Insomniac's Marvel games include plenty of costumes for players to equip Peter Parker and Miles Morales with, but there are a lot of iconic looks that haven't yet been featured that should appear in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The release of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered for the PlayStation 5 brought the total number of costumes included in Marvel's Spider-Man up to 45, with the vast majority being pulled from the comics. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales also included a significant amount of costumes, although many were designed specifically for the game as Insomniac had less of an expansive wardrobe and comics history to pull from, with Miles having only been around for 10 years compared to Peter Parker's 59. Either way, with both characters set to play a key part in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it's more than likely that Insomniac will add even more costumes for players to choose from.
Despite Steve Ditko coming up with one of the best superhero costumes of all time with Spidey's first look in Amazing Fantasy #15, numerous artists throughout Marvel's history have been able to put their own spin on the design. This has given Peter Parker an inordinate amount of killer costumes to play with, with some even going on to become nearly as iconic as the costume featured in the character's first appearance. Most of them have made the leap to the gaming medium in previous Spider-Man video games, but they could still do with getting a snazzy Insomniac makeover when Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releases in 2023, having been missed in Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
One of those iconic looks will likely have a key part to play in the upcoming Marvel's Spider-Man 2, given the presence of Venom, but there are plenty of other suits that deserve to make the cut. It might seem wild that there are still more iconic Spider-Man costumes out there that Insomniac hasn't spotlighted, given the studio's first two Marvel games included a combined total of 64 suits for players to choose from, but the web-slinger is one of the most fashionable superheroes out there, with comics, animation, and live-action interpretations to draw from. Even though they were missing the first time around, it would be great to see these suits in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Ben Reilly Spider-Man
While the mid-to-late '90s is often considered to be a bleak time for Spider-Man's comics, there were positives to draw from. Despite debuting in the much-maligned "Clone Saga", Ben Reilly - who was introduced as a clone of Peter Parker during the arc - ended up developing a bit of a cult following. Donning a red Spidey suit with a sleeveless denim hoodie over it, he became the hero known as the Scarlet Spider and even appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The decision was eventually made to replace Peter with Ben as the lead of the main Spider-Man comic, and while it was a decision that ultimately proved to be short-lived, it did at least give fans a brilliant Spider-Man costume designed by artist Mark Bagley.
First appearing in Sensational Spider-Man #1 in 1996, Ben Reilly's costume was a striking change from the suit worn by Peter and featured a large spider-emblem emblazoned across the front of the costume, as well as external web-shooters. It even bears some similarities with the Advanced Suit from Marvel's Spider-Man, with both costumes having a large insignia on the chest region, and patches of red webbing on the legs unconnected to the torso.
Web Wings Spider-Man
Although the Vintage Suit in Marvel's Spider-Man was directly inspired by Steve Ditko's classic design, it actually lacked one of its most distinctive features: web wings. The webbing underneath the wall-crawler's arms is one of the most inconsistent aspects of the character's many costumes, but it would be great to see them faithfully recreated in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 like in the MCU.
The web wings were mostly there for cosmetic reasons in the comics, but they could provide players with a new suit gadget ability in the games, enabling both Spider-Men to glide as well as swing from building to building, just like Peter Parker did in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home. It would require Insomniac to change the basic silhouette of the character, but the studio has already experimented with doing just that in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with the Sportswear Suit one of several to add extra layers to the basic Spider-Man costume. Other suits, like Miles Morales’ Programmable Matter Suit, also include additional visual effects, meaning the web wings could have their own animations were they to appear.
Superior Spider-Man
When Doctor Octopus took over Peter Parker's mind in Amazing Spider-Man's "Dying Wish" arc, he resolved to become a better version of the wall-crawler than his old rival was. This was the main focus of the Superior Spider-Man series, which saw Doc Ock inhabit Peter's body and turn the web-slinger into more of an anti-hero.
The darker direction of the comic brought with it a new costume, with Otto Octavius adopting a red and black color scheme similar to the one from Alex Ross' concept designs for Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man movie. Like Ben Reilly's outfit, the Superior costume has a large spider emblem on the chest and patches of red webbing beneath the torso. The webbing is scratchier and less defined than the kind featured in older Spider-Man designs, while the eyes on the mask have darker lenses.
Otto also took the liberty of adding four mechanical arms to the costume, something Peter appears to have done himself in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. That may lessen the potential for it to bring new gadgets to the game, but it's still a great design that would look great on the PlayStation 5.
Spider-Man Unlimited
Spider-Man Unlimited may not have been a good series, ultimately being canceled after one 13-episode season, but its futuristic take on the web-slinger at least produced a cool Spider-Man costume. The plot of the series saw Spidey chase Venom and Carnage to a place called Counter-Earth, which required Reed Richards to design him a new costume containing multiple upgrades, including a cloaking device and sonic weaponry to fight other symbiotes.
The costume itself bears many similarities to the one worn by Miguel O'Hara in the Spider-Man 2099 comic, only with the addition of those aforementioned upgrades and a cape made of webbing. The cape actually looks good on Spidey, and while nailing the physics right for the costume in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could prove difficult, it would make for a unique addition to its list of alternate costumes.
The Black Costume
Given the presence of Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 it seems as if it's only a matter of time until Peter Parker dons the symbiote. The costume is second only to the original Spider-Man design in terms of fame, making its absence in the first Marvel's Spider-Man somewhat conspicuous. In fact, the suit proved so popular in the comics that after the "Alien Costume Saga" had concluded, Black Cat decided to sew Peter a non-symbiote version of the look to wear as its replacement. This version of the costume was worn in tales such as "The Death of Jean DeWolff", and "Kraven's Last Hunt", and could serve a similar function to the Vintage Suit from Marvel's Spider-Man by giving players the classic version of the design to play with.
It's possible that Insomniac will put its own twist on the symbiote costume for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 like the studio did with the Advanced Suit in Marvel's Spider-Man. Such a costume would likely give players access to unique symbiote abilities, whereas the sewn version taken from the comics could provide different benefits. Given Peter wore the black costume during some of his darkest storylines, an ability that gave players access to some sort of rage mode could help distinguish the two looks even further, and ensure that players who prefer the wall-crawler's classic costumes were catered for.
Captain Universe (Miles Morales)
The Captain Universe (or Cosmic Spider-Man) costume has featured in multiple Spider-Man video games over the years, but was omitted from Marvel's Spider-Man. While fans have grown used to seeing Peter wear the costume in his many video game outings, it would be cool to see Insomniac give the Captain Universe costume to Miles Morales in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, as he was also given access to the powers of the Enigma Force in 2018's Spider-Geddon event comic in order to save the universe. Miles even manages to combine the powers of the Enigma Force with his signature venom strike, which would make for a great takedown animation in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
The costume doesn't differ too much from the Peter Parker incarnation, boasting the same cosmic crackle and webbed segment on the mask, but it would bring something new to the table if Miles was wielding its power, as it didn't make the cut in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Going further, Insomniac has already hinted at a Marvel Game Universe in its first two Spider-Man games, and a cosmically-powered Miles could be a great way of implementing cosmic Marvel into the series.
Spider-Man: Life Story
One of the best Spider-Man comics to release in recent years was Spider-Man: Life Story, a series by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Mark Bagley. The comic took place in an alternate reality that lacked Marvel's sliding timeline, meaning Peter Parker aged as normal. Each issue told a story from a new decade of Peter's life, starting in the 1960s and ending in the 2010s, and drew upon Spidey's wide wardrobe along the way.
One of the coolest looks that Peter donned in the comic came in Life Story's second issue, which took place in the '70s. The suit retained Spider-Man's classic red and blue palette, only with the addition of added armor and a slimmer spider emblem, essentially making it the first Iron Spider armor. The mask also bears a fitting resemblance to the one seen in 1977's The Amazing Spider-Man live-action series, with the eye lenses protruding outwards.
Six Arms Saga Spider-Man
Despite Spider-Man having spent much of his time crimefighting while cracking wise, the character has starred in some seriously dark storylines. One of the most infamous of these was the "Six Arms Saga", which saw Peter Parker develop four extra appendages from his torso so that he had eight limbs in total.
The storyline, which also marked the debut of Morbius the Living Vampire, was eventually adapted in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, only this time with the added, nightmarish twist of seeing Peter mutate into the Man-Spider. Both the human-looking six-armed Peter and the Man-Spider from Spider-Man: The Animated Series would work as suits in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, potentially even in a Halloween update. Both would be big departures from Spidey's classic silhouette, but the opportunity to take on the role of a terrifying spider monster and scare New York's criminals would be brilliant.
Either way, the scariest costume players have been able to wear in a Spider-Man video game up until now is probably the Ghost-Spider outfit from Marvel's Spider-Man, so this would make for a creepy change of pace in Insomniac's sequel. (Especially if the Man-Spider design replaced Peter's dialogue with creepy spider noises.)
Arácnido, Jr
One of the lesser-known alternate Spider-Men is Arácnido, Jr. The character made his first appearance in the second issue of 2015's Spider-Verse event comic, wearing a colorful red and blue costume that lacked any of the web patterns seen on most other Spider-Man outfits. The son of a wrestler known as Arácnido, this alternate version of Spider-Man donned a Spidey outfit following the death of his father. Arácnido, Jr. operated in Mexico City and eventually joined the Spider-Army to fight the Inheritors, a group of cross-dimensional villains who were murdering the Spider-Men of different realities.
Arácnido, Jr. is a relatively new addition to the pantheon of alt-universe Spider-Men, but he possesses one of the more unique costumes out there and has already featured in a couple of Marvel video games. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 would be the next logical step, as his costume would make a great addition to either Peter or Miles' wardrobe.
Captain America Spider-Man
It may not have happened in the actual comic itself, but Miles Morales became Captain America in the cover for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28, and it looked stunning. The design, drawn by Iban Coello and Alejandro Sanchez, was developed to celebrate Captain America's 80th anniversary and drew upon Miles' own Puerto Rican heritage, with the layout of the stars and stripes forming the Puerto Rican flag.
It's a brilliant costume, and given Insomniac already utilized variant covers to create alternate costumes for Miles to wear in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it would make sense for the studio to do the same in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Miles could even be given access to Captain America's shield as a throwable gadget, which would enhance his move-set even further, and provide new gameplay opportunities for players in combat and stealth.