How Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 retells Venom’s biggest comic story ever

❘ Published: 2023-10-26T16:52:03

Venom in the comics and in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Marvel Comics/Insomniac

Venom loosely adapts a popular cosmic storyline for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The Venom depicted in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 borrows a lot of elements from his three decades of appearances, but the game’s retelling of King in Black is its most surprising.

The release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 means players finally get to experience the game’s take on Venom. First revealed in a 2021 teaser trailer, the slobbering symbiote has been one of the most anticipated characters since he was teased in the original game’s post-credits scene.

The game draws from a number of sources to get its story told. Stories like the black suit and Kraven’s Last Hunt all get their due in one way or another. They’re never exactly like in the comics, but they’re there in spirit.

For Venom himself, though, the game seems to speedrun through the character’s biggest hits. Several classic Venom tales are included in the formula for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but the character’s biggest cosmic outing also gets its due in a surprising way.

Note, spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to follow.

What is Marvel Comics’ King in Black?

In King in Black, the symbiote god Knull comes to Earth to take over the planet by absorbing a Symbiote Codex housed in Eddie Brock’s son, Dylan. Eddie and the Venom symbiote unite with the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and more to fight against Knull.

King in Black is a massive, sprawling epic that sees New York entirely possessed and some of Marvel’s greatest heroes turned into twisted symbiote variants. Evil heroes like The Maker return, Eddie Brock dies only to be revived, and the power of Eddie and Venom conquers Knull. The story ends with Venom as the reluctant leader of the surviving symbiotes, becoming the new King in Black.

King in Black is a pivotal turning point for Venom. The character had been through a lot in the preceding decade. He’d spent time with the Guardians learning the alien origins of the symbiote and relearning how to be a hero after Venom was possessed by Lee Price. With King in Black, a chapter of Venom’s life closed and finally moved the character forward.

How Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does King in Black

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doesn’t adapt Knull or the idea of symbiote deities. Regardless, it does adapt King in Black in a sense.

The Venom storyline in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does this by putting Venom himself in the Knull role. Like Knull, Venom can possess humans and spread the symbiote invasion himself. Unlike Knull, this is done via a meteorite that brought him to Earth.

Venom takes on a lot of notes from the comics here, including his massive wings, taking over New York with symbiotes, and his seemingly limitless power. While the story isn’t exactly one-to-one to King in Black, the game does an admirable job of taking the high notes of the now classic story and telling a compelling Spider-Man video story with its narrative.

That’s everything you need to know about how King in Black is represented in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Be sure to follow all of Dexerto’s comic book coverage, or check out our Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 guides at the links below: