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Marvel’s Spider-Man starred a different version of Peter Parker than the one we’re usually accustomed to. Insomniac Games wanted to paint the iconic wall crawler as an adult who was older, wiser, and more contemplative than the high schooler we’ve seen time and time again in the MCU, previous movies, several comic books, TV shows, and other video games over the years. Here, he’s a working adult, a grown man with fractured relationships and a life he must balance with protecting Manhattan from those who seek to destroy it. This alone is a refreshing perspective, ditching the origin story we’ve heard dozens of times and trusting the audience to fill in the blanks themselves. It’s easily one of my favourite Spider-Man stories in recent years.
Throughout the first game he becomes a teacher to Miles Morales, a young teenager from Brooklyn who also finds himself gaining powers courtesy of a radioactive spider. He’s the inverse of our protagonist - he’s still a teenager, and therefore is more overconfident, more brash, and less aware of the personal sacrifices that must be made as a hero trying to protect both society and the ones you love the most. Playing as Miles in his own adventure meant we could see things from his perspective, and how growing into a hero allowed him to provide for his family while building upon the legacy left behind by his father. He’s just a kid, and because of that he looks up to Peter Parker as a lofty superior who couldn’t possibly do wrong. When he’s taken away and Miles must save the day, he’s lost and makes mistakes time and time again. But he should, he’s still growing.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, revealed at this week’s PlayStation Showcase, aims to depict them as equals, a superhero duo working together to save the world from evil villains. The reveal trailer doesn’t give much away beyond the use of Peter’s superior suit and a few villains being teased in the form of (probably) Kraven and (definitely) Venom. It’s toying with characters and themes we haven’t seen much of in the cinematic universe and presenting interpretations that are so far removed from what the mainstream is familiar with that Insomniac can take things in any direction and we’ll happily go along for the ride. Even from this small reveal, it looks fantastic.
But I am worried about one thing, and that’s how Venom plays into the narrative. History has taught us that Peter Parker will likely find himself stricken with the symbiote suit as he becomes a darker, more reckless version of himself. But we’ve seen that loads of times, so why not give it to Miles? Like I mentioned earlier, he’s still young and reckless, his existence defined by an aura of idealism that can be so easily corrupted. Have the overconfidence that comes with being a teenage superhero morph into pompous arrogance as he becomes infected with the symbiote. Just don’t turn him into an emo stereotype who’s gonna put some dirt in your eye.
He’ll push the family and friends that have kept him grounded, while refusing to heed Peter’s advice as he seeks to complete missions by himself and fails, putting innocents and himself in danger as the suit forces him to make bad decisions again and again. I want to see Miles Morales teeter towards the precipice of existence until those who love him are forced to accept these flaws and pull him back from the brink. We’ve seen it from Peter’s perspective before, but now he needs to recognise what is happening and steer his student towards the right path. Uncle Ben once said that with great power comes great responsibility, and this mantra will need to be passed on to the next generation of superheroes.
Tony Todd’s Venom will also come into play - perhaps he will play the role of an evil tutor who warps Miles’ mind into something that goes against the idyllic vision of morality Peter Parker hopes for him to inherit. The first game had Peter view Otto Octavius as a man who couldn’t be faulted, a teacher who was always there for our hero and even kept his superhero identity a secret. Despite all this, he was still corrupted by his own ambition, falling victim to the allure of power and turning against those he always swore to protect. It’s heartbreaking, and watching Peter as he’s forced to put one of the men who helped define him away remains hard to watch. Venom stands to be the antithesis of this relationship, knowingly pulling Miles away from a mentor he once adored as he is slowly but surely turned against him.
There’s so much potential for storytelling here, and the fact both heroes will be playable should allow these divisive outlooks to be explored from a gameplay perspective as well. Miles could be careless with human life, while Peter ensures criminals are safely captured and able to face justice. On the surface it would seem like your classic ‘good vs evil’ struggle, but because we know who these characters are and how human their emotions can be, it becomes much easier for Insomniac to play with that in ways superhero games seldom do.
Break my heart into a million pieces with an unexpected betrayal and spend the entire game piecing it back together, with Peter Parker and Miles Morales learning their own personal lessons along the way. Peter might be a teacher, but he’s not perfect, and Miles coming to recognise the cracks in his facade while simultaneously facing the allure of the symbiote suit could be such a good narrative direction if executed properly. It’s a relatable moral dilemma that everyone can become invested in, while providing opportunities to go ham with Venom’s inclusion without leaving behind the wider story and atmosphere the previous two games have worked so hard to foster.
I’d love for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to spend dozens of hours having us play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, exploring individual stories that inevitably become intertwined as the symbiote suit must be confronted in order to save those who have been corrupted by it. Once the final showdown rears its head, maybe have us pick between Peter or Miles - choosing whose abilities and outlook we’d like to adopt in the closing battle as the two fight for ideologies that are fundamentally opposed to one another. Miles will lose this battle, as he should, brought back from the brink and shown the light once again as Venom is forced to retreat into the shadows. Having players lose in the final battle would be something we rarely see in modern blockbusters, but if it serves the narrative and paints these characters as people worth caring for, then it’s worth toying with agency. Going to apply to write for Insomniac now, these ideas are too good to pass up.