Highlights
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 includes clever references and Easter eggs to the comic book world, such as a mention of the monstrous Man-Spider and an incomplete Fantastic Four logo on a rooftop.
- The game features suits with deeper meanings and references, like the hooded red and white Arach-Knight suit, inspired by the character from the Infinity Wars comic storyline.
- There are nods to other superheroes as well, such as the Wakandan embassy in New York City.
Spider-Man is easily one of the most popular comic book characters ever created by one of the most successful comic book publications in the world. Throughout the decades, the character has appeared in several stories, interacted with several characters, and undergone many reboots and retcons.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, revolving around such a popular character and set in the Marvel universe, meant that there were always going to be recognizable themes that were carried over from or inspired by the comic books. Some of these comic book themes were put in as references and easter eggs, and there are some really clever ones throughout the game.
9 Man-Spider Shout-out
Both Miles and Peter have a lot of great random dialogue options that can be triggered during combat, which fits the characters, who are known for their annoying quips and getting under their adversaries’ skins.
Some of these dialogue options have some cool references. For instance, while you’re fighting the cult of flame during the Where Have You Been mission, Peter makes a reference to the monstrous Man-Spider, a twisted and mutated version of Spider-Man from the comics.
This reference may be very easy to miss, as it’s just a random throwaway line said as a joke during one of Peter’s many combat situations.
8 Incomplete Fantastic Four Logo
New York City is the home of almost every A-list superhero in the Marvel universe. Some of the best and most popular super trans even have their headquarters or base of operations somewhere in the city.
While traveling through the city, you may come across a rooftop that is being painted. The paint job is the shape of an incomplete encircled number four, which is clearly the logo of The Fantastic Four, one of the greatest super teams in Marvel Comics.
7 Arach-Knight Suit
|
Arach-Knight’s first appearance |
Infinity Wars: Arach-Knight Volume 1 |
|---|---|
|
Arach-Knight’s Most Prominent Appearance |
Marvel’s Infinity Wars Comic Book Event |
Both Spider-Men have a lot of great suit options for you to choose from. These suits have incredible effects, and they all look absolutely amazing.
With that said, some of these suits hold deeper meanings and references. For instance, if you play through the game, you will eventually unlock a hooded red and white suit that shares many similarities with the character Moonknight from the comics. That’s because this is the suit of Arach-Knight, a cross between Moonknight and Spider-Man who appeared in the Infinity Wars comic storyline. This is one of Peter’s best suits in the game.
6 Wolverine Suit
Another prominent Marvel Comics superhero referenced through the spider suits is the indestructible Wolverine.
One of Miles’ best suits is his Wolverine-themed suit, which references the feral and nigh-indestructible X-Man, who has had his fair share of adventures with Spider-Man. Interestingly, Insomniac Games has a Wolverine game coming soon.
5 Black Panther Suit
Another of Miles’ suits that references a superhero is his Forever suit. This suit is a clear reference to the King of Wakanda and holder of the Black Panther mantle, T’chala.
The suit most closely resembles the suit worn by the late Chadwick Bosman in the MCU incarnation of the character. However, it is still a nice touch and a great reference to an incredible character from both the movies and comics.
4 Wakandan Embassy
One of the only places you can find superheroes outside of New York City in the Marvel Universe is Wakanda, the home of the Black Panther.
However, even Wakanda has a base of operations in the city. While traveling through the city, you can come across the Wakandan embassy, which is once again a great nod to the comics, and you can even unlock a secret animation if you go there as Miles Morales.
3 Coney Island Rides Names
Spider-Man 2 has a map that is almost twice as large as the maps in previous games. This bigger map features Coney Island, which you can visit, enjoy the rides, and even win prizes.
You probably already know about the rides and prizes. What you may not know is that a lot of the booth names are actually comic book references to some minor Marvel characters. For instance, the Speed Demon and Big Wheel rides are named after Spider-Man villains.
2 Knull, King Of The Symbiotes
A Potentially Perilous Future Adversary?
|
Knull’s First Appearance |
Thor: God Of Thunder Issue 6, 2012 (first glimpse) and Venom Issue 3 (first full appearance) |
|---|---|
|
Knull’s Most Prominent Appearance |
King In Black Comic Series, 2020-2021 |
Knull, the king of the Symbiotes, is easily one of the scariest supervillains Spider-Man has ever faced. Naturally, a villain with that much presence will inevitably make his way into these video games.
While Knull has not yet been named in the games, his easily recognizable spiral symbol is shown a few times throughout the course of the game’s story. This may be more than a reference, though. It would make sense to foreshadow a character as big as Knull by simply showing his symbol, possibly marking his existence in this universe and hinting at his involvement in future game storylines.
1 Amazing Fantasy Number 15 Newspaper Cover
Where It All Began
During the game as Peter Parker, you will come across a newspaper with a front page cover that a younger Peter took as his first ever photo of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. This detail is remarkable because it smoothly transitions into the experience of playing as one of the few playable characters in the game.
However, you may not realize that the photo in question is actually the same photo that was used as the cover of the Amazon Fantasy Number 15 comic book, which is where Spider-Man appeared for the first time in Marvel Comics. This is the most excellent and significant comic book reference in the game.