The Marvel’s Spider Man 2 The trailer revealed during the PlayStation Showcase last September confirmed that Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be taking on Venom in the sequel. While there is much speculation about the disembodied voice in the trailer, fans are sure that Venom promises to be an equal or greater threat than the narrator speaking to them. It goes without saying that the black symbiote will prove to be a challenging opponent for the two Spider-Men.
Venom’s Introduction to Insomniac Games’ Spider Man universe has a lot of weight behind it. First, it confirms fan speculation that Norman Osborn used the alien symbiote to heal his ailing son Harry in the first Marvel’s Spider-Man. This would mean a drastic change in the mythos by making Harry Osborn a host for Venom instead of Eddie Brock. Adding Venom also means symbiotes will play a bigger role in the overall story, including future appearances from characters like Scream, Toxin, and Carnage.
One big symbiote family
One cannot call Venom without Carnage. A descendant of Venom, Carnage has become his father’s nemesis as well as a defender of Spider-Man. Carnage is so powerful that it could force both Spider-Man and Venom to put aside their differences in order to defeat a stronger foe. Unlike Venom, who has a moral compass, Carnage loves nothing more than killing for fun; making him a dangerous enemy that cannot be reasoned with. There’s a lot of lore and storytelling surrounding Carnage, so much so that it would be impossible to fit it all into a game that also introduces Venom and other unnamed villains.
It is for this reason that Carnage should not be in the spotlight with Marvel’s Spider Man 2‘s villains. Adding another villain to a multi-antagonist game would decentralize the plot and give the villains less time to shine. Since fans of these characters want them to get what they deserve, it would be in Insomniac Games’ best interest to save such an important villain for another game or DLC.
Supersaturation of megalomaniacs
It’s not as if there hasn’t been an oversaturation of villains like the first one before Marvel’s Spider-Man had many. Apart from mr. Negative and Doctor Octopus – whose backstories were explored throughout the game – the villains in Marvel’s Spider-Man were mostly shallow hurdles for Spider-Man. Enemies like Kingpin, Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, Taskmaster, Screwball, and Tombstone were largely forgettable given their lack of screen time and how they were written. This is a shame, as the villains have just as much story behind them in the comics as the other, more elaborate enemies in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Instead of repeating what the first game did, Insomniac Games should focus on reducing the number of villains in Marvel’s Spider Man 2. Doing this gives the developers more time to make each villain feel like a character with depth and motivation. Since each villain is a reflection of Spider-Man’s dark side (this is especially true of Venom), Marvel’s Spider Man 2 should focus on the nuances of being a hero and how no one is as pure of heart as they come across.
More carnage in the future of Spider-Man
While it’s not a bad idea to add Carnage to a game that revolves around such themes, Insomniac should build the character throughout Marvel’s Spider Man 2. This could be done the same way as how Harry Osborn was built in the first one Marvel’s Spider-Man through in-game hints, dialogue, and a post-credits scene. Venom itself could be used as a medium for storytelling. By displaying Venom’s ferocity and capacity for evil, Insomniac Games can sow the seeds of fear before revealing that Carnage is even worse than his parent symbiote. Doing so will make Carnage seem more of a threat, and his transition to the spotlight for DLC or a sequel will be hugely hyped.
Carnage has huge potential as a Marvel’s Spider-Man villain, but it would be wasted if they were added in a game that already has a symbiote antagonist. It would be best to firmly establish Venom as a character before adding any of his kin to the mix. This would be a supersaturation of symbionts in the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe, leaving enough room for other villains to get their chance to defeat Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Spider Man 2 is slated for a 2023 release on PS5.
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