Marvel’s Spider-Man 2wraps up many of the loose plot threads that the series has had since the first game, but it also does its part in setting the stage for major happenings to take place in the inevitable third game, particularly when it comes to potential villains.Spider-Man 2fans curious about the villains set up for the third game can read on, but everyone else will want to make sure that they have completed not only the main story missions, but also The Flame and Unidentified Targets side quests.
This article has MAJOR SPOILERS for Spider-Man 2Spider-Man 2features two main villains for players to contend with over the course of the story. The main antagonist throughout most of the game is thedeadly Kraven the Hunter, who has traveled to New York City to hunt super-powered beings. The other main villain inSpider-Man 2is Venom, one of Spidey’s most iconic foes. Kraven the Hunter and Venom are two of the heaviest hitters there are when it comes toSpider-Manvillains, and so some may be wondering what’s left for a potential third game.
Spider-Man 2sets up a third game in the InsomniacSpider-Mangame series in many different ways. Of particular interest, though, are the villains that will most likely be featured in the third game. Of course, it’s always possible some of these villains will show up inpotentialSpider-Man 2DLC instead, like how some important characters debuted in theSpider-Man 1DLC, but that remains to be seen.
Carnage
The Flame side quests inSpider-Man 2have some of the most shocking story developments out of all the side quests in the game. The gist of it is that Yuri Watanabe, featured in the 2018Spider-Mangame and especially theCity That Never SleepsDLC pack,has taken on the mantle of Wraith, her vigilante alter-ego. Wraith is focused on taking out the members of The Flame cult, a group led by a charismatic leader that has been wreaking havoc across New York City, even branding people in the middle of the street.
The Flame’s leader is a serial killer who is revealed to go by the alias Cletus Kasady,better known toSpider-Manfans as Carnage. Carnage is one of Spider-Man’s most vicious villains, using his symbiote powers to cause mass chaos in New York City. In the comics and other media, Carnage not only finds himself at odds with Spider-Man, but Venom as well, and with Venom tied closely to Carnage’s own origin story, it makes sense for the character to be teased inSpider-Man 2. The Flame side quests end with Kasady getting his hands on a red-tined symbiote, though fans don’t actually get to see him become Carnage. It seems Carnage’s proper debut will have to wait forSpider-Man 3.
Chameleon
Another side quest that sets up a potential villain forSpider-Man 3is Targets Identified. In this quest line, players have to chase down Kraven’s robot birds as they fly around the city collecting data. The quest eventually leads players to a mysterious apartment that is revealed to belong to Dmitri Smerdyakov, aka Chameleon, best known as the first-ever supervillain fromSpider-Man’s rogues galleryin the comics.
Like in the comics,Kraven the Hunter is Chameleon’s brother. Chameleon is hiding from Kraven in theSpider-Man 2game. He watches Peter Parker search his apartment from afar, but doesn’t reveal himself. It’s possible Chameleon will stay in hiding inSpider-Man 3, but there’s also a chance he may have a more prominent role in the next game.
Green Goblin
The big bads of the firstSpider-Mangame were Doctor Octopus and Mister Negative.Spider-Man 2featured Kraven the Hunter and Venom. And now it’s clear thatSpider-Man 3will have Spider-Man’s most notorious villain front-and-center: The Green Goblin.The Green Goblin is Spider-Man’s archenemy, responsible for the heartbreaking death of Gwen Stacy in the comics, and it will be exciting to see how he is portrayed in theSpider-Man 3game.
TheSpider-Mangames have been laying the seeds for Green Goblin’s debut since the first game. Norman Osborn has had a major role in all the games so far,targeted by Martin Li in the first game, and using the symbiote to cure his son Harry in the second game. By the end ofSpider-Man 2, Harry is in a coma, and Norman is distraught. Someone calls him while he’s having a violent meltdown over Harry’s condition, and Norman tells the unidentified person on the other line to get the G-Serum ready. It’s highly likely that Norman will be using the G-Serum on himself, becoming the Green Goblin in the process, but there’s also a possibility that he may use it on Harry in a last-ditch effort to save his son’s life. Harry being the villain again would be retreading very familiar territory, though, so fans should expect Norman to become the Green Goblin instead.
On top of these three new villains, it looks likeSpider-Man 3will also haveDoctor Octopus make his return. It’s hinted at the end of the game that Doctor Octopus has been imprisoned at The Raft and is working on the “final chapter,” presumably his big plan to exact revenge on Spider-Man. Norman tries to recruit Otto at the end of theSpider-Man 2game, but it remains to be seen just how closely they will be working together in the sequel.
Spider-Man 2is out now, exclusively for PS5.
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