The next Marvel’s Spider-Man game has plenty to unpack. Not only are there two active webslingers to build a story around, but each has their own conflicts on the horizon. For Miles Morales, a battle with Kingpin is imminent, as the young hero infuriated the mob boss by taking down his operation. As for the original Spidey, Peter Parker will soon be clashing with Venom and possibly The Lizard. With the Marvel’s Spider-Man sequel also set to introduce Wraith, there are a lot of plot points to explore.
As such, it seems unlikely for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to touch on the multiverse, as the Symbiote story alone is more than enough for an interesting narrative. Still, it would be nice to see Insomniac plant the seeds for a future game after the credits have started to roll. Both of its Spider-Man games thus far have had post credits sequences, so Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 having a stinger makes sense. While it could tease several things, one excellent option is Green Goblin.
Why Norman Osborn Becoming Insomniac’s Green Goblin Makes Sense
In the Marvel comics, there have been a few different characters to take on the role of Green Goblin. However, Dr. Bart Hamilton is fairly forgettable, and with Ben Urich not having a big part in the Marvel’s Spider-Man story thus far, it makes little sense to focus on his nephew becoming the villain. Neither of these Goblins could have existed in the comics without the originals, either, so the only real options are Norman and Harry Osborn - the most iconic Green Goblins.
With Peter’s best friend Harry Osborn set to become Insomniac’s version of Venom, though, it seems like the only valid candidate for this universe’s version of Venom is Norman Osborn. Fortunately, that works very well. While it is unclear what exactly will go down when Peter is forced to fight Harry, there is a legitimate possibility that this conflict ends in the latter’s death. If Harry does die in a battle with Spider-Man, Norman has every reason to snap and hunt down Peter Parker, blaming him for what happened to his son.
Green Goblin is arguably the most iconic Spider-Man villain, as he has left a significant mark on the Spidey mythos. Admittedly, Insomniac’s Norman lacks the build and attitude of this terrifying adversary, as he is shown to be cowardly in the games. However, losing his son could make him dangerous, with Norman changing his motivation completely. Upon blaming Peter for the death of Harry, Osborn could create and use the Goblin serum in the post credits scene of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Not only would this be strong character development and make sense since Norman clearly loves Harry, but the added strength and personality changes from the Serum could explain Norman’s transformation into a formidable threat.
What Green Goblin Could Bring To Marvel’s Spider-Man
From a story perspective, adapting the death of Gwen Stacy seems like a no brainer. While the victim of Goblin’s villainy would need to change, as Gwen has no significant role in the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe, the likely candidate is obvious. Insomniac could simply switch over to MJ, putting the love of Peter’s life at risk. With Aunt May’s fate already proving that Insomniac is willing to take risks with the Spidey mythos, killing off Mary Jane could completely break Peter. It could lead to him going off the deep end or retiring, with Miles permanently taking over as the only Spider-Man as a result.
From a gameplay perspective, Green Goblin is the perfect villain for a Marvel's Spider-Man game. Not only could a fight with Goblin match the emotion seen in something like the Doc Ock fight because of Norman's closeness to Peter, but his ability to fly on a glider guarantees an awesome set piece moment. Much like Peter chased Shocker and Miles chased Tinkerer, the Green Goblin could bomb the city while Peter does his best to chase him down. A memorable mid-air battle could result, with players fighting on the villain’s glider and crashing through buildings. With so many positives to a fight with a villain like Green Goblin, and the defeat of Harry Osborn’s Venom being the perfect entry point for him in the story, he seems like a great candidate for a future Spider-Man game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is rumored to be in development.
