Spider-Man 2 may have received a lengthy release date reveal at Summer Game Fest 2023 but fans also got a clue about who (or who isn’t) behind Venom in the long awaited sequel from Insomniac Games.
The developer confirmed that Venom is not the super-villain version of Eddie Brock, who’s most commonly become Venom in the Marvel comics and films, and in doing so sent the internet into a frenzy of speculation as a result.
Spoiler warning, the below paragraphs feature spoilers for the ending of Marvel’s Spider-Man.
We learned earlier this year that Peter Parker, Spider-Man himself, becomes attached to the Venom Symbiote and uses it in combat. But the end of the first game also saw it attached to Harry Osborn as he lay in stasis.
Even with this obvious set-up, some fans are unconvinced. “Harry is too easy of a choice so I’m hoping it’s a misdirect,” said hday108 on Reddit. “If Harry dies as Venom then Goblin will just have revenge as his motive, which is kinda lame and generic.”
Another user agreed. “I have a slight issue with Venom being Harry, largely due to his lack of build-up for the role,” they said. “Venom usually represents both sides of Peter’s life colliding, where a rival or childhood friend (whatever role Eddie usually plays) becomes resentful of both Spider-Man and Peter.”
That being said, the user added that “however Insomniac chooses to execute this will be great considering the success of the first game and how much care they’ve shown the IP”.
Spider-Man 2 is set to feature another villain in Kraven the Hunter, though some fans think he and Venom are one and the same. “An interesting thing is that the Venom we see has the spider mark which normally only occurs after the symbiote binds with Spider-Man,” said Harmonius-.
“What I think instead will happen is that a story similar to the first game occurs. Kraven will be the main villain throughout the first half of the game, [and] sometime in the middle, Peter bonds with the symbiote and turns into the black suit Spider-Man.”
Despite Insomniac saying blatantly that Eddie isn’t Venom in their universe, some fans are still hopeful (and spoilers for 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight ahead).
“What are the chances Insomniac is pulling an Arkham Knight and lying about Eddie not being Venom, like Rocksteady did by saying Jason Todd wasn’t the Arkham Knight,” asked Landon1195 on Reddit. And master_chilln agrees: Hoping Insomniac is pulling an Arkham Knight and Venom is Eddie. It just makes no sense at this point to be Harry.”
Finally, Eugene719 has a theory of their own. “I’m betting that Peter Parker will be Venom instead of Harry or Eddie,” they said. “Mark my words.”
This was contested, of course, given there’s artwork showing both Spider-Men fighting Venom at the same time, but Eugene719 remains confident: “Red herrings everywhere,” they said. “Who is Spider-Man then?,” asked another user. “I am,” claimed Eugene719.
Spider-Man 2 arrives on October 20 exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and, as mentioned, lets players take on the role of two Spider-Men. Its map is twice the size of the original Spider-Man’s and players can celebrate with an edition twice the price (or thereabouts), as Insomniac also announced a fancy Collector’s Edition with a 19″ Venom statue.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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