Spider-Man 2gets kinda weird in its final act. Not as weird as it possibly could -there’s still no Man-Spider in sight- but it delivers this weirdness with more balance than the boss rush chaos the first game finds itself in as things race towards the conclusion. Narratively, the game is perfectly paced and brings a lot of great moments for each of its characters that have space to breathe but never overstay their welcome. The transformations to the map itself, however, keep you waiting for a long time - and then the biggest sucker punch never comes. Brace yourself for its impact in the sequel, and for the impact of spoilers here.
I played Spider-Man 2 thoroughly, sweeping up side missions as they appeared so that by the time I was barrelling towards the ending, only the main missions remained. I know some people did all the main mission stuff then went back and did the rest, but doing them together unites Peter and Miles far more, as the main story is Peter’s but the side quests are Miles’ domain. But as I went through each activity, I realised several were still locked. For some, this made sense - The Flame was unlocked periodically, alongside the main narrative. The Hunter Lairs were locked until you took down all the Hunter Blinds. But it’s not until late in the game that the Symbiote Nests burst out of the ground.
Once you finally get the suit off Peter, Harry rips it back for himself and goes on a rampage as Venom, transforming regular citizens into his thralls. Peter and Miles have to free everyone from this symbiote, which they do by punching them really hard while protecting a decibel bomb inside a throbbing oily polyp. Look, don’t think about it too hard. As the main enemies of the game turn from Hunters to Symbiotes, you get a final side activity to clear the Symbiote Nests out of each region, which also gives you the clearest look at the Symbiotes themselves.
While Venom just looks like Venom, the other Symbiotes share a common symbol - a spiral on their face in place of their eyes. This is the symbol of Knull, who is never seen, mentioned, or (aside from this unexplained symbol) even teased. The only tie Venom has to this mysterious figure is his wings, which he gets in the comics when he connects with Knull. So what gives? If you don’t know Knull - and you might not, as he’s only five years old and has never appeared in any movies - he is the God of the Symbiotes, going by the ominous moniker of the King in Black. That means he’s technically Venom’s god. He’s one of the most powerful foes in Marvel’s roster, and could be a fascinating villain for Spider-Man.
When I said Knull hadn’t been in any movies, I was underselling it. He only appeared in a TV commercial (not the show itself) for theDisneyXD Spider-Man, and his appearances in games are limited to endless runner Spider-Man Unlimited, and the ‘everyone gets a trophy’Marveltitles likeSnap, Conquest of Champions, Puzzle Quest, and Future Fight. He’s way, way, way down the list of big shots in Spidey’s rogues gallery. And yet, the Symbiote symbol the thralls wear are unmistakably his. The meteorite where the Symbiote emerges shares this symbol, and we’re told via Connors’ lab it’s part of an old language. It may be that the team at Insomniac either liked the spiral symbol, or originally planned for Knull and then cut him, rather than it being any tease. Maybe they’re just big fans of The Book of Saw, who knows?
Insomniac is playing it a little loose with the lore here, too. We see Scream in the game, but this time as the Symbiote who takes over MJ, rather than as a new character. The upside of this means the twist can blindside you and, like every boss battle in the game, connects the gameplay explicitly to the narrative. The downside, of course, is that we need MJ to be MJ so Scream is gone in the blink of an eye. Phage, Agony, Lasher, and Riot, the other Symbiotes grouped with Scream, are absent completely. Carnage is present, but as a set up for the next game as we see Cletus Kassidy escape with a Symbiote of his own.
Despite the speculation around playing as Venom in a sequel, I think the Venom arc is done and the main lasting impact will be Peter’s Anti-Venom suit, and the powers it provides. Green Goblin and Doc Ock will be central to the narrative, as will Cindy Moon and possibly even Hailey as Spider-Gwen. We’ll move on from Symbiotes, but not entirely. Carnage will be back, and when he is, will that finally bring in Knull? After all, the Absolute Carnage comic led into the King in Black event. Luckily, Carnage is the one cliffhanger that might belong in DLC rather than a sequel, so we could get our answer sooner than we expect.
Knull’s arrival would make the game so much bigger - perhaps too big. We see the Sanctum Sanctorum,Wakandan Embassy, and Avengers Tower in the game, while the Fantastic 4 logo is being painted on a rooftop and we see references to both Madripoor and Dazzler, suggesting a connection to the X-Men (which may be confirmed in Wolverine). Knull though brings in Thor, the Silver Surfer, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and takes the game from being a grounded story of two young men trying to keep their lives together while saving the city into an epic tale of outer space evil.
Knull may not fit in this version of the story - so why tease him at all? Something tells me even as the chances of playable Venom slip away and Harry drifts through his coma, we’re not done with the Symbiote arc yet. Carnage will return, but who might he bring with him?
Next:The Next Spider-Man Game Shouldn’t Be About Venom, It Should Be About…
