As players wrap up the latest installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PlayStation, curiosity abounds regarding what the future holds for the beloved web-slinger’s video game escapades. Notably, Spider-Man 2 has already dropped subtle hints that could potentially lay the groundwork for an upcoming sequel’s storyline.
A pair of developers who worked on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have discussed the potential appearance of Carnage in the game series. According to the devs, Spider-Man 2 was focused on telling a great story for Venom and the studio didn’t want to add characters that would sidetrack fans. However, the devs are huge fans of Carnage and want to give the character the story he deserves.
Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage, made an appearance in the game at the end of a side quest. Kasady acquires a symbiote that would potentially turn him into the archenemy of both Spider-Man and Venom. Carnage isn’t directly seen in the game but Insomniac plans to incorporate the character in a future installment.
“Early on, we knew that we wanted to tell a great Venom story. Anything that would distract from that wasn’t on brand, but at the same time, we’re huge fans of Carnage and Cletus Kasady,” Insomniac’s narrative director Ben Arfmann told io9.
“We didn’t want to shortchange that story by not giving it full service. At least in this game, we got to introduce our version of Cletus and also do some work on the relationship between Peter and Yuri Watanabe, who’s now become Wraith. If we’re gonna dive into that Carnage storyline, we want to make sure to really give it everything that it deserves.”
Insomniac writer Brittney Morris explained that Spider-Man 2 is focused on the development of Pete and Miles’ story “from beginning to end.” She adds that the studio also wanted to do “a Venom story in our own way.”
Morris also noted that a number of villains in the game deserved their own screen time and the studio wanted to flesh out their characters. “To do all of that in a way that’s meaningful and a good experience for players, you need time,” Morris said.
A popular theory among fans is that Carnage will be added as part of a DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Insomniac hasn’t ruled out working on an expansion for its fastest-selling game but based on Arfmann’s comments, the Carnage storyline would be best explored in a full-blown game rather than a short DLC.
We’d definitely love to see Insomniac somehow find a way to have Spider-Man and Venom fight Carnage as part of the story. Regardless of where Carnage appears, the Spider-Man game series has a bright future ahead. A new game with Carnage as the main villain does sound very interesting. Hopefully, the Carnage storyline will live up to the expectations of fans of the character and the game.
