Spoilers ahead for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Superior Spider-Man.
Summary
- Marvel's Spider-Man 3 could explore a Superior Spider-Man storyline with Doc Ock taking over Peter's body.
- Peter's retirement could pave the way for Miles Morales and Silk to become the primary Spider-People.
- The gaming medium allows for a unique adaptation of Superior Spider-Man, offering new narrative pathways.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2, in typical superhero-story fashion, ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger. The game promises to loop in several of the most menacing Spider-Man villains in the next entry, teasing foes like Carnage, The Green Goblin, and the return of Doc Ock, who debuted in the first game. But with Octavius already serving as a significant, citywide threat in Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac will have to take a different approach with his reprised appearance.
One of the most promising potential story directions comes straight from one of the best Spider-Man comic book runs. Superior Spider-Man is a comic series that follows Doc Ock in Peter Parker's body, as he attempts to surpass the hero's crime-fighting deeds. Octavius' more ruthless behavior doesn't go over well with Spider-Man's supporters, and he proves unable to match the powers of will, determination, and kindness of the man he is trying to emulate. The story ends with Doc Ock ceding control of Peter's body back to its original owner, realizing the error of his ways, and ultimately dying as something of an unlikely hero. This would be a natural progression for the character in Marvel's Spider-Man 3, and there's a key reason why this story would work well in the game.
There are actually three different Superior Spider-Man comic series, but they all follow the same general premise.
Marvel's Spider-Man's Multiple Protagonists Makes a Superior Spider-Man Story Possible
Marvel's Spider-Man 3 Could Tell a Good Story Without Peter Parker
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 suggests that Peter Parker will retire, leaving Miles Morales to be the sole Spider-Man moving forward. Thanks to his early introduction, solo game, and sharing the stage with Peter in Spider-Man 2, Miles feels like a developed, relatable character that could conceivably take over the franchise. It would be a little too easy for Peter to simply ride off into the sunset, so a game where Miles needs to take center stage for a more complicated reason could present some great storytelling opportunities.
Peter's body being taken over by Doc Ock would mean that players would have to surrender control of the original Spider-Man, but that's not such a bad thing if there are backup Spider-People to play as; In addition to Miles, Silk could appear in Marvel's Spider-Man 3, as she is teased at the end of the last game. Three's a crowd, so removing Peter from the gameplay equation could wind up being a great way to give both Miles and Silk room to breathe as playable characters.
Marvel's Spider-Man 3 Can Make Full Use of the Gaming Medium with a 'Superior' Adaptation
The Marvel's Spider-Man series is actually at a unique advantage when it comes to adapting Superior Spider-Man. As a video game, it can leverage interactivity and different perspectives to great effect, so the issue of telling a Spider-Man story without the central Spider-Man character is not only possible, but beneficial, as it opens up new narrative pathways. In other words, playing through a Superior Spider-Man video game could actually be more interesting than seeing it in a movie or TV show, since audiences can better feel the gravity of Peter's absence and potential doom.
Of course, there are still many potential problems involved with telling a Superior Spider-Man story in video game form. For one thing, Spider-Man 3 could retread old ground if players have to fight a 'possessed' version of Peter Parker again, as this already happened in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. But overall, a lot of signs point to Spider-Man 3 taking the Superior Spider-Man path, since it would be a great way to not only up the ante in this second Doc Ock story, but also a method of further fleshing out Miles and Silk as Spider-Heroes in their own right, putting the spotlight on them in a novel and interesting way.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.
Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.
Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
- Engine
- Insomniac Engine v.4.0
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
- How Long To Beat
- 17 hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
