The Multiverse is a fascinating concept that can be explored or interpreted in any way and any format, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is pioneering for a shared collection of universes regardless of who was on the helm, and Insomniac almost had their take on the concept with Spider-Man: The Great Web. On paper, it sounded like a terrific idea because it already is possible to have more than one Spider-Man and adapt a story from the comics and it could have been glorious.
The idea of the multiverse can be exciting because of all the possible interactions and crossovers fans will see, and they had a taste of that greatness in Spider-Man: No Way Home where three versions of the live-action Spider-Men got to share the screen. Spider-Man: The Great Web could have done the same for video games, and this format could perfect way to adapt the Secret Wars storyline for an ever-expanding Multiverse.
Spider-Man: The Great Web Was A Perfect Set Up For Battleworlds
In the source material, heroes across the multiverse were summoned by the Beyonder onto a planet he called Battleworld. Both heroes and villains are forced to battle each other until one faction is victorious, the MCU has a different interpretation called the Kang Multiversal War where the time-traveler unleashes the Multiverse and each universe fights for their survival. The Great Web intended to invert the premise by having all other worlds fall except one.
Rather than have Spider-Men battle each other, they form an alliance and fight against more powerful versions of the Sinister Six. The players would team up with four of their friends as they roam New York and take on activities and more. Miguel O’Hara’s Spider Society which was introduced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse could have been integrated and served as a hub.
It is a proof of concept that could have worked. One of the main reasons why the Spider-Man franchise of Insomniac Games has been so successful is the gameplay, and ever since they introduced a second Spider-Man within the same universe, fans have been eager and begging for a co-op mode in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
The MCU Finally Acknowledges The Larger Spider-Verse Through Spider-Man: The Great Web
The MCU introduced the idea of multiple variants of the same character, and it is not a bad thing to have more than one Spider-Man donning the mask. The game was meant to feature a character customization menu like Dragon’s Dogma 2 where players can design their original Spiders and stand out from their crew. It would also be prudent to include other characters from the Spider-Man lore as fans want certain characters to be released as skins for the content part of DLCs.
The Multiverse is an open book for opportunities and freedom is at an all-time high, Insomniac had the chance to do what the MCU couldn’t with Secret Wars and they have already laid out the groundwork with gameplay, traversal with the PS5’s SSD as seen in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and a dedicated community.
Spider-Man: The Great Web may have been pruned off the sacred timeline, but maybe there is an alternate world where it exists. Are you upset about Insomniac’s canceled multiplayer game? Share your thoughts below!
