Venom writer responds as fans call out Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 not crediting his work
Donny Cates / MarvelVenom writer Donny Cates recently responded to social media posts in which fans called out developers of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for failing to credit the writer’s work in the game. Here are the comments made by fans and the writer’s response.
Among Spider-Man’s many memorable enemies over the years is Venom, who makes an appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Venom is a symbiotic alien entity that joins with its host, granting the host extraordinary abilities and a dark, evil personality.
Venom is a major antagonist in the game, posing new and surprising threats to Peter Parker and Miles Morales throughout. The acrobatic fighting sequences that highlight the symbiote’s sheer strength and agility have been a hit with players ever since the game’s release.
Insomniac GamesFans claim Insomniac copied Venom‘s character arc from Donny Cates’ comics run, even down to a pivotal frame from one of his pages. Cates has now addressed the criticism leveled against the developers for failing to properly credit the character’s writer.
Note: This article contains mild spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Donny Cates responds to Spider-Man 2 fans for Venom credits
Donny Cates, a veteran comic book writer known for his contemporary works with iconic characters such as Doctor Strange, Thanos, and Thor, is also well-known for giving Spider-Man’s archenemy Venom a new perspective in comics. His interpretation of the Symbiote expanded the mythology of the character and ultimately transformed Venom into a Symbiote God.
Thus, his depiction of the red-winged Venom inspired a sequence in the most recent Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game by Insomniac, which paid homage to his comics. However, according to fans, his name was not included in the game’s end credits, which angered the community against the developers.
One such fan posted the argument in an X post, while sharing images from his comics and hoped Insomniac would paid him for his work. Another user who noticed the end credits said, “Not even in the credits, man. It’s such a bummer.”
As a result, Donny responded to the previous post with a Tom Hardy GIF, raising his eyebrows with a shrug to allegedly hint that he was neither credited nor paid. Upon seeing his response, a fan replied, “This sucks especially since your run is what made me start to love Eddie Brock Venom”.
No official statement has been made by Cates or Insomniac, but fans are still holding out hope that the writer will be compensated for his work on the character, which has spawned numerous adaptations in different media.