A superhero is only as good as the enemies they fight. The same holds true for their video game counterparts. The Marvel's Spider-Man franchise adapts many characters from the wall-crawler's rogues' gallery and tweaks them to fit the games' unique stories. From lesser villains like The Schocker to bigger threats like Venom, each antagonist has their place in the overarching narrative.
Unfortunately, not all of Spider-Man's supervillains have the same amount of care and attention put into them. Depending on the main story and what the Spider-Men have going on in their lives, Insomniac Games will prioritize certain supervillains over others. This may be easier with a handful of supervillains but the more of them there are, the harder it is to do them justice. Thankfully, it looks as though Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be able to avoid the supervillain problem of the first game.
Marvel's Spider-Man Suffered From Supervillain Overpopulation
It's quite astounding how many Spider-Man supervillains Insomniac Games was able to cram into Marvel's Spider-Man. Not only did the game create unique origins for Doctor Octopus and Mister Negative, but it introduced them in such a way that they would fit into the nefarious supervillain group known as The Sinister Six. Add in minor secondary villains like Tombstone and Screwball and players have their hands full in their attempts at making New York City a safer place.
Sadly, Marvel's Spider-Man has too many villains and not enough time to make all of them shine. The members of The Sinister Six are the best example here, as supervillains like Doctor Octopus are given more emphasis over Spidey's past adversaries like The Vulture and Rhino. Otto Octavius (the man who would become Doctor Octopus) has his backstory and motivations fully explored which makes him a well-rounded character. Vulture and Rhino, on the other hand, are portrayed as simple bad guys with selfish desires at their core. Considering the majority of Spider-Man's villains were created around the same time he was, there have been multiple stories that flesh out each supervillain's character. While Insomniac Games knows this, there simply wasn't enough room in the first game for these supervillains to get an equal share of the spotlight.
Fewer Supervillains Will Allow Insomniac Games To Flesh Out Their Stories More
As of writing, the world knows of only three Spider-Man villains that will appear in Marvel's Spider-Man 2: Kraven The Hunter, The Lizard, and Venom. Right off the bat, the rogues' gallery for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is looking much more reserved than its predecessor. Marvel's Spider-Man made it a point to showcase how Spider-Man would be fighting multiple villains in the game and how he would have to "be greater" to rise above them all.
In contrast, the sequel seems to be taking its time with its villains. The CGI trailer for Kraven The Hunter introduces the villain as a man looking for prey worthy of his hunting skills. This insatiable hunger leads him to travel to New York City to hunt Spider-Man and other super-powered individuals. Considering the game is still a ways away from release, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 might have other trailers that delve into its supervillains' ambitions and motivations.
The patience shown when handling the supervillains could also translate into the game. Both The Lizard and Venom have a lot of intricacies to their characters. The Lizard has already been confirmed to be a mutated Curt Connors - a close friend and mentor of Peter Parker's in the comics. Venom's identity, on the other hand, is an absolute mystery; so players can be sure the game will put a lot of emphasis on them. Provided Insomniac Games takes the time to elaborate on each of the new and recurring Marvel's Spider-Man villains, all of Spidey's adversaries could end up becoming just as relatable as he is.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches fall 2023 on PlayStation 5.
