Set for release this October, Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, uniting Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they fight to save their city against various supervillains. While gamers are more than thrilled to see the debut of characters like Kraven the Hunter in Insomniac’s universe, the most exciting element of the upcoming game is undoubtedly Venom, who will act as one of the chief antagonists therein.
In what little Insomniac has revealed about Spider-Man 2‘s story, Venom is finally set to go toe-to-toe with New York City’s premiere superheroes in the upcoming sequel. While both the original game and the trailers for the sequel have heavily hinted that a certain Marvel Comics character will be behind Venom’s mask, Insomniac may be hiding an even bigger reveal that would change everything.
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Peter Parker May Be Venom In Spider-Man 2
Despite hints to the contrary, Spider-Man 2‘s Venom may secretly be none other than Peter Parker. While Venom’s alter-ego is typically Eddie Brock in Marvel Comics and movies, it appears clear that the upcoming game will be taking the character in a different direction. So far, there has been no confirmation or even any indication that Eddie Brock will even appear in Spider-Man 2, leaving Venom’s identity a mystery. If Eddie Brock is not Venom’s human host in Spider-Man 2, there are only a few other candidates. While the ending of the original Spider-Man hinted that the Venom of the Insomniac universe could actually be Peter Parker’s best friend Harry Osborn, the continued concealment of the supervillain’s identity in the game’s trailers suggests an even bigger reveal: that Peter Parker has been infected by the symbiote.
There is actually a fair amount of evidence to prove that Peter Parker will become Venom in Spider-Man 2. First and foremost, the recent gameplay showcased at Sony’s State of Play revealed that part of Spider-Man 2‘s story will revolve around Peter as he struggles to combat his darker tendencies after becoming exposed to the Venom symbiote. With Spider-Man resisting taking revenge on the city’s criminals throughout the game, the superhero may slowly find himself acquiescing to the symbiote’s darker desires. Furthermore, Spider-Man 2 is also confirmed to include the iconic black suit, which only made its debut in Marvel Comics after Spider-Man had bonded with Venom, suggesting that Peter Parker will be the symbiote’s host at some point in the game — even if it only ends up being a temporary situation.
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Peter Parker’s History With Venom In Comics And Movies
Peter Parker and Venom have a long history in various mediums, beginning in Marvel Comics and eventually carrying over into various mediums, including live-action films. The 1984 Secret Wars crossover event marked the first time that Spider-Man bonded with a symbiote, giving him the first iteration of his Black Suit. However, after learning that the suit was alive and causing him to behave more violently, Spider-Man rejected the symbiote, which eventually found a new host in order to become the supervillain known as Venom. Venom would go on to become one of Spider-Man’s most fearsome foes, using a variety of hosts, including Eddie Brock and Mac Gargan, in its various attempts to ruin Peter Parker’s life.
Venom and Spider-Man have mostly gone toe-to-toe in Marvel Comics, but their rivalry has also occasionally carried over into live-action films. Venom made his first live-action appearance as the main villain of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, wherein he was portrayed by Topher Grace. Prior to Venom’s inception, however, the symbiote is shown to have a negative influence on Peter Parker, leading him to behave in strange and villainous ways. In the years since Spider-Man 3, Venom and Spider-Man have each appeared in separate franchises, never coming face-to-face again for over a decade. However, the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home implied that a sample of Tom Hardy’s Venom symbiote will one day find its way to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, potentially extending their rivalry to its second live-action iteration.
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What Peter Parker’s Venom Could Mean For Spider-Man 2
If Peter Parker follows in the footsteps of his comic book and movie counterparts, his debut as Venom would have massive ramifications throughout Spider-Man 2. Gamers may find themselves playing as Miles Morales’ Spider-Man more often than they had originally thought as they are forced to fight against Peter Parker in an epic match-up between the Insomniac franchise’s two Spider-Men. This would firmly cement Peter Parker as the potential main antagonist of Spider-Man 2, while giving Miles Morales a chance to shine as the protagonist. This would explain why Spider-Man 2 doesn’t feature a multiplayer co-op feature despite featuring two protagonists. If Peter Parker does end up becoming Venom in the game, Spider-Man 2 becomes a hero vs. hero situation rather than a superhero team-up, as originally suggested.
Additionally, Peter Parker’s potential transformation into Venom could act as Spider-Man 2‘s way of killing off the original hero in favor of making Miles Morales the franchise’s new protagonist. Currently, Miles Morales remains in Peter Parker’s shadow, feeling very much like the original Spider-Man’s sidekick rather than a hero in his own right. After the success of Miles’ own spinoff game, Insomniac may feel comfortable killing off Peter Parker in one last epic adventure before handing the reigns of the franchise over to his successor for the foreseeable future. This would follow in the footsteps of the original game, which also ended with the surprise death of a major comics character when Aunt May died right in front of her nephew.
Spider-Man 2 is faced with a thrilling opportunity to subvert audience expectations by featuring Peter Parker as its Venom symbiote. As devastating a blow as this may be, this could act as a perfect exit for this version of Peter Parker after a long career of crimefighting, while paving the way for Miles Morales’ version of Spider-Man to take the reins as the new premiere superhero of the Insomniac universe. While Insomniac is remaining tight-lipped about Venom’s role in Spider-Man 2, things certainly don’t look good for Peter Parker therein.
Spider-Man 2 is finally introducing the iconic Marvel villain Venom, but Insomniac might be misleading gamers about his true identity. Read More