Both of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games so far have told great stories, and thanks to the excellent universe that the developer has created and the memorable characters it has populated it with, there’s no shortage of excitement surrounding the events that will unfold in the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. And of course, as is the case with any narrative-driven game, with that excitement come plenty of questions, questions that we’re all hoping the upcoming sequel will answer (and answer well, of course). Here, we’re going to talk about a few such questions we’re hoping to get the answers to in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
WHERE IS EDDIE BROCK?
Venom is set to be one of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s two main villains, and though this is a character that’s most commonly associated with Eddie Brock, Insomniac has confirmed that in the upcoming game, Eddie isn’t Venom. Most likely, it’s going to be Harry Osborn who’ll play host to the alien symbiote, but that does leave us wondering where Eddie Brock is. Sure, he may not be Venom in this game, but does that mean he won’t be in it at all? Will Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 perhaps tell a story that ends with the Venom symbiote ultimately finding its way to Eddie, or is Insomniac choosing to create a universe where the character simply doesn’t exist?
HOW MANY CHARACTERS WILL GET THE SYMBIOTE?
The Venom Symbiote has been bonded with a great many characters in Spider-Man stories over the years, but will we see it changing hands during the course of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as well? Presumably, when things kick off, it’ll be Harry hosting the Symbiote, while given the fact that the Black Spider-Man Suit has been revealed, it’s fair to assume that eventually, it’ll find its way to Peter Parker as well. But will that be it? Will those two characters be the only ones who’ll get the Symbiote, or can we perhaps expect the likes of Lizard or Kraven the Hunter (or somebody else we’re not aware is in the game) to get a slice of that gooey pie as well?
WILL NORMAN OSBORN BECOME GREEN GOBLIN?
Norman Osborn had a major role to play in the original Marvel’s Spider-Man, though curiously enough, none of it had absolutely nothing to do with his criminal alter ego of Green Goblin, which is what he’s best known for. In fact, Green Goblin doesn’t exist in this universe at all. We’re assuming that eventually Insomniac will want to change that – we’d be surprised if the developer doesn’t end up telling a story revolving around one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains of all time – but will Spider-Man 2 be the game that sees him make that turn? There were some secrets in the first game that suggested that Norman certainly has access to the tech that the Goblin is known for using, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll fully don the villain’s persona in this game. We wouldn’t be surprised, however, if the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sets that up for the next game’s story.
WILL DOCTOR OCTOPUS RETURN?
Doc Ock was an excellent main villain in the first Spider-Man game, and though Peter was able to defeat him in a pretty conclusive manner, the door certainly isn’t completely shut on him coming back into the fold at some point in the future. After his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man, we do so a brief glimpse of Otto Octavius in prison, looking none too happy about his present situation. Was that scene hinting at a potential return for the character in Spider-Man 2? Though you could argue that bringing him back so soon after the first game might not be something that Insomniac might want to do, it has been confirmed that Mister Negative – another major villain in the 2018 title – is going to return in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Who’s to say Doctor Octopus couldn’t return as well?
WILL WE GET A SPIDER-MAN VS SPIDER-MAN SET PIECE?
By and large, Insomniac has kept things pretty close to the chest when it comes to revealing narrative details for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but the one thing that’s been pretty explicitly confirmed is the fact that Peter is, at some point in the story, going to get the Venom Symbiote. And though the Black Suit is going to give him even greater powers, it will also come with some less-than-ideal side effects where his mental and emotional state are concerned, as is always the case with the Black Suit. With that in mind, could we be headed for a showdown between the two Spider-Men? For instance, could Peter be affected by the Symbiote so much that Miles eventually has to fight and defeat him in order to snap him back to his senses?
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YURI?
As those who’ve played The City That Never Sleeps – the first game’s three-part DLC – will know, Spider-Man’s friend on the NYPD force, Yuri Watanabe, has made some big changes in her life since the events of the first game. During the events of the DLC, she was pushed to the point where she was removed from the force, went rogue, and started brutally hunting down criminals with her own brand of vigilante justice. In the comics, Yuri goes on to become the antihero known as Wraith, so with her clearly having started down that path in The City That Never Sleeps, will we see her as Wraith in Spider-Man 2? We’ve seen a brief glimpse of a silhouette standing in front of a raging fire in the sequel’s trailers that seems to look like Wraith, so it does seem likely.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BLACK CAT?
Another character that had a central role to play in The City That Never Sleeps was Black Cat, and we’re curious to see what’s become of her. By the end of the DLC, she had escaped from the clutches of Hammerhead and his Maggia goons, though we don’t know much else about what she’s gotten up to since then. Spider-Man 2’s trailers have suggested that she’s still in New York and that she might have a role to play in the sequel’s story- when Kraven is shown looking at a map of the city, hers is one of several portraits that pop up on the map. Does that mean Kraven will try and use her to lure Spider-Man out?
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE PROWLER?
The Prowler’s story wasn’t exactly left hanging in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. By the time the game came to an end, Aaron Davis had voluntarily turned himself into the authorities, in order to testify against Roxxon and get Simon Krieger thrown into jail. Given how crucial he is to Miles’ story, we’d be surprised if he doesn’t show up in Spider-Man 2– though if he does, what kind of a role will he have to play? Is he going to don the Prolwer suit once again, whether that be as hero or antihero? Or are we, perhaps, going to see him just as Aaron Davis, Miles’ uncle this time?
WILL WE SEE GWEN STACY?
Insomniac clearly has every intention to expand its Spider-Man universe as much as it can, and so far, it’s done an excellent job of that. Using the first game to tell Miles Morales’ origin story was a genius move, and then giving Miles his own game to firmly establish him as one of two main protagonists was just as smart. So, with Spider-Man 2, is it time for Gwen Stacy to step into the limelight? We’re not expecting to see her as Spider-Woman just yet, but perhaps the game could introduce her as a character and set up her eventual transformation into the next member of the Spider family?
WILL WE SEE A WOLVERINE CROSSOVER?
Given how expertly Insomniac has handled the Spider-Man IP, it’s no surprise that there’s as much excitement surrounding the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine as there is. And with the same developer making games on two different Marvel superheroes, it’s only natural to ask if those two universes are going to be connected. That, after all, is something Marvel is so commonly associated with. So can we expect some sort of a tease that points to such a connection- perhaps a post-credits scene featuring Logan?
WILL WE SEE OTHER MARVEL SUPERHEROES?
There are plenty of secrets referring to other Marvel heroes in Insomniac’s first two Spider-Man games, including the likes of Daredevil, the Avengers, Doctor Strange, and many others. In fact, the first game makes it abundantly clear that the Avengers are very much a thing in Insomniac’s Spidey universe (the Avengers Tower is right there in NYC, after all). Are we in line for similar stuff in Spider-Man 2? Will Insomniac continue to pepper in similar references? Or, with this being the third instalment in the series, will the developer choose to go one step further and perhaps even have a much more narrative link to other Marvel heroes?