Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is shaping up to be an exciting game, as there is a lot of potential that comes with two playable Spider-Men. Fans are also looking forward to facing off against Kraven The Hunter and Venom, with the latter being especially thrilling given the villain’s recent surge in popularity. However, they will likely not be the only enemies in the game, and they may not even be the most interesting.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has the chance to deliver on some of the most exciting teases from the first two games. In particular, it should capitalize on the Wraith setup seen in the original game’s City That Never Sleeps DLC. Curt Connors, who was shown in the post credits scene for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, should also take on his Lizard form. If Insomniac writes these two villains well and gives them a major role, they could outshine the two antagonists that have been shown off thus far.
Letting The Lizard Loose
Players have yet to see The Lizard in his villain form, though Dr. Connors did appear in the post credits scene for Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Easily distinguishable due to his missing arm, he was working with Norman Osborn to heal Harry using the Symbiote. Through a collectible item in the original game, it was confirmed that he had already become The Lizard in the past, with Peter making a temporary cure during their fight. As such, a reappearance can play off this history, with another emotional battle for Peter being a possibility.
With The Lizard already existing in the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe, it is not outrageous to assume that he could appear in the sequel. The appearance of Connors in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales post credits scene seems like too much effort to go through for a small easter egg, and the references to the villain through a collectible and at the costume party in the first game only add to that potential. Similar to Man Bat in Batman: Arkham Knight, The Lizard could randomly attack players in the open world, leading to a jump scare and even an unexpected boss fight. With Man Bat still sticking with players because he came out of nowhere, adding something similar could be a great way to ensure that Insomniac’s take on Lizard becomes iconic.
Exploring Wraith’s Anti-Hero Status
However, while it would be a lot of fun to see a classic villain like The Lizard shown some love in the sequel, Insomniac Games has shown that it enjoys to pull from more recent comics as well. Mr. Negative was a great example of this, and with so much attention paid to Yuri in the DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man, it seems likely that this trend will continue in the sequel.
While focusing on Kraven The Hunter and the always-intimidating Venom makes sense, Wraith is a Chekhov’s Gun that needs to go off. Similar to The Punisher, Yuri’s alter ego is driven by her hatred for criminals, with Wraith frustrated at the failures of the legal system. As such, she fights crime like Spider-Man, with the key difference being that she kills those she takes down. This will inevitably lead to the two butting heads over their differing ideologies, as Spidey will surely take the moral high ground.
However, there is also potential for the two to become reluctant partners, with Spidey possibly showing her why killing is a step too far. Wraith being playable would be an interesting surprise, as players could make use of her elastic straps to swing through the city and tie up enemies. In the comics, she also stole illusion tech from Mysterio, a gadget that would be a lot of fun to mess around with in-game. While she may just be used as a traditional boss fight or a side mission villain, making Wraith playable could be a lot of fun, and it would allow her to leave more of a lasting impact than the sequel’s other villains.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PS5.
