Comparing it to Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Marvel says Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is going to be darker than its 2018 predecessor. After months of rumor and speculation, Marvel's Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games finally unveiled a full sequel to its acclaimed open-world superhero game during September’s PlayStation Showcase livestream, as the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 reveal trailer featured Peter Parker and Miles Morales teaming up to take on criminals and a terrifying series supervillain.
While Marvel’s Spider-Man dealt with some serious themes (especially in its closing hours), 2018's hit PS4 exclusive juggled a mostly lighthearted tone as Peter Parker protected New York City from Mr. Negative and the Sinister Six. Cross-gen spinoff Spider-Man: Miles Morales also ended on a bittersweet note, but its overall plot remained fairly cheerful and optimistic as Miles came into his own as a new hero. However, the sequel appears more intense than the previous two games, as Peter and Miles find themselves face-to-face with the monstrous Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2's realtime PS5 trailer. The horror of the character is enhanced by knowing Peter’s longtime friend Harry Osborn is the one infected by the symbiote in Insomniac’s Marvel game universe instead of Eddie Brock, Spider-Man's usual Venom.
Marvel creative vice president Bill Rosemann confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be "a little darker" than the two games that came before in a guest appearance on the This Week In Marvel podcast (via Eurogamer). “If the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is kind of our Empire,” Rosemann noted, drawing a comparison to how The Empire Strikes Back was a more bleak sequel to the original Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
The "massive" scope of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 compared to its predecessors has already been established, with Venom voice actor and slasher film icon Tony Todd citing this as the reason for the game's longer development cycle. Not much is currently known about what changes Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will bring to the web-slinging combat and transversal gameplay that made the original Marvel’s Spider-Man an instant classic back in 2018, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is rumored to feature multiple playable characters like Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and maybe even Venom.
Given that the plot of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will most likely pit Peter against his childhood friend Harry (who himself was portrayed as a tragic and sympathetic character in the first game), it makes sense that things will be much darker for Spidey and friends this time around. How much darkness and tragedy awaits Marvel's Spider-Man's story otherwise remains a mystery for now.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be available for PS5 in 2023.
Source: This Week In Marvel (via Eurogamer)