Summary
It’s no secret that Spider-Man has one of the best rogue’s galleries in all of comic book history, with a slew of household names like Green Goblin, Venom, and Doc Ock. It’s a given, then, that in a Spider-Man game fans will get to face off against at least a handful of iconic Spidey foes. In the vast majority of past Spider-Man games, this almost always results in players going up against some variation of the Sinister Six, whether they’ve officially become a team or not. The old2004Spider-Man 2gamehad Rhino, Doc Ock, Mysterio, and Shocker, whileUltimate Spider-Manhad the Ultimate version of the Six, and even Insomniac set players against its own version of the villain team. ButMarvel’s Spider-Man 2switches things up a little.
Rather than go all-in on the Sinister Six once again,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2instead decides to both up the ante and pair things back simultaneously, delivering just two main villains, but making those villains the S-tier foesKraven the Hunter and Venom. Of course, players run into a number of smaller villains along the way, just like they did in the firstMarvel’s Spider-Man, but while many iconic foes make their return in the sequel, there’s one antagonist from the first game that’s noticeably missing this time around, despite being used in pre-release material.
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One of the biggest names and faces used inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s original gameplay trailerwas Taskmaster. A villain that debuted as an Avengers antagonist in 1980, Taskmaster cropped up a few times in the firstMarvel’s Spider-Man, mainly being the source of the game’s various stealth and combat challenges, and delivering a fun boss fight at the end of that questline. Taskmaster’s appearance on Kraven’s tablet inSpider-Man 2’s gameplay trailer made complete sense, with the villain’s return being heavily teased in the first game, but surprisingly, he’s nowhere to be found in the final product.
Taskmaster Is a Big Missed Opportunity In Spider-Man 2
Taskmaster’s lack of appearance inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2goes far beyond just a general disappointment that the sequel doesn’t have more villains or cameos. While the Sinister Six don’t play a huge role inSpider-Man 2’s story, there are still plenty of moments involving them, and Mr. Negative has an even more significant role this time around. On top of that, the Symbiote, Kraven, and eventually Venom are already more than enough antagonists for the game, providing multiple intense and satisfying boss fights. And that’s not even getting into the side missions, which themselves have a handful of villain reveals and fights.
In the grand scheme of things, Taskmaster didn’t need to be inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, but it’s extremely odd that he didn’t show up at least once, with his original storyline still not being wrapped up. At the end of his side quest in the firstSpider-Man, Taskmaster evades capture, but not before informing Spider-Man that he’s been watching him because his employer has something big planned. Naturally, fans expected to get some answers to this strange reveal inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, but he never appears in the game’s main story or any of its side content, and the question remains unanswered.
While Taskmaster’s challenges were essentially replaced by Mysterio’s own Mysterium challenges inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac could have easily found another purpose for the villain to have. One great option would have been to have Taskmaster just ambush Peter Parker at random intervals while free-roaming the city, taking the player by surprise and keeping them on edge until the questline is done. Hopefully, Taskmaster will return soon, either inSpider-Man 2DLC, or an inevitableMarvel’s Spider-Man 3.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
