The Ultimate Evolution: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Sets the Bar High with its Jaw-Dropping Venom Design
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 introduces Venom as a formidable villain, but it's not the first time we've seen this iconic character in a Spidey video game Explore how Insomniac's Venom design sets itself apart from previous interpretations
Highlights
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is highly anticipated and follows the events of the previous games, with the fan favorite foe Venom finally set to make his debut.
In Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, Venom's appearance closely mirrors the comic book version, featuring a prominent white spider that spans across his body. Previous video game adaptations of Venom showcased different designs, incorporating diverse colors, eye shapes, and the inclusion of spider symbols on both the front and back of the character.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2, set to release in October 2023, is generating immense anticipation among gamers. This sequel follows the events of Insomniac's previous Spider-Man games and showcases the joint efforts of Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they confront the formidable Kraven the Hunter in New York City. But Kraven is not their only adversary. The menacing Venom lurks in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to attack the unsuspecting heroes.
Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 in 1988, Venom swiftly became one of Spider-Man's most iconic foes, appearing in numerous comic books, animated TV shows, movies, and, of course, video games. Possessing a formidable skill set reminiscent of the web-slinger himself, Venom is unmatched in aggression and intimidation, providing a thrilling challenge for players. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Venom frequently assumes the role of the ultimate boss in various Spider-Man video games. However, Insomniac has given Venom a distinct design in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, setting it apart from previous portrayals.
How Insomniac's Venom Compares to Past Spider-Man Games
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has kept its own version of Venom secret, despite three trailers being released and the game's launch being only two months away. In the announcement trailer, fans caught a quick glimpse of Insomniac's Venom with his menacing face before he charged towards the camera. This shot revealed that Insomniac's design for Venom closely follows the character's traditional look, but with its own distinctive touches.
In the recent story trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, fans were finally given a proper look at Insomniac's complete character model for Venom. The design remains faithful to the comics that came before it, but also includes unique additions. Insomniac's portrayal of Venom is impressively enormous, featuring massive shoulders, arms, and legs.
Venom's head and face adhere to the traditional comic design, featuring an excessively long tongue, numerous sharp teeth, and his trademark glistening white eyes. However, what sets Insomniac's Venom design apart is the prominent presence of a massive white spider that spans across Venom's front and extends to the back. While many versions of Venom incorporate this white spider, it is rarely carried over to the character's back, and it is typically smaller and less jagged compared to Insomniac's rendition.
Venom made his debut in the realm of video games with the Sega CD game titled Amazing Spider-Man Vs. The Kingpin. Although the initial video game design for Venom is relatively low-resolution, it effectively captures the essence of the comic book version, showcasing his dark blue/black coloration, a large white spider, and oversized white eyes, faithfully adapted from the original comic book design. While Venom made consistent appearances in various Spider-Man games throughout the 1990s, one of the most intriguing designs can be seen in the 2000 release of Spider-Man for the PS1, where the villain sported an unexpectedly vibrant blue color scheme.
The Venom design in 2005's Ultimate Spider-Man closely resembles the one in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. At the beginning of the game, Venom does not have a spider symbol on his chest or back, but he eventually grows one that spans across his entire body, similar to the design in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. However, Ultimate Spider-Man's version of Venom has noticeably different eyes with a jagged appearance compared to Insomniac's. In contrast, the Venom in the Spider-Man 3 tie-in game from 2007 has a completely different look, reflecting the slimmer design from the movie. This version also features the webbed costume and a triangular mouth. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be released exclusively for PlayStation 5 on October 20th.
