Spider-Man 2 swung onto our consoles late last year to universal critical acclaim. It immediately took over the hearts of fans worldwide and gave an electrifying continuation to the beloved saga created by Insomniac Games. Building upon the huge success of its predecessor, it became the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever. As we await the announcement of Spider-Man 3 (which may be released in the next 4 to 5 years) fans are still waiting for something to give them more of the story. Spider-Man 2 DLCs (downloadable content) would expand already established story arcs. They could also create new arcs or follow arcs from other media that could be important in the future.
[Warning: Spoilers from Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2 games are below!]
The story potential for Spider-Man 2 DLCs
One of the key aspects that contributed to the success of Spider-Man, was the additional story content in the form of 3 DLCs (The Heist, Turf Wars, and Silver Lining). They expanded upon the game’s narrative, introducing new characters in this world, new conflicts, and moral dilemmas for Peter Parker. Crucially, these DLCs also laid the groundwork for the continuation of the amazing storylines that continued in Spider-Man 2.
The DLCs provided additional content experiences and deepened the connections between characters and storylines. For instance, the inclusion of characters such as Hammerhead and Screwball hinted at the emergence of threats (even those that we may not think to be as serious) looming over New York City. Additionally, the involvement of Silver Sable suggested a broader conspiracy, potentially foreshadowing future installments within this universe.
For all we know, similar to the previous Spider-Man game, the DLCs could explore the most intense stories happening around New York City. By doing so, they’ll also set up future events that will be important for the story of Spider-Man 3. Even though they’re typically shorter than the main story, I believe they’ll have such an impactful quality that we won’t even notice after completion. Looking ahead, upcoming potential DLCs hold promise for further enriching the main story arcs of the game.
The first of these expansions may delve into the story of Cletus Kasady, also known as Carnage. The origin story of Carnage in comics is similar to the one shown in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. When in jail with Eddie Brock, Kasady bonded with an offspring of the symbiote, thus creating Carnage. Carnage is a more dangerous and psychopathic iteration of Venom.
In Spider-Man 2 we discover that Kasady exists in this world and is the target of Yuri Watanabe a.k.a. Wraith. Yuri seeks to kill him for his crimes against the city and its inhabitants. At the end of Kasady’s side story arc, he obtains a symbiote vial, which he’ll most certainly bond with eventually. Ergo, we’ll get the Carnage-driven DLC story where we (as Spider-Man) will again team up with Wraith to take him down.
With the presentation of the symbiote abilities in Spider-Man 2, I say that bringing Carnage into the story is exciting. The incidents and potential destruction to New York that he could bring are way worse than what Venom had planned to do. It’s not enough that Cletus Kasady has a cult of fire and likes to watch everything burn, now he’ll have the power to burn the entire city if he wants. Kasady’s psychopathic nature, mixed with the symbiote’s power, amplifies the stakes. It could be a crazy narrative experience that may serve as the culmination of this DLC’s story.
The second DLC could focus on an already teased involvement of Chameleon in crimes happening in New York City. Just like in the comics, he is the half-brother of Kraven. From what we’ve seen in the game, he wants revenge and to honor his brother by hunting down Spider-Man.
This has already been heavily implied by his words during the final moments of the mission he’s featured in: “Don’t worry, brother, I would do what you could not”. Knowing his face-changing and blending abilities, we’re definitely in for a treat. Just imagine fighting some villains from a previous game who you thought were in jail or dead, only to find out it’s Chameleon.
Who knows, perhaps Chameleon already knows who Peter and Miles are, and he could use their weaknesses against them. Just like with Carnage, the potential of Chameleon in this game may be explored in various ways. It will also serve as an opportunity to mess a little with players’ heads and give them a fully unexpected moment.
The third and last DLC was accidentally unearthed within an update to the game, regarding the involvement of Beetle. And not just any Beetle, but Janice Lincoln, who happens to be Tombstone’s daughter. Tombstone was a part of both the Spider-Man 1 & 2 stories. Even though his role was small, he left his signature tooth marks on those games. Especially after we found out he’s a good guy now. We don’t know if Janice will even be a villain in the DLC or in Spider-Man 3. From what we’ve seen so far, some teases appeared throughout the game, pointing to her presence already in this world.
That same DLC can also be used to fully introduce the character of Cindy Moon, a.k.a. Silk, who was already teased at the end of Spider-Man 2. We may see side missions where we help her, and then, in the end, she gets bitten by the same spider who bit Miles. Now that I think of it, maybe just for the sake of comic book fans, it should be just some random radioactive spider. Nevertheless, the potential of those three DLCs is huge, and the stories will be interesting.
Spider-Verse connection and possible multiverse exploration
The concept of the Spider-Verse as a multiverse inhabited by various iterations of Spider-Man and related characters has been present in the Marvel universe for a long time. Whether it was a comic book series, an animated series, or some games, all that mattered was that as long as you fans could see different incarnations of Spider-Man, they were in Spider-Heaven. Most recently, Into the Spider-verse and Across the Spider-verse became that heaven after they introduced us to the one big connected Spider-Verse.
While Spider-Man 2 primarily focused on Peter Parker’s and Miles Morales’s journey, hints and Easter eggs scattered throughout the game indicated the existence of alternate realities and alternate versions of Spider-Man. With the presence of various Spider-Man incarnations in Across the Spider-Verse (including the Insomniac one) the idea of connecting the game with the multiverse doesn’t seem that crazy. Especially when we know that was the plan all along. This is because of the side-mission of collecting the Spider-Bots in Spider-Man 2 and the recently canceled (and leaked trailer) multiplayer game Spider-Man: The Great Web.
That project was meant to explore the concept of the Spider-verse in greater depth and let players explore it first-hand. The general idea was to swing through New York City and fight crime alongside your friends in the same world you knew from Spider-Man 2. Every player would choose the suit/Spider-Man they wanted to use while swinging through the city. The mechanics from Spider-Man 2 such as web-wings and other abilities were available to all.
The one responsible for allowing us to fight multiversal threats and villains like Doc Ock, Mysterio, Scorpion, and Mr. Negative (from various universes) was the Scarlet Witch. The idea seemed quite fun, since it could let us experience a true multiverse game within an already familiar platform. The multiplayer Spider-Man game is something that I would have loved to play with my friends. Swinging around the city, fighting crime, unlocking collectibles, communicating with each other, and deploying tactics.
What’s surprising was the ending of the additional content of the Spider-Bots that initiated a cut-scene with Delilah. It strictly mentions the involvement of Miguel O’Hara and features a portal from Across the Spider-Verse. The confirmation of the multiverse present in the DLC of Spider-Man 2 after that particular side story, would be thrilling. Just imagine for a moment, you’re swinging through the city during a mission, and then suddenly you’re pulled through the vortex into another world.
This could also explain how Peter found himself in the middle of the events of Across the Spider-Verse. What is also giving credence to the multiverse aspect being explored in Insomniac’s Marvel Universe is the update provided by Marvel. In June, Venomverse Reborn#1 comic will be released. In this run, Insomniac’s Venom will travel through the Venom-verse to take on Knull, the creator of the symbiotes. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence, especially with the heavily rumored Venom game that may be in the works. So the idea of teasing players with multiverse content that could be used in Spider-Man 3 or a spin-off game, already sounds amazing.
Potential spin-offs and expanding the Spider-Man game universe
Spider-Man DLC served as a great springboard into the Spider-Man 2 story. Therefore, we can safely assume that potential DLCs for the sequel will do the same. In the first game, the DLCs teased Miles’s training as Spider-Man, how he learned what to do, how his powers work, and more. After the DLC story ended, Miles got his own spin-off game. So clearly there is a visible pattern there.
We could get a Black Cat game that continues her story about how she gets back to New York with her girlfriend and decides to fight people who want her gone. With that game, we could explore the criminal side of New York City from their perspective.
Another possibility is the continuation of Venom’s story. If we use comics as a source of the indestructibility of symbiotes, we can easily bring Venom back for his own game or in Spider-Man 3. And, like that comic book I mentioned before, makes it much easier. Because of the events from Spider-Man 2, the whole of New York was infected with the symbiotes, and those people, like Peter, have a part of the symbiote living inside them. So it’s not necessarily Harry who could become Venom, but someone else. Maybe even the Eddie Brock of this universe.
What’s most important to me when it comes to DLCs in games like this, is expanding the universe. The first game added Silver Sable and Symkaria to this world, expanding it further. But now with the second game, we can go further. The possibility of teasing future games that aren’t focused on Spider-Man is high. Also connecting Spider-Man games with the upcoming Wolverine game may be a start, but all will be revealed in Spider-Man 3.
Whatever developers decide to do, I’m sure we’ll get a very intense, deep, and quality expansion of Insomniac’s Marvel Universe. After all, we want to see good games with characters from the Marvel Universe that aren’t just Spider-Man or Wolverine.
What do you think will be included for Spider-Man 2 DLC’s? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord.
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