Fans who have already gotten their hands on the Playstation 4 video game Spider-Man can likely recognize how much the Marvel game embraces the comic book lore that made Wall Crawler one of the most popular superheroes of all time.
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The new title from Insomniac Games pays homage to the creators who paved the way, with one amazing reference to Steve Ditko and one of his most iconic stories early in the game.
Warning: Minor spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man below.
The scene takes place in the opening of the game, when Spider-Man and the NYPD are raiding the Kingpin’s base. Wilson Fisk has rigged explosives throughout the building in order to prevent his capture, and one bomb goes off that traps some employees from one of his legitimate business endeavors.
Spider-Man finds the bystanders trapped under a pile of debris and utilizes his super strength in a quick-time event to lift the weight and allow their escape. And though the circumstances are different, the visuals from he scene are lifted straight out of the comics, referencing The Amazing Spider-Man #33.
The comic by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee came out over 50 years ago, at the beginning of 1966. The plot picks up after an overly aggressive Spider-Man gets into a battle with Doctor Octopus, resulting in a lab caving in on the hero. It resulted in a ton of iconic imagery, especially the scene where Spider-Man overcomes the odds and summons enough strength to escape a crushing death.
In the video game, it’s much more heroic, as Spider-Man isn’t the victim of his own rage and is instead saving people who need help. And while this is another awesome reference, the PS4 game is not the first reference to this iconic moment in mainstream media.
The Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures film Spider-Man: Homecoming also has a reference to this scene, when Peter Parker and the Vulture square off in the film’s climactic confrontation. Vulture uses his wings to break down the support beams in an isolated warehouse, causing the roof to collapse on top of Spider-Man.
The young hero responds much like he does in the comics, seemingly overwhelmed at first but eventually summoning the strength to escape his predicament.
It’s obviously one of the most iconic moments in the storied history of the character’s comic book run, and it’s great to see the legacy of Steve Ditko being honored on the big screen and in video games.
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