WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man, now available on Playstation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Marvel's Spider-Man almost saw the death of a major character from the Web-Slinger's supporting cast -- and instead went with another.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, writer Dan Slott discussed the work he put into the game's narrative. "At first [Insomniac Games] were very careful with certain characters," he said. "So I began pushing very much that to have weight and gravitas of a good Spider-Man story, you need to take the kid gloves off and rough up the character, perhaps even kill one of them. At the time, I was pushing for Harry Osborn to be the one they killed. Then I play the game and discover Harry's fine, sort of… but oh my god, they killed Aunt May!"
In the story of Marvel's Spider-Man, Aunt May is one of many New Yorkers infected with the Devil's Breath virus during Dr. Octopus's evil scheme. In one of the most emotional moments of the game, Peter Parker makes the heartbreaking decision not to save her, since there isn't enough antidote for both her and the rest of the city. In her dying moments, May reveals she had already deduced her nephew's secret identity and is proud of him for being a hero.
Harry Osborn, meanwhile, is often mentioned but rarely seen throughout the course of Marvel's Spider-Man. A series of side-missions has Spider-Man help Harry finish unrealized Oscorp projects that are meant to clean up the environment of New York City, introduced by recordings of the man while he is purportedly vacationing in Europe. In reality, Harry is dying of a genetic disease and his father, Mayor Norman Osborn, has kept him in suspended animation while his company searches for a cure. In one of Marvel's Spider-Man's post-credit stingers, players see that Harry's treatment bore a remarkable similarity to the Venom symbiote, setting the stage for a much darker sequel.
As for Slott, he praised Marvel's Spider-Man's writing team for how they put together May Parker's death. "That moment with Aunt May… The writing team - Jon Paquette, Benjamin Arfmann, and Kelsey Beachum - created one of the most powerful moments I've ever experienced with a video game," he said. "I'm told pretty much everyone at Insomniac was pushing for her to be the one, but if I was still on the team I would have pushed back. But it was powerful."
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to release in 2023. Marvel's Spider-Man and its spin-off Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales are available on Playstation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Source: GamesRadar+