The upcoming release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is shaping to be one of the most-anticipated games of 2023 after the success and reception of both Marvel's Spider-Man and the Miles Morales spin-off. The first two titles in Insomniac's line of games featuring the web-slinging Marvel Comics hero set the stage for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to have not one, but two playable protagonists in the form of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. This utilization of dual protagonists opens up the door for the game's story to pull from one of the best runs in the modern Spider-Man canon: the Superior Spider-Man saga.
Written by longtime Spider-Man writer Dan Slott and published between 2013 and 2014, Superior Spider-Man was a standalone comic series that featured Doctor Octopus using technology to implant his mind into Peter Parker's body, becoming the "superior" version of Spider-Man in the process. After initially concluding with Otto Octavius willingly sacrificing himself to allow Peter to resume control of his body and identity, the Spider-Verse crossover brought back the possibility that there's a universe where the Superior Spider-Man still exists. With the likelihood of switching back and forth between Peter and Miles in Spider-Man 2's campaign, Insomniac could incorporate its own adaptation of Superior Spider-Man either in the main game or as DLC.
Superior Spider-Man's Adaptation Provides Reason for Miles and Peter to Clash
The two previous Spider-Man games from Insomniac each focused on their titular heroes, but with Spider-Man 2, the studio appears to be taking a different narrative approach. Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales appear together in the promotional material for the game and are known to be playable characters. Knowing this, it's possible that the story of Spider-Man 2 could focus on the relationship between Miles and Peter, both as individuals and as superheroes donning the mantle of Spider-Man. In a scenario where the game adapts the storyline from Superior Spider-Man, Miles and Peter would quickly go from friends to enemies.
In the lead-up to the game's release, fans have theorized about a possible clash between Spider-Man 2's Miles and Peter being a key feature of the game's story, and an adaptation of the Superior Spider-Man comics would make sense as the catalyst for that conflict. Given that they both share the mantle and responsibilities of being Spider-Man, Miles understands Peter perhaps better than any other character in the game. Otto Octavius inhabiting Peter's body and making decisions counter to Peter's moral compass and personality may drive a wedge between him and Miles, creating the central tension that drives the narrative forward.
Adding Incentive for a Spider-Verse Crossover
The initial run of Superior Spider-Man saw Otto Octavius learn a valuable lesson from his time inhabiting Peter's shoes (both literally and figuratively), eventually making the selfless choice to sacrifice himself in order to return Peter back to his own body. However, the existence of a backup of Octavius' consciousness and the Spider-Verse crossover event in comics led to a return of the Superior Spider-Man as there was a universe where Otto never made that choice. With the upcoming release of the Across the Spider-Verse film and the potential for a tie-in with Spider-Man 2, an adaptation of the storyline from Superior Spider-Man is a perfect fit.
Fans already have both Kraven the Hunter and Venom to look forward to as two of the confirmed villains in Spider-Man 2. Insomniac could take the rogues' gallery to even greater heights by incorporating some of the "Spider-Man vs. Spider-Man" conflict seen in trailers for Across the Spider-Verse and have the Superior Spider-Man be one of the villains players face off against during the game. Regardless of whether the narrative of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 incorporates Superior Spider-Man in the main game, the option always exists for it to serve as inspiration for story DLC or another spin-off title akin to Miles Morales.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches in Fall 2023 for PlayStation 5.