Credit: Insomniac Games/Marvel“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” for the PS5 has been one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Pre-Orders for the game sold instantly as gamers wait patiently for the second installment. The first game, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018), sold $3.3 million copies in its opening week, which added up to $198 million. That figure crushed what the film, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) earned its first week with $117 million.
The critically-acclaimed video game has been so impactful to pop culture since its release that it influenced one of the biggest twists in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), according to the director, Tom Watts. Its popularity has Spidey fans hooked once more as the new trailer unveiled at Comic-Con confirms the new identity of Spider-Man’s most feared adversary, Venom.
The trailer opened to reveal Peter Parker conversing with his long-lost childhood friend, Harry Osborn. In “Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018), It was revealed that Harry was the terminally-ill son of billionaire industrialist, Norman Osborn. The first game featured side quests where Peter was able to listen to recordings Harry left behind before leaving for his mysterious treatment. Peter missed Harry throughout the game and was baffled why he broke contact with him for so long. Harry’s absence was made clear at the end of the game when his father, Norman, had his unconscious son floating in a stasis chamber of green mysterious liquid.
Harry’s return to the second game sets him up to be a prominent character that could get in the way of Peter’s mentorship with Miles Morales, the next Spidey-in-training. The web-slinging duo was then featured going against their new nemesis, Kraven the Hunter and his jungle-attired henchmen in several quick, action-packed scenes . The conflict is shown to become personal when an enraged Miles seeks vengeance on an undisclosed enemy.
The cinematic trailer transitions to a puzzling black substance known to fans as the alien parasite, the Symbiote. The host consumes Peter physically and mentally as he pushes away those closest to him like Mary Jane and Miles. Harry is shown once more, but he is no longer presented as optimistic and lighthearted. He is consumed with a poisonous hatred that manifests itself in a deep, unworldly tone. The sinister voice cuts to a monstrosity terrorizing a helicopter. The behemoth rises from the wreckage and lets out the iconic roar of the legendary Venom. This revelation was subtle, but clear — Harry Osborn is the famed Marvel foe.
These two Spider-Men will push their friendship, sanity, and morality to the brink when “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” releases October 20, 2023.
What did you think of the trailer? Will it be better than the first?