Do You Play as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

Spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be in this article, if you don’t want anything about the story spoiled, leave the page now. You’ve been warned.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is finally here and some fans are eager to find out if this game will let them play as Venom. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was teased as far back as 2018 at the end of the very first game. Although the main story wraps up in a tidy little bow, there was a post-credits scene that revealed Harry Osborn was being kept inside of a tank with the symbiote. Ever since then, fans have been expecting to see the black suit appear in a sequel and possibly even Venom if we’re lucky. Now that the game is finally here, it’s getting rave reviews, and we can admire the black suit and Venom in all of their gooey alien glory.

However, for some folks, that isn’t enough. Why just admire how big and cool Venom is if you can’t actually play as him. After all, he is easily one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains and he’s even been playable in other Spider-Man games like Ultimate Spider-Man. With such a hulking villain, it would be almost rude to not let us play as him. Insomniac Games has been keeping everything Venom under wraps aside from a few glimpses ever since the game was announced, so much so they didn’t even directly reveal who Venom was ahead of the game’s release. With that said, if you’re wondering who Venom is and if we get to play as him, we have answers for you!

This is your final spoiler warning for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Everything beyond this will spoil major story beats for the game.

Is Venom Playable in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

The short answer is yes, Venom is playable in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. At the end of act 2 of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker sheds the black suit with the help of Miles Morales and they trap it in a container with the aim of finding a way to destroy it. Peter shows up at Oscorp with it and is immediately met by a dying Harry Osborn who demands Peter give it to him. Peter warns him of its dangers and Harry breaks the container open, setting it loose on him. However, instead of giving him his previous symbiote form, he becomes completely consumed by Venom and knocks Peter unconscious. 

Norman Osborn shows up and commands security get the symbiote off of his son, but it’s too late. You take control of Venom and rampage through Oscorp with deadly new powers. It’s pretty electric and a nice change of pace from the Spider-Men. Eventually, Venom breaks out of the building and begins to wreak havoc on Kraven’s goons in Times Square. This sequence concludes with a battle between Venom and Kraven with the giant monster ultimately taking Kraven’s life. This is the one and only time you will get to play as Venom in the entire game. However, Insomniac Games has suggested it won’t rule out a separate Venom spin-off game.