Insomniac Games has done an exceptional job at establishing its own take on Spider-Man’s corner of the Marvel universe with its first two superhero themed outings. In a lot of ways, the studio has knitted together concepts from across Peter Parker's history in a manner that makes its version of New York City feel more vibrant than most previous swings at the mythos. Ahead of the PS5's newly announced Marvel's Spider-Man 2, fans naturally have a laundry list of questions relating to the status of an army's worth of individual characters.
One of the characters that's left fans stumped is Insomniac's interpretation of the mercenary Taskmaster. The dramatic manner in which he showed up in the first game, before leaving just as abruptly, has made it seem like his story is far from finished. With details of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's plot starting to be revealed, there's growing reason to believe that the villain was foreshadowing the sequel all along, and that his reappearance is almost guaranteed.
Taskmaster's Foreshadowing
In Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man, Taskmaster is featured centrally in one of the game's more memorable side-quests. Throughout New York the player can uncover a series of mysterious challenges designed to test Peter's abilities, morals, and resolve. After completing a portion of these, it's revealed that the villainous mercenary is behind the scheme. Armed with his signature energy-sword and 'photo-reflexive' memory, which allows Taskmaster to effectively mimic his opponent's moves, two dramatic boss fights play out that push Spider-Man to his physical limit.
So little of the Taskmaster's backstory is given to the player during this quest that the true identity behind the iconic skull-shaped helmet is never revealed. His motivations are somewhat brought to light upon his final defeat, where it's revealed that the mercenary was hired by an undisclosed organization to monitor and potentially recruit Spider-Man. After revealing this cryptic information, the character vanishes without a trace. The fact that so many questions are left unanswered, in addition to his mission being left unresolved, is the first set of hints that his reappearance in the sequel is a safe bet. Setting so much up with no pay off heavily suggests that Insomniac has grander plans in mind for the character's future.
Taskmaster's Trailer Hints
Now that it's looking likely Kraven the Hunter will play a significant role in the sequel's narrative, there's reason to believe that he might have been Taskmaster's sponsor all along. The pair share a similar method of engaging their opponents, so it's not much of a stretch to imagine them both harboring a professional respect for each other. When it comes to motivation and resources, Kraven would also fit all of the necessary criteria. The idea that Taskmaster was hired as a forward scout, testing Peter so as to determine whether or not he was worth Kraven's time and attention, all lines up with what's been established by the first game.
If it turns out Taskmaster was working out if Peter was worth Kraven shelling out on a plane ticket to New York, it would also likely have the effect of ensuring his own repeat trip. Even though Kraven has often been depicted as an individual hunter, there's reason to believe that might not necessarily be the case on this occasion. Heavily armed mercenaries are shown fighting Peter and Miles in the game's debut trailer, with some even carrying high-tech armor and swords. Those descriptions line up with Taskmaster's own arsenal, which suggests the mercenary might have assumed some form of General-like role in Kraven's plans.
Taskmaster's History With Kraven
Across Marvel's multimedia empire, there exists something of a precedent for a Taskmaster and Kraven team-up. Most famously the pair crossed paths in 2019's Hunted storyline, when the latter hired the mercenary to hunt and capture a menagerie of animal-themed villains for his schemes. It's worth keeping in mind that even though Insomniac Games has shown a desire to put unique spins on established heroes and villains, this comic book storyline occurred a year after the studio's original blockbuster. If Kraven was the force behind Marvel's Spider-Man's side-quest, that would technically ensure the studio could claim to have had the idea independently.
What's significant about the Hunted series of books, beyond the partnership, is the fact that Kraven is fueled by the idea of legacy during that storyline. If Insomniac's own take on the character turns out to have been influenced by this aspect of his personality too, it would add an extra dimension to the idea that Taskmaster was trying to recruit Peter in the first game - further reinforcing the likelihood of the mercenary's return to see his contract through to a conclusion.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is in development for PS5.
