Of course, the actual gameplay deserves a massive amount of praise as well, but after the first two games, it’s no surprise that there’s a massive amount of interest in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story and what surprises it will bring. There’s plenty of theories going around based on what we’ve seen of the highly anticipated sequel so far, ranging from entirely reasonable to just unequivocally insane. Here, we’re going to talk about a few that we feel have a very good chance of actually coming true, even if some of them may seem a bit too out there at first. Of course, we’re not saying all of these theories are going to turn out accurate, but a few of them, at least, almost certainly should.

NOTE: There are major spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

MULTIPLE PEOPLE WILL GET THE VENOM SYMBIOTE

It’s clear that Venom is going to be the star of the show in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The alien Symbiote has been heavily teased in both previous games’ post-credits scenes, and in the upcoming sequel, he’s going to centerstage as one of the primary villains. And though it’s looking like it’ll be Harry Osborne who’s bonded to Venom in Insomniac’s universe, we think there’s a pretty good chance that he won’t be the only one to don that black, gooey suit throughout the entirety of the story. We think some other major villains are going to get the Symbiote as well. Speaking of which…

KRAVEN WILL GET THE SYMBIOTE

Alongside Venom, Kraven the Hunter is going to be Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s other main villain, and with Insomniac having described him as the catalyst for the entire game’s story, it’s safe to say that he’s going to have a big role to play. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if, at some point in the game, he ended up getting the Venom Symbiote as well. One of the most interesting things about Kraven as a character is how grounded he can feel where his natural abilities are concerned, and how, almost purely on the back of nothing but extreme skill, he can present such a massive threat to his foes. If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 chooses to establish that about him and then throws an unexpected wrench into the works by making him an even bigger threat by bonding him with the Symbiote, that might make for an excellent narrative turn.

LIZARD WILL GET THE SYMBIOTE

Lizard is another popular Spider-Man villain that’s been confirmed to be making an appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and while it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be as central to the larger story as the likes of Kraven and Venom, he is going to be important for at least a section of the game. And if that section ends with Peter and Miles having to take down Venom-infected Lizard, it wouldn’t be entirely unexpected, even if that hasn’t necessarily been done in Spider-Man stories before (that we know of, at least). And hell, who wouldn’t want a boss fight against Curt Connors-turned-Lizard-turned-Venom?

EDDIE BROCK WILL SHOW UP

Insomniac has confirmed that the Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 won’t be Eddie Brock, who’s the character who’s most commonly associated with that specific Symbiote, and as we mentioned earlier, it’s looking likely that it’s going to be Harry Osborne who’ll be at the center of things here. But is it possible that Eddie Brock shows up nonetheless? We think it is. One of the most exciting things Insomniac could do with the Venom storyline in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 would be to use it to essentially tell the origins of the Venom that we all know, so that by the end of the game, Eddie Brock has become Venom. After all, that’s not all that dissimilar to what Insomniac did with Miles in the first game.

SPIDER-WOMAN WILL BE INTRODUCED

Speaking of introducing key characters, it’s very likely that Gwen Stacy will be introduced. In fact, we’d be surprised if she wasn’t. Insomniac has shown a willingness to expand the Spider family in its own universe, and throwing Spider-Woman into the mix seems like a natural step forward for the series. While we’re not too sure one way or another about whether or not she will also get her own solo game the way Miles did after his introduction, we are fairly confident that she will be a properly established character in this universe by the time the credits have rolled in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

PETER AND MILES WILL FIGHT

Peter Parker’s story is going to take a darker turn in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which sort of goes hand-in-hand with the famous Black Suit and the Symbiote powers it comes with. That, of course, is going to affect his personal relationships as well, and as he begins to lose himself more and more, things may very well boil to a point where Miles has to end up locking horns with him. Playing as Miles and taking on Peter in a boss fight where you essentially have to snap him out of it and get the Symbiote off him would make for some excellent drama, especially because it could represent further grown in Miles’ own arc as coming into his own as a Spider-Man.

DOCTOR OCTOPUS WILL RETURN

With Venom, Kraven, Lizard, and probably several others that we don’t know about yet, we’re obviously going to get plenty of new villains in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but at the same time, there’s a good chance that a few familiar bad guys are also going to return in some capacity. We’ve already seen Martin Li in a trailer so far, and we think there’s at least a slight chance that Otto Octavius, a.k.a. Doctor Octpus, returns as well. We do see him in Ryker’s at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man, and that brief scene definitely implies that we’re not done with him just yet. Whether or not Insomniac will bring him back so soon after the major role he played as the first game’s primary antagonist remains to be seen, but it’s not entirely unlikely that that happens.

GREEN GOBLIN WILL SHOW UP

Norman Osborne was, of course, a key character in Marvel’s Spider-Man, but not, curiously enough, as Green Goblin. In fact, so far, Green Goblin doesn’t exist in the universe- which, to us, makes it seem like that’s something that Insomniac is building toward, especially how significant of a role Norman has had so far. There were some pretty blatant Goblin easter eggs in the first game, so to see him finally don that mask, hop aboard that glider, and start throwing some of those pumpkin bombs around would make for some excellent and well-earned fan-servince in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. After all, Norman’s already quite shady in Insomniac’s universe, so becoming the Green Goblin might not be that much of a leap for his character, especially given the hot mess that his son has found himself in.

PETER PARKER WILL DIE

This one is definitely a little too out there (to say the very least), and we’d be very surprised if it actually ended up happening- but it’s not completely impossible that it does, either. Aunt May was killed off at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man, so Insomniac has shown that it isn’t afraid to kill off major characters if and when it needs to. Will it need to kill off Peter Parker though? Given the darker turn that the story is going to take in the story, we maybe could see it getting to a point where things end with Peter dying and Miles having to take up his mantle as New York’s only Spider-Man. But again, we do think that it’s quite unlikely, especially given the fact that we’re just going to be three games deep into this universe, which doesn’t feel like enough time for something as major as killing off Spider-Man.

THERE WILL BE A WOLVERINE CROSSOVER

Insomniac has owned and adapted the Spider-Man universe in a way that no one could have expected, so it’s only natural that there’s this much excitement arund what the developer is going to do with its Wolverine game. In fact, we’re hoping to get at least some taste of that in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with a crossover of some kind. That there will be one seems very likely at this point, but what the extent of it will be is completely up in the air. Will it be something as minor as a few cheeky easter eggs, or something as overt as maybe a side quest that ties directly into the Wolverine game?

While Insomniac itself doesn’t seem to be part of any of the panels in Marvel’s line-up, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has been mentioned in the announcement, where it will see more details revealed about it.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 recently saw the release of its title theme “Greater Together”, composed by John Paesano. The theme, which can be checked out on YouTube, features a combination of the themes of both Peter Parker as well as Miles Morales, and mixes the motifs together while also keeping in mind the upcoming game’s darker tone.

The game also got quite a few details about it revealed over the last month, including the fact that it will include Coney Island as part of its expanded take on New York, and that the title’s story will still feature “heart and humour” despite its darker tone.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is slated to hit the PS5 on October 20.

https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1675997618063781892

In addition to a Standard Edition, which will retail for $69.99, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will also have a Digital Deluxe Edition available. On top of the base game itself, this will also include 10 unique suits (five each for Peter and Miles), two additional skill points, additional frames and stickers for Photo Mode, and all pre-order bonuses.

The 10 aforementioned suits have been designed by guest artists across comics, films, and PlayStation Studios, including Kris Anka, Julia Blattman, Sweeney Boo, Anthony Francisco, Raf Grassetti, Jerad Maantz, Joel Mandish, Darren Quach, and Victoria Ying. The Digital Deluxe Edition will cost $79.99.

Then there’s the limited Collector’s Edition, which, in addition to a voucher for the Digital Deluxe Edition, will also come with a steelbook case and a 19-inch statue depicting the two Spider-Men battling Venom. The Collector’s Edition will retail for $229.99.

Meanwhile, Sony has also revealed the full pre-order bonuses for the game, which include an early unlock Arachknight Suit for Peter with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Shadow Spider Suit for Miles with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Web Grabber gadget, and 3 skill points. Meanwhile, those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition or the Collector’s Edition will also get two additional early unlock suits (one each for Miles and Peter), the Web Grabber gadget, and three additional skill points.

Pre-orders for all editions will go live on July 16.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is due out on October 20 for PS5.

At Summer Game Fest, creative director Bryan Intihar took to stage and announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be out on October 20, which means it’s hitting its Fall launch window as expected.

Meanwhile, Intihar also brought two new pieces of concept art showcasing two of the game’s primary villains, Kraven the Hunter and Venom, both of whom we saw in the recent gameplay reveal. You can check out the artwork below.

Intihar has also confirmed that there are “many more” villains in the game that we don’t yet know about, while he also said that the Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is not Eddie Brock. Who exactly is he then? We’ll find out in the game itself.

The key art for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has also been revealed, and prominently features both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, both of whom are, of course, going to be the two playable protagonists of the game.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is in development for PS5.

Speaking recently to ComicBookMovie, Lowenthal said that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is going to be a “massive game”, confirming that he still has some work to do on the title where his role is concerned, but that Insomniac is “confident” that it’ll hit its intended launch window.

“I’ve still got a little bit to do. It’s a massive game so I’m still doing a little bit of work,” Lowenthal said. “I know they’re confident about their release date and Insomniac has always been good about that. Obviously, I can’t really talk about the game much, but I will tell you that it’s astonishing.”

“I’m so excited for you to play it,” he added. “They know they’ve got big shoes to fill from the last two games and they’ve done it. I just can’t wait for people to play it.”

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 being “massive” was always going to be a pretty safe bet, but exactly what that will entail in terms of its story, gameplay, and the size of its world remains to be seen, especially with Peter Parker and Miles Morales both sharing the spotlight.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is due out for the PS5 in Fall 2023. It can also be wishlisted on the PlayStation Store.