While PlayStation's Showcase might not have been the non-stop thrill ride of announcements fans were hoping for, it did have a handful of exciting reveals, and the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 gameplay trailer was certainly one of those. Finally giving fans their first glimpse of gameplay, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 looks as though it's improving on its predecessors in some pretty big ways, from delivering an even bigger New York City to giving players even more traversal options, to finally confirming the existence of the iconic Symbiote suit.
But while Marvel's Spider-Man 2's first gameplay trailer delivered just over 10 minutes of thrilling action, it didn't divulge too much about the game's story, mainly focusing on a mission centered around chasing down the Lizard while avoiding Kraven the Hunter and his goons. In fact, many fans have even more questions than before, and one of those asks if Peter Parker could actually end up being Insomniac's version of Venom.
Peter Parker Could Become Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Venom
For the last few years, all fans have had to go on is Marvel's Spider-Man 2's very first announcement trailer. This trailer featured the two Spider-Men facing off against various henchmen, before coming together to stare into a dark alleyway. As Kraven the Hunter's voiceover talked about finding the perfect prey, the camera made its way deeper into the pitch-black alleyway, eventually revealing Venom's unmistakable face for a split second. For almost two years, this brief trailer was the only information fans were given, and that naturally led to a fair few theories about the game's potential story.
While the identity of Venom and his place in the story hadn't been confirmed at all by Insomniac, many fans just presumed that Harry Osborn would be this universe's Venom. At the end of both Spider-Man 2018 and Miles Morales, Harry Osborn is seen floating in a tank, filled with green liquid and some kind of black ooze. This black ooze wraps around Harry's body, and seems to move independently, looking and behaving exactly like a Symbiote. Of course, a black Symbiote is often associated with Venom in the Spider-Man comics, animated shows, and past movies, so fans naturally assumed that Harry would become Venom's host in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
But the first Marvel's Spider-Man 2 gameplay trailer seems to throw a spanner in this theory. Right from the get-go, Peter Parker is shown to wield the Symbiote suit, using it to unleash a flurry of brutal new attacks on Kraven the Hunter's henchmen. While this mission's place in the overarching Marvel's Spider-Man 2 story hasn't been confirmed, it seems safe to assume that it doesn't come too far into the game, and it seems like this is the first time Peter Parker has worn the Symbiote suit in front of others as Miles questions it upon their first meeting in the trailer. Peter also exclaims during the chase that they need to find the Lizard since Dr. Connors is the only one able to cure Harry. Taking these little story tidbits into account, it seems safe to assume that Peter has already come into contact with Harry earlier in the game, and somehow, the Symbiote on Harry has transferred itself to Peter.
If this is the case, then Harry Osborn might not end up being Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 after all, or at least, not after his first introduction. In fact, Harry Osborn becoming Venom may have been a red herring this whole time, and Insomniac could be about to deliver a much more unique version of the Venom character. It's possible that Peter Parker actually loses himself completely to the Venom Symbiote in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. While Insomniac's Peter is exhibiting all the staple signs of a Symbiote-suited Spider-Man, like increased aggression and less regard for human life, it seems to be affecting this version of Peter Parker much more aggressively than previous incarnations, and Insomniac could end up making a Venomized Peter Parker the final villain of the game, forcing Miles to go up against him.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches this fall, exclusively for PlayStation 5.