Summary
Marvel’s Spider-Manhad a great responsibility coupled with its great power as the initial entry in an original canon for the wall-crawler. Lore and world-building needed to be established with roots in place to create a foundation for whatever else would come from it, such as which antagonists had already been encountered by Peter Parker’s Spider-Man in his eight-year history of crime-fighting and which ones would debut during the events ofMarvel’s Spider-Man.
HavingOtto Octavius’ Doctor Octopuswithheld from marketing until the game’s release was brilliant despite leaks revealing the villain because his role is incredibly substantial as the leader of a Sinister Six and a rival of Norman Osborn. The Sinister Six he conceives isn’t tremendously remarkable in the plot, though, and essentially allowsMarvel’s Spider-Manto dump a handful of well-known antagonists into its third act without needing to fill the open world with villain-related quests. Consequently, there are upsides and downsides to Insomniac employing a Sinister Six so early in the franchise.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Sinister Six Began the Franchise with a Bang
Having a Sinister Six—as rushed and behind-the-scenes as it was—immediately thrown in was a guaranteed way to have it pack a serious punch. The Raft breakout is one ofMarvel’s Spider-Man’s most electric (pun intended) and memorable sequences as a result since it unveils its Sinister Six villain by villain until its leader is revealed and Spider-Man is defeated.
This makes the newly composed villain team-up seem indomitably imposing and yet the Sinister Six quickly loses its luster following that sequence. The Sinister Six features four classic Spider-Man villains who’d been teased and revealed in the story’s exposition beforehand—Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, and Vulture, while Mr. Negative and Doctor Octopusgot to be legitimate characters with their own motivations and developments adequately depicted.
Even Shocker got to play a bigger role than Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, or Vulture, which seems egregious but is not surprising when consideringInsomniac’s approach to villains from game to game. Then, because Spider-Man only needs to face off with the four classic villains when they’re paired off, they never appear as intimidating as they were when they were all assembled.
Furthermore, having a Sinister Six that early made it so Insomniac bit off more than it needed to chew. Insomniac has clearly cherry-picked antagonists who it wanted to pedestal amongst others and through this selection process it has sidelined a lot of characters whose developments won’t ever be as fleshed out.
Dr. Curtis Connors’ Lizard, who has a phenomenal and intricate set piece boss fight inMarvel’s Spider-Man2, is unlikely to be reprised in a subsequent installment due to how little time Insomniac has spent depicting him.
Characters like Octavius and Norman Osborn are obviously meant to be of the highest importance in the throughlineMarvel’s Spider-Manis weaving between each entry and a lot of traditionally iconic villains are being given reduced roles to compensate for that. Of the Sinister Six’s Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, and Vulture, onlyRhino received a significant role in the series thereafter viaMiles Morales.
Plus, aside from the odd ambiguity in Rhino’s case, these antagonists were all slain by Kraven—who also disappointingly fails to make it out of the sequel alive—and are no longer on the table forMarvel’s Spider-Man 3to reprise. Of course, it’d be impossible for all ofMarvel’s Spider-Man’s antagonists to have equally dynamic and satisfying roles in every game. So to have a Sinister Six largely made up of throwaway villains makes sense from a narrative standpoint and killing them in the mainline sequel ensures that the plan was never to portray them as anything greater.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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.
