After numerous rumors and mounting speculation from fans, Insomniac and Sony officially announced Marvel's Spider-Man 2 during its PlayStation Showcase 2021. The teaser is brief, but reveals plenty of elements that players can look forward to when the game releases. The footage teased the return of Miles Morales, hinted at new abilities, and additionally provided a sneak peak at the fan-favorite villain Venom.
Aside from this, the most notable aspect of the reveal trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was a voiceover that persisted for the entire duration of the video. This voice was seemingly the iconic Spider-Man antagonist Kraven the Hunter, a master huntsman and brilliant battle strategist. His narration carries the trailer, hinting at possible themes and plot elements that will be featured in the upcoming sequel. Based on events in the first installment, and Kraven the Hunter's comic book history, Insomniac could be planning to adapt the famous Spider-Man storyline Kraven's Last Hunt for its next PS5 outing.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - A Summary of Kraven's Last Hunt
Published in 1987 over the course of several issues of Spider-Man comics, Kraven's Last Hunt is often cited as one of the best and most impactful Spider-Man storylines of all time. Written by J.M DeMatteis and drawn by Mike Zeck, the plot follows Kraven the Hunter tracking down his ultimate prey, Spider-Man, for one final time. After a battle, Kraven seemingly kills his foe, burying him and then wearing a copy of his costume around New York City like a hunter galavanting around with the skin of its kill.
By wearing the costume, Kraven the Hunter believes he has not only killed his enemy, but now "owns" the mantle of Spider-Man, wanting to prove himself as a superior vigilante to the wall crawler. The ultimate realization and Kraven's downfall is in missing the point of who Spider-Man is, and what makes him a hero in the first place. It has nothing to do with simply slipping on some spandex, as what makes Spider-Man special is, in fact, Peter Parker; a pure soul simply wanting to do good. In terms of balancing the usual superhero thrills with more complex themes, this storyline is top-tier comic entertainment.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - How Kraven Can Fit Into The Established Story
Being the most famous Kraven storyline, it's natural to assume that Insomniac would look to it for inspiration in this upcoming game. However, this version of Spider-Man already has an established plot, so the original comic storyline would have to be tweaked in order to fit this new structure. This doesn't make it any less exciting, as there are a number of ways in which Kraven's Last Hunt could work perfectly in Insomniac's Spider-Man universe.
For one, where players last left Peter Parker in the original game, he wasn't in the best state emotionally. After losing his mentor Otto Octavius and the shock of discovering his best friend Harry is still alive, he will be tested like never before. With Venom also teased, there is the chance that Peter may be tempted by the power of the Symbiote suit. It is in this struggle that he will need to push forward and understand what it is that makes him a hero in the first place, one of the main themes in Kraven's Last Hunt.
With this mental tug-of-war happening in Peter's mind, Kraven will prove to be an external threat, pushing his physical capabilities to the limit. Spidey had several enemies over the course of the last game, with numerous reasons for someone to have hired Kraven's talents to hunt Spider-Man. Perhaps Wilson Fisk seeks revenge for being put in prison, or Norman Osborn seeks to elimate the web slinger before he uncovers hidden secrets. Or, Kraven simply comes of his own choosing, as the trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 suggests, to finally find an opponent worthy of his skills.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on the PS5.
