Recently, developer Insomniac has revealed that its new Spider-Man game will, according to the Daily Star, “not only run on a similar iteration of the engine used for their Ratchet & Clank reboot, but would also feature an open-world Manhattan.” This is going to make for some sweet graphics and fast-paced action for sure. But what gets me really excited is that Insomniac has insisted that this is not a Spider-Man origin story, and won’t re-hash any of the Spidey films.
I am beyond excited to hear this. After all the films that have re-hashed over and over Spider-Man’s origin story, I am beyond ready to move on. There is a huge comic-book series based on this Marvel hero, and though some of them are about beating yet another bad guy, most a fairly iconic: The Death of Gwen Stacy , for example, Venom , Blue , The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man , and way more than I can mention here. Since Insomniac is making a point of working so closely with Marvel, I cannot wait to see which comic they choose to play out in the upcoming video game. My favorite choices would be the ones I already listed, but for the very first game (as I have the distinct feeling it’s going to be a series) out of the gate, I think either Venom or one of the Green Goblin stories would do wonderfully.
The Green Goblin storyline is one of the most exciting, as both villain and hero are perfectly aware of each others’ alter-egos. The Green Goblin’s being Norman Osborn, an amoral industrialist head of Oscorp. At one point, Osborn took a formula that enhanced his physical abilities and intellect, but also drove him to insanity. He adopted a Halloween-themed appearance, dressing in a goblin costume, riding on a bat-shaped “Goblin Glider”, and using an arsenal of high-tech weapons, notably grenade-like “Pumpkin Bombs,” to terrorize New York City. The plot, however, begins when Norman Osborn adopts the Green Goblin identity with the goal of becoming the boss of the city’s organized crime syndicates. He intends to cement his position with Spider-Man’s defeat. It becomes more complex from there, of course, but it would make for an amazing video game story if done correctly.
My top choice, however, would definitely be Venom. Here is a villain that acts as a direct foil to Spider-Man, as they occasionally share a desire to protect innocent people from harm. Indeed, the initial motivation for the Symbiote known as Venom to attack Spider-Man is essentially because Parker rejected a permanent bond with it at their first meeting. The true plot, and what intrigues me so much, is the Symbiote’s relationship with Eddie Brock. This is one of the most humanizing villain stories in the comic-book series (though that can definitely be argued for Kraven’s Last Hunt , too), as Spider-Man inadvertently ruined Brock’s life. Brock was working his way up the career ladder in news writing, until Spider-Man debunked one his stories. Destitute, the man falls to writing nothing mor ethan gossip columns. The Symbiote eventually finds and bonds with Brock over the need for revenge on Spider-Man.
Needless to say, these two comics would be my top choices for the upcoming Spider-Man game by Insomniac. I would love it to be Venom the most because of how intriguing and humanizing the story of the Symbiote and Brock is, in addition to the other poor souls the Symbiote uses. It would make for a great, action-packed, witty, and fun game to play to be sure.