Marvel's Spider-Man was a smash hit for a number of reasons. The game's mechanics were smooth, the story was a fresh take on a character fans know and love, and the New York City setting was arguably the most dynamic it's ever been in a video game. Almost all of the familiar faces that were expected to be in Marvel's Spider-Man made an appearance. All of them except one of Spidey's most prolific villains in the last thirty years: Venom.
While Venom didn't make a direct appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man, the game certainly laid a foundation for him to show up at some point. Venom is not mentioned by name, but when players first see Harry Osborn being kept in a stasis chamber at the end of the game, he is covered in a symbiote-like substance. This heavily implied that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could feature Venom, but it still leaves the question of why the character is being delayed at all. As frustrating as it may be, there might be a few good reasons why the Spider-Man franchise hasn't introduced Venom yet.
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One of the biggest reasons why Venom has been delayed for the Marvel's Spider-Man games is likely because of the Venom films. While it's exciting to see the symbiote on the big screen, it also introduces a challenge for Sony and Insomniac. From Sony's perspective, Spider-Man films are tremendous moneymakers, and have been that way for a very long time. While Insomniac's time with the character has been successful so far, Sony likely wants the Venom films to take precedence and avoid being overshadowed by the games.
Just as Marvel's Spider-Man's Venom has likely been delayed to avoid overshadowing the Venom films, it could simultaneously be that Insomniac is waiting to take advantage of hype for the upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The sequel to 2018's Venom is arguably more anticipated than the first movie, and if it turns out to be successful, there could be even more excitement for Venom to appear in the next Marvel's Spider-Man. It may be a stretch to think that this hype will be maintained until Marvel Spider-Man 2's unknown release, but it could still help give the game a significant boost.
Aside from risking any complications between the next Marvel's Spider-Man and the Venom films, the character has probably been delayed this long out of an abundance of caution. Venom means a lot to many comic book fans, and he's arguably one of the most popular Spider-Man characters. If Insomniac introduced the character too early without the proper set up, it may be damaging to the game as a whole. By holding off on Venom, Insomniac gave other villains a chance to shine while making sure Venom gets the proper attention in the next outing.
The next Marvel's Spider-Man has a lot to follow up on from the first game, and Venom is one of the most highly anticipated aspects that fans are looking out for. Insomniac has already shown a lot of care for Spider-Man and all of the characters around him, so Venom will probably get the same treatment. It certainly can be annoying that fans have had to wait this long, but the wait could be very worth it whenever Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releases.
Marvel's Spider-Man is available now for PS4 and PS5.
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