One of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s biggest strengths is that it is an original narrative. This means that while some characters have been saturated in superhero media lately, Insomniac still has an opportunity to represent them uniquely apart from other interpretations. Of course, when certain superheroes or supervillains are popular and trending, it can seem advantageous to latch onto that and ride the wave. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is only the latest game to have featured Venom, but the popularity of the character is inarguable.
In this way, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 featuring Venom is an important decision that will affect the narrative around the antagonist. There is no telling if Venom will be more or less like an earlier interpretation of the character that has become commonplace, but it would be exciting to see Insomniac take a more distinct path with the alien symbiote. Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Venom is a phenomenal interpretation of the character, for example, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will want the same to be said for its own respective Venom.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a Reminder Why Venom is Popular
Marvel’s Midnight Suns features a Venom who is an antihero, but before he was playable as part of the game’s post-launch DLC characters, he was a full-on antagonist whom players came across in the narrative. Fallen Venom was corrupted by Lilith, though, and once that corruption dissipated, the alien symbiote would go back to being in a mutually exclusive relationship with Eddie Brock Jr.
Unfortunately, Eddie isn't the most exciting in Marvel’s Midnight Suns as a character that players can befriend and interact with, but Venom’s tactical gameplay design is satisfying, and his character model design is also impeccable. Something about how monstrous Venom looks is classically appealing, and his connection to Spider-Man alwayscomes with interesting potential narratives to explore.
It is impossible to know now what an Eddie Brock Jr. could look like in the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise, though with the narrative already put in place it seems like Eddie will not be so strongly connected to the Venom symbiote in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Still, the hulking creature that he turns into is perhaps all that needs to be traditionally adapted in order for fans to be excited about his appearance.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the Latest Game to Feature Venom
Venom has always been important to Spider-Man lore, and his persistence in Spider-Man media is relative to how Batman stories will commonly feature the Joker. It was only a matter of time until Marvel’s Spider-Man would choose to feature its own Venom, but thankfully it seems like Insomniac’s take on the character will be much different than fans would come to expect. The symbiote is already in Norman Osborn’s possession somehow, for example, and Osborn is currently using it to hopefully cure his son, Harry.
Because this would insinuate that Harry has been bonded to the symbiote, he would be the obvious choice for a host in a sequel, especially if the game opens with him being released from the green fluid chamber. Fans have gotten a brief look at what Venom’s horrific facial features will look like in-game, but it will be exciting to see what abilities Venom has in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It would seem like Venom’s popularity will be seeing another resurgence this fall, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a great appetizer for players to get reacquainted with the character in the meantime.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.
