Venom is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes and occasional ally. While hinted at in Marvel's Spider-Man, fans weren't sure when he would enter Insomniac's game world. However, the new trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has revealed that Venom will finally be making an appearance. With the symbiote having such a long history, it is imperative that he is used for more than just a simple boss fight.
As a symbiote, Venom is more than just a distorted mirror of Spider-Man. The character has had his own stories and history in the comics, and, recently on screen. He has a wealth of skills and abilities that make them more than a match for Spider-Man, and these differences have allowed him to serve as a challenging villain in a few games. However, one game actually made him a playable character: 2005's Ultimate Spider-Man for PlayStation 2. Focused on the Ultimate universe, the game allowed the player to control both Spider-Man and Venom, a concept Insomniac should take note of.
Ultimate Spider-Man's Venom was very different from most interpretations, with the symbiote being much more of a monster. This Venom had to consume other people to survive and was considerably larger and stronger than Spider-Man. The game had the player control Venom for certain missions, and he could be unlocked for free-play by beating the game. When playing as Venom, the player would have to do as much damage as possible to the city before being taken down.
Venom also controlled differently from Spider-Man and had a different traversal method for getting around New York. This system provided gameplay variety and helped keep the post-game interesting. This is something Spider-Man 2 could make use of. While Peter and Miles have some differences in powers and skills, Venom is a very different creature. He doesn't need gadgets and can shift his symbiote into different forms to attack opponents. He's also far more violent and open to killing opponents -- something this causes conflict with other, nobler characters.
Venom's villainous tendencies would allow him to combat some of the world's heroes, rather than just the villains. This would open up the possibility for more varied boss fights. For instance, while Spider-Man is fighting the Sinister Six, Venom could be taking on Daredevil -- or Spider-Man himself. Letting players fight against Peter Parker or Miles Morales could be interesting from both a gameplay and story perspective. While some of the side-character missions in Marvel's Spider-Man felt like padding, this wouldn't be the case if players were controlling an evil character with a direct influence on the world.
It is great to see Venom making an appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but Insomniac needs to do the character justice. Giving players a chance to play as the symbiotic menace would be a great step towards a potential Venom game. Insomniac already has a great track record when it comes to Marvel and PS5 experiences, and the choice of Tony Todd as Venom's voice is already incredibly promising. However, allowing players to tear apart New York as Venom could be a sure-fire way of delivering a sequel that truly tops the beloved original.