WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for "Silver Lining," the third episode in the Marvel's Spider-Man DLC series "The City That Never Sleeps," available now.
The third and final DLC chapter of Marvel's Spider-Man, "Silver Lining," was released over the weekend, providing the last story expansion to Insomniac Games' universally acclaimed, bestselling PlayStation 4 title. Picking up soon after the events of the previous chapter, "Turf Wars," the new DLC both wraps up the loose ends established by the first two DLC expansions while setting up characters and plot threads for the game's inevitable sequel.
Concluding "The City That Never Sleeps" trilogy by ending the gang war for Manhattan led by now-cybernetic mob boss Hammerhead and his goons armed with cutting edge military technology from the private military company Sable International, the final DLC chapter has Spidey team up with Silver Sable to put down Hammerhead and recover her stolen weaponry from the Maggia crime families. It also sees Spider-Man finally stop the crimes of reckless endangerment perpetuated by grating social media personality Screwball, with the viral villain subdued by the webslinger and arrested by the NYPD, hopefully for good. But what happens in the moments leading up these showdowns and directly after offer clues to how a sequel could unfold with new status quos for various returning characters appearing in the expansion.
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While Captain Yuri Watanabe is never actually seen during the events of "Silver Lining," her presence is felt throughout the chapter. Placed on administrative leave for nearly killing a defeated Hammerhead, the DLC reveals that Yuri had a partner some time before the events of the expansion, someone that went undercover posing as a psychiatrist for a Maggia enforcer to learn about his crimes. After being discovered and brutally killed by the enforcer in a coffee shop, Yuri vowed revenge, frustrated by being unable to close the book on a string of killings committed by Hammerhead's men that her partner was attempting to prove. Late in the expansion, Spider-Man discovers the body of the Maggia enforcer and receives a phone call from Yuri. Admitting to killing the mob hitman, Yuri reveals she now views the criminal justice system as useless, and decides to pursue her own form of vigilantism after revealing that killing the enforcer "felt good."
Created by Dan Slott and John Romita, Jr. in The Amazing Spider-Man #600, the comic book Yuri later took on the alter ego Wraith to target Mister Negative's criminal operations outside of the law. After Tombstone murdered her mentor, Yuri's vigilante activities became increasingly brutal, with Spider-Man later discovering it was a lingering after-effect of Mister Negative's personality-shaping powers. Whether Yuri's transformation into Wraith in the video game is at least partially fueled by Mister Negative has yet to be seen, but her and Spider-Man will surely be on a collision course in the future due to her willingness to use lethal force outside of the law.
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Also leaving Peter Parker, albeit under more temporary and friendly circumstances, is his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. In her role as an investigative reporter for The Daily Bugle, MJ researches Silver Sable and Sable International, learning of the horrific civil war occurring in Sable's home country of Symkaria. Vowing to bring more international attention to the conflict and its devastating effects on its people, Mary Jane leaves for Symkaria, though she and Peter remain committed to their relationship.
Spider-Man isn't completely without allies, fortunately. Black Cat confirms she survived the cliffhanger explosion of her penthouse in the final moments of the first DLC chapter, "The Heist." Her appearance in "Silver Lining" is brief but pivotal, as she rescues Spidey and Silver Sable from the cybernetically-enhanced Hammerhead before leaving the wallcrawler with a flash drive containing data about the Maggia's activities. And following Hammerhead's final defeat on Sable's ship in the Hudson River, the mercenary appears to be on somewhat friendly terms with Spider-Man, after previously working for Mayor Norman Osborn in the main game. While the character returns to Symkaria to help restore peace in her country, the door is certainly open for her return, especially given Mary Jane's new assignment. Along with the return of the Black Cat, gamers could get a Silver and Black team-up before Sony puts one on the big screen.
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And, finally, there's Miles Morales. After receiving superpowers from a bite by an Oscorp genetically-enhanced spider near the end of the main game, Peter Parker finally makes good on his promise to train Miles how to use his abilities in a post-credits scene to the expansion. Now in his own Spider-Man mask, Miles receives a pair of web-shooters before he and Peter jump from the Chrysler Building and swing through the Manhattan skyline, making his appearance as a superhero in a sequel virtually guaranteed.
The main game for Insomniac Games' Spider-Man set up plenty of material to explore in the future with surprisingly little of it untouched by the DLC expansions. Combined with the new plot threads established by "The City That Never Sleeps," there is plenty of story elements set up to explore in an inevitable follow-up with radical changes for several dynamics in Peter Parker's life.
Developed by Insomniac Games, Marvel's Spider-Man is available now on PlayStation 4. The third and final DLC story expansion, "Silver Lining," is available now.