How Insomniac's Venom Could Bridge Spider-Man 2 and 3

If you've been keeping tabs on what's happening behind the scenes at Insomniac Games, you'll want to sit down for this one, because new details are pointing toward a much bigger connection between the Venom game and Marvel's Spider-Man 3 than anyone expected.

According to insider chatter, the Venom project is still moving forward and could land sometime after Marvel's Wolverine, possibly in 2027. But the real story here isn't the release window — it's how this game could act as the bridge leading straight into Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Eddie Brock's role hints at how the symbiote changes hands.

Let's start with Eddie Brock, since he's reportedly locked in as the lead character of the Venom game. That might sound like the obvious pick given how iconic Eddie is in the comics, but you have to remember Harry Osborn was the one wearing the symbiote by the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

So if Eddie is really taking over as Venom, you can expect Insomniac to spend some time explaining how the symbiote ends up finding him. This detail also seems to push Flash Thompson out of the main protagonist spot, at least for now, meaning Eddie's version of Venom could lean closer to his classic comic book roots instead of the more unconventional take we saw with Harry.

Eddie isn't the only name attached to this rumor, though. Carnage is expected to make a comeback as the main antagonist of the Venom game, and honestly, it tracks. You already watched Cletus Kasady get introduced through the Yuri Watanabe missions in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and his escape with a red symbiote was about as clear a setup for Carnage as you can get.

Word is that Carnage was always meant to play a bigger part in this universe, and there's a chance his story was originally supposed to continue through scrapped DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Since those plans fell through, it looks like Insomniac may be folding those unused ideas into the Venom game and eventually into Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Carnage's return sets up an even messier symbiote situation.

Then there's Anti-Venom, which adds another wrinkle to the whole situation. You already saw Peter Parker pick up Anti-Venom abilities toward the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, letting him keep some of the symbiote's power without losing control to it.

But these new rumors suggest the Venom game might introduce a second, separate version of Anti-Venom tied to Eddie Brock, one with a much more monstrous look straight out of the comics. That would mean Peter's version and Eddie's version could exist side by side, which opens up a pretty wild possibility: what happens when Peter, Eddie, and Carnage all end up in the same fight?

It's hard to picture Peter staying on the sidelines if Venom and Carnage are throwing down, especially given his history with the symbiote and with Yuri. Sure, he stepped back from being New York's full-time hero at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 so Miles could take the spotlight, but that doesn't mean he's done for good.

The Venom game seems like the perfect excuse to pull him back into the action, possibly as a supporting character who helps Eddie figure out how to control the symbiote. Don't expect instant friendship, though — there's likely to be real tension between them, with Eddie possibly blaming Spider-Man for something in his past and Peter hesitant to trust him after everything that went down with Harry.

Eddie and Peter's history could fuel real conflict between them.

That tension could set up exactly what fans have wanted for years: an actual Spider-Man versus Venom showdown, whether that means fighting Eddie's Venom as Peter or taking control of Venom against Spider-Man. Eventually, the two would likely need to team up once Carnage proves to be the bigger threat, and Yuri, now working as Wraith, would probably be right there with them since she's already been hunting Cletus.

All of this lines up with reports that the Venom game was always meant to connect Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to Marvel's Spider-Man 3. It was apparently supposed to be a shorter release, similar in size to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and originally scheduled to come out earlier than it now will.

Those plans have clearly shifted, but the core idea of using Venom as the link between the two mainline games still seems to be intact. On top of the Carnage material, there are also reports that scrapped Beetle-related content could resurface as side missions once Marvel's Spider-Man 3 rolls around.

And then there's the rumor that might carry the biggest weight: Spider-Man 2099. Insider talk suggests Insomniac wants to bring Miguel O'Hara into one of its upcoming projects, and since Wolverine feels like an unlikely fit and the Venom game doesn't seem like the right stage either, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 becomes the most logical destination.

The Great Web's canceled ideas may resurface through Miguel O'Hara.

This lines up with what happened to Insomniac's canceled multiplayer project, Spider-Man: The Great Web, which was originally built around a multiversal story featuring different Spider-Man characters teaming up against massive threats. Just because that project got scrapped doesn't mean every idea from it disappeared, and Miguel could be the character who brings some of those concepts into Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Picture Miguel showing up in Peter and Miles' universe because something has broken across the multiverse, forcing the two of them to team up with him to fix it. That kind of setup would let Insomniac experiment with alternate versions of New York, different Spider-Man variations, and boss fights on a scale that wouldn't normally fit a standard story.

Some of the bigger, stranger ideas from The Great Web, including oversized villains and multiversal battles, could find a second life here. Even so, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 needs to stay grounded in Peter and Miles' story first and foremost.

Insomniac has spent two games building out this version of New York, and there's still plenty left to explore with Norman Osborn, the G-Serum, Harry Osborn, Doctor Octopus, Cindy Moon, and other threads left hanging. The multiverse and Spider-Man 2099 can absolutely be part of the ride without taking over the whole experience.

Here's how Insomniac's three projects likely connect to each other.

Put all these pieces together, and Insomniac's roadmap starts to make a lot of sense. Marvel's Wolverine comes first, followed by the Venom game, which brings in Eddie Brock, revives Carnage, expands on Anti-Venom, and catches you up on what Peter's been doing since stepping back from full-time hero duty. From there, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 would reunite Peter and Miles for their biggest adventure so far.

It could potentially introduce Spider-Man 2099. And it might dip into the multiverse along the way. Keep in mind none of this is confirmed by Insomniac or Sony yet, so it's worth treating everything here as rumor for now. But if even a portion of it turns out to be true, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 is shaping up to be a much bigger leap than Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ever was.