Hopes are high for the next Marvel's Spider-Man title after the resounding success of Marvel's Spider-Man 2—a game that, while not reinventing the formula established by its two predecessors, adds to it in meaningful and exciting ways. But as beloved as the Marvel's Spider-Man games have been, they certainly still leave some room for improvement and evolution. Shaking things up with unexpected and exciting inclusions from the comics is one path forward.

The Marvel's Spider-Man games aren't necessarily dark, but they also arguably lack some of the absurdity and humor that is so important to their source material. Indeed, more than most other superheroes, Spider-Man features in stories that could almost be considered comedies, with the wall-crawler himself being fundamentally wry and witty. Wisecracks and quips are common staples of his various encounters. Insomniac's Spider-Man games take steps in this comedic direction, but the tone of their stories is much more wholesome and dramatic in nature. With three games covering fairly serious and sober topics, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 could stand to borrow some of the more ridiculous aspects of its mythology.

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A Stilt-Man Setpiece Would Be a Welcome Addition to Marvel's Spider-Man 3

Marvel's Spider-Man 3 Would Benefit from an Injection of Levity

Marvel's Spider-Man has showcased a lot of villains, including series icons like Doctor Octopus, Venom, and Kingpin. But again, these have all been presented as fairly serious and no-nonsense threats. The only true 'joke villain' that the series has featured is Screwball, but even she is relegated to a series of side missions, with very little screentime or opportunity to make an impact.

Spider-Man media is everywhere these days; from the still-ongoing comic releases to box office hits like the Spider-Verse and MCU films, the web-slinger has arguably never been more popular. Insomniac's Spider-Man games carry a lot of cultural relevance, even as Spider-Man adaptations threaten to become an oversaturated market, but the comedic relief and charm of the games isn't quite on-par with its movie and TV counterparts. Something like Across the Spider-Verse manages to get a lot of mileage out of D-list villains like The Spot, so perhaps Marvel's Spider-Man 3 could learn from this approach with a character like Stilt-Man, using him as both a cheeky in-joke for comic fans and for a bit of schadenfreude or subversion.

Across the Spider-Verse ends up making The Spot into a bigger threat than expected, so perhaps Marvel's Spider-Man 3 could go a similar route with Stilt-Man or another ridiculous villain.

There's Already a Perfect Spot for Stilt-Man In Spider-Man 3

Insomniac's Spider-Man games have great intros, which serve as effective combat and traversal tutorials, expository segments, and bombastic setpieces simultaneously. Miles Morales and Spider-Man 3 both manage to integrate great web-swinging and spectacle into their intros due to the nature of the villains they feature: Rhino and Sandman are both uniquely suited for large-scale destruction, justifying high-octane action and movement, which synergizes with the aforementioned goals of these introductory fights. Stilt-Man would be perfect for this treatment, with his eponymous stilts allowing him to tower over the city and wreak destruction from above. Spider-Man 3 could even channel a bit of Shadow of the Colossus, with players climbing up Stilt-Man as part of the fight.

Overall, a Stilt-Man intro would be exciting and novel in terms of both gameplay and narrative, with just enough absurdity to keep things light and entertaining from the outset, before the story inevitably gets darker. Like the introductory villains of the previous three games, Stilt-Man wouldn't be the main antagonist of Spider-Man 3, just the star of a thrilling, high-speed action setpiece and a breath of fresh air for a series that is at its best when exploring outlandish concepts.