Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Everything we know about the anti-hero

Patrick Dane
Miles Morales and Peter Parker fight Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 features a ton of formidable foes, but Venom has arguably captured the most intrigue. Here’s everything we know about Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

We’ve seen Kraven the Hunter emerge as a central figure, keenly chasing after The Lizard and perhaps several other foes. His quest intertwines with the broader narrative, adding layers of suspense to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Somehow, amongst all that, Venom and Spider-Man’s black symbiote suit will factor in as well as Miles Morales. That’s a lot of story to push into one game, but Insomniac Games did a good job of juggling its villains in the first outing, and it’s done the same here.

If you’re curious about Venom and what he’s bringing to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, here’s everything we know. 

What version of Venom will be in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

Firstly, we know Eddie Brock is not Venom. This was revealed at the Summer Games Fest gameplay reveal by creative director Bryan Intihar. This means we’ll be getting a different version of the character most people know from the movies. 

Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

However, outside of that information, there are some hints. The symbiote was actually revealed in the first game as Norman Osborne was shown to have his son, an incapacitated Harry in a tank seemingly surrounded by the alien goo. 

This leads many to believe that Harry Osborne will be Venom in this universe. Lending credence to this, the beloved Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon had Harry as the initial host for the symbiote, so there is precedent. He seems the most likely candidate right now. We’ve already seen the Symbiote attached to Peter Parker in the gameplay reveal though, suggesting that the alien breaks containment somehow. This means that after it’s done with Peter Parker, it could attach itself to anyone.

This theory was only further reinforced in the latest Story Trailer, as Harry returns to the mix with a goal of ‘healing’ the world. Exactly how this pans out, and just how quickly it all turns south, remains to be seen.

However, Bill Roseman, Creative Director of Marvel Games explained Venom’s motive in the upcoming title and said, “He doesn’t want to rob banks, he doesn’t want to take over the world. Venom wants to kill Spider-Man”.

Could anyone else be Venom? 

There’s also the possibility that the Symbiote finds its way to two other famous wearers of the alien. Flash Thompson, while not in the first game physically, was mentioned as looking after veterans. It’s possible he turns up here to take on the suit. Thompson’s time with the suit is well-loved by many, though he’s generally more on the hero side.

His tenure is largely known as Agent Venom, as Thompson was using the suit to conduct covert missions.  This feels far from the Venom Insomniac is portraying, but as of right now, we really don’t know a lot, so it’s possible. 

Another viable candidate is Mac Gargan, or as you might know him, Scorpion. Gargan has already appeared in Marvel’s Spider-Man. He popped up multiple times in the first game as a minor antagonist, often alongside the Rhino. In the comics, Gargan and Venom enjoyed a time in an unholy union. This version of Venom has always been portrayed as particularly vicious and would be formidable opposite Peter Parker. 

Who voices Venom? 

One thing we do know for sure is that Venom is being voiced by horror icon, Tony Todd. Todd is well known for portraying the Candyman. This will give the Symbiote a particularly menacing voice, and suggest a lot of threat for the Spider-family. 

In an interview with EW, Intihar spoke about Todd’s portrayal of Venom, saying: “Everything we talked about [with] Venom — that sense of strength, that sense of fear, that sense of overwhelming, so different from Peter — Tony embraces that completely in the performance.”

He added, when talking about why they decided to use Venom: “It’s about power, it’s about strength, it’s about being slighted, it’s about Peter being involved much more in the creation of Venom. I think that’s what attracted us.”

For now, that’s all we know about Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, along with a few theories. As more becomes clear, we will update you here on the story of Insomniac’s version of the character.