Marvel's Spider-Man 2 trailer finally kills the Venom debate

Marvel's Spider-Man 2
(Image credit: Insomniac)

A new trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has laid to rest any doubts about Venom's true identity.

Yesterday saw a new trailer for Spider-Man 2 out of San Diego Comic Con, which chiefly set up the new story for the sequel. Harry Osborn and the rogue's gallery of villains are pretty much the focus for the new trailer, and while Kraven the Hunter and Mr. Negative might be a big deal, it's a shared line between Harry and Venom that all but confirms the characters are one and the same.

Right near the beginning of the trailer, Harry explains to Peter Parker that he wants to "heal the world." Then, near the conclusion of the trailer, we hear Venom utter those same words in his sinister and slippery voice, pretty much confirming that Venom's true identity is none other than Harry Osborn himself.

Over on the Marvel's Spider-Man subreddit, fans are thankful the new trailer finally confirms what they deemed to be pretty obvious in the first place. The comments under the new trailer are pretty much full of examples like the one just below, where fans are eager to put the whole speculation of Venom's true identity behind them for good.

Comment from r/SpidermanPS4

"I'm guessing the emotional climax of this game will be Peter deciding to remove Venom from Harry thus killing him, thus setting up Norman's Green Goblin revenge plot for 3," chimes in one fan. "The teaser or DLC will probably have the symbiote find a new host in Eddie or Cletus or whoever else."

It's an interesting line of thought, and a very plausible one. Harry never appeared in the original Marvel's Spider-Man, but his father Norman was eagerly putting his son through weird experiments to apparently save him, which is sort of where the original speculation about Harry being Venom originated from.

What's clear now is that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is going for a different take on Venom. The sequel is throwing out the usual story of Eddie Brock being the symbiote's host, which is certainly an exciting prospect after years of re-treading the same ground.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is finally out later this year on October 20, exclusively for PS5. You can check out our Marvel's Spider-Man 2 pre-load guide for a look at when exactly you can begin installing Insomniac's sequel.

You can also read our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look at all the other exclusives launching within the next year or so.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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