Sony may not be responsible for creating Spider-Man, but there's no doubt the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise is one of the PlayStation's most important IPs. In the original Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games delivered fantastic new encounters between Peter Parker and some of his biggest adversaries like Kingpin and Doc Ock. Once Insomniac released Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it was clear Spider-Man was a permanent fixture of the PlayStation library, something Marvel's Spider-Man 2 only further proves. With Kraven the Hunter and Venom already confirmed for the new game, there's bound to be more showdowns against iconic Marvel villains.

The game's announcement trailer makes it seems like Venom could be the most important villain, as he lurks in an alley, slowly approaching Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Venom has a rich history as a Spider-Man nemesis, so he'd make a natural villain in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but it's possible Insomniac has a surprise planned for fans. In fact, the game's announcement trailer might be trying to trick fans into thinking Venom is a major antagonist, only for him to team up with Peter and Miles to defeat the game's true villain.

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Why Venom May Not Be Villainous

Venom from the reveal of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for PS5.

The Marvel's Spider-Man 2 trailer clearly tries to frame Venom as a threat. He takes a predatory posture, opening his mouth in what could be a threat to the Spider-Men, and the way he emerges from the darkness suggests he could be hiding around any corner of New York City. A hostile, aggressive Venom is nothing new to Marvel fans. The alien symbiote that merges with humans has a long history of helping characters seek vengeance against Spider-Man, gleefully wreaking havoc along the way. A post-credit scene from Marvel's Spider-Man suggest Venom is doing exactly the same thing in the Insomniac franchise.

However, that precedent doesn't necessarily mean Venom is a villain in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Lots of recent depictions of Venom in both comic books and Venom movies turn him into an anti-hero. It's possible that Insomniac intends to lean on this morally gray version of Venom rather than the anarchic villain of old. If that's the case, Peter and Miles might find out they have an enemy in common with an initially hostile Venom. Once that knowledge comes forth, Venom might team up with the Spider-Men to defeat the game's true antagonist.

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Venom's Role in the Insomniac Games

marvel spider-man 2 insomniac villains comics storylines venom kraven green goblin

There's no doubt about the likely true villain of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The game's reveal trailer features a monologue by Kraven the Hunter, who eternally seeks prey that can give him a challenge. Kraven has a long history of trying to hunt Spider-Man, but he's had conflicts with Venom too. It seems Kraven will be just as interested in hunting Venom as the Spider-Men, and the trailer even suggests Venom knows Kraven is hunting him. The result may be that the Spider-Men and Venom face off against Kraven together.

Although it's still completely possible that Venom is a core villain in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it'd be great to see Insomniac follow the anti-hero trend and make Venom a protagonist. After all, if Insomniac does that, it could introduce segments of the game where players control Venom, which sounds like a ton of fun. Venom has so many fans in the Marvel community that playable Venom segments would go down smooth. There's a lot of time before Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releases, so the truth about Venom's role will probably remain a mystery for a while. All fans can do is hope.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releases in 2023 for PS5.

MORE: What Venom in Spider-Man 2 Can Learn from the Character's Portrayal in TV and Movies