Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Creative Director, Bryan Intihar surprised some fans when he confirmed that Eddie Brock would not be Venom in the upcoming game at the 2023 Summer Game Fest opening night event, leading to much speculation surrounding who would become the fan-favorite foe. Traditionally, after Peter Parker removes the symbiote suit upon realizing its corrupting him, it bonds with Eddie Brock as a host due to their mutual hatred of Spider-Man, which creates Venom. Although, there have been others who have bonded with the symbiote in the comics such as Flash Thompson - who became Agent Venom.
It was clear Insomniac Games would be doing its own Venom story when the symbiote was revealed as a way to try to cure Harry Osborn of a terminal illness. Post-credits scenes in both Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales showed Norman Osborn and Dr. Curt Connors experimenting on Harry in a secret lab, with the young Osborn floating in a tank of green liquid with the symbiote's tendrils attaching themselves to him. Recent Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay footage showed Peter using the symbiote as he and Miles tried to track down and protect Connors, who had become The Lizard.
10 Harry Osborn
With Insomniac's version of the Venom story seeming to revolve around the Osborns, the most likely option is that Harry Osborn will become Venom by the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Intihar did sidestep the mention of Harry Osborn when being asked about the identity of Venom at the Summer Game Fest, instead focusing on debunking any speculation surrounding Eddie Brock. Harry has already been Venom in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoons, so the idea isn't too outside the realm of possibility.
This transformation could lead to yet another emotional finale - much like the ones in Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - where the game's main protagonist has to confront someone close to him. If Harry is incapable of surviving without the suit, as is indicated in Peter's comments, it would certainly increase the stakes as Peter has to weigh up the cost of letting Venom roam free against sacrificing one of his closest friends and would parallel the heartbreaking ending of Marvel's Spider-Man where he had to save New York or his Aunt May.
If Harry does die as a result of the Spider-Men separating him from the symbiote, this could finally be the breaking point for Norman Osborn and what finally cements his hatred of Peter and Miles. Norman's transition to the iconic Spider-Man villain, Green Goblin, was already hinted at in Marvel's Spider-Man through the Oscorp equipment on display at Grand Central Station, and the prototypes in his penthouse apartment, so he has the equipment, but losing his son could tip him over the edge into madness, unleashing his villainous alter-ego.
9 Norman Osborn
Alternatively, while trying to save Harry in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Norman could succumb to the Venom symbiote himself. Norman's desperation has been a key factor in his morally questionable decisions surrounding the experimental treatment of Harry. Upon seeing what Spider-Man could do with the Venom suit, it's possible that Norman could acquire it and use it to track down Curt Connors, seeing the symbiote as a way to match and take on Connor's reptilian alter-ego. Norman's time with the symbiote could also lead to him being weakened by the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which could be the reason he experiments further with the Green Goblin serum to bring him back to health.
8 Curt Connors
Dr. Curt Connors is an amputee, which is the catalyst for his experimentation with lizard DNA, and it's been hinted at that he failed and previously transformed into a more humanoid, classic version of The Lizard with a Halloween costume of this reptilian alter-ego appearing in Marvel's Spider-Man. Lizard's appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay footage showed a much larger, more animalistic version that indicates an increase in his experimentation with more disastrous results.
Therefore, once The Lizard is defeated in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Connors is reverted to his human form, the scientist may turn to another method of regrowing his arm. Connors has access to the symbiote through his work with Norman and may have had his own private symbiote samples in his home that he could bond with to become Venom, as Peter emerges from the basement of the Connors residence as the symbiote suit forms around him before taking on Kraven's squad of elite hunters in the gameplay footage.
7 Kraven
On the topic of Kraven, Intihar stated that the hunter was "very different from any character [Insomniac's] done", highlighting that he isn't powered by magic or technology and is simply "the best hunter in the world". However, this factor could be what leads to his acquisition of the symbiote, merging the game's main antagonists into one in a way that mimics their hybrid in 2019's Spider-Man: Life Story comic run.
Kraven could become desperate to get an advantage over the many superpowered characters he is hunting across New York, potentially after being defeated by a symbiote-enhanced Peter and seeing the potential in its power first-hand, although he could find later that this additional power somewhat cheapens the satisfaction of his "Great Hunt" if it makes his opponents too easy to catch, coming full circle with his arc. Although Intihar did seem to be referring to Kraven and Venom as separate characters at Summer Game Fest, it's possible that this was a misdirect to conceal what would be such a huge plot twist.
6 Scorpion/Mac Gargan
Fans have pointed out that Venom's spider-symbol in the concept art and Collector's Edition statue for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 resembles Mac Gargan's design from the comics. Gargan's Venom design also included smaller, human eyes embedded in the large, white traditional ones that aren't present in Insomniac's design, but Gargan's was much larger and had legs that came up to his shoulders and down to his waist. It would be a surprising choice to jump to this iteration of the character, and there has been no build-up to it so far in Insomniac's storytelling, but it's worth noting that Mac Gargan has already appeared as Scorpion in Marvel's Spider-Man, so he does exist in-universe should Insomniac opt to Venomize him.
5 Martin Li
A surprising choice would be to turn a pre-existing villain from Marvel's Spider-Man into Venom. Martin Li is rumored to return in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 following his defeat as Mr. Negative in the previous game. Considering Li's hatred for Norman Osborn, who he blames for the experiments that gave him superpowers and resulted in the death of his parents, it's possible that his vendetta could get him involved in the Venom story.
Li could seek to hurt Norman by targeting Harry, and one way of doing this would be by stealing the symbiote and depriving him of the treatment he required. Of course, with the symbiote needing a host, it could latch on to Li upon this theft. This would certainly be a completely different and original take on the character from anything fans have seen before, but would likely be a controversial choice with fans should it occur given Li's pre-existing identity and special abilities, although Li and Venom do have a history in some comic iterations, as he inadvertently created Anti-Venom when trying to cure Eddie Brock's cancer, so merging the two villains' arcs again could be Insomniac's way of paying homage to this.
4 Ganke Lee
A shocking twist would be if Miles' confidant Ganke got taken over by the Venom symbiote. Ganke seems to be playing a more active role in assisting both Spider-Men, having worked closely with Miles through Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to develop the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man app to provide Miles with a direct means of communication with the citizens he is trying to protect.
In Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay footage, Ganke pilots a drone to interact with the heroes in the field and notices the shift in Peter's personality. Therefore, if Ganke also assists Miles in studying the symbiote and figuring out how to detach it from Peter, it could latch onto him in the process, making for a dramatic finale as Miles must fight his close friend, especially if he's already had to fight a symbiote-consumed Peter earlier in the game.
3 Mary Jane Watson
Another ally of the Spider-Men who could be targeted by the symbiote is Mary Jane. As has been seen in Marvel's Spider-Man and the prequel comic for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Mary Jane is extremely active in assisting Peter and Miles with their super heroics, using her background and connections as an investigative journalist to take a different approach to cases, which could put her in direct combat with the symbiote, especially as she and Miles work together to help free Peter of it.
An alternate Mary Jane from Earth-18119 merged with Venom in 2015's Renew Your Vows comics; however, longtime fans of the comics may have mixed feelings about seeing Mary Jane becoming Venom, considering how some of their encounters in the comics had some horrific results which resulted in her PTSD from Peter's black suit. However, Insomniac has already made the bold decision to kill Aunt May in 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man, so choosing to fully turn Mary Jane into Venom would be a pretty major shake-up, too. Such a moment would have lasting consequences for Peter, Miles, and even Harry, who would feel guilty that his experimental treatment led to such a fate for one of his closest friends.
2 Miles Morales
Although the recent concept art and Collector's Edition statue show both Peter and Miles teaming up to take on Venom, with Miles preparing to unleash a bioelectrical punch while Peter attempts to web-zip toward the villain, there is a small possibility that this may be a classic misdirect. It's already widely assumed given Miles' reaction to Peter's behavior in the gameplay footage, and the newest trailer's logo animation which sees Miles' bio-electricity blasting away the Venom symbiote's tendrils that the two heroes will inevitably clash later in the game's story. However, a huge plot twist would be to see the Venom suit bond with Miles, which would in turn lead to Peter having to save him, although this narrative may seem a bit repetitive with the roles from the earlier act simply reversed if Insomniac implemented it.
1 Peter Parker
There has been plenty of speculation that Venom may be the final form of Peter Parker. It's already known that Peter is going to wear the Venom symbiote in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and that it will change his personality, with Insomniac stating that this take on the Venom saga would be an allegory for addiction. What isn't known is how far Peter will succumb to the Venom suit before he gets rid of it.
Comic interpretations such as Ultimate Spider-Man went as far as to show Peter turning into a creature more akin to Venom's final form when enraged, and the symbiote-enhanced Peter already alludes to having "big teeth" like Venom at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay footage. Much like with the Miles theory above, this is likely debunked by the concept art and Collector's Edition statue that shows both Peter and Miles fighting Venom side-by-side, although it is possible Insomniac may turn Peter into a kind of proto-Venom for a boss battle with Miles before the symbiote finds its new host.