Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man, released on the PS4 (and re-released on the PS5) in 2018 was a revolutionary moment in the history of Spider-Man games. Once heralded as ground-breaking in the medium of comic-book video game adaptations through entries like Spider-Man 2 on the PS2, recent Spider-Man games failed to capture the magic of the web-slinger, losing ground to games like Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Praised across the board for its flawless gameplay, storyline, and characters, the game truly captures the veracity of what it means and feels like to be Spider-Man. Another major admiration for the game was its collection of villains pulled from Spider-Man rogues’ gallery, including Doc Ock, Electro, Mr. Negative, and Scorpion, to name a few. With Spider-Man 2 officially announced, along with the confirmation that Kraven and Venom will appear, there’s been much speculation and passion among Redditors about which other Spidey villains they want to see in the sequel.
Green Goblin
Spider-Man’s most iconic villain and arch-nemesis, fans of Spider-Man on Reddit have been clamoring to see what Insomniac Games do with the character. Already introduced in the original game as the mayor of New York City, Norman Osborn was a key character in the creation of two of the game's big villains: Doc Ock and Mr. Negative.
Osborn’s descent into the character of Green Goblin is something that almost all fans of the series want. The only area of the disagreement stems from whether that should happen in the second entry of the series, or the third. Redditor CaptVenkman speculates that “Green Goblin will be the main villain for game three as the finale”.
Lizard
Another popular choice among Redditors for villains they want to see appear in Spider-Man 2 is Dr. Curt Connors’ reptilian alter ego The Lizard. Having been introduced in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PS5, fans are now hoping that the renowned villain will appear in the sequel.
Much of the speculation relating to the character is connected to another villain already confirmed to appear: Kraven the Hunter. A deleted Redditor wonders whether “lizard will probably end up needing to be saved as well as fought because he’ll probably be hunted by kraven”. Knowing Kraven’s infamous reputation for hunting big-game creatures, this certainly seems like a big possibility.
Mysterio
A Spidey villain that has appeared in multiple video games as an antagonist for our hero, most recently as the primary villain in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Mysterio is a popular villain choice among Redditors.
Fans have already pointed out how Mysterio’s abilities could translate into the game, with Infinite_Addiction_46 commenting “Mysterio’s missions could be like Scorpion’s poison but more trippy”. Those hallucinatory missions from the original game (influenced heavily by the Scarecrow missions from the Arkham series) were standouts, and seeing something similar with Mysterio would give the developers space to do something visually creative.
Spider-Slayers
Created by Spencer Smythe, with the financial support of J. Jonah Jameson, in the comics, the appearance of the Spider-Slayers in Spider-Man 2 would create another powerful enemy type for our hero to fight. TheeGooDollyPartons claims that he’d be “pretty shocked if we don’t see the slayers pop up in the sequel”.
An appearance by the Spider-Slayers would also be a perfect opportunity to bring J. Jonah Jameson into the story more directly, in contrast to his presence in the original game, which was only through radio.
Wraith
An unknown villain/antagonist to many Spider-Man fans, and a relative newcomer into the pantheon of Spider-Man’s antagonists that stretches more than 50 years. Yuri Watanabe’s vigilante counterpart Wraith was teased in the Spider-Man expansion pack The City That Never Sleeps, and her descent into the persona of Wraith is something that Redditors really want from the sequel.
As Crafty_Breakfast3593 points out, it would be “a sad a silly mistake not to continue her story”. Having one of Peter’s closest allies and confidants from the original game turn enemy would be fantastic for the story and development of Peter’s character.
Carnage
With confirmation via the game’s first teaser trailer that Venom will feature, there was an inevitable chorus that followed from the internet about whether this would signal an appearance from Carnage. Fans often tout Carnage as one of their most beloved characters, mostly due to his uniquely terrifying design.
Redditors doubt that Carnage will serve as a primary villain for the game, but want to see the character turn up in DLC content at a minimum. Tellmeabouthebow says “Eh I think if Carnage shows up he should just be the DLC villain”. After many felt the character wasn’t given the prominence or attention he deserved in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it would be interesting to see what the creative team at Insomniac could do with the character.
Sandman
One of the oldest villains in the Spider-Man mythos, first appearing in 1963, Flint Marko has appeared in various Spider-Man-related mediums, most recently in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In many different subreddits relating to Spider-Man 2, fans all seem to want Sandman to appear in a sequel in some capacity, whether it’s as a side villain or a DLC.
Many Redditors have pointed out that a boss battle with Sandman would be amazing and “a great way to showcase the graphical capabilities of the PS5” as stated by SpciyJuul.
Morbius
With an upcoming appearance in his solo live-action debut raising the popularity and awareness of the character, Morbius was a frequently cited name among Redditors as a villain they would like to see. As Varon_DiStefano comments “I would love to see a surprise like Morbius”.
Given the presence of Kraven in Spider-Man 2 and the unknown medical condition of Harry Osborn in the series, there are plenty of ways that Michael Morbius’ vampire counterpart could be incorporated into the series.
Chameleon
Spider-Man’s oldest foe from the comic books, Chameleon is a master of disguise and deception. Half-brother to Kraven the Hunter (whose presence in Spider-Man 2 has already been established), Chameleon would be an ideal candidate to appear as a villain in the game.
As many Redditors pointed out, Chameleon, despite being Spider-Man’s first-ever adversary, has been largely neglected in Spider-Man media, having no appearances in the live-action movies and only one notable appearance in a Spider-Man video game The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In the opinion of hotice1229, Chameleon “has always had the potential, at least I think to be one of Spidey’s greatest foes”.
Kingpin
The only entry on this list that already appeared in the original game. However, that hasn’t stopped fans of the game from hoping that the crime lord will return in its sequel in a more substantial role. Featuring as the first mission and first boss battle in the original game, Kingpin largely disappears from proceedings after that, but his presence is felt off-screen.
Most Redditors agree that he will return in some capacity, as TheAdvancedSpidey comments “he’s definitely returning as part of a side storyline at the very least”. Kingpin’s hold on the city definitely weakened over the course of the original game as rival gangs such as the Demons and private security contractors Sable International took control of the city following his imprisonment. Spider-Man 2 could feature Kingpin’s triumphant return to New York City and his attempts to cease back control.