Draft:Peter Parker (video game character)

Peter Parker
Marvel's Spider-Man character
First appearance	Marvel's Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover (2018)
First game	Marvel's Spider-Man (2018)
Based on	Spider-Man by Stan Lee Steve Ditko
Adapted by	Jon Paquette Benjamin Arfmann Kelsey Beachum Christos Gage Dan Slott David Liss
Designed by	Jacinda Chew Grant Hollis
Voiced by	Yuri Lowenthal
Motion capture	John Bubinak (2018) Ben Jordan (2020-present)
In-universe information
Full name	Peter Benjamin Parker
Alias	Insomniac Spider-Man Spider-Cop Arachknight
Species	Human mutate
Title	Spider-Man
Occupation	Photographer for the Daily Bugle Lab research assistant Teacher assistant Freelance photographer High school teacher
Affiliation	Midtown High School Daily Bugle Empire State University F.E.A.S.T. Octavius Industries Brooklyn Visions Academy Emily-May Foundation Superior Spider-Army Spider-Society
Weapon	Web-shooters Spider-Bots Mechanical spider-arms
Family	Richard Parker (father) Mary Parker (mother)
Significant other	Mary Jane Watson Felicia Hardy (formerly)
Relatives	Ben Parker (uncle) May Parker (aunt)
Origin	Forest Hills, Queens
Nationality	American
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination and balance Ability to cling to solid surfaces Accelerated healing Genius level intellect Proficient scientist and engineer Precognitive spider-sense ability

Peter Benjamin Parker, otherwise known by his vigilante alias Spider-Man, is a fictional character and the central protagonist of the Marvel's Spider-Man video game franchise developed by Insomniac Games, and based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name co-created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. He was adapted by the Insomniac Games writing team of Jon Paquette, Benjamin Arfmann and Kelsey Beachum, with additional contributions from Marvel Comics writers Christos Gage and Dan Slott. He is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in all of his appearances, while his facial capture was performed by John Bubinak for Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) on PlayStation 4, and presently by Ben Jordan in both the game's remaster (2020), and the character's subsequent video game appearances.

In the game's canon, Parker is a young adult who has possessed superhuman attributes ever since being bitten by a radioactive spider during high school. By the first game's events, he has been operating as a masked vigilante in New York City for nearly eight years and has amassed a rogues gallery in that time. Upon finally apprehending businessman Wilson Fisk and the expansion of his criminal empire, Parker confronts the power vacuum left in the underworld, which is soon seized by the emerging "Inner Demons" gang led by Mister Negative, as well as his personal complications as a lab partner to his mentor and friend, Dr. Otto Octavius. Parker is soon faced with Octavius' turn towards villainy motivated by his personal vendetta against campaigning city Mayor Norman Osborn. He subsequently de-escalates the simultaneous grouping of Octavius' "Sinister Six" and the release of a deadly bioweapon manufactured by Oscorp Industries, aided by Daily Bugle journalist and ex-girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, and teenager Miles Morales, whom he later takes in as his protege after he is bitten by a genetically altered spider and develops abilities similar to Parker's. Peter and Miles later work together to prevent mercenary and big game hunter Sergei Kravinoff from turning New York into a hunting ground for superpowered individuals, during which Peter bonds to an extraterrestrial symbiote that alters his behavior and nearly alienates his personal relationships, including that to his childhood friend Harry Osborn, who returns to his life after undergoing treatment for a terminal illness using the substance. Regaining his composure, Parker is forced to confront Harry, who has bonded with the symbiote to become Venom, and stop his plans for a worldwide infestation of symbiotes.

Succeeding multiple video game iterations of the character, Insomniac's version of Spider-Man has been received with critical acclaim, with many noting his faithful characterization to the source material, his adult depiction as a refreshing deviation from other contemporary portrayals of the character in media, and Yuri Lowenthal's performance as Peter Parker, which has garnered praise and numerous industry accolades. This iteration of Peter Parker has also appeared in other media both within and outside the games, being the subject of comic book tie-ins and novels. He was officially introduced to the Marvel Comics multiverse through the crossover event "Spider-Geddon" (2018), which acknowledged him as the Spider-Man of "Earth-1048". Parker also appears in the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) as a member of the Spider-Society led by Miguel O' Hara / Spider-Man 2099, with Lowenthal briefly reprising his role.

Conception

See also: Spider-Man (video game series) § Conception and development

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), primarily known for their video game development and publishing efforts on their PlayStation family of consoles, agreed to a long-term development deal with Marvel Games in 2014 that would see them distributing AAA video games based on Marvel Comics characters as exclusives for their platforms. Sony in turn, approached frequent collaborative third-party studio Insomniac Games about the prospects of developing a Marvel title, with its CEO Ted Price being described as "fairly neutral" towards the opportunity, given that the developer had only worked on their own original franchises up to that point, despite the fact the other staff at the company were excited by the possibility of working with Marvel and their characters. Marvel had given the developer free reign to select any character they wanted to create a game around, with the team unanimously choosing Spider-Man as a result of his relatability and the human qualities his everyman alter-ego Peter Parker provides from a narrative standpoint, as well as the character's alignment with the humor, wit and charm of other stories Insomniac Games had previously developed. Furthermore, selecting Spider-Man presented technical benefits to the developer, namely the existing groundwork for an open-world traversal-based gameplay system that had already been built for their Xbox-exclusive title Sunset Overdrive (2014). As such, Marvel's Spider-Man became their first licensed project in their at-the-time, 22-year history as a company.

Adapting the character and creating their own interpretation of the mythos proved to initially be difficult for Insomniac Games. At that point in time, the studio was following up on multiple video games that either featured Spider-Man as the sole playable protagonist or as a supporting character when the character license was held by publisher Activision. The game was expected to lead Marvel's renewed commitment to big-budget console titles, and they did not desire for this iteration of Spider-Man to be tied to an existing film or other comic book stories, as that had limited previous developers' ability to create impressive products that stood as well received games on their own. Art director Jacinda Chew noted that the team welcomed the challenge to create something fresh with the character, stating that they leveraged the character's existing history by consulting various online references, reading the comic books, and talking with staff from Marvel who had extensive knowledge of the character's canon.

Characterization

Writing

Marvel's Spider-Man was co-written by Jon Paquette, Kelsey Beachum and Benjamin Arfmann from Insomniac Games, who collaborated with creative director Bryan Intihar to develop an original iteration of Spider-Man's mythos that drew from both the character's near six-decade long comic book lore at the time, and his various appearances in other media. In addition to Insomniac's writing team, long-time Marvel Comics and Spider-Man writers Christos Gage and Dan Slott provided additional contributions to the narrative. At the beginning of development, the team outlined commonalities between the Spider-Man character and the types of narratives that Insomniac Games had previously created for their titles, observing the alignment in the heart and humor present in their Ratchet & Clank games, the emphasis on traversal and gadgetry in Sunset Overdrive (2014) that lent itself to Peter Parker's scientific aptitude, and the underdog nature of Parker himself resonating deeply with Insomniac when considering their status as an independent developer during the game's conception. Insomniac Games approached the material with the initiative of wanting to provide a wholly new take on Spider-Man's world and supporting characters, while taking caution with letting down fan expectations, seeing as how at this time, the game was following over fifty years of the character's comic book mythology, six theatrically released live-action films starring the character, nine animated television series, and the prior twelve console games published by Activision since 2000. Furthermore, the studio was comprised of developers who grew up with different perceptions of Spider-Man based on the media related to the character that they were exposed to, thus leading to frequent disagreements regarding the game's creative direction. Spending time with Marvel Games vice president and creative director Bill Rosemann, the development team outlined the character's DNA by leveraging the staff's individual histories with the franchise.

An internal exercise involved the creative team breaking down the duality between Peter Parker and Spider-Man, where they concluded that each side of the character had four distinctive elements, being Spider-Man's costume, powers, ability to craft gadgets and technology, and his quip-centered humor, as well as Peter's mantra of power and responsibility, love of science, his personal relationships, and his introverted "loser" demeanor from his earlier appearances. Insomniac felt it best to deliver a narrative that emphasized the collision of these disparate tones and worlds in crafting this interpretation of the character. However, in attempting to iterate and design an original version of Spider-Man unique to their story, Insomniac seeked to deviate or subvert from numerous established tropes that were either popularized by other adaptations or agreed upon in general consensus. Namely, the developers intentionally chose to depict Parker as a 23-year old young adult, in order to contrast the numerous iterations of the character that emphasized either his signature origin story or his early years as a vigilante in high school, which were major story elements of the initial run on The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the contemporary Ultimate Spider-Man comics by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, various television shows and feature films, and would subsequently be further adapted by the version of Peter Parker featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Insomniac also felt that Peter having an occupation as a scientist and lab partner would help update the character while playing to his established intellect, and reinforcing the collision of his world with his vigilante persona.

Casting

Yuri Lowenthal became involved as Insomniac Games were preparing to pitch the game to Sony Interactive Entertainment and Marvel. There was an initial pushback within the studio regarding Lowenthal's attachment to the role given the recency of their collaboration on Insomniac Games' latest project at that time, Sunset Overdrive (2014), in which Lowenthal voiced the lead player character. For Insomniac Games' proof-of-concept presentation, Lowenthal read in the role of Peter Parker opposite Brian Bloom, who read sides as Norman Osborn and would eventually be cast in the game as Anthony Masters / Taskmaster. When the game was greenlit and production began, Insomniac Games originally cast another actor to portray the character before they left the project due to scheduling conflicts, meaning Lowenthal had to formally audition in order to secure the role. The actor grew up avidly reading Spider-Man comics but was not fully updated on the lore due to reaching an impasse around the 1980's era of the character, meaning he relied heavily on the guidance of Insomniac Games' staff regarding the source material to inform his performance. Insomniac Games stressed to Lowenthal that he would have to vocally distinguish his performances as Peter Parker and Spider-Man, with the actor approaching the different inflections as a shift in attitude rather than putting on unique voices, allowing Spider-Man to sound more butch when bantering with his adversaries compared to the softer, less assured tone of Peter Parker as a civilian. Per the game's voice direction, Lowenthal also recorded multiple variations of dialogue in the open world, signifiying both his at-rest state, as well as when he's exerting himself during combat or at a higher altitude during web-swinging. Lowenthal also performed motion capture as the character, additionally working with two stunt coordinators for more physically intensive scenes emphasizing Spider-Man's agility.

Fictional character biography

Origin and early years

Peter Parker was born around 1995 in Forest Hills, Queens to Richard and Mary Parker. His time with them however, was limited due to their occupations as secret service agents and he would eventually come under the care of his uncle Ben Parker and aunt May Parker following their untimely demise. From a young age, Parker had developed a passion for the sciences and would gain early recognition for his devotion to academics, such as when scientist Hank Pym presented him with an accolade at the Pym Science Summer Camp. In middle school, Parker befriended classmates Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn, forming an unbreakable bond that would endure in his adolescence and adulthood.

At age fifteen as he was pursuing education at Midtown High School, Peter attended a science demonstration where he was bitten by a radioactive spider, mutating his physiology and granting him various traits and powers associated with arachnids such as superhuman agility, proportionate strength, and the ability to cling and crawl onto any surface as a means of traversal. As a means of mastering his newfound powers, Peter designed a makeshift costume and constructed web shooters with chemically engineered fluid. Using said equipment, he would create an alternate persona known as "the Spider" and would begin anonymously partaking in local wrestling tournaments for financial gain. An initial display of ambivalence towards crime would result in his uncle Ben being fatally shot by a burglar, devastating Peter and May as they were left to deal with a burdening financial situation. The former would soon be recruited by philanthropist Martin Li as a volunteer at his newly established F.E.A.S.T. homeless shelter in Chinatown, while Peter, humbled by his inaction towards preventing Ben's passing, would configure his spider-inspired identity and rechristen himself as "Spider-Man", becoming a vigilante who would protect New York City's community as a means of preventing further harm to the innocent. At this time, Mary Jane and Peter additionally pursued an intimate romantic relationship, with the former eventually discovering his secret identity and becoming an accomplice in his escapades. Harry Osborn meanwhile, would become closer to Peter at this time to the approval of his father Norman Osborn, the CEO of Oscorp Industries. The pair would attempt to steal back a drive containing important data Peter needed for his duties as Spider-Man, only for them to confront the news that Harry's mother Emily Osborn had succumbed to a hereditary illness that he himself would soon contract.

Spider-Man's appearance in the city garnered intense publicity, often spearheaded by a relentless smear campaign carried out by J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle news agency. Parker, needing to assist May in paying for the residence's mortgage, would apply as a freelance photographer before becoming a full-time staff member alongside Mary Jane, who took up work as an investigative journalist for the firm. Across eight years of his activity, Spider-Man would draw the ire of several rogues who would often come into conflict with him. His first encounter with a supervillain occurred when he battled emerging criminal Herman Schultz, otherwise publicly nicknamed "the Shocker", who presented a challenge to Peter as someone who was used to stopping petty crimes involving conventional weapons. Another foe, Adrian Toomes / Vulture, would disrupt Peter's orientation day at Empire State University until he was defeated by Spider-Man and incarcerated at the maximum-security prison, the Raft. Max Dillon, having gained notoriety in the public for his electrical manipulation abilities, would become the first superhuman nemesis Spider-Man wound up fighting. Dillon soon embarked on a killing spree that Jameson would use to frame Spider-Man, disillusioning Parker and resulting in his decision to leave the Bugle entirely. MJ and Peter would later break up their relationship due to the former feeling alienated by Peter's increasing concern for her safety as an associate.

Among his rogues, Parker would immediately develop an intense rivalry with upstanding businessman Wilson Fisk, who unbeknownst to the public, discretely operated as the "Kingpin" of New York's criminal underworld. While attempting to bring his influence on the city to light, he would form an alliance with the New York City Police Department through an accomplice in Yuriko Watanabe, a detective in the department's Chinatown precinct who remained oblivious to his dual identity, but assisted him as an aide to his vigilantism despite his divisive reactions within the police ranks. Upon graduating from ESU, Peter would also be recommended by May as a research assistant and lab partner to former Oscorp co-founder Otto Octavius and his newly established science and tech firm Octavius Industries, which Parker accepted, having idolized Octavius as a child and wanting to use his love of science to better the world outside his heroics.

Inner Demons emergence and Devil's Breath crisis

See also: Spider-Man (2018 video game) § Plot

In 2018, after the New York City Police Department compile enough evidence to incriminate Wilson Fisk for his illegal operations, Spider-Man participates in a police raid on the primary Fisk Tower in Hell's Kitchen, successfully having him arrested and incarcerated at the maximum security prison, The Raft just off the coast of Manhattan. Concurrently, Peter Parker works with Otto Octavius, furthering their shared research into advanced prosthetics despite various technical setbacks and distress among city officials concerning the project's sustainability and safe conduct. Spider-Man also proceeds to infiltrate and shut down the remaining Fisk Construction sites around Manhattan that allowed the crime lord to continue his activites beyond imprisonment, permanently loosening his direct influence over the city's criminal underworld. As a result, a new organization known as the "Inner Demons" emerges and begins to seize various assets formerly affiliated with FIsk's businesses. Mary Jane Watson returns to Peter's life, offering to help him investigate the Demons' intentions as she is independently writing a puff piece on the group for the Daily Bugle. Both Parker and Watson discover that the Demons are attempting to steal a bioweapon codenamed "Devil's Breath", and that they had targeted numerous OsCorp research stations around the city to accomplish this goal.

Norman Osborn uses his authoritative jurisdiction to pull funding and cease Parker and Octavius' work as a ploy to persuade his former colleague to return to OsCorp, disgruntling the latter. Spider-Man later collaborates with NYPD officer Jefferson Davis in thwarting a discrete Demons operation, leading to the latter being slated as a Medal of Honor recipient at a rally the following day, as part of Osborn's re-election campaign. With Parker and Watson in attendance, the former witnesses Martin Li transform into his alternate superhuman form and trigger a suicide bombing of the venue, injuring numerous bystanders, knocking Peter unconscious and killing Davis. In the aftermath, Parker befriends Davis' son Miles Morales, optioning him as a volunteer for F.E.A.S.T. to his mother Rio and aunt May. Simultaneously, Osborn hires the Symkarian private mercenary group Sable International headed by Silver Sablinova, who are distrusting of Spider-Man and present an obstacle to his vigilantism compared to the police as he pursues Li and the Demons. With Mary Jane's intel, Parker uncovers that Li harbors a personal grudge against Osborn and his company. Spider-Man locates and works with Osborn family doctor and scientist Morgan Michaels in tracking Devil's Breath, which was successfully stolen from him as he was taken captive by the Demons. He and MJ locate Li and prevent him from unleashing it in front of people they took hostage at Grand Central Terminal, finally allowing him to be arrested and similarly imprisoned at the Raft.

Octavius mentally deteriorates as a result of a neurological condition that motivated him to pursue his research into mentally manipulated prosthetics. His present animosity towards Norman Osborn for shutting his project down is amplified further when he inserts an untested neural implant into his cranium to control robotic arms that assist physical labor, increasingly worrying Peter when he discovers that he later developed four tentacle-like appendages with reinforced plating. He also begins to empathize with the imprisoned Li, who similarly shares his vendetta against OsCorp and how they were both disadvantaged by its influence over the city. Seemingly as a result of his debilitating mental state, Octavius is influenced towards villainy, teaming with Li and plotting a mass prison riot at Ryker's Island while also orchestrating the release of Vulture, Electro, Scorpion and Rhino, who together with Li and Octavius as leader, form the "Sinister Six" and confront Spider-Man at the Raft as he arrives with Yuri Watanabe to de-escalate the situation. The six of them physically overwhelm Spider-Man, leaving him unconscious and stunned by Octavius' downfall. As Spider-Man recuperates from his injuries, Osborn puts New York City under martial law in response to Octavius' release of Devil's Breath, thereby increasing the jurisdiction of Sable International agents patrolling the city, and allowing them to directly intercept Spider-Man's operations due to Osborn's increased distaste for the vigilante, despite Parker gaining the trust of Sablinova as an ally.

After saving MJ, Miles and May from a fire at the Veteran's Center F.E.A.S.T. shelter, Parker and MJ reconcile and team with Miles Morales to coordinate a plan to draw out and apprehend the Sinister Six and the Ryker's Island convicts. Spider-Man procedurally dismantles various bases set up by the convicts around the city in addition to apprehending four of the six supervillains. MJ's infiltration and investigation in the Osborn family penthouse revealed that Li held a personal vendetta against OsCorp for involving him in early tests of "Devil's Breath", intended by the company to be mass produced as a cure for genetic disease, and being responsible for altering his body to give him powers while killing his parents when he was a child. Spider-Man himself apprehends Li again, only for Octavius himself to intercept the fight, defeating him and reclaiming the antiserum for Devil's Breath produced by Morgan Michaels. Left with no other choice, Peter constructs a new mechanical Spider-Man suit reinforced with the material of Otto's appendages, initiating a final encounter with him atop the OsCorp Tower. During the fight, Octavius reveals his awareness of Peter's secret identity, motivating Spider-Man to immobilize him by removing the neural implant controlling his arms, and regretfully leaving Octavius for the authorities.

Following Octavius' arrest, Peter returns to the hospital to see May, now critically ill from her exposure to Devil's Breath. Michaels explains to Spider-Man that they lack the necessary dosage to mass produce a cure at present, leaving him with the option of either using the remainder of it to save May, or allow him to synthesize and administer more of the antiserum for the infected population. Parker withholds from using the serum immediately, tearfully spending a last moment with May in private. May reveals she knew of Peter's secret identity, and that his uncle Ben would be proud of what he had achieved, before passing on peacefully. Unemployed and evicted from his apartment, Peter resolves to move in with Miles while searching for a new place and job after Octavius Industries is shut down for investigation into Otto's crimes. Mary Jane and Peter successfully rekindle their romance, while Morales demonstrates that he acquired similar powers to Parker himself after being bitten by a genetically enhanced OsCorp spider, prompting Peter to reveal his dual-identity.

Resurgence of the Maggia

See also: Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps § Plot

Helping Felicia Hardy

Three months following the Devil's Breath crisis, Mary Jane is anonymously tipped that one of the crime families affiliated with the Maggia intends to steal a painting known as "The Maria", previously seized by police during a raid on the organization. Spider-Man follows the tip and finds numerous Maggia thugs occupying the museum, promptly taking them out before encountering expert burglar Felicia Hardy, who takes the painting and breaks it to reveal a hidden data drive. Hardy explains to Parker that she had been blackmailed by the crime lord Joesph "Hammerhead" Martello into stealing the other four data drives belonging to the various dons of the Maggia in exchange for the safety of a son she had out of wedlock, shocking Parker given his prior romantic involvement with Hardy. Spider-Man is also informed by Mary Jane that the drives contain pieces of information required to gain access to the assets belonging to the Maggia crime families, and that whoever seizes control over them can use the drives to deprive the other families of their assets and successfully bankrupt them.

After chasing Hardy across the city, she reluctantly agrees to co-operate with Peter on infilitrating a storage harbor near the Hudson River, where Hammerhead had recently purchased a secure vault for various high-value items, of which she suspects her son is one of them. Spider-Man separately learns that Hammerhead stole and supplied his men with Sable International equipment and weapons that were impounded by the New York Police Department immediately following the incident three months earlier. After defeating a horde of Sable-equipped Maggia operatives, Spider-Man accesses the vault, only to discover a briefcase containing another data drive. Hardy betrays Peter, shutting the vault behind him and revealing that she fabricated the existence of her "son" in order to coerce him into helping her steal the remaining data drives, having just procured the USB belonging to Hammerhead's family after providing him with four fake duplicates. Having already realized her scheme, Hammerhead dispatches his men to rig Felicia's personal penthouse to explode as she returns home, with Spider-Man seemingly failing to save her as Martello himself watches from afar. Later at dinner with MJ, Parker muses on Felicia's lie, with Watson reassuring him of his prospects in parenthood if he did start a family.

Hammerhead's gang war

Days later, Yuri Watanabe and Spider-Man lead a cohort of NYPD officers to one of Hammerhead's bases, anticipating Martello himself to also be present. Spider-Man provides a diversion for Hammerhead's enforcers, now reinforced by Sable International tech and vehicles, but fails to apprehend Hammerhead himself from killing the entire S.W.A.T. team led by Watanabe, leaving her as the only survivor of the massacre. A traumatized Watanabe vows revenge on Hammerhead as Spider-Man uncovers a plan to kidnap the four other Maggia dons and kill them in a livestreamed event broadcast across New York. He additionally discovers that Hammerhead is after a secret black project codenamed "Olympus". Despite Spider-attempts to coordinate more closely with the police in order to ease Watanabe's stresses regarding Hammerhead, Martello succeeds in abducting each of the dons, taking them all to a construction site. Watanabe breaks her leave of absence to pursue Hammerhead herself, threatening to arrest Spider-Man should he interfere.

With Mary Jane's assistance, Peter tracks a group of Hammerhead's men to The Bar with No Name, eventually witnessing Watanabe murder them in cold blood. Spider-Man discovers that Watanabe was a third-generation NYPD officer whose father took bribes from Hammerhead and that she had spent the majority of her career moving precincts in order to dismantle his empire. Spider-Man successfully foils Hammerhead's livestreamed killings of the Maggia dons and defeats the crime lord himself, outfitted in the exosuit developed under Project Olympus. Before he could be taken into custody, Watanabe arrives to the scene and attempts to shoot Hammerhead dead, with Spider-Man redirecting the bullet towards the metal plate in his head and knocking him unconscious. Hammerhead is later resuscitated by undercover thugs en route to the hospital.

Silver Sablinova's return

Peter Parker and Mary Jane eventually discover Hammerhead is still at large and in hiding, uncovering a plot by Martello to distribute Sable International technology left over from the Devil's Breath crisis to arm his mafia as a means of securing access to the Olympus project. The revelation of leftover Sable tech prompts Silver Sablinova's return to New York in an attempt to regain control over her militia's property. After a brief duel, Sablinova and Spider-Man interrogate one of Hammerhead's men, who reveals the crime lord intended to meet her on the roof of the Colexco building in the city's Midtown district. Spider-Man later gives chase to Sablinova in an attempt to dissuade her from meeting Hammerhead suspecting his plan to lure and capture her, but to no avail. Peter tracks her to the Colexco building and joins her to defeat the remainder of his henchmen. Hammerhead himself appears before them, having successfully modified himself with the Olympus exosuit and managing to overpower the pair. Martello captures Sable but fails to kill Spider-Man as he is saved by Felicia Hardy, whom he thought dead. Felicia brings Peter to a nearby rooftop where she apologizes for misdirecting him regarding their son, and the pair reconcile as she gives Spider-Man one of the data drives she stole to access the storage harbor days before, containing critical information on Hammerhead's armor. Along the way, Peter investigates a series of audiotapes revealed to be a prior staged attempt to bring one of Hammerhead's enforcers into custody using a court-ordered therapist as a liason, eventually tracking the last tape to a site where said enforcer was revealed to have been assassinated by Yuri Watanabe out of revenge for murdering said individual. Watanabe leaves behind an audio log where she tells Spider-Man she intends to go rogue and operate as a vigilante where she felt the constraints of the justice system failed at reigning in criminals, resolving to go her own way without his help.

Realizing Sablinova is under Hammerhead's captivity, Peter tracks her to a secret base established in the New York sewage system and fortified by Martello's men. He finds her as she is being tortured for information by his goons, freeing her and taking them out. Sablinova and Spider-Man access the data drive provided by Hardy, discovering that Hammerhead's exosuit could be disabled by melting the steel implants in his forehead with excessive heat. The pair go to a secret Sable International base established by her militia on the Hudson River to construct and arm a laser onto her jet. Hammerhead arrives just as they finish equipping the device and they engage in a fight, with Spider-Man keeping him grounded as Sablinova pilots the jet, firing the laser to break the embedded steel in Martello's head. Disabling the crime lord, Sablinova finishes the fight by ramming Martello with her jet, neutralizing him. With Hammerhead defeated, Sablinova and Spider-Man bid farewell and part ways, with the latter asking for a ride back to the city. Some time after the gang war, Peter finally agrees to train Miles in honing his newfound abilities after much persuasion, buying him a cosplay Spider-Man mask and taking him to a rooftop atop a large tower to practice web-swinging.

Training Miles Morales and brief break

See also: Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales § Plot

After more than a year of mentoring, Miles Morales successfully masters control over his new powers and takes on the mantle as New York's second Spider-Man alongside Peter. On Christmas Day, Peter and Miles assist in the escort of a convoy carrying prisoners to the Raft, having been rebuilt in the time since Octavius' staged breakout. Miles accidentally frees the Rhino, who goes on a rampage in a shopping mall with both Spider-Men following. Peter attempted to chase the Rhino as Miles stayed behind to incapacitate the freed thugs. After initially struggling with Sytsevich, Miles intervenes and defeats him with his newly discovered bio-electric abilities that allow him to generate energy from his hands, After seeing the Rhino to custody, Peter informs Miles he'd be taking a brief leave of absence from his responsibilities as Spider-Man to join Mary Jane Watson, who is partaking in an excursion to Symkaria on assignment from the Daily Bugle to cover the nation's ongoing civil war, with Parker accompanying her as a freelance photographer. Despite leaving Morales with sole responsibility for protecting the city as Spider-Man for that time, Peter set up various training modules with a holographic duplicate around the city in order to help him complete his training. The next month, following Miles' successful de-escalation of a street war between the terrorist group the Underground and the corrupt Roxxon Energy Corporation, Peter returns from Symkaria and congratulates him for shouldering his duties, before they head off to fight crime together.

Kraven's Great Hunt and symbiote invasion

See also: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 § Plot

By 2020, Peter moves back into his aunt May's previous residence in Forest Hills, Queens. Parker manages to secure a job as a teacher for Brooklyn Visions Academy, the high school Morales attends. His first day is quickly interrupted by a citywide attack from Sandman, which required both him and Morales to leave class and suit up to de-escalate the situation. Upon apprehending Flint Marko, Parker and Morales return to school only for the former to be fired on the spot for his failure in tending to the remainder of his class during the incident. During a visit from Mary Jane, the pair are reunited with Harry Osborn, reappearing for the first time since undergoing his experimental treatment and seemingly cured of his terminal illness. Osborn and Peter visit Midtown High School to reminisce, with Harry offering Peter the opportunity to work at his new research start-up, the Emily-May Foundation, wholly funded by Norman Osborn with the intent of continuing his mother's research and providing humanitarian initiatives. Peter and Miles are later called in by the New York Police Department to supervise a transfer of some inmates at the Raft, including the Scorpion and Martin Li. The transfer is abruptly stopped by the emergence of big-game hunter Sergei Kravinoff and his mercenary faction the Hunters, who seeks the capture of various superhumans for sport. Peter tracks the captive Scorpion and Li to a secret lair cloaked by force field tech under the Williamsburg Bridge. During his infiltration, Parker witnesses Kraven engage and kill Scorpion in combat, while also discovering that he had collected data on every active individual in New York with powers, including himself and Miles, the other former members of Octavius' Sinister Six, and Black Cat.

After successfully getting Black Cat out of New York with Miles' assistance, Peter meets with him alongside MJ and Harry at Coney Island to reconnect, where they are attacked by more of Kraven's Hunters, who ventured to the area in an attempt to capture a reformed Lonnie Lincoln, which they successfully manage. Peter and Miles stave off the Hunters but not before one of their cargo trucks collides with a roller coaster, with Peter attempting to save everyone still on the ride. Harry's illness is revealed to be in remission thanks to his bond with an alien symbiote which was recovered by OsCorp years ago. Using the symbiote, Harry helps Peter hold up the collapsing coaster while simultaneously discovering his dual life as Spider-Man. Realizing the symbiote's augmentation of his body, Peter teams up with Harry to rescue the captive Tombstone with intel provided by Felicia Hardy. MJ enters an abandoned zoo seized by the Hunters to rescue another individual captured by Kraven, former OsCorp scientist Curt Connors. When both Peter and Harry arrive at the scene to assist, she also relays that Kraven had already captured and killed Vulture, Electro and Shocker as part of his city-wide hunt. The two Spider-Men, Harry and MJ are too late to stop Kraven from forcibly transforming Connors into the Lizard, while Peter is fatally wounded in the ensuing encounter by Kraven. Just as he dies, Harry's symbiote transfers itself onto Peter, resuscitating him while creating a new Spider-Man suit that similarly augments his abilities. Peter uses the symbiote to disguise himself and infiltrate Kraven's manor during a party and steal back the Lizard serum for Connors. During his search, he discovers that Kraven initiated his "Great Hunt" as a means of finding an individual with the capability of besting him in combat so he could die honorably as opposed to succumbing to his terminal cancer.

Retrieving the serum, Peter makes his way back to the Emily-May Foundation headquarters where he helps Harry synthesize a cure for Connors' transformation. Despite their success, they are ambushed by a faction of Hunters who destroy the facility. Peter tracks Connors to a fish market where he rendevous with Miles, only for the Lizard himself to break out of the facility as the three of them are cornered by Hunters. Peter, Miles and a hijacked drone controlled by his friend Ganke Lee successfully drive off the Hunters and destroy their primary attack helicopter targeting the Lizard, but fail to chase Connors himself. Peter insists on tracking him alone, traveling to the Upper West Side of the city where he corners the Lizard in the sewers and briefly incapacitates him. Connors breaks free of Spider-Man and finds his way back onto the streets, with both Peter and a faction of Hunters chasing him as the former attempts to prevent them from killing the Lizard. Kraven himself appears and successfully shoots Lizard with explosive arrows, causing Peter to follow him back underground where he successfully manages to inject him with the serum, reverting Connors' human form. Connors recovers and explains the symbiote's extraterrestrial origins to Peter while showing him the asteroid chunk it was attached to when it landed on Earth. Touching the rock corrupts the symbiote and alters Peter's personality further, heightening his aggression and causing him to refuse severing his bond to the symbiote. Peter returns to his home in Astoria and seemingly falls asleep before a group of Hunters surround the house in an attempt to kill him. Despite initially being inactive, Peter suddenly disappears with MJ tracking him down to a subway tunnel with Miles' help. Peter subconsciously defeats numerous Hunters with the symbiote before returning to sleep.

The next day, Peter, unaware of the events from the night before, visits MJ and Harry, the latter of whom has physically deteriorated to his prior state after being untethered to the symbiote for days. Peter angrily reprimands MJ for publishing an article in the Daily Bugle implicitly condemning his newly aggressive behavior, while Harry becomes envious of Parker after seeing him with his father. Miles is taken captive by Kraven after being forced to engage Martin Li in a duel for his satisfaction, prompting Peter to track his mentee to a nearby lair in Astoria with Li's assistance. Peter's enhanced symbiote abilities initially overwhelm Kraven but he eventually uses a church bell in the lair to amplify the symbiote's vulnerability to sound, disabling both it and Parker before he manages to weaken Kraven and his dispatches. Miles then fights Peter in an attempt to release the symbiote, with Peter realizing the lengths he had gone to combat people physically and emotionally, and eventually forcing the symbiote off him before sealing it in a container. Peter returns to OsCorp Tower to completely destroy the symbiote per Connors' prior recommendation, but a critically ill Harry unexpectedly arrives and shatters the container housing the substance, allowing him to rebond with it and turn into Venom, who proceeds to kill every reinforcement in the building and escape. Kraven initiates a duel with Harry as Venom, who successfully manages to kill him before departing to initiate his plan for a city-wide symbiote infestation. Peter is lured back to his residence by Harry, who infects Mary Jane Watson with a symbiote offspring, turning her into Scream. Peter frees MJ from the symbiote's influence while reconciling with her over his behavior under the symbiote's influence, before reuniting with Miles and Li to fend off other symbiotes released by Venom, which have begun infecting New York's civilian population. During a skirmish, Peter is infected by an additional symbiote that immobilizes him, prompting Miles and Li to enter his mind to resuscitate him. Li uses all of his imbued energy to free Peter from the symbiote, turning it into Anti-Venom which could be used to damage other symbiotes while resisting infection.

Peter and Miles track Venom back to Curt Connors' underground lab, where it has seized the meteorite carrying its offspring with plans to spread the symbiote's influence to the rest of the city, and eventually launch a worldwide symbiote invasion, which they hope the Spider-Men join in aiding. Parker, Miles and MJ regroup at his house to formulate a plan of attack. Heading to Venom's location, Peter lures them into a direct confrontation while Miles fends off the symbiote horde guarding the area, and MJ heads directly into the symbiote hive to claim the meteorite. Peter directs Venom back to Midtown High School where he and Harry first met and befriended one another, and attempts to persuade Osborn into relinquishing his bond to the symbiote to no avail. Enraged, Venom sprouts symbiote wings and briefly incapacitates Peter, flying the pair back to the Emily-May Foundation where Miles and MJ are planning on attaching the meteorite with the symbiote, to the particle accelerator built by Harry to completely destroy it and stop the infestation. Harry temporarily breaks free of the symbiote and informs Peter that destroying the symbiote with the accelerator would also kill him due to the strength of Venom's bond to its host. Peter connects the meteorite to the accelerator, destroying Venom alongside all the symbiotes and briefly killing Harry. Miles however, manages to resuscitate Harry using his bioelectric powers, though Osborn is rendered completely comatose, saddening Peter and MJ, and angering Norman Osborn, who blames and swears revenge on the Spider-Men for their actions. Days later, MJ moves in with Peter at his residence, having quit the Bugle in favor of becoming a freelance journalist by starting a podcast chronicling New York's recovery following the symbiote invasion by Venom. Peter confirms to Miles his plans to temporarily retire from acting as Spider-Man in order to rebuild the Emily-May Foundation and continue the initiatives started by Harry, while also beginning to regain balance in his personal life. Miles confides in Peter and heads off to stop an ongoing crime.

Appearances in outside media

Comics

Peter Parker made his first Marvel Comics appearance as part of the crossover storyline "Spider-Geddon" in 2018. The storyline is a sequel to the "Spider-Verse" (2014) event and was written by Marvel's Spider-Man co-writer Christos Gage, with the introductory issue #0 being published on September 26, 2018 shortly after the game's release. The story takes place shortly after the events of the first game's main campaign, with an alternate Otto Octavius / Superior Spider-Man from Earth-616 traveling to his universe in order to recruit Parker into his Superior Spider-Army, an ensemble of numerous alternate Spider-Men brought together to fight against the Inheritors led by Morlun. The comic series designates Parker's universe as "Earth-1048" and briefly introduces the game series' incarnation of the villain Tarantula, who Peter apprehends before meeting Earth-616's Octavius.

Marvel Comics published a six-issue limited series titled Marvel's Spider-Man: City at War between March and August 2019 under their "Gamerverse" label. The comic series is an adaptation of Marvel's Spider-Man's main story campaign that also features additional scenes that expand on the narrative and characters., namely the inclusion of scenarios featuring Miles Morales and Mary Jane Watson that were not in the game itself. City at War was followed by the limited series Marvel's Spider-Man: The Black Cat Strikes in 2020, which similarly adapted the events of the game's downloadable content (DLC) expansion The City That Never Sleeps and included additional scenes depicting Parker during his brief romantic relationship with Felicia Hardy / Black Cat. An original comic series set in the game's continuity titled Marvel's Spider-Man: Velocity was published by Marvel between August and December 2019. Velocity takes place between the main campaign and The City That Never Sleeps, and explores the origins of Peter's "Velocity Suit", as well as his encounter with speedster adversary the Speed Demon. In May 2023, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Marvel published a tie-in prequel comic for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which released first at participating comic book stores as part of Free Comic Book Day in addition to digitally on Marvel Unlimited, before a wide release later in the month. The story takes place before the events of the aforementioned game, and features both Parker and Morales teaming up to stop emerging criminal Parker Robbins, who is believed to be an occultist searching for a mystical tablet whose powers can heal his terminally ill mother.

Parker appears in the first arc of Spider-Man Unlimited, a digital comic series available exclusively on the Marvel Unlimited app as part of the "Infinity Comics" line. The storyline is part of the primary continuity of Spider-Man comics on Earth-616 and involves Parker being met with that universe's Jonathan Ohnn / Spot, who proposes using multiversal travel to revive his aunt May. Parker is summoned to Earth-616 where he briefly clashes and eventually teams up with the primary iteration of Peter Parker / Spider-Man to stop Ohnn from killing various alternate versions of himself. 1048-Peter eventually wishes to forget his time working with 616-Peter as he didn't want to bear the burden of knowing May remains alive in other universes, with Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange agreeing to subconsciously suppress his memories of the events before sending him back to his world.

Film

A suit resembling Parker's first Advanced Suit appears as one of multiple alternate costumes worn by the Peter Parker / Spider-Man of Miles Morales' reality in the Sony Pictures Animation film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Parker makes a cameo appearance in the film's sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) with Yuri Lowenthal reprising his voice role from the games. Wearing his Advanced Suit 2.0, he is identifed in the film as "Insomniac Spider-Man of Earth-1048" and is featured as a member of the Spider-Society, an organization of various alternate Spider-People tasked with preserving the natural order of the Spider-Verse, led by Miguel O' Hara / Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Parker also appears via archive gameplay footage of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, during a scene where Morales briefly visits his dorm room to see Ganke Lee playing the game on his PlayStation 5 console.

Elements of Insomniac Games' iteration of Spider-Man are also integrated or homaged through the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s version of Peter Parker portrayed by Tom Holland. Parker's Velocity Suit is depicted through an easter egg appearance in the film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), where it is featured as one of several possible designs for a future Spider-Man suit designed by Stark Industries before Peter creates the Upgraded Suit by hand. The film's sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) homages several elements featured in Insomniac Games' incarnation of the character, with Holland claiming he would play the first game during principal photography for inspiration. During the fight with the displaced alternate villains at Happy Hogan's conduminum, Parker anchors two of his webs in mid-air to drive Norman Osborn / Green Goblin through several floors and incapacitate him, referencing a similar move used for a quick-time event (QTE) during the fight with Wilson Fisk / Kingpin in the first game's opening mission. May Parker, who is killed by Osborn during the confrontation, is buried at the end of the film, with her epitaph saying "When you help someone, you help everyone", referencing the personal mantra relayed to Insomniac's Peter Parker by his aunt May during the first game's events.

Related video games

Despite not physically appearing, Insomniac's Spider-Man is referenced in the PlayStation 5 launch game Astro's Playroom (2020), where a Bot can be seen hanging from a web in reference to a pose associated with the character, in a secret room found in the Caching Caves level.

Reception

Insomniac Games' iteration of Peter Parker / Spider-Man has been met with positive critical and fan reception, with many commentators praising the decision to depict the character as a young adult, which has been remarked upon as a refreshing deviation from other contemporary portrayals of Spider-Man in other media that focus heavly on his origin story or his tenure in high school. In his review of Marvel's Spider-Man for Mashable, writer Alexis Nedd applauded the decision to circumvent retreading familiar story tropes associated with other Spider-Man stories, while also commending his energy, rapport with other characters and the environment, and the emotional journey he experiences in the game. Christian Donlan of Eurogamer described Insomniac Games' handling of the character as " a near-perfect marriage of developer and intellectual property", praising their intimate understanding of the character's dichotomy and lighter tone, as well as the maintenence of his everyman relatability. In commending the portrayal of Peter Parker in his review for Electronic Gaming Monthly, Josh Harmon praised the writers' decision to purposefully reduce the prominence of Uncle Ben in Peter's character arc compared to other adaptations, while also enjoying that the game employed an "optimistic perspective" through Peter's altruism, without the narrative losing its maturity or awareness of serious stakes.

Yuri Lowenthal has been consistently acclaimed for his performance as Peter Parker across all his appearances. COGConnected writer Paul Sullivan stated that Lowenthal's acting gave the Peter Parker element of the narrative "a grounding that it really shouldn't have", praising him for his raw delivery in an attempt to connect Parker to the game's world and other characters. Darryn Bonthuys of Critical Hit said that Lowenthal "absolutely nails the hero in his most bombastic and private moments", while deeming him superior to preceding actors who portrayed the character.

External links

• Peter Parker on the Marvel's Spider-Man Wiki
• Peter Parker (Earth-1048) on Marvel Database