Marvels Spider-Man 2s Anti-Venom is a Mark of Despair

Marvels Spider-Man 2s Anti-Venom is a Mark of Despair

As a lifelong Spidey fan who’s seen more than a few web-slinging adventures, I must say that Insomniac Games has outdone themselves with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The narrative twists and turns are as thrilling as ever, but one thing left me scratching my head – Peter Parker’s negligence in handling the symbiote situation.


In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it’s challenging to determine the condition of New York City at the end of the game due to the open-world design needing a post-credits lifespan for future content. Although Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Mary Jane Watson managed to defeat Harry Osborn’s Venom and the symbiote powers from the meteorite with the Emily-May Foundation’s particle accelerator, it remains unclear how effective this action was in eliminating the symbiote threat, as the huge black tendrils around buildings have disappeared.

In the game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac could introduce a new type of enemy – symbiotes – in its third act, as they have taken over New York City maliciously. Many pedestrians are infected with these symbiotes. If you follow the story to its origin, it was Norman Osborn and Dr. Curtis Connors who caused this problem. However, it’s Peter Parker’s carelessness that allowed Harry Osborn to become Venom and instigate a city-wide invasion. This negligence, which led to Harry getting his own symbiote, is also the reason why Peter now has his own white-and-black symbiote.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Anti-Venom is a Sad Reminder of Peter Parker’s Negligence

In an unexpected turn of events, Peter makes his way to Oscorp, carrying a container holding the recently detached symbiote. Harry, looking ill and using a cane for support, is present as well. Peter understands that the symbiote is perilously dangerous, not something to be carelessly released again, especially not back to Harry. However, in an unexpected twist, despite being a superhumanly agile and strong individual, Peter finds himself overpowered by Harry, who wobbles towards him, feebly swinging his cane. This feeble attack causes the container to shatter, unleashing the symbiote once more.

It’s rather implausible to think that Peter wouldn’t have jumped clear and maintained a safe distance to protect the canister, given his understanding of what would happen if the symbiote approached Harry again. However, it seems that Insomniac made the decision for the symbiote to transfer from Peter to Harry in this manner due to convenience. But, it’s worth noting that there are likely numerous alternative ways for the transition to occur without portraying Peter as rash and clueless.

As a fan, I often ponder about the alternate outcome if Harry hadn’t reconnected with the symbiote again. Would the particle accelerator have been used to obliterate the meteorite? Or perhaps Peter would have discovered that he still possessed fragments of the symbiote’s collective consciousness within him, a secret hidden even from Martin Li and Miles Morales, who had to delve deep into his mind to protect him from symbiote attacks. Regardless, Peter found himself in a position where he only needed Li to drain his power to create the Anti-Venom symbiote, essentially giving Harry the black symbiote on a silver platter.

If Li were to lose his powers, it could be a blessing for him since he might be able to free himself from the tormenting spirit that plagues him as Mr. Negative. However, the act he performed, draining himself completely of energy for Peter’s benefit, was an unselfish and potentially suicidal move.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Harry Osborn Deserves Better Than the Kind of Friend Peter Parker is

In this scenario, Peter wears the Anti-Victor symbiote with pride as a tool to battle the various colored symbiotes successfully and ultimately save Harry. However, there’s a sense of sadness underlying its use because his supposed friend is once again critically ill, while Peter now owns a suit capable of curing diseases. Regrettably, it remains unclear if Peter could offer the Anti-Venom suit to Harry, as he has never been depicted attempting to do so in any way.

In the same vein, Peter appears unfazed by his continuous bond with his symbiote, and rather presumptively considers it completely harmless despite the lessons learned from his encounter with the black suit. If Peter doesn’t attempt to discard the symbiote in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, there must be a compelling explanation for his need of it and why he can’t simply pass it on to Harry.

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2024-09-08 21:25