Insomniac Games has promised a new spin on the Venom symbiote in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that should do the fan-favorite character arc justice. It's been long known that the Venom saga would be adapted into Insomniac's continuity with the symbiote appearing in a mid-credits scene for the first Marvel's Spider-Man game back in 2018. Since then, a glimpse of the iconic Spider-Man foe in Marvel's Spider-Man 2's reveal trailer has been shown with Peter Parker utilizing the Venom suit in the recent May 2023 PlayStation Showcase gameplay footage.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay footage saw Peter and Miles fending off Kraven's elite squad, who were tracking The Lizard through New York City, and demonstrated how players will be able to take control of both heroes and take advantage of each character's unique skillset, with Peter wielding the symbiote, and Miles using more of his stealth tactics and bioelectrical attacks. It also showcased the superhero duo's dynamic in the field, after only briefly showing the more experienced Spider-Man, Peter, mentoring Miles before leaving New York for the majority of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, leaving the younger Spider-Man to come into his own as a hero.
The Venom Symbiote Changes Peter's Personality In Spider-Man 2
As with every iteration of the Venom saga, the symbiote seems to change Peter Parker's personality as he wears it. While it enhances his powers in nearly every way with increased strength and organic webs and tendrils that negate the need for artificial web-shooters, it makes Peter more ruthless and aggressive in combat, which is noticed by Miles by the end of the footage. In a Eurogamer interview with Insomniac's Creative Director, Bryan Intihar, and Game Director, Ryan Smith, the two state that Peter bonding with the Symbiote is not a joke, stating that Yuri Lowenthal's dark performance "can be pretty jarring" to watch.
With long-established characters and story arcs like Spider-Man or Venom's, it's almost impossible to have a completely new take, and Insomniac seems aware of this, with Intihar and Smith instead taking an almost uniquely serious approach to the fan-favorite story. Whereas the Venom suit has sometimes been played for laughs with Tobey Maguire's "Bully Maguire" portrayal in Spider-Man 3, or the dark humor of Tom Hardy's version in the Venom movies, Intihar points out that Insomniac's take found a "balance between these darker themes" with its portrayal of the symbiote, and went on to mention that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will have a prevalent theme of addiction.
Spider-Man 2's Gameplay Will Make The Venom Suit Tempting
Peter becoming addicted to the suit is something players will get to experience firsthand throughout Marvel's Spider-Man 2 via gameplay. In a PlayStation Blog post that coincided with the gameplay footage's reveal, Insomniac stated that there would be separate skill trees for each hero, with one for Peter, one for Miles, and a shared one for both heroes.
This resembles the skill trees of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, which allowed players to upgrade and swap between Peter's traditional red-and-blue Spider-Man and the symbiote suit. Through this skill tree, players will be able to upgrade Peter's symbiote-enhanced abilities, making him even more powerful, and the allure of playing as him much stronger while using the Venom symbiote from a gameplay perspective, although players were in full control of how consumed he could become by the suit through a series of moral choices, whereas Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will have a set section of the game dedicated to Peter bonding with the symbiote.
Spider-Man 2 Will See Peter's Loved Ones Coping With His Addiction
Something that will make Marvel's Spider-Man 2 a unique telling of the symbiote storyline in gaming is seeing both sides of the symbiote's control. After all, players take control of both heroes, and Miles has already noticed a shift in Peter's personality, stating that his mentor is "never like that" at the end of the gameplay footage. Throughout the 11-minute clip, Peter is abrupt and even scolds Miles at one point during the Lizard chase, is cavalier with his treatment of civilians he rescues - notably dropping one in front of Miles after catching him - and seems laser-focused on his pursuit of Kraven at all costs, insisting he goes it alone at the end.
This is a far cry from Peter's usual lighter-hearted personality and his reassuring attitude to Miles, and it's likely that with Miles noticing this shift and Peter not wanting to relinquish his new-found power, the two heroes will inevitably clash later in the game's story. The newest trailer's logo animation even backs up this theory as Miles' bio-electricity can be seen blasting away the Venom symbiote's tendrils.
Normally Peter will do something he massively regrets while wearing the symbiote suit, which plays a key factor in his decision to finally get rid of it, which ultimately leads to the creation of Venom as the symbiote bonds with someone else (usually Eddie Brock, but given Harry Osborn already has ties to the symbiote in the Marvel's Spider-Man games, it's possible that Insomniac may opt to turn Peter's childhood friend into Venom instead). This defining action often tends to come in the form of mistreating his loved ones, and Intihar stated that can Insomniac's exploration of addiction in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will expand to show the impact on the people around an addict, confirming that players are "going to see that it's not just how it's impacting Peter on his own, but also those close to him."
The Marvel's Spider-Man 2 prequel comic showed Peter and Mary Jane's relationship growing stronger, and their partnership with Miles makes the trio a well-formed team that can tackle super heroics on multiple fronts. Therefore, it's possible that instead of fearing or turning away from the symbiote-consumed Peter, Miles, and Mary Jane will instead act as Peter's saviors once they realize the hold the symbiote has on him, helping him to break away from the symbiote's powers.
Insomniac has already proven that it takes the treatment of Marvel's characters very seriously, with Marvel's Spider-Man's portraying Peter Parker in his twenties being heralded by fans as one of the best in recent years. These previous games have also not been afraid to shy away from darker topics that mirror real-world events, with one particularly harrowing sequence in Marvel's Spider-Man showing a non-superpowered Miles having to witness a terrorist attack at the hands of Mr. Negative's Inner Demon gang firsthand. With this in mind, seeming to take the same level of care when adapting the Venom arc and using it as an analogy for addiction in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 bodes well for fans who have been hoping to see a more serious take on the character in modern media.
Source: Eurogamer, PlayStation Blog