Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was recently released on PC, and revisiting the game helped me why Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero. Although I have had periods where I lean more towards media featuring aspirational heroes like Captain America or Superman (depending on the version), those phases never last long. Even when I feel the most cynical about superheroes and find myself agreeing with creators like Alan Moore or James Gunn about the genre’s potential for presenting fascistic power fantasies, I can’t help but make an exception for Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2 reminded me why.

Spider-Man 2 starts off by reminding players that Peter Parker isn’t just a hero because he has superpowers, but because of how he treats people. While later levels in all sides of Peter Parker helps keep Spider-Man relatable and ultimately makes a stronger statement about making the right choices.

Spider-Man 2's Find Grandpa Mission Shows Why Spider-Man Is A True Hero

Missions Helping Civilians Show The Good Spider-Man Does For New York

Early on in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, after the initial battle with Sandman, players have the option to do a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man mission called "Find Grandpa". To be completely honest, I sort of discounted this mission the first time I played the game, as I was speeding through most of the early-game content, eager for Venom to show up. Now that I’ve already played the game once, I’m taking my time and appreciating its quieter moments more, and "Find Grandpa" has easily gone from a side mission I skipped through to one of my favorite moments in the game.

In the mission, either Peter or Miles will help a woman named Tasha find her missing grandpa, and it’s the perfect showcase of why Spider-Man has always stood out from other superheroes to me. There is no combat in the mission. Instead, Spidey uses clues and some gadgets to track down the missing man, Earl. After finding him, Spider-Man sits and shares a quiet conversation with Earl about his late wife, their relationship, and Earl’s new outlook on his mortality. When Tasha arrives, Earl tells her he’s alright because Spider-Man kept him company.

It’s the grounded nature of Spider-Man’s exploits in this mission that makes it so touching. Sure, anyone would punch a meteor out of the sky to save Earth if they could, so that type of superhero story isn’t all that compelling. On the flip side, plenty of people can take time to help others in their community, but how many do? We may not be able to do it as efficiently as Spider-Man, but missions like "Find Grandpa" hammer home the idea that true heroism means helping people, and you don’t need superpowers for that.

The mission is also a nice reminder of more human experiences, one that both Spider-Man and the player can likely relate to. Both Peter and Miles have experienced loss, so getting Earl’s perspective on what it’s like to revisit places he used to go with his late wife can help them reflect on the memory of their loved ones. Peter also asks Earl about what it’s like to propose, something he is considering doing.

In those moments, I felt a lot closer to Spider-Man than I usually do to super-powered video game heroes. This is due in large part to Spider-Man 2 emphasizing the things about the character that make him human, as opposed to focusing exclusively on his powers or high-concept action set pieces. While these types of moments aren’t completely missing from other superhero stories, Spider-Man media has always seemed much more invested in showing off Peter’s humanity, including his flaws.

Spider-Man 2 Also Allows Peter To Have Flaws

The Symbiote Nearly Turns Peter Into A Villain

Superhero stories tend to focus more on external conflict than any other kind. This can sometimes result in the heroes of the story being static characters because they were so busy punching bad guys that there wasn’t any runtime left to focus on personal growth. While a more action-heavy story is often what audiences are looking for from a superhero story, I can struggle to connect with a protagonist who feels too perfect. Spider-Man 2’s use of the Venom symbiote and its effect on Spider-Man help overcome this problem.

I have always liked the temptation that the symbiote presents Peter with. A chance to be more powerful offers him a chance to not only protect the people he loves more easily but also be a more efficient Spider-Man, allowing more time to focus on the needs of Peter Parker. Peter wanting an easy cure-all for his problems and ignoring the possible side effects is a very relatable flaw, and it’s hard to blame him for succumbing to the temptation the symbiote presents despite the warning signs.

Spider-Man 2 doesn’t depict a Peter Parker that is perfect, instead letting him go just far enough over the line that he almost becomes a villain. Interestingly enough, the game doesn’t even let Peter be fully responsible for his eventual redemption, giving some of the credit to Miles’ strength of character and the lessons he learned by overcoming his anger at Martin Li. I liked this even more than the versions where Peter rejects the symbiote on his own, because it often takes input from a close friend or loved one to realize when you’re heading down a dark path.

Few Superhero Games Make Their Hero So Human

Most Superhero Games Focus Less On Telling Relatable Stories

By presenting a more flawed version of Peter Parker, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gives us a much more human version of the character, something that a lot of non-Spider-Man superhero games fail to do. A lot of other Marvel titles, like Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel Ultimate Alliance or X-Men games, are more combat-focused and split their attention between too many heroes to really dive into any of them. While there are some solo affairs, like 2005’s The Punisher or 2013’s Deadpool, neither really presents a nuanced look at the characters. Deadpool is a farce and this version of Frank Castle is shallow.

DC games don’t fair much better. The Batman: Arkham series is probably the closest equivalent to Spider-Man games in of major superhero franchises, but the Arkham version of Batman is typically a pretty static character. While I prefer a Batman who is a moral paragon over something like Frank Miller or Zack Snyder’s version of the character, Bruce Wayne often feels larger than life and is much less relatable than Peter Parker. I had high hopes for Gotham Knights, as the Bat Family often feel a bit more human than Bruce, but the game’s story didn’t deliver.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the open-world Spider-Man games emphasize a lot of things many other superhero games don’t. Missions dedicated to saving civilians or helping them with daily tasks might not be the game’s most exciting moments, but they are the ones that make me feel the most like a superhero. Peter’s flaws in the game don’t take away from that, as much as they show that he ultimately chooses to do the right thing, even if it’s harder for him. It’s the inclusion of these human elements that continues to make Spider-Man my favorite superhero.