Marvel’s Spider-Man established many characters in its initial entry to address Peter Parker’s storied crime-fighting career. Interestingly, among the antagonists who appeared as Halloween costumes at Empire State University’s campus party, the Lizard was seen and pursued as Dr. Isaac Delaney’s chosen costume. Delaney meets an unfortunate demise at the hands of Martin Li and the Inner Demons, but the party itself has enough environmental storytelling to inform players of how long these super-villains have been around for.
Then, in a post-credits scene for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, fans learn that the real Lizard, Dr. Curtis Connors, is working with Norman Osborn to help find a cure for Norman’s son, Harry. Because Connors has transformed into the Lizard before, their partnership demonstrates that Norman is perhaps desperate, or that Connors has been able to rehabilitate himself. This character tease would not have happened if Insomniac did not want players to anticipate him in a sequel, and one location from Marvel’s Spider-Man DLC suggests the Lizard will be in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Silver Lining DLC Introduces Players to the Sewers
It is a common trope in Spider-Man franchises that the Lizard will be found in the sewers due to the nature of his reptilian physiology and a newfound preference for wet or humid conditions in his habitation. There is also the real-life myth of giant lizards living in the sewers, and the Lizard can be seen as a literal manifestation of that myth in New York City. If Connors’ transformation is purely rabid without sentience on Connors’ part, the Lizard may retreat to the sewers as a natural habitat hideout.
In his sentience, the Lizard may still choose to inhabit the sewers due to their seclusion and privacy. Regardless of the reason, it makes for a unique environment in which Spider-Man must track the Lizard because it puts Spider-Man out of his ordinary element. Sewer walls and surfaces are clammy and Spider-Man’s regular traversal methods are compromised in such a confined labyrinth of tunnels and water. This is instead where the Lizard thrives, and thus the tables are turned against Spider-Man, whereas Spider-Man may easily subdue the Lizard if they were above ground.
That is why Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Silver Lining DLC has been instrumental for laying the foundations of a boss battle against the Lizard in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. In one of its most extensive sequences, Peter heads underground via a manhole cover and perch-zips through New York City’s sewer network. This area is completely new to the game, and is not accessible outside the mission “Getting Deep,” where Peter searches for Hammerhead’s hideout and indulges in some “urban spelunking.”
The sewers behave like a congested interior location and, as such, players are intended to stick to linear perch-to-perch web-zips in order to progress. Players yank sewer grates and brick walls that they then maneuver through, and a stealth sequence is engaged in an abandoned subway platform.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 May Use These Sewers for a Lizard Boss Fight
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Now that Insomniac has gone to the trouble of designing a sewer layout for one of its DLCs, it would seem like a missed opportunity if it was not brought back or refurbished if the Lizard becomes an antagonist in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Insomniac could choose to have the Lizard’s fights take place elsewhere, but if they follow the same trope that other iterations have followed, it is plausible that these sewers were designed with a future Lizard encounter in mind.
Part of the encounter could have players, as either Peter or Miles, head into the sewers to locate Connors. If a chase sequence ensues, the Lizard could take to the water while Spider-Man traverses overhead. Then, a fight could realistically occur anywhere that there is also a platform for players to stand upon. The Amazing Spider-Man game adaptation shows this plainly, as well as Spider-Man 3. Moreover, Marvel’s Spider-Man could take inspiration from the Killer Croc fight in Batman: Arkham Asylum, where jump-scares and stealth are more important than QTEs or standard combat. Either way, Insomniac may have wanted to implement the sewers into its Silver Lining DLC as a way to establish this environment early on.
It would likely be refurbished and extended further than it is in Marvel’s Spider-Man, especially if visuals and traversal mechanics have been improved for the sequel. The Lizard is not among the currently confirmed antagonists for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but with Dr. Connors’ presence and the presence of a sewer level, it seems only natural to have them both appear at some point.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PS5.
