All Spider-Man fans know that Peter Parker was raised from childhood by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Although they never had natural children of their own, both Ben and May proved exceptional parents, instilling Peter with excellent morals that served him well when he became a superhero. What is not commonly known, however, is that Ben and May once raised another child before Peter – one with superhuman gifts of her own!
The story happened in Strange Tales #97, which was published a few months before Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15. In the tale, “Goodbye to Linda Brown!” by Spider-Man co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, an elderly couple named Ben and May raise a young girl named Linda who’s hiding a startling secret…
Peter Parker’s Unknown Cousin
The story shows Ben and May living by the beach and caring for a wheelchair-bound girl named Linda who refers to them as “Uncle Ben” and “Aunt May.” While neither Ben nor May receive last names, they look identical to how they’re depicted in Amazing Fantasy #15 (although Ben does sport a mustache in some scenes), indicating they are Ben and May Parker.
Linda seems happy living with Uncle Ben and Aunt May – but then she starts feeling restless at night, falling out of her bed as she feels compelled to leave the house. Oddly, both May and Ben also have a history of sleepwalking and grow fearful when they learn of Linda’s compulsions to leave her bed. May even wonders if “we should send her… back” but Ben can’t bear to let Linda go.
Eventually, this is taken out of their hands when Linda rises out of bed one night and wheels herself out to the ocean. In the morning, both Ben and May realize their niece has left them to return home – with the final panel showing a mermaid Linda swimming to an undersea city. It’s a short story, but one that shows May and Ben have had a history of raising unusual children.
Whatever Became of Linda Brown?
Interestingly, “Linda” appears to have much in common with a DC comics character – Superman’s college sweetheart Lori Lemaris who appeared years earlier in a 1959 issue of Superman #129. Like Linda, Lori masquerades as a wheelchair-bound human, keeping her tail hidden beneath blankets. There were even storylines where Lori could switch between her tail and human legs just by dousing them with water (much like Daryl Hannah’s mermaid character “Madison” in Disney’s Splash!).
As far as Aunt May and Uncle Ben go, it’s pretty much a given that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko simply recycled their names and character designs when it came time to create Peter Parker’s aunt and uncle for Amazing Fantasy #15. Readers should remember the issue was meant to be a one-shot story and not an ongoing series, so Lee and Ditko weren’t interested in creating original, fully-fleshed characters.
Once Spider-Man took off, however, it’s odd that no writers or artists thought to refer back to this story and possibly connect Peter Parker with his mermaid cousin Linda. Marvel has a history of creating links between early drafts of their characters and their modern counterparts (the Incredible Hulk recently fought “Xemnu the Hulk,” a Marvel monster created before him), so it would be fun if Spider-Man met a mermaid who turned out to be raised by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Notably, Peter Parker now has a sister – SHIELD Agent Teresa Parker – who he frequently teams up with, so the Parker family tree certainly has room for a few more unusual relatives…