Summary

• Miles Morales could reach new levels of power in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC by acquiring a symbiote suit, enhancing his abilities and allowing for unique interactions.
• Giving Miles a symbiote suit would showcase his potential as Spider-Man and set him up as the main character of the franchise, while also adding an interesting power dynamic between him and Peter.
• Exploring the concept of Miles being infected by a symbiote in the DLC could provide a new challenge for him and open up new narrative possibilities, highlighting the dangerous nature of symbiotes.

Miles Morales has a truly impressive array of abilities on display in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but DLC for the game could make one particular addition to elevate him to the next level entirely. The Marvel's Spider-Man games have already delivered big-time on an arc for Miles, starting him out as a well-meaning youth that Peter enlists to help at a homeless shelter and bringing him into the full scope of his powers. It might seem like there isn't much farther for him to go, but the perfect mechanic to transform his abilities connects perfectly to Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Finding meaningful ways for characters to progress in DLC can often be difficult, as building on systems beyond the main game without resetting or reinventing them in some way isn't always intuitive. Although the three-part City That Never Sleeps DLC for the first Marvel's Spider-Man met a positive reception overall, reviews tended to be less glowing than for any of the main games, mostly thanks to a "more of the same" sense to the content. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 provides an opportunity to deliver an expansion that exceeds these standards, addressing this core criticism while tiding over fans until the inevitable Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Spider-Man 2 DLC Should Give Miles A Symbiote Suit

Peter's involvement with the Venom symbiote is a huge focus of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and a DLC for the game is the perfect chance to give Miles the opportunity to enhance his powers with a symbiote. The game teases Carnage rather than exploring a story with him fully, which makes throwing this second symbiote into the mix in DLC seem like the best way to approach things. Bringing back a symbiote focus for the third mainline game would feel too similar to Spider-Man 2, and dealing with that storyline could take the focus away from the likely next main villain: Green Goblin.

Giving Miles a symbiote suit would allow for new possibilities without having to entirely reinvent the wheel, as Peter's usage of Venom's powers in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 means that the hardest parts of developing mechanics and gameplay have already been taken care of. Instead, the focus could be on how Miles' unique abilities might interact with the super-changed strength, as well as allow for some tweaks to how a different symbiote than Venom would operate. The familiarity that Miles already has with the strengths and weaknesses of Venom could also help him adapt quickly to a symbiote, making it easy to keep things moving in a shorter DLC runtime.

A Symbiote Miles Would Be OP In Marvel's Spider-Man 2

One big takeaway from the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 story is that Miles is already exceeding Peter's abilities as Spider-Man, as exhibited by his fight against Peter in the game. Miles is able to ultimately come out on top even when Peter has the additional abilities granted to him by the Venom symbiote, implying that Miles could probably trounce him on actually equal footing. Giving Miles a symbiote suit would reveal just how far he can go as Spider-Man and set him up properly to become the main character of the franchise.

Tipping the scales toward one character over the other could ittedly have some consequences, especially if Marvel's Spider-Man 3 attempts to balance them throughout the gameplay experience again. Making Miles's usage of a symbiote suit temporary would be one way to explore this power fantasy in DLC before setting it aside for the next game. Alternatively, Peter could always work out some unique new upgrades of his own, as he certainly doesn't lack the necessary ingenuity to continue to improve his tech and abilities.

Symbiote Miles Would Make Sense In Spider-Man 2 DLC

The idea of giving Miles symbiote powers has solid precedent in Marvel comics, initially explored in the 2019 Absolute Carnage run. Carnage infected Miles with a unique symbiote offshoot, giving him six arms and terrifying power. Although Marvel's Spider-Man 2 developer Insomniac Games tends to focus on telling an original story with familiar elements rather than lifting comic arcs wholesale, the involvement of Carnage in unleashing a symbiote version of Miles makes this particularly relevant material to build new ideas around in potential Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC.

Absolute Carnage is probably the best reference point for a Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC focusing on Miles gaining symbiote powers, it isn't the only place to look for ideas. The 2021 comic series Dark Ages also took a look at a symbiote version of Miles, in this case seeing him taken over by both Venom and Carnage in a twisted bond. There's also some minor precedent in video games, with the mobile titles Marvel Future Fight and Marvel Duel both featuring appearances of Miles in symbiote form. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC could bring these ideas to a wider audience than ever before while exploring the gameplay possibilities to their fullest.

Miles is also briefly infected in the "Maximum Venom" episode of the 2017-2020 Spider-Man animated series.

A Symbiote Story Could Give Miles A Unique Challenge

Seeing how Miles would handle infection from a symbiote would also be a rewarding aspect of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC, as he hasn't yet faced the threat with the same intimacy that Peter did in the main game. In theory, he's already well-prepared and knowledgeable about the subject, which would make knocking down those barriers interesting and show just how dangerous symbiotes can be. Miles's young age and comparatively brief experience still give him a certain vulnerability that could offer unique avenues to exploit and set up new narrative possibilities.

Just exactly how Insomniac will choose to approach Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC remains to be seen, but the studio already has a great setup ready to go. From its exciting mechanical opportunities to the narrative challenges that it could present, giving Miles a symbiote arc of his own could expand the experience in the perfect way. Miles Morales might already be OP in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but when the time comes for DLC, nothing would beat seeing just how much more powerful he can get.