Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Marvel's Spdier-Man 2!
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has landed on the PS5, and it gives superhero fans another wild romp through a digital New York City. The game is stuffed to the brim with iconic Marvel heroes and villains, as well as plenty of deep-cut references to the Spider-man comics. Some of those references even provide some clues about Insomniac’s inevitable next Spider-Man game.
Let’s break down the ending to Spider-Man 2, along with the side quests that set the stage for more Spidey content down the road. From the return of Doctor Octopus to the emergence of Spidey’s greatest nemesis, this is what to expect from a Spider-Man sequel.
Peter Parker Retires
Over the course of several games, Insomniac has established a universe wherein Peter Parker and Miles Morales share the mantle of Spider-Man. Peter is the veteran hero, having been on the job for roughly seven years by the start of the original Marvel’s Spider-Man. Miles is the rookie, gaining his spider powers in the original and coming into his own in the 2020 spinoff Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Both characters share the spotlight in Spider-Man 2, allowing gamers to quickly switch between Peter and Miles on the fly.
In this way, the Insomniac series is more akin to Marvel’s current Spider-Man comics than it is the Spider-Verse animated movies. In the movies, Miles exists in a universe where his Peter Parker died and he’s taken over the mantle of Spidey. The Ultimate Spider-Man comics used to feature a similar arrangement, but Miles has since made the jump to the core Marvel Universe and now fights alongside the classic Peter Parker in his new home.
However, the ending of Spider-Man 2 suggests that things may be changing in the Insomniac universe. Peter ends the game by hanging up his tights and ceding the Spider-Man mantle to Miles. Peter is retiring in order to focus his energy on getting his charitable organization The Emily-May Foundation up and running. It’s a big step for Peter, who’s finally learning that there are ways he can help the world and live up to his great responsibility other than being a costumed vigilante.
This is an equally big step for Miles, who has gone from being the younger, secondary hero to being New York’s one and only Spider-Man. We assume this ending is setting the stage for a direct sequel to Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with Peter’s retirement providing the justification for why Miles is the only hero in the spotlight. As for the inevitable Spider-Man 3, surely some new disaster will compel Peter to come out of retirement and suit up once again. This game provides plenty of clues as to what that disaster might involve.
Green Goblin in the Insomniac Universe
The Insomniac Spider-Man universe is unusual in that it has no version of the Green Goblin, arguably Spidey’s greatest and most iconic nemesis. Norman Osborn has certainly played a major role in these games, but he has yet to become Green Goblin. Norman is instead portrayed in a more sympathetic light as the mayor of New York City and a father struggling to come to grips with the death of his wife and his son’s terminal disease.
As for Harry, we have yet to see the younger Osborn become Green Goblin, either. Spider-Man 2 instead has Harry bond with the Venom symbiote, similar to what happened in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series. Only at the very end of Spider-Man 2 do we get any hint about the impending debut of Green Goblin.
As the game wraps up, Harry is in worse condition than ever, and a desperate Norman orders his technician to break out the “G-Serum.” This substance is surely the Insomniac universe version of the Oz formula - a chemical compound that makes the user incredibly strong but also warps their mind. With the G-Serum now in play, it seems more than likely that we’ll finally meet the Green Goblin in Spider-Man 3.
The question, of course, is which Osborn will become Green Goblin. Both Norman and Harry tend to become Green Goblin in most incarnations of the Spider-Man franchise, including the comics and the Sam Raimi movie trilogy. Either character could wind up as Green Goblin in the sequel. Maybe Norman injects his son with the G-Serum, inadvertently transforming Harry into a monster even worse than Venom. Or perhaps Norman tests the scrum on himself first, causing all his pent-up rage and frustration to take physical form.
Either way, it definitely appears as though Insomniac has saved Green Goblin in order to make him the main villain of Spider-Man 3. Though based on the way Spider-Man 2 ends, Gobby may have to share the spotlight with a familiar face.
Doctor Octopus’ Final Chapter
The mid-credits scene in Spider-Man 2 features a surprising and very welcome cameo appearance by Otto Octavius, who’s now imprisoned in the Raft following his defeat in the first Spider-Man game. Norman approaches his old colleague in the hope that Otto will reveal the identities of the two Spider-Men. Otto refuses, happy to see his nemesis wallowing in misery.
In this scene we see Otto writing in a journal. We never learn exactly what Otto is writing, but it seems to involve his grand plan for revenge against Spider-Man. He refers to it as “the final chapter.”
What exactly is “the final chapter?” Looking at the comics, there are two different Spider-man storylines that share that title. The first is 1965’s The Amazing Spider-Man #33. That issue features one of the most iconic Spidey moments ever, as Peter is trapped beneath tons of rubble and has to summon all his strength and courage to break free.
The other storyline is Spider-Man: The Final Chapter, a 1998 crossover where Spidey clashes with the Green Goblin. Here, Osborn initiates a ritual known as the Gathering of Five that he believes will grant him incredible power. This is also the storyline where Aunt May, who was believed to have died back in 1994’s The Amazing Spider-Man #400, is revealed to be alive and well.
Neither of these storylines involve Doctor Octopus, and neither seem to offer many clues as to what Otto’s master plan involves. This may be a case where Insomniac is invoking the name of something with deep significance to the Spider-Man franchise while going in its own direction. Still, as Doctor Octopus returns to threaten the city once again, we may see a scene inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man #33, where Peter has to dig deep and find new reserves of strength. And it’s always possible that Spider-Man 3 could undo Aunt May’s death, just like the comics.
Another possibility is that Insomniac is teasing an adaptation of The Superior Spider-Man. In that controversial series, a dying Doctor Octopus implants his mind in the body of Spider-Man and takes over Peter’s life, eager to prove himself the better hero. Given how much the Insomniac series already draws on the work of Superior Spider-Man writers Dan Slott and Christos Gage, we could very easily see Spider-Man 3 becoming a game where Miles is forced to battle a corrupted Peter Parker for the fate of the city.
Let There Be Carnage
One of the side quests in Spider-Man 2 pits our heroes against a deranged terrorist known as The Flame. That quest line ends with Peter and The Wraith battling it out with The Flame’s goons and failing to stop the villain from executing his true plan - derailing an Oscorp train carrying a sample of the Venom symbiote.
It’s here that we learn The Flame’s true identity and motivation. He’s Cletus Kasady, and he wants to use the symbiote to wreak havoc and destruction on a whole new level. We’ve just witnessed the origin story of Carnage, a symbiote villain even stronger and more bloodthirsty than Venom.
This is a bit of a diversion from Carnage’s traditional origin story. Most versions of the Spidey mythos depict Cletus as a cellmate of Venom’s host Eddie Brock, who bonds with an offshoot of the symbiote. But with Spider-Man 2 changing a great deal about Venom’s back story, it makes sense to rework Carnage, too.
Insomniac is clearly setting up some future Spider-Man content with this reveal. We just don’t know if Carnage will be the star of a DLC campaign or if he’s meant to be a villain in a future Spider-Man sequel. Stay tuned to IGN for a deeper dive into The Flame and what it means for Carnage's inclusion in future Spider-man content.
The Chameleon Comes Out of Hiding
Another side quest in the game winds up leading Spider-Man to the penthouse apartment of Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as the shape-shifting villain Chameleon. Thanks to a series of pre-recorded messages, Spidey learns about the troubled history between Chameleon and his half-brother, Kraven. He then escapes a death trap meant for Kraven himself.
The quest ends with a disguised Chameleon watching Spidey swing away and vowing to do what his brother couldn’t - kill Spider-Man.
It seems pretty safe to assume we’ll see Spidey and Chameleon clash in some upcoming Spider-Man content. We’d guess Chameleon will be the focus of a DLC campaign for Spider-Man 2, as he isn’t necessarily a villain who can support his own game.
The Spider-Verse Cameos
The Insomniac universe already has two Spider-Mans, but there could be more in the near future. Spider-Man 2 features a pair of cameos that hint at the series drawing in more Spider-Verse favorites.
First, there’s the Spider-Bot quest line, which ends with a befuddled Spidey being confronted by a futuristic bartender named Delilah. Delilah gathers up the rogue Spider-Bots and tells Spidey, “If Miguel comes looking for these, tell him finders-keepers.”
The Miguel in question is Miguel O’Hara, better known as the futuristic hero Spider-Man 2099. We’re not sure if Delilah is based on an existing Marvel character, but her name and weirdly polygonal body shape both suggest she could be connected to Lyla, Miguel’s holographic AI assistant. In any case, could the next Spider-Man game involve time travel?
Second, the game features a post-credits scene where Miles and his mother host a dinner for Albert and his daughter. His daughter turns out to be Cindy, who in the comics becomes the heroine Silk.
This is a tease that could pay off in a potential Spider-Man: Miles Morales 2. We may see Cindy Moon gain spider powers of her own and learn the ropes of the superhero game from Miles. Maybe Spider-Man 3 will allow gamers to play as three different Spider-People? The more the merrier.
That’s everything you need to know about the ending to Spider-Man 2. What are you most excited for in the next game? Let us know in the comments.
We wrote in our Spider-Man 2 review: "As a sequel in a spectacular series, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is both blessed and cursed... Insomniac refines a successful formula of combat and web-swinging without revolutionising either in major ways, making them comfy and familiar with just enough new tweaks and abilities to elevate them to fun new heights. The part that feels like it actually needed a radical rethinking is the open world of New York City, which has been made bigger but not better, with an exhausting checklist of mostly repetitious side activities."
Spider-Man 2 launches on PS5 on October 20. In the meantime, check out our Spider-Man 2 PS5 performance review as well as our review discussion on Podcast Beyond.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
