All the ways Insomniac Games is teasing the next Spider-Man game in Spider-Man 2
Marvel comics, TV reveals, and particularly films appear to have a requirement to emphasise the “what’s next” of all of it, the place the finish of all the things is additionally a tease for one thing else. Effectively, of us, Insomniac Games took that task, ran with it, and took just a few further laps only for good measure.
Spider-Man 2, the triumphant sequel of one in all the greatest video games of 2018, is full of teases and Easter eggs, all of which may very well be spun off into new video games, half-sequels, or the final finale of Spider-Man 3. We’ve bought evil brothers hidden in plain sight, a mysterious bartender rendered in PlayStation 1-style graphics, and extra symbiote threats than we initially thought. Let’s tuck into it.
[Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. If you haven’t beaten the campaign of the PlayStation 5 game and cleared every side mission, you will probably be spoiled by something in here.]
Spider-Man 2 sequel teases
There are a number of teases for the way forward for Insomniac’s Marvel video games, and several other of them come at the very finish of facet missions or are a bit obscure if you happen to’re not a comics reader.
Otto’s plan for the ultimate chapter
In one in all the post-credits scenes for Spider-Man 2, Norman Osborn visits his previous frenemy Otto Octavius. Otto is, after all, imprisoned in the Raft penitentiary due to all these crimes he dedicated as Physician Octopus again in the first game.
Norman needs Otto to inform him the id of the Spider-Mans in order that he can search revenge in opposition to them for placing Harry in a coma. Otto, who was lab companions with Norman however now hates his guts, revels in Osborn’s struggling and refuses to assist, and he simply retains engaged on his manifesto. When Norman asks what Octavius is writing, he merely responds, “The final chapter,” as he limps towards the digital camera.
The tease right here is actually simply that Otto is clearly going to be again in some capability in a possible Spider-Man 3. Though together with his bodily situation worsening (it’s established in Marvel’s Spider-Man that Otto has some type of degenerative mind dysfunction that’s inflicting him to lose his high quality motor expertise), it’s unclear whether or not he’ll be combating on the entrance strains or enjoying the function of grasp tactician.
Miles, meet Cindy and Albert Moon
After Miles’ mother, Rio, spends the total game asking him to fulfill her new boyfriend, Miles lastly opens the door to fulfill Albert in one in all the post-credits scenes. However Albert isn’t actually the tease right here, because it’s shortly revealed that Albert has introduced his daughter Cindy with him to the household dinner.
Cindy Moon is higher referred to as Silk, one more Spider-person who fights baddies and protects New York. In some variations she has a slightly traumatic upbringing and isn’t significantly shut together with her father. Insomniac is clearly seeking to twist this origin, though we’re not fairly positive how simply but.
Norman needs the ‘G-Serum’
After the Spider-Mans and MJ defeat him, Venom reverts again to Harry, who, as we stated earlier, is in a coma. In a match of rage over his son’s situation, Norman calls someone to ask for the G-Serum.
Now, it’s by no means explicitly said, however this is about as on the nostril as you may get for a Inexperienced Goblin tease. In the second, it looks as if Norman needs the G-Serum for Harry, however we now have little doubt it’ll find yourself in the disgraced former mayor ultimately.
Wait, isn’t that Knull’s image?
Throughout the marketing campaign, it’s revealed that the symbiote got here to Earth through a meteor, and that meteor has an enormous, red spiral on the entrance of it, which is most frequently related to Knull, aka the King in Black, the tyrant god of symbiotes.
Apparently, the game by no means mentions Knull by title, and even actually alludes to a further cosmic presence exterior of the meteor itself, which Miles, Pete, and MJ destroy at the finish of the story. This may very well be only a nod to comics followers, however it may be a seed that may blossom right into a full symbiote invasion led by the king himself.
Cletus Kasady is in possession of a symbiote
Peter works to take down a cult known as The Flame over the course of Spider-Man 2, And in the ultimate quest, Insomniac reveals the cult’s chief to be none aside from Cletus Kasady, everybody’s favourite serial assassin.
Cletus is the symbiote host for Carnage, the red-tinged symbiote villain who has given each Venom and Peter a number of hassle over the years. With Kasady uncaptured at the finish of Spider-Man 2 and in possession of a wholesome symbiote, the rise of Carnage is all however assured.
The Chameleon is thriving in NYC
After chasing down all of Kraven’s drones, the two Spider-Mans ultimately come across a good looking penthouse residence with a secret basement. Seems this place belongs to Chameleon, a grasp of disguise. (Enjoyable reality: He was the first villain Spider-Man ever confronted in the unique comics.) Oh, and the Chameleon is additionally Kraven’s brother.
As the Spider-Mans swing away from the residence, we see a man in disguise trying towards the rooftops, indicating that the Chameleon was watching as the heroes ransacked his residence. Chameleon has clearly been arrange in the metropolis for some time, and this tease appears to point that he’ll seem in a Spider-Man sequel.
Miguel O’Hara and the Bar with No Title
When you’ve collected all the Spider-Bots in the game, you’ll get a sign that leads you to an alleyway. While you get there, a portal opens, and also you see a bartender named Delilah standing behind a bar. Delilah is the operator of the Bar With No Title, a secret bar for villains in the Marvel universe. After a cryptic chat, she opens a field and steals all the Spider-Bots you spent so lengthy amassing. She then name-drops Miguel (O’Hara) earlier than shutting the portal.
This is a bizarre little Easter egg that doesn’t precisely have a transparent tease. However with the nature of the Spider-Bots all being primarily based on Spider-Man characters and villains from different universes, and Delilah’s model being that of a PlayStation 1 game, this appears to be teasing a multiversal story or some type of crossover. It’s very unclear what this may very well be resulting in or what it has to do with Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099.
Spider-Man no extra?
Pete hangs up his tights at the finish of Spider-Man 2, letting Miles deal with the metropolis whereas the unique Spider-Man will get a well-earned break. However this appears extra like a Spidey-hiatus than full-on Spidey-retirement. We’d wager we’ll see a good time skip between Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, and that Pete can be married and doubtlessly a father earlier than he dons the swimsuit once more.
Are we getting one other half-sequel?
Spider-Man: Miles Morales was an enormous hit with followers, and took the huge, sprawling Marvel’s Spider-Man and condensed it all the way down to only a handful of hours. It advised an awesome little story, launched us extra utterly to Miles as a hero, and, crucially, did a number of legwork to arrange Spider-Man 2.
Primarily based on the reception of Miles Morales, it appears extraordinarily unlikely that we received’t see one other half-sequel that bridges the hole between Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. The true query, then, is who that half-sequel can be about. We’ve got a handful of concepts on that.
Venom
Venom is the clear candidate for a by-product game. Not solely is he briefly playable in Spider-Man 2 already (we’re not game designers, however we now have to think about not less than a few of that arduous dev work will switch over to a brand new game), however it looks as if Insomniac’s builders have not less than considered it.
In a latest interview, Spider-Man 2’s narrative director, Jon Paquette, told Insider that the workforce is ready to see how followers react and what they need earlier than committing to any spinoffs. This was in direct response to a query a few Venom game, so most individuals (ourselves included) are taking this as not less than mushy affirmation that Insomniac is toying with a Venom spinoff, and that the reply principally quantities to “we’re not not making a Venom game (*wink*).”
However you might be asking your self, “Wait, isn’t Harry in a coma, and wasn’t the Venom symbiote destroyed?” The reply to each of these questions is technically sure, however there’s a Venom-sized “but” that follows. Spider-Man 2 very clearly establishes that symbiotes stay inactive inside the host even after they’ve separated themselves from the unique parasite.
Identical to how Mister Destructive was capable of harness Pete’s latent symbiote to show him into Anti-Venom, it appears very straightforward to clarify how somebody with a really highly effective connection to their symbiote (like Harry) might have their alter ego reawaken regardless of the host symbiote being “dead.” This may very well be particularly enjoyable with Harry’s present predicament, because it means we might spend the first little bit of a Venom game piloting round a comatose Harry, wreaking havoc and stepping into scrapes with Miles.
Silk
Silk is one other sturdy risk for a by-product, because it’s primarily the similar setup that led from Spider-Man into Miles Morales. Nevertheless, Miles performs a significant function in the first Spider-Man earlier than getting any powers. All we see of Cindy is the again of her head, and we be taught nothing about her character in Spider-Man 2.
With Silk simply being a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tease, it appears more likely that she’ll function closely in no matter half-sequel we find yourself getting earlier than being playable in Spider-Man 3.
Miles Morales 2
Our ultimate guess for a half-sequel is only a straight-up sequel to Miles Morales. This makes some sense, however is additionally simply boring in comparability to the different two choices — no offense to Miles, however we have already got two full video games the place we will play as him at any time when we would like!
Nonetheless, a Miles sequel would enable Insomniac to discover a New York the place Miles is the solely Spider-Man, and even deliver Cindy in as his trainee. This might be a poetic handoff after the tutelage Miles obtained from Peter in Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2, and an awesome setup for a 3rd game. I imply, who doesn’t wish to hear Pete check with himself as Silk’s “Spider-Grandpa”?
However a Miles Morales sequel in that style is nonetheless retread floor, and Insomniac appears hell-bent on delivering new experiences every time it places out a Spidey product.
So the place does that go away Spider-Man 3?
Insomniac Games has clearly left itself a lot of wiggle room relating to the way forward for its Spider-Man. Will Carnage present up in Spider-Man 3, or will he take middle stage in a Venom game? Is that Miguel teaser an offhand tease of one other spinoff we don’t learn about, or simply one other facet exercise in a sequel that’s most likely 5 years off? We don’t know the solutions to both of these questions, and it’s fully doable that Insomniac doesn’t have them 100% pinned down but, both.
So what do we all know for positive about the next game? Effectively, Norman’s Inexperienced Goblin can be a reasonably large deal. That’s a really secure wager — the free house on all of your Spider-Man 3 bingo playing cards at house. We additionally know that Otto will play some type of function as effectively, probably as a 3rd celebration warring in opposition to each Inexperienced Goblin and Spider-Man.
And we all know we’ll haven’t any scarcity of heroes for us to embody, with Miles, Cindy, Peter, and (most likely) Harry all on the bench and able to tackle no matter Insomniac has in retailer for New York.
We’re nonetheless not less than two or three years (and a whole-ass Wolverine game) away from studying what’s next for Insomniac’s New York. However the studio has definitely given us a lot to ponder in our time away from the web-head and his crew of buddies and enemies.