In the three years since it launched in 2018, Spider-Man has become one of the most essential PS4 exclusives and must-play experience for fans of the action genre. The open-world web-slinging adventured combined classic sandbox tropes with modern graphics and an amazing physics engine that made using Spider-Man's power more engaging and immersive than ever. That said, there's always room for improvement, right?
Spider-Man had a very interesting plot that struck a great balance between Peter Parker's down-to-earth family drama with Aunt May and hot-and-cold romance with MJ, while also navigating through an intense city-wide conspiracy involving many iconic Spidey villains led by Mister Negative.
The game did a fantastic job with world-building and introduced a ton of classic characters from the Spider-Man comics, movies, and cartoons. The world felt incredibly believable and lived in, despite not having any significant larger connections to the rest of the Marvel universe. As the world of Marvel games, and the Spider-Man franchise, continue to grow, it seems logical to lean a bit further into the expanded Marvel cast of heroes, villains, locations, and organizations the next time Spider-Man returns to a Sony console (hopefully early on in the PS5 era).
Spider-Man may not be a founding Avenger, but for the past decade or two of comics he has been either on the Avengers or closely connected to that team very consistently. During the New Avengers era, Spidey was a key cast member in the Avengers books and was the heart and soul of the powerhouse team up in many ways. Combine that with the central role Peter Parker played in the Civil War storyline as he found himself torn between his loyalty to Tony Stark and his admiration of Captain America and it's easy to see that some of Spidey's most exciting character arcs are tied to the larger Marvel universe.
Obviously many solo Spider-Man stories can be cited as great adventures too. From Kraven's Last Hunt to Spider-Man: Blue there are tons of solo, street-level Spider-Man stories to pull inspiration from for future games. That said, some appearances from other marvel heroes or a visit to a location like Avengers Tower seems like a great way to begin creating a larger Marvel games universe for players to explore. There's no denying that part of the MCU's success came from the the way each film connected to the those that preceded it and created larger storylines that could be explored across multiple films. As more AAA Marvel games start to arrive, it would be very exciting to see a similar approach to the development of each game's stories.
Marvel's Avengers obviously hasn't arrived yet thanks to a handful of 2020 delays, but when that title arrives we will see how Thor, Captain America, Tony, Hulk, Black Widow, and Ms. Marvel end up being represented in the Marvel video game universe. As that game grows and continues to evolve, it seems very likely that more heroes and locations will be added as DLC or expansion content. At this point, it's a little unclear if the game exists in the same universe as PS4's Spider-Man or if it is a separate universe entirely. If the two games do exist in the same timeline, it would be very exciting to see references to the events Marvel's Avengers and the fallout of the Avengers explored in a game like Spider-Man 2.
Obviously cramming too much Marvel lore into Spider-Man 2 could end up ruining part of what made the original game some special and self-contained, but there is definitely a middle ground that could be reached. For example, consider the way that Black Cat was used in Spider-Man. The character was only really used for side quests and players had a chance to either explore this side adventure or totally skip over it and stick to the game's main narrative. This sort of approach could definitely be used to introduce other Marvel heroes or locations along the path of Spidey's next big adventure.
Keeping the core story focused on Spider-Man and Peter's personal struggles seems like the best recipe for success and it would be a shame to see the sequel lean too hard into Avengers-level threats. That said, interacting with folks like Tony Stark, Matt Murdock, or Dr. Strange along the way seems like a great way to continue world-building and ensure that the Spider-Man silo of the Marvel video game universe doesn't feel too disconnected from the rest of the Marvel universe.
Similarly, there could be ways to incorporate locations like Avengers Tower/Mansion as a side quest without shifting the whole focus of the game to the larger Marvel universe. Keeping the core story in Spidey's corner of New York seems like a smart move to maintain a similar tone that worked well in the first game, though Spider-Man: Far From Home definitely proved that a Spider-Man story can still work outside of the big apple.
At this point, Spider-Man 2 is still just a rumor, but with the PS5 reveal event looming, it seems like a follow-up to the hit game is inevitable. Be sure to check back in the near future for more PS5 and Spider-Man 2 news and updates.
Currently, no sequel to the PS4 Spider-Man game has been officially announced.
