Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is positioned to be the biggest PS5 exclusive leading into the holiday season. After the spectacular 2018 original, and 2020 spin-offMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Insomniac has proven itself as a studio that truly understands the beloved wall crawling superhero. Hype is at an all-time high, and with the recentgameplay demo during the PlayStation Showcasein May, this sequel looks like its shaping up to be quite the thrill ride.
Of course, a superhero would be nothing without a rogues' gallery, and Spider-Man as one of the most varied, colorful and lethal collection of foes in comic books. The original used several iconic characters like Kingpin and Doctor Octopus, but there still remains a treasure trove of villains for Insomniac to utilize inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. There are still several months until release, and the studio surely has some surprises in store, but as of right now there are already a handful of enemies confirmed for ol' webhead to square off against. While some anti-heroes like Wraith, Black Cat, and Prowler have been teased and could be potential allies, the following characters are confirmed to clash with the wall-crawlers.
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Kraven The Hunter
First teased in the 2021 reveal trailer, then officially shown off in the aforementioned gameplay demo, Kraven is one of Spidey’s oldest foes. An expert hunter with top tier tracking skills and hand-to-hand combat prowess, he is a formidable foe for Spidey to face off with. Kraven seems to be positioned as one of themain antagonists inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, being a driving force for the narrative and setting many of its biggest moments into motion. Kraven lives for the thrill of the hunt, and will stop at nothing to catch what he deems to be his greatest prey yet: Spider-Man. Sony clearly wants attention on the character of Kraven, as just a few weeks before its release, a feature film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson will hit theaters.
The Lizard
Another character from the golden age of Spider-Man’s comic book history, the Lizard is the tragic result of Dr. Curt Connors science experiments gone wrong. While trying to re-grow his missing limb with reptile DNA, Connors accidentally turned himself into a giant Lizard, with ferocious levels of strength, speed and savagery.Insomniac’s take on The Lizardgives him a different appearance than the usual design, looking more like a literal giant animal as opposed to the anthropomorphic look from the source material. With a giant creature like this loose in New York City, it’s possible that this is what first catches the attention of Kraven the Hunter, rather than Spider-Man.
Venom
A fan favorite since his first appearance, Venom ranks among the most popular and sinister of Spider-Man’s vast catalog of villains. The result of an alien symbiote which Peter Parker rejects that latches onto the bitter Eddie Brock, Venom is a being of pure vengeance that will stop at nothing to ruin Spider-Man’s life. Insomniac has already confirmed that Brock will not be thehost of Venom inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, with the game set to be a deviation from what has come before. This has led to some speculation over the true identity of one of Spider-Man’s most iconic foes, something which will hopefully result in a sensational reveal and showdown once the game becomes available.
Other Possible Villains
The above are villains confirmed to appear, but there are a number of possibilities for other villains to beef up the total roster. The original game introduced Norman Osborn and several hints at his alter ego, theGreen Goblin, one of Spidey’s most dangerous enemies. Combine this with the fact that Kingpin, Rhino and Tombstone are still around, and there’s no shortage of options for villains to show up in the sequel.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2launches on October 20th, 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5.
