At PlayStation'2 2021 Showcase, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was officially announced, bringing back both Miles Morales and Peter Parker to help keep the neighborhood of New York City friendly. However, with the defeat of the Sinister Six and the Tinkerer, a void has been left open that the highly skilled villain Kraven the Hunter plans to fill. As he tries to capture Spider-Man (or Men) for his big hunt, another enemy appears that no one expected: Venom.
Venom is an alien symbiote in the comics that attaches itself to Spider-Man before being forcibly separated by the web-slinger and later bonding with reporter Eddie Brock. However, in the game, the symbiote appears to be manufactured by Oscorp Industries to keep an ill Harry Osborn in stasis. But it appears that the black slime has escaped, presumably with Harry as its host. While he only appears for a few seconds, it's all but certain that this version of the character is the most terrifying iteration of the villain yet.
Venom Is Scary Again - And It's GREAT
The trailer follows the Spider-Men taking on some criminals while Kraven narrates about the opportunity to finally meet a rival worthy of his skill. When asking if they will give him the hunt he wants, the camera zooms into a dark alley, and a voice rattles, "yes...we will." A flash reveals Venom's inky black frame, white eyes and sharp teeth. The trailer teases how his presence alters the trailer's tone into something scarier as Insomniac Games introduces a more horrific version of the character that tops others seen in media.
This new version of Venom, both in look and tone, appears to be an amalgamation of the best aspects of the character's previous iterations. But to create the ultimate Venom that ties to his roots, it warps these versions and creates something that contrasts what has come before. He's more of a hunter than a hero, hiding in plain sight. His cold white eyes show there's no humanity within. Coupled with a tease to his massive size and the bone-chilling voice work by Candyman himself, Tony Todd, and this iteration of Venom is more than scary -- he's a nightmare personified, and his eyes are locked on Spider-Man.
Venom also brings an unpredictable layer to Kraven's story. While Kraven traditionally believes Spider-Man is his most important prey, Venom could act as a wild card that could change Kraven's interests. Instead of Spider-Man, Venom could be the next big catch. However, since Venom is even more violent than the average animal, he could give Kraven a painful wake-up call. While not much is known about his place in the series, it's evident that Venom will be something more terrifying than anything seen before.
Venom Has Been A Terrifying Villain -- and A Horrifying Hero
At first, Venom was more of a tormentor of Spider-Man. But aside from his initial comic appearance, Venom hasn't spent much time being a terrifying menace due to his fan-favorite status turning him into an anti-hero. The film version from Spider-Man 3 touched on his scary side, but the character was only in the film for the final battle and didn't have much time to be explored. The 2018 Venom film gave fans a visually more accurate Venom but focused more on his humorous and heroic side. While it's unclear if this version will take a similar approach, him lurking in the shadows and altering the tone into something scarier shows this Venom has no time for jokes. That being said, it appears this version of the character is at least inspired by the film's inky black design and uses it to the games' advantage, making him look more like a specter than a lethal protector.
Cartoons like Spider-Man: The Animated Series and The Spectacular Spider-Man turn Venom into a menace but focus more on his thirst for revenge. That being said, his strength and rage still make him scary to a point. The video game iterations of the character are probably the closest to creating a version of the character that can terrify. The best example of this is in Ultimate Spider-Man. In the game, players can control Spider-Man and Venom. Where Peter focuses on being a hero, Venom is much more intimidating because the player must feed on people to survive, as he acts more like a monster from a '50s creature feature than a revenge-fueled beast. This version may be the closest to what we see in Spider-Man 2. In the brief glimpse of the character, it's apparent that Venom is watching Spider-Man, perhaps with revenge on his mind. Unlike most past iterations, the Venom facing Peter and Miles may be one who has fully embraced the symbiote's twisted ways.
Developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Spider-Man 2 releases in 2023 for the PlayStation 5.