Highlights
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 seems to draw its influences from diverse Spider-Man media and not from any specific comic book storyline.
- The inclusion of the symbiote suit in the game's story demonstrates how the developers wanted to give it narrative significance and not simply make it an optional cosmetic.
- The decision to withhold certain suits until the sequel allows for a more impactful and immersive experience for players, preserving the importance of certain story elements, but it may mean that the Superior Spider-Man storyline is never adapted since that particular suit appears in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Similar to the MCU or unrelated Marvel outings in any media, there’s usually an inspirational stem that can be tied back to a seminal comic book arc. Even new franchises or interpretations with their own original continuities have clear tributes paid to comic book storylines that they’re either adapting or referencing. Much of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s influences seem to come from the Sam Raimi trilogy of Spider-Man movies rather than any particular comic book thus far, but there are always common character relationships or costume selections that can be connected to Spider-Man’s earliest source material.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 now showcases the so-called black suit now, for example, which is actually an alien substance that enhances the wearer and predominantly augments their behavior. Of course, Marvel’s Spider-Man and its sequel have loads of costume skins hand-picked from comic book appearances of the character that hold no weight in the games’ actual stories. Some suits seem to have been arbitrarily chosen, maybe as preferences the developers had when coming up with a quota of suits needed, but the symbiote suit’s stipulation doesn’t bode well for one recently confirmed suit in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Held Off on the Symbiote Suit for Story Purposes
The black-and-white suit was notably absent in Marvel’s Spider-Man and purposefully so. It was revealed later on that Insomniac wanted to do the symbiote suit justice and not have its inclusion be debuted as one of many optional cosmetics, but instead a narratively poignant addition. That was also made evident when the symbiote itself was revealed at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man in Harry’s stasis chamber, and from then on fans could speculate on how the suit would look.
Insomniac might not be thinking that far ahead for each and every suit it decides to include, but this suggests that the symbiote suit was withheld in order for a sequel to introduce it in the narrative. If players had been able to wear it beforehand, seeing the symbiote suit in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story would’ve lacked the same punch and disrupted any immersion players had between games.
The symbiote suit has profound importance in the story, at least where Peter and Harry’s relationship stands, and this is a lesson fans can learn from when it comes to what costumes are added to the game as optional suit skins. The Superior Spider-Man costume, for instance, is one that was revealed during the PlayStation State of Play last week and might be written off from ever having a place in the games’ canon as a result.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Including the Superior Spider-Man Costume Might Seal Its Fate
Moving forward, fans can expect that any Spider-Man storylines tethered to costumes will not be adapted in a Marvel’s Spider-Man story if the player can wear it idly as an optional skin. This might only affect instances where Peter or Miles themselves would wear the suit, and presumably not some multiversal Spider-Man who may or may not appear based on rumors of side quests in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but it is still important to consider.
It’s true that fans are constantly demanding for any number of suits to be available and maybe that’s why Insomniac chose to include it, but Insomniac adapting the Superior Spider-Man storyline seems highly unlikely now that fans have it to wear in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Based on how Insomniac approached the symbiote suit with such reverence, the implication here is that Insomniac has no plans to swap Peter and Doctor Octopus’ minds and have Peter die in Doctor Octopus’ body while Doctor Octopus parades as Peter.
Insomniac’s own take on that story could have been entirely different, but speculation about it might be moot at this point. On the other hand, it’s possible that Insomniac still decides to adapt that storyline but has an entirely different suit in mind for Doctor Octopus’ Superior Spider-Man or Superior Octopus to wear—especially since the red-and-black suit isn’t the only one he wears in that case—and that would be a great way to subvert the expectations of anyone reading too deeply into the symbiote suit’s implications.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20, exclusively for PS5.
