Harry Osborn does not play an explicitly large role in Marvel’s Spider-Man, but his character has unique significance in that he is locked away in a green stasis chamber in his father’s penthouse. Meanwhile, Peter Parker believes that Harry is in Europe, though he is able to listen to him through Marvel’s Spider-Man’s remote research stations in Manhattan, where he was voiced by Scott Porter. Interestingly, it was recently reported that Porter will not be reprising the role in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. If this is truly the case, it makes no logical sense why he needed to be recast.
The reason given by the actor for Harry’s recasting in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was that there was too big of an age gap between himself and the character, and that Insomniac apparently wants to go for a “photo real” look with the sequel. This would suggest that Insomniac originally wanted Porter to play the character in both motion- and facial-capture, but that his face reads too much like someone in their early 40s as opposed to someone in their mid-to-late 20s. Either way, there are multiple reasons why this recasting simply makes no sense when looking at Peter’s casting in the franchise.
Scott Porter’s Harry Osborn Could Have Been a Blank Canvas
Some characters in Marvel’s Spider-Man have the actor also doing the facial capture, such as Nadji Jeter’s Miles Morales. Others have facial models who represent the character’s face instead, such as Yuri Lowenthal’s Peter Parker. Because fans only see Harry’s face in a photograph from a long while ago, it is unknown which method Insomniac had intended for its Harry.
This news seems to suggest that Porter was originally intended to do the facial capture, though they would have already needed to reconcile with his age at the time he was cast if that was the case. If that was suddenly a problem, it seems odd that Insomniac did not choose to simply find a facial model to replace his facial capture, rather than recast him entirely.
Porter’s recent work as God of War Ragnarok’s Heimdall was fantastic, and even that character did not appear to be aged comparably to Porter. If Porter is out of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, that is a big loss that Insomniac will hopefully be able to come back from.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Peter Parker Controversy Makes Less Sense Now
There has been no mention or announcement of Lowenthal losing the role of Peter for the same reason, which creates a double-standard. Of course, Lowenthal is synonymous with Spider-Man at this point, and therefore it would make sense for Insomniac to take any measure necessary to keep him in the role.
But if another person could be cast Peter’s facial model without having to de-age Lowenthal in his own facial capture, then it makes no sense that Porter needs to be recast when they could have found a facial model for him too. Otherwise, Porter being recast would surely insinuate that Lowenthal should be recast as well, since Yuri Lowenthal is 51-years-old and eight years Porter’s elder. If anyone should be recast, then, it seems like Lowenthal would have to be cut.
This makes it seem like age is not the actual reason why Porter has been recast, and adds another layer to the facial model controversy that Marvel’s Spider-Man already has. It was bewildering to hear that Peter’s facial model needed to be changed for current-gen utility, and now hearing that Insomniac seemingly refuses to cast a facial model for Porter is even more enigmatic.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PS5.