Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 just had a huge boost in players thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s been a good excuse to revisit the stellar 2023 superhero game, especially if players saw the Wall-Crawler pulling off some impressive feats on the big screen and wanted to replicate them at home. Despite this clear bit of cross-media synergy, Insomniac didn’t really do much content related to the film. The only DLC that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has ever gotten is the new Brand New Day suits and a minor technical update, a move that has frustrated some fans.
The thing is, this writer can see both angles of that. On the one hand, it seems like Insomniac dropped a very easy opportunity to revisit the smash-hit superhero game, giving fans new DLC missions with characters who featured in the film — especially Jean Grey, who is set to play a key role in the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine. On the other hand, any effort to capitalize on that synergy might have stretched their teams too far, especially on the eve of their next big release. Still, I’ll always be a little disappointed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 didn’t take better advantage of the Wall-Crawler’s latest cinematic adventure.
Given the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters and the enduring popularity of Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games, I’m shocked there weren’t plans in place for more expansive DLC. It’s not like Insomniac’s version of the Wall-Crawlers hasn’t included downloadable content in the past. The first game had several add-on missions that expanded the world, while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does include some new costumes to reflect the new film. However, in older eras, it feels like it would have been a no-brainer to have a larger mass media connection between the games.
The possibilities for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 DLC inspired by the film seem like a lot of fun. Even if the game didn’t want to take too much of an influence from those movies, it could have been an easy excuse to introduce this world’s version of the Punisher or Hulk for a side mission. The developers of the series could have given each of them their own mission to highlight the larger scope of the franchise. Maybe a greater emphasis on that universe’s version of Damage Control could have been used to lay the groundwork more for whatever shape Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 ends up taking.
A DLC mission where Spider-Man interacts with Jean Grey could have built off the kind of dynamic that exists in the MCU, giving players an excuse to venture into the psyche of Peter or Miles in a natural way. With Marvel’s Wolverine on the horizon, it could have even been a natural way to lay the foundation for that corner of the universe by showing how characters like Jean bounces off the established Spider-Man characters and tone. Honestly, there are so many possibilities for what that DLC could have been to tie into the new film; I’m frankly surprised Insomniac didn’t leap at the chance.
On the other hand, there’s honestly a level of restraint with Insomniac’s Marvel games that would have been somewhat risky if they had returned to the DLC stream for the game. Trying to force out new missions in time to correspond with the new movie would have been a challenge for the developers that the team may have simply not wanted. The studio has been hard at work on Marvel’s Wolverine for years, with their focus likely centered on that game ahead of its release in the next month. Splitting it with a new addition to the Spider-Man games might have been a frustration they didn’t need.
As much as I think seeing a Jean Grey-centric DLC mission with Spider-Man could have underscored the connection between those franchises in their shared world, it would have also risked throwing off the tone — given the amount of violence and morally dubious characters teased for Marvel’s Wolverine, putting it up against Spider-Man already might have felt disingenuous to one or even both of their approaches. There’s also the matter of whether or not Insomniac really even needed the publicity boost that the DLC would have garnered, especially given that the DLC from Marvel’s Spider-Man weren’t recieved with the best reception by fans.
Marvel’s Wolverine is among the more anticipated games of the years, especially as a means of laying the groundwork for future games set within this universe. Meanwhile, anticipation for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 is so high, even the mention of it being confirmed on IMDB is enough to get fans excited. Doing a DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 based on characters or concepts from Brand New Day might have been a lot of fun, but they could have diverted attention from the other games or messed with the development teams. While I do think this was a missed opportunity to turn the natural boost of players from the film into a quick win for the developer, Insomniac’s patient and precise approach to these Marvel games means it was likely the right decision to make.
