Insomniac Games released what is possibly the best superhero video game in years with Marvel's Spider-Man, with its sequel set to pin Peter Parker and Miles Morales against a slew of villains both new and old.
The original game had the player face several colorful villains as big as Doctor Octopus or as small as Shocker, but the sequel aimed higher with the tease of Kraven the Hunter and Venom.
The newest gameplay trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 revealed not only The Lizard but that Kraven has a whole faction of hunters as well, and they are on the prowl in New York City.
The Villains of Spider-Man 2 (So Far)
1.) Kraven and his Hunters
Introduced as only a voice in the first trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Kraven the Hunter finally revealed himself! In the opening cutscene of the recently released gameplay trailer, The Hunter was dissatisfied with his recent prey until one of his goons suggested the villain-infested New York as a new hunting ground.
Given a touchpad, Kraven was shown several potential targets, including Peter Parker and Miles Morales, not to mention a slew of past Spider-Man villains, including The Lizard.
2.) The Lizard
The first game established that Dr. Curtis "Curt" Connors had become the Lizard once before but was cured by Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the poor doctor has had a terrible relapse in the sequel, with most of the gameplay showing the Spider-Men tracking down the turned Connors before Kraven's hunters.
Another wrinkle is that both Peter and Miles appeared surprised at how big he's gotten, which could suggest that his condition has worsened over the years. But what's more pressing is that Connors is the key to helping Harry Osborn recover from the seemingly incurable Oshtoran Syndrome, hence Peter's fierce determination to turn the scientist back to normal.
3.) Venom
Savvy fans knew immediately that the inky black goo attached to Harry at the end of the original game could have only been the Symbiote, which would no doubt lead to Venom. However, it's unknown yet what origin Insomniac Games will use for the agitating Symbiote.
It could have been made in a lab by Oscorp to help his son, similar to the Ultimate Comics, or Oscorp could have found the alien, like the classic origin. However, Peter's first encounter with the Symbiote seems to be at Connors' house, which may suggest he contributed to its creation.
Fans seeing Peter's heightened aggression in the Black Suit has led many to theorize that Miles (and the player) will eventually have to fight Peter as a boss. But, of course, Miles won't be the only one fighting a friend.
4.) Wraith
In Marvel's Spider-Man DLC, The City That Never Sleeps, Spider-Man's police contact and friend, Yuri Watanabe, was suspended from the force for attempting to kill Hammerhead. However, at that point, she became so disillusioned with the law that she decided to continue taking matters into her own hands.
Moreso an anti-hero vigilante than an outright villain, Watanabe will don a new alias in Spider-Man 2, Wraith, as she does in the comics. There's little doubt she'll be a boss fight or challenge for Peter in the game, hopefully ending with Watanabe seeing the light.
5.) Black Cat
The last time anyone heard from Felicia Hardy's Black Cat was in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales when gone "straight...ish" with Simon Krieger's computer listing her as inactive. Also, it's not as if she was particularly villainous in The City That Never Sleeps.
However, if anyone could bring the Black Cat out of hiding, it's Kraven the Hunter. But it could also be as simple as Hardy becoming bored and doing some low-key harmless cat burglary or messing with Spider-Man for old-time's sake.
6.) Taskmaster
In Marvel's Spider-Man, Taskmaster was one of the many optional challenges in the game for players that ended in a boss fight with the mercenary. After being defeated, he revealed to the Webslinger that he was hired by an organization that wanted to "see if [he's] worth recruiting" and who'd have paid the superhero "six figures" before disappearing.
So, could this mysterious organization appear in this sequel? It would certainly make sense for the game to have multiple criminal factions and that it won't be limited to Kraven's Hunters.
7.) Prowler
At the end of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Aaron Davis, aka The Prowler, corroborated with the police to expose Simon Krieger's crimes, leading to their arrests. The last Miles heard from his uncle was a phone call where he thanked his nephew for making him a better person.
It's concerning then that Aaron has escaped prison, seemingly donning his Prowler costume again. Of course, Miles' uncle was possibly released early for good behavior or struck a deal, but this will be one of Miles' side-quests for the game.
8.) Tombstone
After his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man in the first game, it was shown that Lonnie Lincoln, also known as Tombstone, was still imprisoned in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but not in The Raft. So, it appears wherever he was being held wasn't enough to hold him.
It'll be curious how Tombstone could even pose a threat again to anyone since Parker originally beat him by creating a counter-drug that neutralized his invulnerability. Perhaps, similar to Connors, Tombstone's condition has evolved, and the Spider-Men will have to make room for him in The Raft.
9.) Shocker
Oh, Herman.
Big enough of a villain to have a boss fight but small enough not to be invited onto the Sinister Six. However, it seems like Shocker has gotten the last laugh, as while the rest of the Sinister Six remain imprisoned in The Raft, Shocker is free in Spider-Man 2.
How exactly Shocker, of all villains, escaped a facility like The Raft is a mystery likely to be told in the game, but it'll be unsurprising if he just ends up as another two-bit criminal in the story.
The Raft Prisoners
One more vague detail shown on Kraven's touchpad was several villains from the previous game stuck in one location: The Raft. According to the map, it seems like Vulture, Rhino, Electro, Otto Octavius, and Kingpin are still being held in the high-security prison.
Since it'd just be repeating the previous game to have another big jailbreak, it likely means these villains won't play a huge part in the sequel.
What Other Villains Could Appear?
Insomniac Games will undoubtedly have a few surprises in store for players and other returning villains besides those listed. After all, Scorpian and Mr. Negative didn't appear on the datapad, so they could still be locked in The Raft or on the lam for all players know.
Another likely returning villain could be Screwball, with her deadly antics and challenges for the player. Mysterio and Sandman have been confirmed to exist in-universe, so it's plausible either could appear, but the most likely Spider-Man villain to appear alongside Kraven could be his half-brother Dmitri Smerdyakov, also known as The Chameleon.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will release in fall 2023 on PlayStation 5.
