Highlights
- The Kraven reveal in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 hints at the presence of several side characters, including members of Doctor Octopus' makeshift Sinister Six.
- Martin Li, aka Mr. Negative, returns in the game, potentially allowing for closure between him and Miles Morales, who was deeply affected by his father's death caused by Martin.
- While it would make sense for Peter and Otto Octavius to meet at the Raft, where both Peter and Miles seemingly intervene, Insomniac might save that moment for another time to highlight Miles' character development.
An idea of how many side characters might be in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was given in the Kraven reveal. Here, the datapad glossed quickly over an assortment of characters and their whereabouts in New York City, including Yuri Watanabe’s Wraith. It is fully possible that there will be a handful of minor villains players encounter that was not shown, but it is interesting to note that the datapad explicitly addresses several key members of Doctor Octopus’ makeshift Sinister Six. One character who was not seen as part of these character profiles, though, was Martin Li, also known as Mr. Negative.
Martin Li’s Mr. Negative played a huge role in Marvel’s Spider-Man’s marketing and was the most substantial villain up until the unsurprising reveal of Otto Octavius’ villainy. Martin was responsible for the death of Miles Morales’ father, Jefferson Davis, and Miles was obviously particularly affected by this death when attending his funeral. However, since then, his father’s death hasn’t been brought up again with any significance and the whereabouts of Martin himself were fairly confusing since the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Now that he’s back, another villain is sure to be caught up on, too.
Mr. Negative Makes Miles Morales Unique
Martin is making an unexpected appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as revealed in the SDCC 2023 story trailer, albeit with a distinct look. Dressed in an orange collared shirt it is surmised that he is still incarcerated at the Raft, but another breakout seems to have been caused by Yuri that has led both Spider-Men there to intervene while the prison is up in flames once more.
Particulars aside, what is confirmed is that Miles will have a face-to-face with Martin that will hopefully provide both characters with closure. Martin looks painted to be a reformed citizen here, and it would be interesting to see Miles having to reconcile with this murderer having done the work thus far to stifle his inner demons. How Martin could be restrained and not simply escape using his abilities is another question, though his suppression of it may also demonstrate his willingness to be a better person following the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Martin helps make Miles unique apart from other interpretations of the character as a result, and it’ll be exciting to see how that conversation pans out for both of them. That said, if Insomniac is rehashing an important dynamic from the original game with Martin and Miles, it would not be out of the realm of possibility for Peter and Otto to be reunited as well.
Doctor Octopus is Sure to Be Accounted for in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Otto was foundational in Peter’s character development throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man as a mentor and an employer. Otto becoming a villain was heartbreaking for Peter and the epilogue tease of Otto staring menacingly into the camera is sure to have some importance down the line. It would muddy Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to try making him a villain again so soon, but since Peter and Miles will already seemingly be at the Raft it would make sense for Peter and Otto to bump into each other the same way that Miles and Martin will.
Of course, Insomniac might want to reserve that moment for another time to make Miles’ stand out, but if Otto is not seen at all or alluded to while they are there it will feel like a missed opportunity. Perhaps this mayhem will allow Otto to escape with other inmates, giving him a chance to appear in a future installment as a boss again. Peter surely has his plate full of concerns in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and it is plausible that throwing an Otto encounter at him would only make that plate overflow with unnecessary baggage for the time being.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
