Since Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was announced in 2021 there have been several rumors surrounding the highly anticipated superhero title. The official reveal trailer gave players their first look at fan-favorite Spider-Man foe Venom after the symbiote had been teased in the post-credits scenes for both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and had a voiceover from a character many assumed to be Kraven the Hunter.
Since that reveal, there has been very little news from developer Insomniac or PlayStation surrounding the upcoming title except for the confirmation of a Fall 2023 release window. That could be changing very shortly, however, with a PlayStation Showcase announced for May 24 that will be focusing on Sony’s first-party exclusive IPs, and will very likely include Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Until then, fans will have to make do with reading about some of the biggest leaks and rumors surrounding Insomniac’s upcoming superhero sequel.
10 Both Peter And Miles Will Be Playable
It’s widely assumed that both Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ Spider-Men will be playable throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The first Marvel’s Spider-Man had multiple playable characters, with specific stealth missions following Mary Jane Watson and Miles, but if Insomniac opts to allow players to follow both Peter and Miles’ journey, many are hoping for a GTA 5-esque character-swapping feature that allows them to roam the open world as either hero.
This seems likely as both Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s reveal trailer and its recent prequel comic showed both heroes fighting side by side as a team. With previous games already establishing each hero’s gameplay style it would be a shame not to take advantage of their different abilities such as Peter’s gadgets or Miles’ bioelectrical “Venom” attacks and camouflage in the upcoming sequel.
9 Venom Will Also Be Playable
Those who are nostalgic for 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man game started speculating whether Venom would be playable the moment Insomniac revealed the symbiote. In the 2005 game, the story shifted between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock and sometimes told two sides of the same event, and Venom became unlockable in the open world’s free-roam upon the main campaign’s completion.
Playing as Venom would add a third powerset for players after Peter and Miles’, with the symbiote being significantly stronger. If it takes inspiration from Ultimate Spider-Man, which also had the Venom suit start off as a method of curing diseases (in that case, cancer), however, playing as Venom may take a toll with players needing to feed on bystanders and enemies constantly to stop their health from depleting.
8 Peter Will Wear The Symbiote
Given the presence of Venom in the game, many have speculated that Peter may don the symbiote early in the game, as in most canon he does tend to become the suit’s host first before it bonds with another to become a version of Venom. This would offer gameplay similar to Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, which has powersets for both the traditional red and blue Spider-Man, and the symbiotic black-suited Spider-Man, with the latter being stronger and more aggressive in comparison.
If Peter does wear the suit in the first or second act, it may cause a rift with Miles as it changes Peter’s personality. If so, it has been theorized that this could lead to a Spider-Man v Spider-Man boss fight in which players have to fight Peter in the symbiote suit as Miles to stop him.
7 Norman Osborn Hires Kraven The Hunter
If the voice in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s reveal trailer turns out to be Kraven, which seems highly likely, the game will likely see him hunting down either the Spider-Men or Venom. There have been two main theories surrounding which one he will be tracking, but they both seem to have one similarity: Norman Osborn is financing the venture.
One theory is that Norman’s realized that Miles Morales’ Spider-Man was bitten by the missing spider from his lab and wants Kraven to track down the younger hero to experiment upon him. Another is that Harry becomes Venom after his experimental treatment goes wrong, and Norman hires Kraven to track down Venom and bring him in before he causes too much chaos, and before anyone can tie the symbiote back to Oscorp.
6 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Will Have A Larger Map
Insomniac’s already given fans an impressive Manhattan map with plenty for players to explore in its Marvel’s Spider-Man titles, but it’s heavily rumored that the upcoming sequel will expand to include the rest of New York’s boroughs in the sequel, especially Brooklyn and Queens, with the latter only having been explorable in one Spider-Man game to date: Ultimate Spider-Man. Both areas have significance for Miles and Peter, being the heroes’ childhood homes.
There is evidence to back up these rumors, with the most recent being that Peter has moved back to Queens after inheriting his late Aunt May’s house in the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 prequel comic, which would give Peter a new base outside of Manhattan to visit. These other areas were also hinted at in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s reveal trailer via a “718” graffiti tag, referring to the area code that is used for Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
5 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Will Set Up Marvel’s Wolverine
Marvel previously confirmed that most of its games are remaining unrelated, which came as a surprise to those expecting crossovers in the titles akin to those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Insomniac announced a Marvel’s Wolverine game in the same PlayStation Showcase where it revealed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which led to speculation that the studio could be setting up its own connected universe separate from the other Marvel titles happening elsewhere.
If so, it would make sense to set up or introduce this universe’s version of Wolverine in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, even though he would likely have to be toned down from his confirmed-to-be M-rated title to fit with the T-rated Spider-Man games. One fun way to do this would be to pay homage to Ultimate Spider-Man‘s Venom boss battle if the rumors of Venom being playable are true, with the mutant facing off against the symbiote in a New York dive bar.
4 Black Cat Returns
Felicia Hardy’s Black Cat was a key character in Marvel’s Spider-Man‘s first DLC chapter, and a spin-off comic delved further into her relationship with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man during his split with Mary Jane. The DLC saw Felicia manipulating Peter into helping her take on Hammerhead’s mob by implying he was the father of her son. This turned out to be a lie as Felicia had no son and was merely using the webhead for her own gain.
Peter and Mary Jane are now closer and stronger as a couple, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s prequel comic showing them being far better at communication than they were previously. Felicia’s return could shake things up, however, especially if she attempts to manipulate Peter again when he’s under the influence of the symbiote, much like the dynamic between Black Cat and Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.
3 Peter And Miles Will Have To Stop Yuri Watanabe
One of the most likely story rumors is that former police captain Yuri Watanabe will return as the serial killer vigilante Wraith fairly on in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s story. Marvel’s Spider-Man‘s The City That Never Sleeps DLC saw Yuri spiraling after losing many of her fellow officers to Hammerhead. Over the final chapter of the DLC, Peter uncovers a series of tapes that explain Yuri’s new mentality that the judicial process does not work, and the police have no power against certain acts. These tapes eventually lead to the body of a prominent Mafia enforcer who became Yuri’s first victim under her new Wraith persona.
If Yuri returns as Wraith, it’s likely that she will have to be stopped by Peter and Miles fairly early on in the game, as both Spider-Men object to killing criminals, instead turning them over to law enforcement after defeating them. This could be an emotional opening to the game considering Peter and Yuri’s partnership in the first game and would set up the tone for the rest of the story, which is supposed to be much darker than previous entries.
2 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Will Have A Much Darker Story
It has actually been confirmed by Marvel’s Creative Vice President, Bill Rosemann that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be darker than its predecessors. Rosemann compared the upcoming game to Star Wars‘s The Empire Strikes Back, which was far bleaker than A New Hope, stating “If the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is kind of our Empire”. With the rumors surrounding characters such as Wraith, or the fallout of Harry Osborn’s experimental treatments to save him from a terminal disease, everything does seem to line up with Rosemann’s statement surrounding the game’s story.
1 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 May Connect To Across The Spider-Verse
While a Spider-Verse story doesn’t seem to organically have much place in the Venom-centric sequel and may detract from the established focus on Peter and Harry Osborn’s story, there have been rumors that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 may connect to the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is also releasing in 2023. Insomniac’s version of Spider-Man has appeared in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s trailers several times already, taking part in a recreation of the famous “pointing Spider-Man” meme.
It seems more likely that this is a fun nod to the games’ version of Peter Parker rather than a full crossover with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, much like his Advanced suit’s appearance in the previous film in the series, Into the Spider-Verse. One particular multiverse-hopping rumor that may be unrelated to the animated films is that Gwen Stacy’s Ghost Spider may make an appearance in a post-credits scene to set up a Miles Morales-esque spin-off or a multiverse-centric future entry.
