Summary
Insomniac Games and Sony recently releasedMarvel’sSpider-Man 2, the sequel to 2018’sSpider-Manand follow-up to its canon spin-offSpider-Man: Miles Morales. The sequel is the newest entry in Insomniac’s long line of excellent games, so the fact that the game has been well-received by fans and critics alike has proven unsurprising to many. While this can be attributed partly to the fact that the game plays it safe by building largely on the foundations of the previous two entries in the franchise, not everything aboutSpider-Man 2has been so predictable as its quality. Many of its story elements stand out from previous entries.
2018’sSpider-Mandelivered fans of the beloved superhero a blend of expected and unexpected story elements. Rather than start at the beginning with Peter Parker’s origin story as a hero, Insomniac’s game follows an older version of the character in his early 20s. Many of the iconic Spider-Man origin story details, such as the death of Uncle Ben, have long past and been dealt with. Instead, players are given a Peter Parker who is confident in his morals and heroic abilities but struggles to balance his career and personal life with it. Peter then becomes a mentor toMiles Morales, who takes up the mantle of being the second Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 2 Darkened the Tone of the Franchise
WhileSpider-ManandMiles Moraleshave some dark story events, Peter and Miles' stories are, at least tonally, standard for the larger Spider-Man franchise.Spider-Man 2,on the other hand, is darker than its predecessors. Its first main antagonist,Kraven the Hunter, travels the world pursuing stronger prey, typically super-villains. Many of his victims are reformed, and Kraven does not shy away from brutally murdering them anyway.Spider-Man 2also dives into Peter’s struggle with the symbiote and Venom, which challenges the character on a personal level.
Spider-Man 2’s darkness transforms the series' tone and impacts the characters greatly. As a result,Spider-Man 3will need to follow suit and dive into the worst of the worstSpider-Manvillains. The most obvious choice, one which the series has been laying the groundwork for since its original entry, is The Green Goblin. One of the most iconic villains in the franchise, Green Goblin would be the perfect follow-up given the close ties Peter Parker shares with the Osborn family. While this villain’s appearance feels inevitable, a goodSpider-Mangame needs more than one villain. To fill out its roster,Spider-Man 3should look to some of the franchise’s other darkest villains.
Spider-Man 3 Has Plenty of Villains to Pull From
One potential villain for the next Spider-Man game is Carnage. Carnage is another symbiote who comes to possess the serial killer Cletus Kasady. Carnage is truly evil and likes to feed on people, at times purely for entertainment. Kasady appears inSpider-Man 2,and given the prominence of the symbiote, Carnage is another obvious inclusion going forward. A move in a darker direction could also open the door to villains likeMorbius.
Morbiusfailed to sweep the hearts of moviegoers despite reaching meme status, but that is something Insomniac Games could play into. Bringing the character back with genuinely scary motives and terrifying vampiric abilities would be shocking. His more supernatural flavor would let the game play with horror elements too, making the entry stand out more than others.
While Insomniac’sSpider-Manis unlikely to move towards the grim-dark tone ofArkham Asylumand its sequels, bringing in darker villains and committing to the tonal shift of the second game would cement the series as something special within the larger franchise. The darkness ofSpider-Man 2is a nice contrast next to its focus on thefriendly neighborhood Spider-Manconcept in side missions. The presence of both aesthetics and tones has created one of the richest Spider-Man experiences in general and the definitive game series for the hero.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
