Summary

  • The supporting characters in the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise are crucial for world-building and establishing a unique continuity.
  • Black Cat plays a significant role in the story, even though she is mainly featured in optional side content.
  • The portrayal of Black Cat in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 suggests that she may not be returning in future entries, potentially being written out of the franchise, but it could also open the door or portal into her own half-sequel.

The cast of supporting characters in the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise has developed into a truly special part of each game’s world-building. Like the Arkham games, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shows a throughline for characters who are brought back to continue their development, and while some are more intriguing or engaging than others, it is still great to have these characters help establish a unique continuity. That’s why, even though she is mainly relegated to side content that players don’t need to experience, Black Cat plays a large role in the story.

Miles’ family will always be an important part of his character in future entries, with Rio’s new love interest ensuring that fact. Similarly, Peter will always have MJ by his side and it would seem uncharacteristic of him to move on to someone else now unless she was to meet an untimely demise in the same circumstances as Gwen died in the comics. Black Cat, however, is a dubious point of interest since she was only teased in the original game’s base content before having a huge role in Marvel’s Spider-Man’s City That Never Sleeps DLC, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 might’ve laid the foundations for a Black Cat half-sequel.

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Black Cat Plays an Important Role in Optional Marvel’s Spider-Man Content

Black Cat’s Ingenuity Could Make for a Superb Half-Sequel

Black Cat appeared only momentarily in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, though it was perhaps one of the game’s most memorable moments. If it was ever in question how successful and elusive Black Cat is as a thief, her being able to steal the Wand of Watoomb from the Sanctum Sanctorum is enough evidence to provide clarity.

The sequence that follows has Miles pursue her through teleportation rifts with instantaneous load times, as well as fight alongside her when ambushed by a group of Kraven’s hunters. But what is most startling about this portrayal of Black Cat is that she’s seemingly no longer in a spirited, flirtatious mood, taking a turn to a much more sincere and cautious Felicia than fans may have been expecting her to be.

Black Cat has proven to be quite mischievous and lied to Peter about having a son, and therefore it’s possible that this was another lie to get Miles out of her hair, but potentially having a girlfriend who’s in Paris is an interesting twist for the character.

If a half-sequel was to follow her there and have her be playable, a new threat in Marvel’s take on Paris could be the most surprising and refreshing half-sequel direction that Insomniac could take. If she was able to steal the wand, for example, there’s no telling what other gimmick abilities she could obtain in her travels, and it would be neat to hear if her girlfriend is another iconic character from the Marvel universe.

Why Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Might Be the Last Time Players See Black Cat

Rather, the more likely connotation that Black Cat leaving has is that she is being written out of the franchise. It’s true that Black Cat is more one-dimensional than most other characters, commonly being portrayed as a seductive distraction for Peter. Now, Peter’s relationship with MJ has taken him off the market and the first game’s DLC seemed to have resolved any loose ends the two had lingering from their past together.

Parting ways with Black Cat makes sense at this point even if it would’ve been a nice bit of closure for Peter to have gone on the Black Cat mission and said goodbye to her in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 instead of Miles. It would also be a bit of a departure for the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise to suddenly have a half-sequel with Black Cat being playable, but if the story it led players on was interesting enough it could end up being a wonderful spin-off that only serves to expand the universe in a positive way.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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Open-World
Action-Adventure
Superhero
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Systems
PlayStation-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
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Released
October 20, 2023
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Engine
Insomniac Engine v.4.0
Prequel(s)
Marvel's Spider-Man
Franchise
Spider-Man
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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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.

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