Highlights
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has a wide variety of costumes, but some could have received more attention and unique features.
- The Secret Wars - Civil War outfit stands out due to its functional Falcon wings, setting a high standard for other costumes.
- Other costumes in the game could have benefited from unique traversal abilities like this suit, such as gliding with a cape as Arachknight or having animal-like movement while dressed as Wolverine.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is filled with incredible costumes for its two webslingers to wear. Peter Parker can wear nearly every single movie costume donned by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, while Miles Morales gets some neat original designs like a Wolverine-inspired outfit and a Black Panther suit that can be used to access a Chadwick Boseman Easter egg. However, though these outfits are visually diverse and the color swaps via Suit Styles are a good gesture, it feels like more could have been done with the game's suits.
More than any other costume in the game, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Secret Wars - Civil War outfit shows how creative Insomniac can be with its costumes. Like its name suggests, the outfit is pulled from a version of Civil War that took place in one of the many multiverses highlighted during the Secret Wars event era. In that universe, Sam Wilson is seemingly dead, and Peter Parker dons a suit inspired by his fellow hero. Not only does the costume have an interesting story, but a standout look and gimmick, making it a natural fit for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. However, Insomniac Games may have done a bit too well at making this costume stand out, as it is hard not to wish that more designs received the same amount of love.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2’s Leaked DLC Could Bring Back Some Beloved Suits
Spidey’s Falcon-Inspired Costume Set a High Bar
Throughout social media, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 fans could be found praising the Sam Wilson-inspired outfit for its special feature shortly after the game released. Unlike the other costumes in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that use the web wings located under Peter and Miles’ arms for floating, this costume allows players to extend the wings on Peter’s back to make it look as if they are what he is using to fly. With a neat activation animation and sound, the costume instantly stands out from the others that are available, as it allows players to feel as if they are controlling a different superhero altogether.
Removing Suit Powers from the original Marvel’s Spider-Man was another missed opportunity, as the Falcon suit could have been even better if Peter could use the wings as a shield or fire Sam’s machine pistols when it is equipped.
Other Costumes Could Have Benefited From Unique Traversal in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
There is no shortage of costumes that could have offered a unique form of traversal like the Secret Wars - Civil War outfit, with just a few possibilities being:
- Arachknight
- Iron Spider (both versions)
- Shadow Spider Suit
- Programmable Matter Suit
- Into The Spider-Verse SB Suit
- Agent of Shield Suit
- Best There is Suit
- Forever Suit
The hypothetical traversal changes for these costumes in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could have ranged from simple to complex. On the easy end of the spectrum, several costumes could have allowed players to glide with a cape instead of wings. Shadow Spider, Arachnight, and Into The Spider-Verse SB are all examples of this. While gliding with a cape or cloak instead of web wings wouldn’t have changed the game in any way, it could have helped with immersion, and Insomniac could have reused the glide animation for all its cape-related skins.
However, if it wanted to deliver more unique modes of traversal like what was seen with the Secret Wars - Civil War costume, Insomniac could have achieved this by looking at the designs inspired by the wider Marvel universe. For instance, the Best There Is and Forever outfits, based on Wolverine and Black Panther respectively, could have provided Miles with animal-like movement by having him run on all fours (both on walls and on the ground) like the two heroes the suits are inspired by. The Iron Spider costume could have had some repulsor effects when using web wings to make it feel more Iron Man-like, while the Agent of Shield outfit could have let players use a grappling hook. With fully unique options also on the table, like Programmable Matter letting Miles make platforms to bounce on, it's easy to imagine how more costumes could have had special traversal quirks like the Falcon outfit.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
The sequel to 2018's Spider-Man and its Miles Morales spin-off, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a PS5 console exclusive. Insomniac's open-world game features Peter Parker and Miles Morales as dual protagonists, with the two heroes going up against the likes of Kraven, Venom, and Lizard.
