Highlights

  • Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man franchise takes inspiration from various Spider-Man media, including the Ultimate Spider-Man game and comic books.
  • The game explores Peter and MJ's relationship, with the potential for them to start a family in future installments, drawing inspiration from the new Ultimate Spider-Man run.

Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise is an original continuity, though it’s never been afraid to take explicit inspiration and direct references to other Spider-Man media. Ultimate Spider-Man influences are apparent when Harry repossesses the symbiote, for instance, while the symbiote invasion’s depiction is unmistakably reminiscent of Web of Shadows. There’s also been a handful of comic book-inspired references, whether in the game’s own imagery or in comic-inspired alternate suits, such as Spider-Man lifting rubble off of civilians in Fisk Tower referencing The Amazing Spider-Man #33.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 now lays out a fairly predictable roadmap for a third game: Cindy becoming Silk, Norman or Harry becoming Green Goblin, and Otto breaking out of the Raft to wreak havoc as Doctor Octopus yet again, with side content also teasing a bunch of villains who’ll be appearing in future entries. However, if Insomniac wants to continue with comic inspirations in a meaningful, relevant, and timely way, it could adapt similar characteristics of the new Ultimate Spider-Man run that’ll begin in January that portrays Peter as a father with a full beard.

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Lays the Brickwork for Peter and MJ’s Future Together

Marvel’s Spider-Man began with Peter and MJ’s relationship being strained despite them both still having feelings for one another.

They had separated due to MJ’s perceived lack of mutual importance and respect in terms of her having her own identity and being able to contribute to Peter’s crime-fighting, and the sequel exhumes that argument again during her Scream boss fight. Nonetheless, Peter and MJ are still together by the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and even though she may always feel a bit inferior without comparable superpowers of her own, she seems to at least have found self-purpose enough to stand on her own.

Interestingly, the Black Cat DLC in Marvel’s Spider-Man blatantly alluded to the idea of Peter being a father, with MJ supporting him and saying he’d be a good father when the timing and person were appropriate for such a monumental life change. Now that Peter and MJ are living together in Queens and Peter has seemingly hung up his tights for the time being, the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man run might be a wonderful source of inspiration.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 Could See Peter and MJ Having Started a Family

In 2024’s upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man ongoing series from Hickman and Checchetto, Peter is already an adult married to MJ with two children by the time he becomes Spider-Man. This alone is a large enough distinction in Peter’s traditional story to be alarming, though it’s easy to be distracted by another stark distinction in this new Ultimate run’s Peter: his full beard.

It’ll be interesting to see what ensues in this series and, while Insomniac probably already has a plan for its next Marvel’s Spider-Man installments, Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 could follow the same direction to suddenly depict Peter as a father, perhaps with his own newfound facial hair. Peter was roughly 25 in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and it’s unknown how long of a gap in time there’ll be between it and Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, but if Insomniac wants to leap ahead by several years it could plop down a couple of toddlers in Peter and MJ’s laps.

That said, the villain teases in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 suggest that the next entry may need to hurry along urgently since Norman likely isn’t willing to wait a handful of years to test the G-Serum on himself or his ailing son. Otherwise, a half-sequel could potentially satisfy some of these villains and explain why other events are on hold while Peter and MJ establish a family.