A new image for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has been revealed, giving fans a better look at the design for Venom. Although the villain has been teased for some time, fans got their first official look at his design during the Summer Game Fest 2023 showcase. However, some interesting details in this latest look could suggest that Venom will be playable at some point during the story of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, setting the stage for a major twist with the game already featuring both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as playable characters.
Developer Insomniac is keeping most of the juicy details of Spider-Man 2's story under wraps, providing fans with only tidbits of information. While the majority of the game's trailers seem to focus on classic Spider-Man foe Kraven the Hunter as the primary villain in the game, the existence of Peter Parker's Symbiote Suit made it clear Venom was set to play a major role in the game. However, the dev has been particularly tight-lipped about just what this role is, teasing a version of Venom never before seen and likely preparing players for a shocking plot twist.
Insomniac May Be Hiding the Surprise Twist of a Playable Venom
The new image of Venom shown by Insomniac ahead of San Diego Comic-Con sheds an intimidating new light on the fan-favorite villain. While Spider-Man 2's design for Venom impressively captures his grotesque appearance, what may be more interesting to fans are the background details present in this image. Behind Venom, the vehicles of Kraven's army can be seen surrounding the villain as though preparing for a fight, suggesting that the player might be the one in control of the symbiote monstrosity as he takes on Kraven's minions.
Spider-Man 2 is already upping the ante for the series by offering player the chance to play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales with the ability to swap between the two protagonists as necessary. However, it's likely this entry will follow the trend set by its predecessors and feature some missions where the player does not control either Spider-Man, such as the missions from the first game that feature a playable Mary Jane. While Mary Jane could again be the star of some of Spider-Man 2's missions or even Miles' pal Ganke, having some missions where the player takes control of Venom would be a huge improvement.
With the Mary Jane missions being one of the more controversial elements of Insomniac's first Spider-Man title, replacing those with potentially much more action-packed Venom missions would be a great way to improve upon the shortcomings of the first entry. Not only would a playable Venom be more interesting from a mechanical standpoint, but could allow the player to see the side of the story from a villain's perspective, much like Abby in The Last of Us Part 2. Given that Insomniac has stated that Peter Parker plays a big ole in the creation of Venom, it's possible going this route could give more insight into Venom's hatred for Peter.
There is still a lot left unknown about the plot of Spider-Man 2 with many threads left hanging from its predecessors and a host of teasers from Insomniac themselves. It's clear that Insomniac is aware of the fan-favorite status of Venom and wants to portray him in a way that does justice to the villain and fan expectations regarding his inclusion in Spider-Man 2. As such, a playable Venom is certainly on the table for this title, and the recently revealed image may be just the hint Insomniac was hoping to drop to get fans speculating about the villain's role leading up to release.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20 for PlayStation 5.
