Summary
- Insomniac's Spider-Man games excel at capturing the essence of a larger Marvel universe while focusing on the titular heroes.
- The series hints at connections to other Marvel superheroes but remains predominantly centered on Spider-Man's solo adventures.
- EA Motive's Iron Man game faces challenges in avoiding ties to the wider Marvel universe due to Iron Man's inherent connections.
Insomniac set a new bar for Marvel video games back in 2018 with the release of Marvel's Spider-Man. Just like Batman: Arkham before it, Marvel's Spider-Man managed to capture the essence of a much larger universe while technically remaining quite small in scope. Through the use of Easter eggs, collectibles, and in-game dialogue, Insomniac not only hinted at this Spider-Man's extensive backstory, but paved the way for future connections to its wider Marvel universe.
With three games now under its belt, many fans expected Insomniac's Spider-Man series to include a few more connections to the rest of the Marvel universe by now. But any connections between Spider-Man and the Defenders, the Avengers, and any other Marvel supergroup have remained pretty surface-level. And while a Spider-Man game should focus first and foremost on its titular hero/heroes, Insomniac's reluctance to connect its Marvel universe is something that EA Motive's Iron Man game can't repeat.
EA's Iron Man Can't Use The Same Excuse as Insomniac's Spider-Man to Avoid Other Superheroes
Insomniac's Spider-Man Has Managed to Avoid The Avengers
The first Marvel's Spider-Man does a great job of telling a larger-scale Spider-Man story, while at the same time hinting that there are more Marvel heroes and villains out there. But a key element of this first Spider-Man game was that its threats felt like something Spidey could handle mostly on his own. When the Sinister Six break out of the Raft, it isn't too unbelievable that Spider-Man would be left to round them all up by himself, even if it's confirmed that the Avengers, the Defenders, and Doctor Strange exist in this universe, and potentially live just down the block.
The same can be said for Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Though Roxxon and the Tinkerer's army of Underground soldiers pose a solid threat, it's not one that warrants an immediate response from the rest of Earth-1048's heroes. However, the same can't be said for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Though Kraven the Hunter wreaks havoc on the streets of New York, it isn't anything two Spider-Men can't handle. But when Venom shows up and starts infecting the entirety of Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs, it feels a little odd that no other heroes come to the Spider-Men's aid.
EA Motive's Iron Man Can't Easily Avoid The Rest of the Marvel Universe
For better or for worse, EA Motive's Iron Man game can't really follow in Spider-Man's footsteps when it comes to avoiding the rest of its own Marvel universe. Though Iron Man will often head out on solo missions around the world, his character is inherently more connected to a good portion of the Marvel roster, depending on when this game takes place.
For instance, if EA's Iron Man game is primarily an origin story or set in the early days of Tony Stark's superhero career, then it would be safe to assume that he hasn't made many connections with other Marvel heroes, and thus probably wouldn't turn to them immediately when posed with a new threat. However, if EA's Iron Man game begins with the hero at the height of his career, then many fans would expect him to have the Avengers on speed dial. Both of these approaches have their pros and cons. If EA Motive chooses the former approach, then it could end up feeling a bit too similar to the MCU's version of Iron Man, but the latter approach could lead to cameos that end up overshadowing the lead.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.
Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.
Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
- How Long To Beat
- 17 hours
- Metascore
- 90
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
