The 10 BEST Moments in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Harry Returns
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One of the great mysteries of 2018’s Spider-Man was answered with its ending credit tease revealing that Harry had been undergoing treatment for the same disease that tragically took his mother years earlier. Not long into Spider-Man 2, Harry returns seemingly miraculously healed and takes Peter on a trip down memory lane. Peter and Harry visit their old high school and we get a look back at not only Peter’s earliest days learning about his powers but also about the lifelong bond he shared with Harry. As the two traverse the school looking for Peter’s extra thumb drive and attempting to stay one step ahead of not only school security but also eventually the police, the dynamic duo’s adventure is cut abruptly short by the tragic news of Harry’s mother passing away. The entire sequence also sets up Harry and Peter’s desire to heal the world like they always dreamed of even back in their youth.
Losing Control
After finally curing Conners and returning home for some much-needed rest, MJ discovers Peter was followed by Kraven’s Hunters, but before she can wake Peter, she finds already dispatching Kraven’s goons. After attempting to plead with Peter to stop at an underground construction sight, MJ is horrified to discover Peter is still asleep and the suit is in full control of his actions. The suit, now in full control, relentlessly pursues MJ through the tunnel until she narrowly escapes. The intensity brilliantly never lets up as players switch back and forth between Miles and the non-superhuman MJ until the symbiote gives up the chase and MJ mercifully gets away.
Black Cat Escape
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After discovering Black Cat could be Kraven’s next target, Miles attempts to warn her but finds the Hunters already hot on her trail. Finding her at Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum looking for a relic to help her escape her pursuers, she manages to get her claws on one and Miles discovers that magic is very, very real as Black Cat uses the wand to teleport her way across the city, as well as the globe. Nice to see Insomniac making the most out of their Rift Apart tech! Teaming up to put an end to the chase, Felicia uses the wand to portal in and out of battle assisting Miles in takedowns. After defeating all of Kraven’s goons, Miles helps Felicia power up the wand so she can escape to Paris. Sorry SpiderCat fans, but that ship has sailed, at least in this universe.
The Lizard Chase
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In Kraven’s pursuit for the ultimate hunt, he manages to create a bigger and even deadlier version of the Lizard who manages to escape and begins to terrorize the waterways of New York, all while continually growing bigger and meaner. After Miles and Peter team up to stop Kraven’s hunters from capturing the Lizard and endangering innocent civilians along the way, Peter once again picks up the trail and finds Conner’s lab hidden deep in the sewers. After the Lizard initially has Peter cornered, the pair’s battle breaks free of the cramped sewers and onto the streets above as Peter races to administer the antidote to help Conners shed his scaly skin. Despite Peter’s best attempts and countless amounts of property damage, the Lizard continues his rampage, even dragging Pete up the side of a skyscraper until finally, Peter manages to take the fight back underground and really stick it to his scaly foe.
Breaking the Bond
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We’re highlighting the beginning and the end of Peter’s bond with the symbiote here because both moments are too incredible to pick just one. After being mortally wounded by Kraven, the symbiote leaves Harry and immediately heals Peter while also giving him access to brand new and powerful abilities. As Peter and the symbiote become one, Peter begins to lose control until the point where the suit is clearly in the driver’s seat, leading to a confrontation with Miles as Pete’s fellow Spider-Man attempts to break the symbiote’s control over the OG hero. Watching Peter fight against the suit as he rips and tears it from his body is not only a spectacle but Yuri Lowenthal’s performance in these tortured moments is some of the best voice acting in his long career. The entire sequence is masterfully executed.
Assault on the Emily May Foundation
Fulfilling their childhood dream, Harry builds the Emily May Foundation for himself and Peter to finally “Heal the world”, but as the pair attempt to synthesize a cure for Dr. Conners, Kraven’s hunters crash the party and destroy everything the duo had dreamt of. After initially having to climb inside the Particle Accelerator, Peter and Harry must put out numerous fires caused by overloading the system. And that’s even before the Hunters show up. The entire sequence is full of frenetic fight sequences as Peter attempts to not only keep the building from collapsing around them but also protect Harry, leading to plenty of slick combat and quirky quips. With the antidote in hand, the pair barely escape, only to watch their lifelong dreams go up in smoke before their eyes.
Inside the Symbiote
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As the symbiote syndrome continues to ravage the city, Peter and Miles rush to City Hall to help some civilians trapped inside as those affected by the symbiosis attempt to stop their every move. Just as the Spider-Men dispatch those outside, they’re ambushed and the Symbiote attempts to reclaim its former host. Martin Li arrives just as the remaining symbiotes are about to overrun Miles and the pair dive deep into the symbiote to pull Peter out before the alien’s power once again consumes him. At the very end they find Peter with what he considers his greatest failure, his inability to save his only family, Aunt May. Not only do Li and Miles help him let go of his past and his pain but Miles lets go of his as well. Admitting to Li he’ll never forgive him for what he’s done but he can’t carry the burden of hating him any longer.
Venom Unleashed
Thanks to Insomniac's marketing, it came as no surprise that the symbiote once again bonded with Harry and fully evolved into Venom who immediately began to unleash his symbiosis on the entire city of New York. What was unexpected however was players getting to go full monster and use Venom’s true power themselves, laying waste to everything and everyone in the symbiote’s path to freedom. Allowing players to experience the full strength of Venom was not only a power trip Peter could only dream of, but it also set the stakes letting players experience just how hellishly strong Venom was leading up to their ultimate climatic battle. Venom also manages to do what the Spider-Men thought impossible and gave Kraven his ultimate hunt and the glorious end he was searching for.
Airing Grievances
Throughout the course of Spider-Man 2, it’s clear that Mary Jane and Peter still have communication issues and while both are dealing with their own personal hardships, they don’t take the time to lean on one another for help. Once Harry infects MJ with the symbiote and transforms her into Scream however, all their problems come to the surface as the symbiote pulls all of MJ’s true feelings to the surface, but also twists them to cause Peter the most emotional pain possible. It may or may not have been as effective as therapy or simply having the time to talk through their issues, but combating not only the personal and relationship problems while also physically duking it out just might have been the cathartic release the pair needed to grow even stronger and face whatever the future holds for them.
Healing the World
The ultimate end to the Symbiote Saga, Venom has effectively taken over all of New York City, with its tendrils covering nearly every street, building, and alleyway, scooping up innocent civilians in his and Harry’s quest to “Heal the world”. There’s so much to unpack from this entire sequence it’s almost hard to choose the best one. From switching back and forth between Peter and Miles as they take on the invasion, Venom lifting Peter and Harry’s entire High School into the air for their showdown, to finally ending Venom’s reign of terror once and for all. Thanks to Miles, Harry managed to survive his final encounter with Venom but the ramifications of these events are clearly setting up the sequel if the end credits surprise cameos by Doc Ock and Norman’s call for the “G-Serum” are any indication of where the series could potentially go next.
