Spider-Man 2: PS5 announcement reveals new villain
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to be released in Fall 2023, but the marketing campaign is only just beginning. Following the explosive reveal in September 2021's PlayStation Showcase, fans only got either little or no information regarding the sequel to 2018's massive-hit Spider-Man and its follow-up, the 2020-released Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
The upcoming game will see both Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up to save New York City from various new threats. One of the chief aspects of the game is the apperance of the highly anticipated Venom, who will be essayed by legendary voice actor Tony Todd, and Kraven the Hunter, whose voice was heard in the 2021 reveal where he seemed to be offering a challenge to Peter, Miles, and possibly Venom.
As fans crave for what Insomniac Games has in store for Spider-Man 2, a new PS5 announcement regarding the upcoming game's prequel comic has hinted at and teased a new villain named Parker Robbins, aka The Hood.
The Hood teased as a villain for Spider-Man 2 via a new prequel comic
As mentioned above, a new comic book announcement hinted at The Hood as a villain for Spider-Man 2. This announcement comes from a post on the PlayStation Blog, which reveals an upcoming tie-in comic book for the hotly anticipated game.
Jon Paquette, the narrative director at Insomniac Games, stated that the team over at Insomniac had explored multiple ideas on what to adapt for the prequel comic of Spider-Man 2. He then stated that the comic seeked to answer the question of how Peter, Miles, and MJ would fight against a villain, whose powers they knew little to nothing about.
Moreover, Paquette said that he and the team over at Insomniac wanted fans to get a peek at Peter, Miles, and MJ's lives since the events of Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
"Additionally, we wanted to make sure that we could get a peek into what this heroic trio has been doing since the events of 'Marvel’s Spider-Man' and 'Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.' What is Pete up to now that there are two Spider-Men in the city? How is Miles doing in school? And how is MJ’s journalism career going?"
Paquette then revealed that he and the team had settled on The Hood as a villain for the Spider-Man 2 prequel comic book, marking the villain's first appearance in the Insomniac Spider-Man universe.
"In this story, their lives collide as Peter, Miles, and MJ attempt to balance their responsibilities to the city, and each other. They keep coming back to one of the main themes of the comic: is magic real? Because in this action-packed issue, a beloved Supervillain makes their first appearance in our universe and appears to have supernatural abilities that defy mere webs and fists: none other than The Hood!"
Whether The Hood will actually make the jump from the tie-in comic Insomniac Spider-Man universe to the Spider-Man 2 game remains to be seen. However, Paquette using the words "first appearance in our universe" indicates that the team has plans for The Hood beyond one appearance and that the character could also appear in the upcoming game.
Spider-Man 2 will see Peter Parker and Miles Morales fight Venom and Kraven the Hunter
The main storyline of Spider-Man 2 will see Peter and Miles team up as Spider-Men and continue to defend New York from various criminals and supervillains. The upcoming game will also see the two Spider-Men face off against Venom, who was teased in the after-credits scenes of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, alongisde Kraven the Hunter.
In fact, the teaser for the upcoming game released on September 2021 showcased footage of Peter and Miles fighting a group of armed mercenaries. There, a voice-over of Kraven was heard, where he seemed to be issuing a challenge to Peter, Miles, and Venom to fight him, as he longed for a worthy opponent who could prove to be a match for him.
As for the cast, Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter will reprise their roles from the first game as Peter and Miles. They will be joined by Tony Todd of Candyman fame, who will lend his vocal talents to Venom. Additionally, an unconfirmed voice actor will lend his voice to Kraven the Hunter.
As for the rest of the characters, it is unconfirmed but fans can expect the following cast members from the previous games to reprise their roles in Spider-Man 2:
- Laura Bailey as MJ
- Mark Rolston as Norman Osborn
- Jacqueline Pinol as Rio Morales
- Darin De Paul as J. Jonah Jameson
Harry Osborn will also make his first full appearance in the game. However, Scott Porter, the actor who voiced the character in the first game, confirmed in a now-deleted tweet that he would not reprise the role. This is because Insomniac was heading in a photorealisitc direction for Spider-Man 2's visuals and graphics and that the height between him and Harry was a huge difference.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be released in 2023, exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
Quick Links
Priya Majumdar