Marvel's Spider-Man is one of the greatest video game success stories of the last few years. After a history of lackluster games featuring the webslinger, Insomniac gave new life to Spider-Man with solid gameplay and a gripping story. After the end of Marvel's Spider-Man set up a sequel, and with Spider-Man: Miles Morales expanding the story of a fan-favorite character, all eyes are on Insomniac for details on a Marvel's Spider-Man 2. It's clear that the developer cares a lot about the character and the mythos around him, and there's one thing the sequel could do to show that love even more.
One of the biggest strengths of Marvel's Spider-Man was the game's villains. Players got to see new takes on hallmark characters like Rhino and Doctor Octopus, and their appearances made for some excellent boss battles. The game also gave a spotlight to some more obscure characters, like Tombstone and Screwball, and this willingness to include characters that aren't as universally known opens up a lot of possibilities. With how expansive Spider-Man's rogues gallery is, Insomniac could dive even deeper into his lore and bring in villains that pay homage to the rich history of everyone's favorite web-head.
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If Insomniac really wanted to reach far into Spider-Man's mythos for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it could go all the way back to his very first villain. The Chameleon is a master of disguise, able to impersonate practically any person, and he even stole the identity of the wall-crawler in one of his first appearances. Although he is Spider-Man's very first villain, the character hasn't been shown much attention in the video game world. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could do something similar to the comics, introducing Chameleon as a Spider-Man impersonator that's trying to disparage his good name.
Oftentimes, Spider-Man villains share some personal connection to Peter Parker in one way or another. Putting Jackal in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could play into this dynamic, as he was once a professor at Peter's college, Empire State University. The character isn't particularly well-known on his own, but he's responsible for one of the most infamous Spider-Man storylines in history, The Clone Saga. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could adapt these comics in one way or another, introducing Jackal and Peter's clone, Ben Reilly.
Sometimes heroes are indirectly responsible for the creation of their own villains. One of the most famous examples of this is with Batman and the Joker, but the same has happened with Spider-Man in the past. During one of Spider-Man's battles, Morris Bench was knocked off the ship he was working on and into an experimental underwater generator. This granted him water manipulation powers, turning him into Hydro-Man, and he vowed revenge on the webslinger. His inclusion in the game would be a deep cut for Spider-Man fans, and give Insomniac an opportunity to show off the PS5's water graphics capabilities.
Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most popular heroes, and it's for good reason. The character has a charm to him that is almost second to none, and his assortment of villains ensures that Peter Parker has a steady stream of conflict to keep things interesting. Marvel's Spider-Man has already introduced a number of his legendary villains, but there have been so many through his long comic book history that there's plenty of potential for more to be added in the sequel. Spider-Man: Miles Morales has already begun branching out by adding villains like The Tinkerer, so it's likely that the full sequel will continue this trend.
Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are available now on PS4 and PS5. A sequel has not yet officially been announced.
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