With Insomniac’s firstSpider-Manand itsMiles Moralesspinoff sharing the journey and friendship of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as Spider-Men, fans of comic books have been eagerly awaitingMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.WithSpider-Man 2upping the stakes with the arrival of the Symbiote, fans look forward to how Miles will cope with Peter’s descent into darkness and addiction, whilst also battlingthe violent hunter Kraven.
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While theSpider-Man 2trailer shows many characteristics of Symbiote Spidey in the comics, there are certain elements that fans may be interested in. ForSpider-Manfans who want the complete Symbiote Spidey experience, here’s what they should know about this Spider-Man iteration before playing the much-awaited Insomniac sequel.
8All For The Edge
The decision to give Spider-Man an all-black makeover was to “revitalize” the character’s lack of sales in the 90s. Though Spider-Man has donned his red-and-blue costume since the 60s, his vibrant outfit didn’t resonate well in the 90s among edgier characters and stories. However, the switch to the Symbiote costume caused a surprising uproar from fans, who compared Spider-Man’s original costume with the likes of Batman’s and Superman’s color schemes: they are iconic to his character.
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While the comics kept Symbiote Spider-Man for a few years, growing fan discontent eventually pushed them to make the switch back. This seems to have sparked the narrative push that the outfit was sentient and that Peter had to “get rid of it.” Fans thinking Peter Parker getting more aggressive doesn’t “make sense” in Insomniac’sSpider-Man 2can refer to the Symbiote’s introduction and removal as an eventual route the game might take.
7An Outcast Symbiote
Given the premise of Insomniac’sSpider-Manseries, it makes sense for its version of the Symbiote to be an experiment involving an alien substance. However, fittingVenom Symbiote’s originswith its comic counterpart can open a means of connectingSpider-Manwith other potential Marvel games.
In the comics, the primordial deity Knull created the Symbiotes as a means to fight the Celestials. However, the Symbiote Imperium would eventually bond with noble and honorable warriors that would influence them with these virtues, forcing them to rebel. Unfortunately, despite locking up Knull on planet Klyntar, the Symbiote Imperium would eventually have hosted unstable and violent personalities, making them aggressive.
In the Kree-Skrull War, a Kree named Tel-Kar is forcibly bonded with a young Symbiote and tasked to try to infiltrate the Skrull camp with his “shapeshifting” abilities. After being caught, Tel-Kar deletes the Symbiote’s memories and releases them. However, when the evil Symbiotes realize this infant Symbiote prefers connecting with its host instead of controlling it, the young creature is condemned to die on a far-off planet. This turned out to be Battleworld, where Spider-Man eventually discovers the Venom Symbiote.
6Bonding Was A Direction Error
The real intention of Spider-Mandiscovering the Venom Symbiotewas to repair his tattered costume. Under the direction of Thor and the Hulk, Spider-Man discovers a device in their temporary headquarters that releases a black substance. To Spidey’s surprise, this black substance can not only create a new costume but also respond to his mental commands.
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While Spider-Man assumes this was the function of the device he encountered, it turns out he used the wrong device. In Marvel Comics' eventSecret Wars, Thor and Hulk used a machine to repair their costumes after their fight. However, their directions led Spider-Man to the wrong machine, bringing him to the Symbiote instead of the repair device. This mistaken direction would lead to the creation of one of Spider-Man’s most infamous nemesis, Venom.
5It’s Deadpool’s Fault
Despite the power boost, Symbiote Spidey got from his black costume, people began to notice Peter exhibiting more violent tendencies. When Peter realizes that this black substance is sentient and has begun corrupting him, he manages to unbond with it via sound waves in a church’s bell tower. This action eventually leads to the Symbiote bonding with the discredited andvengeful Eddie Brock.
However, the Symbiote’s unstable personality wasn’t an inherent quality that it possessed. Instead, the Venom Symbiote’s propensity for being unhinged came from its previous host: Deadpool. InDeadpool’s Secret Secret Wars(2016), it’s revealed that not only did Deadpool accompany the heroes in the Battleworld event, but he was the first to discover the machine with the Symbiote. After realizing its sentience and the effect a host’s mind would have on it, Deadpool releases the Symbiote, hoping his mind wouldn’t affect the Symbiote and its next host. It’s interesting to see if the Symbiote inSpider-Man 2came from similar circumstances, as this could be a way to get a Deadpool cameo inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
4Nighttime Crime Fighting
After the events ofSecret Wars, Spider-Man continues to use the black suit in 1984’sThe Amazing Spider-Mancomic run. However, Peter Parker notices that he always gets tired in the morning. Upon checking with Reed Richards, they discover that the suit is “alive” and wants to bond with Peter. Not only that, but they realize the suit envelops Peter when he sleeps at night to fight crime.
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While Peter manages to split himself from the Symbiote and have it contained in The Fantastic Four’s headquarters,the iconic Baxter Building. The Symbiote escapes and attempts to bond with Peter again. This leads to the iconic church scene where Peter slams bells to repel the Symbiote.
3A Symbiote With A Soft Side
While Symbiotes throughout Marvel Comics has developed a reputation as aggressive, vicious, and sadistic, a lot of them demonstrated closeness with their hosts. Modern stories would eventually explain this as Symbiotes develop an attachment to their hosts as they “copy” their mental and emotional states. The first Symbiote to demonstrate this was the Venom Symbiote.
Peter’s attempt to repel the symbiote with church bells is successful. However, much of this is due to the Symbiote understanding Peter’s wishes and leaving of its own accord. The Symbiote even moves Peter’s exhausted body to safety before disappearing. Venom’s soft side is shown further when a Carnage-bonded Norman Osborn mortally wounds Flash Thompson in 2018’sGo Down Swinging, eliciting a violent response from Venom as Flash is its current host at the time.
2Not The Only Spidey Symbiote
Despite the Venom Symbiote being the most popularSymbiote associated with Peter Parker, this is not the first Symbiote that bonded with Peter throughout the comics. InSpider-Man and the X-MenVol. 1 #5, Peter bonds himself with a random Symbiote to fight a Symbiote-corrupted Deathbird and the Symbiote Imperium’s plans to speed up their conquest of the galaxy.
Another Symbiote bonded with Spider-Man during the events ofVenomized, where the mute Symbiote used its emotions to tell Peter it was experimented on, to make the unbinding process much harder. The two worked together to stop aliens called the Poisons from conquering Earth.
In both instances, the Symbiotes were eventually separated from Peter. Interestingly, both Symbiotes seem to have given Spider-Man the same black suit in their bonding encounters, hinting that they’ve accumulated knowledge from Spider-Man’s experience with the Venom Symbiote and chose this appearance out of familiarity.
1Black Is Vengeance
When Spider-Man reveals his secret identity in the events of 2007’sCivil Warstoryline, 2007’sThe War At Homechronicles the horrific consequences of Peter’s enemies attacking his family. Aunt May gets hospitalized after an encounter with a sniper, which Peter traces back to Kingpin. Peter eventually goes to Ryker’s Island and beats Kingpin in a prison riot, mocking him for his lack of powers andthreatening to kill any criminalswho dare approach his family.
The interesting part of this encounter is how Spider-Man chose to wear a cloth version of his Symbiote suit throughout. Aside from the logic that being violent while wearing his iconic red-and-blue suit can tarnish his brand, the choice of a black outfit for this encounter shows how personal this is for Peter. Even without the Symbiote powers, the level of aggression Peter shows in the story is a reflection of his previous violent tendencies while under Venom’s influence, making the outfit choice even more appropriate.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2releases 20 October, 2023 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
