Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is coming thick and fast. It seems like two minutes ago the game was officially announced back in 2021, with the surprise yet welcome inclusion of Venom, voiced by none other than the veteran horror actor Tony Todd.
Anyone that has watched a horror movie in the last thirty years will recognise the man and his voice. The original face of Candyman back in 1992, followed by a mysterious appearance as Death in the Final Destination franchise, the man oozes intimidation and mystique, which makes him pretty much the perfect casting for Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac’s Newest Foe in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Before making their way to San Diego Comic-Con to promote the biggest comic-book-inspired game of the last few years, Creative Director Bryan Intihar, Senior Narrative Director Jon Paquette and Senior Art Director Jacinda Chew all sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the game, Venom’s first appearance in Insomniac’s Spider-Man universe and the man voicing him, Tony Todd.
Venom is undoubtedly one of the most important characters in Spider-Man lore. Starting out as a straight villain, he’s since grown into the more familiar and recent anti-hero we now know him as, helped along by the soon-to-be-trilogy of Tom Hardy films. Because of Venom and the symbiote, we now have an entire tree of characters like Carnage, Scream, Riot and the Knull. Not to mention one of the most famous suits in Spider-Man’s arsenal.
He’s as recognisable as any of the Sinister Six, and unfortunately been pushed to the side in most games featuring our favourite web-head, which is why the news that he’ll be featuring as such an important part of the upcoming sequel will please so many fans of the Symbiote.
“We wanted to try something very different, and I don’t think you can get much more different from Doc Ock than you do 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.”
Otto Octavius played a significant role in the first game, first as mentor and teacher to Peter, and then later in the game as the leader of the Sinister Six and foe to Spider-Man, after his mind-altering transformation into the familiar and menacing Doc Ock occurred. This was a surprising turn of events, as this particular bond hadn’t been explored much in the comics, and it brought a new dynamic to the duo, even with players waiting for the inevitable.
How Insomniac Games will treat Venom is up in the air, but we do know thanks to Intihar’s admission at the Summer Games Fest that the host isn’t Eddie Brock, as Insomniac Games ‘want to tell something new and fresh in their own way’. Since then, fans have been theorising who will the host be, with some wild suggestions including Norman Osborn and even a few saying MJ, which is never going to happen.
“For us, Venom is the host plus the symbiote, you don’t get Venom without both of them being bonded together. What Tony represents is that bond. I think, if anything, casting Tony made us feel more confident in the visual design of the character.”
With such a few sentences Bryan Intihar has put a lot of expectations on the shoulders of Tony Todd’s performance as Venom, but with his distinctive voice, it’ll be surprising if he doesn’t deliver. With previous promotional material including the extended gameplay trailer shown at the PlayStation Showcase hinting that Peter is attempting to capture/track down The Lizard/Dr Curt Connors to help remove the symbiote, it’ll be interesting to see exactly how much of the game we get to play with the Symbiote Suit, versus how much we get to experience Tony Todd’s Venom.
With Insomniac Games’ propensity for taking a different approach, both in storytelling and gameplay, it’s unlikely anyone will be able to guess exactly what they have up their sleeves, regarding Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Due at San Diego Comic-Con at Hall H from 2:30pm PT, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s panel is set to feature Intihar, Paquette, Chew, Lowenthal, Todd amongst others.
What do you think? Are we going to get an information overload at San Diego Comic-Con? Is Tony Todd’s Venom going to be as good as it’s being made to sound? Let us know in the comments!
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