Peter Parker is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. I'm obviously a huge fan of his spidery alias, but it's the man under the mask I've always really looked up to. Peter is, at his core, an inherently kind and thoroughly decent human being who always does the right thing - even when what's right also happens to be what's hardest.
Insomniac Games understands that Peter the struggling man is just as important as Spidey the wise-cracking superhero. That's why I believe Marvel's Spider-Man is the best adaptation of the character we've seen outside of the comic books, and why I can't wait for more.
That's also why I believe Marvel's Spider-Man 2 should kill off Peter Parker.
Having established that I truly love Peter with all my heart, I hope you don't think I'm a callous son of a bitch who just wants to see Spidey beaten to death for kicks and giggles. Far from it. I just truly feel that future Insomniac Spidey games would be far more interesting if Marvel's Spider-Man 2 marked Peter's last stand.
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As I write this, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has only just been announced. We know that Kraven the Hunter and Venom will appear in the game, but beyond that? No idea. The seeds have certainly been sewn for Norman Osborn to make his villainous debut as the Green Goblin, and I'd hope that Doctor Octopus returns in some form too.
Whoever or whatever he ends up facing, there's no doubt Peter will have his hands full - even when you factor in the extra pair of undoubtedly capable hands afforded by Miles Morales. But I don't think it's a battle Peter should walk away from.
To be clear, I'm not saying Peter should lose and let the city fall to an army of supervillains. That's not exactly an uplifting way to end a Spider-Man game. But I do think the good guys' victory should cost Peter his life. It'll hurt like hell, but I think it'll serve the larger Insomniac Spidey saga in the long run.
One of my absolute favourite Spider-Man stories is Brian Michael Bendis' 'Death Of Spider-Man'. This was, more or less, the end of the Ultimate universe version of Peter Parker, a younger take on the character who had enjoyed over a decade's worth of adventures that remixed classic Spidey adventures and characters in new and unexpected ways. The fallout of this story would also lead to the creation of Miles Morales, who has since become a mainstay of the "core" Marvel universe and exists alongside Peter in the Insomniac games.
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'Death Of Spider-Man' sees Peter fighting against his deadliest foes in one last desperate battle to protect his friends and family. He wins, of course, because Spidey always finds a way... but he takes such a pummelling that he dies from his injuries. With his dying breath, he tells his Aunt May that he's just happy he was able to save her in a way he could never save his Uncle Ben. It's incredibly moving stuff, and well worth a read.
Obviously Insomniac's Peter can't go out saving Aunt May because... well, you know why. But that doesn't mean there isn't a wide cast of characters our hero could go down protecting, not least Mary Jane and Miles.
There's no doubt in my mind that professional guilt-machine Peter Parker will still blame himself for what happened to his Aunt May on top of the pain he carries over the loss of his Uncle Ben. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will most likely be looking to exceed the emotional gut-punch of the first game's climax, right? Having Peter make the ultimate sacrifice to save the city in a way he couldn't save his aunt and uncle would sting in a big way. And there'd certainly be an added emotional twang if it was childhood friend Harry Osborn who delivered that killing blow. That's assuming he's the one in the Venom symbiote, of course.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Basically, if someone has to die, it should probably be Peter. Sure, yet another of his allies could take the fall to provide some heartbreak... but I'm not certain using the death of either MJ or Miles to motivate Peter would be as surprising as using the death of Spider-Man himself to push the story along.
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Far more important than how exactly Peter bites the bullet in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, however, is the array of new possibilities in Marvel's Spider-Man 3. opened up by his demise.
There are plenty of great stories out there that deal with the aftermath of Peter Parker's death and the vacuum left by Spider-Man. How does Miles step up? How would New York deal with the loss of one of their greatest heroes? What becomes of his enemies? No doubt many of them would form fascinating new dynamics with Miles as the younger Spidey is suddenly thrust centrestage. If Insomniac wanted to be really bold, their version of the Green Goblin could never even have battled with Peter. Instead, he be an entirely Miles-focused threat. It was one of Osborn's experiments that gave Miles his powers, after all.
There's also more than enough scope to give Otto Octavius new and interesting stories with Peter out of the picture. If you've ever read Superior Spider-Man, you'll know Doctor Octopus at one point took control of Peter's body and set about proving he'd be a better Spidey than his old nemesis ever was.
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I'd love to see Insomniac adapt that storyline in a future game. Not only would we get a much more violent and brutal new Spider-Man with all manner of new toys, we could also see him thrown into conflict with Miles as the two fight it out to honour Peter's legacy in their own way.
Whatever Insomniac Games does or doesn't do with Peter in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, I've no doubt the future of the series is in the safest hands. Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales are two of the finest superhero stories ever told, and I can't wait to see what unexpected new twists the team brings to this gripping new Spidey universe. I mean, I'm not exactly gonna riot if they don't kill Peter off. I think I mentioned I rather like the guy.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation, Spider-Man