Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is out on October 20th for PS5, and there’s a lot of hype. The introduction of villains like Kraven and Venom, Peter falling to the dark side with the Symbiote – a lot has been leading up to this.
Nevertheless, it’s impressive how Insomniac’s Spider-Man franchise could have so many incredible moments, despite only having two games thus far. Let’s look at 15 of the best moments before the sequel’s launch. Spoilers follow for Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales, so beware.
Spider-Man vs Kingpin
The initial sequence in Marvel’s Spider-Man is perhaps the best possible introduction to the title. Peter Parker isn’t a new hero by any means, but a veteran crimefighter. After assisting Yuriko Watanabe and the police, he battles through Kingpin’s goons at Fisk Tower, starting from the lobby and fighting to his office. The two subsequently clash throughout the building, tearing it apart before Spider-Man emerges victorious.
Mr Negative and the Train Battle
Following Kingpin’s arrest, Martin Li, aka Mister Negative, becomes the main antagonist for a period. Not only does his gang, the Inner Demons, wreak chaos across the city, but attacks Norman Osborn’s re-election rally (with Miles’ father dying in the process). Peter and Mary Jane track down Li to Grand Central, which leads to some stealth with the latter, before Spider-Man battles Mister Negative on a subway train.
The ensuing sequence is an incredible callback to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and even ends with Peter stopping the train in the same way (except without collapsing). Everything about this mission was top-notch, from the stealth and tension to the combat and destruction.
The Sinister Six
We knew Spider-Man would have to deal with different villains throughout the story. However, perhaps the biggest surprise – sadly spoiled before release – is the formation of the Sinister Six. It happens during a breakout at The Raft, as Peter fights off the likes of Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro and Mister Negative. Unsurprisingly, he loses, leading to Doctor Octopus releasing the Devil’s Breath poison in Times Square. Throughout the remainder of the story, Peter has to round up the villains and secure the antiserum for the poison with Dr. Morgan Michaels (who works for Oscorp).
Rematch With Mister Negative
Unfortunately, Mister Negative is sent to apprehend Michaels and take the antiserum. Spider-Man arrives in time to stop Li from killing Osborn, resulting in a fight where we see the true extent of Negative’s powers. From an entire shadowy realm and multiple goons to a massive beast of pure negative energy, Peter pulls out all the stops to finally emerge victorious. Perhaps the most pivotal moment is when Doctor Octopus arrives, beating down Spider-Man before escaping with Osborn and the antiserum.
The Final Battle
This prompts Peter to don the armored Anti-Ock Suit and face off against Doc Ock in the finale. Battling on top of Oscorp Tower, with emotions flaring between both combatants (including Octavius admitting he knew Peter was Spider-Man), it ends in the two sustaining heavy damage. Spider-Man emerges victorious, and while there’s the threat of Octavius revealing his identity, Peter leaves to tend to Aunt May.
Aunt May’s Fate
After being poisoned by the release of Devil’s Breath in Times Square, Aunt May is on the verge of death. While Peter retrieves the antiserum in time, he’s torn between using it to save May’s life or creating a vaccine to save the city. There’s a moment of hesitation before he decides to go with the latter. However, May then reveals that she knew Peter was Spider-Man and is proud of him before passing on.
Miles Reveals His Powers
While Peter deals with May’s death, things start looking up over time. After reuniting with Mary Jane, he learns that Miles Morales has the same powers as him. It starts awkward, with Miles not knowing how to explain and then hanging from the ceiling. How does Peter respond? By leaping up to join him and reaffirming that it’s not all weird. A fun way to close out the game and offer hope for the future.
The Symbiote’s Reveal
Of course, it’s hard to forget this pivotal post-credits scene where Norman Osborn steps into a hidden lab and speaks to his son Harry within a containment tank with a black substance around him. As Obsorn commits to finding a cure for Harry, the substance reacts to his presence, confirming itself to be the Symbiote. As for what role Harry and Venom play in the sequel, there isn’t much longer to find out.
Yuri Becomes a Vigilante
Though an upright police officer to start with, Yuri becomes disillusioned with the justice system after an operation against the Maggia results in the death of her fellow officers. She becomes a loose cannon, going as far as to shoot Hammerhead in the head after his fight with Spider-Man. Though placed on administrative leave, she re-emerges when the player investigates a series of murders committed by a Maggia enforcer.
The police recordings at the scene of each crime eventually lead to a call from Yuri. When Spider-Man tries to meet her, he discovers the enforcer’s corpse tied to a water tank with various purple cords highlighting his victims. Yuri severs all ties with the hero after this. While Insomniac didn’t outright confirm that she becomes Wraith, the fact that she takes on this identity in the comics after becoming disillusioned with the justice system is no coincidence. Wraith also appears on Kraven’s hit list in the first gameplay trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and the resemblance to Yuri is uncanny.
Miles and Peter vs. Rhino
Though Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales isn’t a long game, it’s still full of high-octane moments, including Rhino’s escape. While escorting the supervillain to the rebuilt raft, he escapes and goes on a merry chase through the city, destroying everything in his path. Peter and Miles subsequently give chase, and the sheer spectacle of the destruction is something to behold. While Rhino bests Peter, Miles manages to beat him by manifesting his bioelectricity powers for the first time.
Miles’ First Spider-Man Suit
Miles feels a bit low after the battle with Rhino, and after Peter reveals that he’s traveling overseas with Mary Jane as her photographer, there’s doubt as to whether he can protect the city as Spider-Man. Nevertheless, Peter entrusts him with the duty and provides a gift – Miles’ first Spider-Man outfit. It may not seem like much initially, but his awkward donning of the outfit in Central Park and discovering its many capabilities is a fun sequence of events.
Miles Designs His First Suit
Unfortunately, after a harrowing fight on the bridge to save people and evade Roxxon’s forces, Miles’ suit is damaged. It leads to him and Ned designing a new one that can handle the bioelectricity output. The result is the “official” red and black Spider-Man suit for Miles and culminates in him running up a building and crossing it in a single bound before swinging through in style.
Rio Morales Learns the Truth
One of the more pivotal reveals in the series is Miles’ mother Rio discovering that he’s Spider-Man. It’s a genuine moment of concern, especially given all of the cutscenes where she hopes Miles keeps himself safe. And while it seems like Miles has screwed up things again, his mother affirms that nothing he does would ever make her stop loving him. It ends with Rio helping with the evacuation of Harlem while Miles readies himself to stop Phin.
Phin’s Sacrifice
Phin’s reveal as the Tinkerer creates much strife between her and Miles, but for the most part, she wants what’s best for Harlem, which means sabotaging Roxxon Plaza to expose the side effects of its material, Nuform. Roxxon anticipates this and changes the reactor to cause an explosion if Phin sabotages it.
After a prolonged battle, Miles tries to absorb the reactor’s material but can’t withstand the sheer amount of energy, which means a catastrophic explosion is imminent. Phin then flies him high into the sky and tells him to let go, causing Miles to release the energy, saving the city but resulting in her heroic death.
Tribute to Phin
There are plenty of memorable parts at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, from Peter returning and the two Spider-Men venturing forth to the tease of Harry Osborn being released from his containment tank. However, the best part is Miles overlooking the city from up high and placing the Young Researchers Award that he and Phin won, paying tribute to her sacrifice before moving on.
