This is a great time to be a Spider-Man fan. Not only does the new film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse come out this week, but last week we got our first big look at the upcoming Spider-Man 2 video game for the Playstation 5. I’m going to the first showing of the movie this week, and you best believe I’ll be picking up that game day one! Everything’s coming up Spider-Man!

Next week, I’ll do a review of Across the Spider-Verse here in this List of Six space. So this week, I’ve decided to whip together a quick list for the Spider-Man 2 video game. Who do I want to see appear in the game? What cameos and character appearances? We already know that Kraven the Hunter and Venom will be the major villains, but what about minor villains? What about some superhero allies? Or some civilian friends?

Join me after the jump for a couple characters I hope to see in this surely awesome video game.

6. Phil Urich and Anna Maria Marconi

This entry is a bit of a cheat. A couple years ago, after the first game in this series came out, I did a List of Six of a wide range of things I’d like to see in the sequel. Phil and Anna Maria are two of my favorite Spider-Man NPCs, and so I added them to that list. Seeing as how this list is now about specific characters, I feel like adding them again. It’s been a few years. I can repeat things a little bit. Phil Urich is an intern at the Daily Bugle, nephew to reporter Ben Urich, who became the good guy Green Goblin in the comics, then took a villain turn. Could be a fun subplot. Anna Maria Marconi is a scientist who was the love interest of the Superior Spider-Man, when Doc Ock controlled Peter’s body. That’s probably not a storyline the games will do, but she could still show up as a scientist somewhere and would be a fun addition.

5. Starling

Starling is Tiana Toomes, granddaughter of the Vulture. She’s a teen superhero and, I think, is currently dating Miles Morales in the comics. She would be a great addition to the new game and Miles’ civilian storyline. We had Vulture in the first game, so he’s an established character with established game mechanics. So rather than bring back the Vulture, bring in Starling. She can be a villain/secret love interest for Miles. Is that too similar to his friend from the first Miles game? Then introduce her as Starling first and never make her identity a secret. Then Miles can have his own Black Cat-style villain relationship!

Speaking of whom…

4. Black Cat

I hope Black Cat comes back in the new game. I read somewhere that some comics explored her character and her fate more, but the Spider-Man DLC left it ambiguous, and that’s all that matters to me. Surely she didn’t die, so surely she can come back to torment Peter Parker some more. I definitely hope that is the case.

3. Symbiote hosts

Venom is a big deal. He’s a huge deal. And I bet he’ll be a lot of fun in the new game. But Marvel loves their symbiotes, and how much you want to bet a bunch of others will show up in a sequel game? Heck! Maybe Eddie Brock and Venom will get their own Miles Morales-style mini-sequel! There’s an idea! To help set that up, I hope we get some civilian appearances of future symbiote hosts. Maybe we help catch Cletus Kasady. Or the Life Foundation could be an agency within the game, and we could meet the hosts of the Life Foundation symbiotes, like Donna Diego (I’m not sure the others have names).

2. Hobie Brown as the Prowler

As I’ve written about before, Marvel Comics is juggling two very different, yet very similar Prowler characters. There’s the original Prowler, Hobie Brown, and then there’s the Ultimate Prowler, Aaron Davis, uncle to Miles Morales. When Miles and his world were brought into the 616 Universe, Ultimate Prowler came with him, with no change to Hobie Brown. The comics have since figured out some ways to rectify this — by making Hobie into the new Hornet — but there’s so far been no sign of Hobie in the movies or the games. Aaron Davis was a major character in the Miles Morales game, and he ended up in prison for his crimes, having turned himself in thanks to his nephew’s influence.

So with Aaron Davis in prison, why not introduce a young Hobie Brown to get into his gear to become a new Prowler? We saw in the game that Aaron had caches or bases hidden in New York City. Maybe Hobie finds one and becomes the new Prowler. That could be a fun side mission in the game.

1. The Spot

You cannot imagine how thrilled I am that The Spot is a major playing in Across the Spider-Verse. I have loved The Spot since I was a child. He’s such a silly, yet awesome character. I can’t wait to see what they do with him in the movie. And what better way to build some movie/game synergy than having the Spider-Man games introduce their own version of The Spot? The dude has Portal powers! And Portal has been a video game staple for a long time now. So just put some portals in the new video game. I bet it would be really weird to pull off, but they’ve already mastered the web-swinging physics in the first game. Make it more complicated! Web-swing into portals!

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