logo displayed on a phone screen and Marvel logo displayed on a screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 20, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mary Rivera, who played a small but memorable role in the 2021 blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, has died.
Rivera died on April 15, according to TMZ. She was 82. A family member told TMZ that Rivera had suffered a stroke and was removed from life support after a they received a discouraging prognosis from her doctor about her chances of recovering.
Rivera was featured in a scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Ned’s (Jacob Batalon) Filipino grandmother (or Lola in Taglog). In addition to Batalon, Zendaya’s MJ was featured in the scene, along with Andrew Garfield’s version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who emerges in bewilderment from the multiverse.
In the comical scene, embedded below, Ned’s grandma asks Spider-Man to remove a cobweb in the corner of the room after he enters her house.
Rivera also appeared in the scene where Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man/Parker arrived at her house through the multiversal portal.
Rivera’s Granddaughter Found Out About The Role In A Facebook Ad
A resident of Hawaii, Spider-Man: No Way Home marked Rivera’s only screen appearance.
In an interview with Hawaii Public Radio’s show, The Conversation, in May 2022, Rivera’s granddaughter, Angie Kelly, recalled how Rivera landed the role.
“I happened to be on a friend’s Facebook scrolling, and I see an ad, a casting call looking for a local Hawaiʻi Filipina grandmother between the age of 50 and 90. And immediately I thought, ‘Oh, well my mom qualifies and checks off all those boxes,'” Kelly told The Conversation.
Kelly also discussed with the show how proud Rivera was of her big-screen accomplishment.
“It’s been an amazing adventure. To us, she’s just my mom. But to the rest of the world, she’s Ned’s Lola,” Kelly told The Conversation. “It’s humbling really, because never before in cinematic history really has there been a place for the Filipino language and culture. They did a really good job with paying attention to the details of our culture.”
Despite a slowdown in business because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spider-Man: No Way Home, starring Tom Holland as the webslinger, was a blockbuster hit, earning $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office.
According to TMZ, Rivera is survived by husband, Alejandro, and her children, as well as 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Starring Holland, Zendaya, Batalon, Sadie Sink and Jon Bernthal, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the follow-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, was released in theaters over the weekend and broke the all-time domestic record for the biggest opening of all time with $360 million in North American ticket sales. Combined with international ticket sales, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $932 million globally in its first weekend in theaters.