Summary
There’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to the future ofMarvel’s Spider-Man. The franchise has proven itself to be not only a fun series of games, but alsoa compelling rendition of theSpider-Manmythos, nailing its portrayals of key heroes and villains, telling inventive and entertaining stories with them at the helm. But while the road ahead looks promising, there are also some potential obstacles that Insomniac Games will have to overcome.
Interestingly enough, many of these obstacles are shared by the series' comic book and film counterparts: long-form superhero storytelling can get a little dicey as time goes on, since the stories often become too big and complicated for their own good. Take the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for instance. One of the issues with the MCU is that, following the events ofAvengers: Endgame, it’s hard to tell stories with the same gravitas; when the fate of half the galaxy is at stake, other threats simply don’t seem as important.Marvel’s Spider-Manisn’t quite there yet, but it faces a similar risk of poorly balancing its narrative stakes.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 Is Caught Between Being Boring and Jumping the Shark
Marvel’s Spider-Man Is a Nice Change of Pace from Other Spider-Man Media
Spider-Manstories are often about the balance between the relatable, street-level heroics of the titular character, and the more grand,bombastic ideas of the greater Marvel universe. The two leadingSpider-Manfilm adaptations — the MCU andSpider-Versemovies — lean into the cosmic, high-concept aspects of Marvel more than anything else, putting Spider-Man up against galactic-level enemies, sending him into space, or shooting him across the multiverse. This can be great, but it’s also an approach that loses a bit of what makes the character unique.
Marvel’s Spider-Mandoesn’t leave New York City, nor does it loop in any grander threats or space-faring antics. Entities like The Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange may be referenced, but they stay far removed from the story, which allows Insomniac to write smaller-scale adventures, where the outcome determines the fate of New York rather than the whole planet or galaxy. This is not only refreshing after the zoomed-out approach of other modernSpider-Manadaptations, but also more effective in some ways: a disaster befalling a single city or neighborhood is easier to grasp and relate to, compared to the more abstract concept of a planetary or multi-planet threat.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Venom plotthreatens the broader planet, but the immediate threat never extends beyond New York.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 Might Have a Tough Time Upping the Ante
Smaller stories might make for more interesting storytelling, but blockbuster franchise-building demands greater stakes with each entry. The problem with this, as it pertains toMarvel’s Spider-Man 3, is clear: Insomniac will have to decide how big to go with its next story.Spider-Man has a vast rogues galleryto draw from, but many of these villains have their sights set far beyond New York City, often aiming to dominate the globe, or even more. To keep theMarvel’s Spider-Mansaga tense and interesting, Insomniac may need to continue expanding, introducing these menacing villains and grander concepts, and ultimately altering the series' identity.
A threat that is at the same level asDoc Ock inMarvel’s Spider-Manor Venom inSpider-Man 2could be underwhelming, but the usual comic book approach of introducing bigger ideas could dilute what makes the series special. After all, there are countless video games about futuristic battles for Earth or cosmic conflicts, but there is only one series about Spider-Man swinging through New York City, charming audiences with his wit and home-bred earnestness.
