In a recent interview with Marvel.com, Marvel Games VP Bill Rosemann discussed the upcoming game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the importance of tragic choices in Spider-Man storytelling. He also said that’s what he loves about the game, and to be honest, he makes a great point.
During the interview, Rosemann went on to say that he and the team at Insomniac Games always ask themselves what Peter and Miles would do in any given situation. They want to put the characters in situations where they have to question themselves and dig deep. To quote Rosemann:
People sometimes ask, “Why do you do horrible things to these characters?” And we say, ‘Well, it’s done out of love… We want to give the characters a moment to show the world why they’re heroic. They have to be knocked down in order to be given a chance to stand up.”
Bill Rosemann
The theme of sacrifice is central to Spider-Man storytelling, and Rosemann says that it’s especially important in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
We very much feel like they are real people, so we’re always asking ourselves, “What would they do?” When Spider-Man wins, Peter Parker loses. When Miles wins, Spider-Man loses. That’s why we love them. They make tough decisions… Then, usually, the decisions they make impact the ones they love because the best Spider-Man stories are when their civilian life collides with their Super Hero life and when the civilians that they love are in danger from their Super Hero life. So it’s all webbed together if you will.
Bill Rosemann
As someone who loves comic books, I am so happy to see that Marvel games are given the same thought process that Stan Lee brought in. As shown in With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (2010) Stan Lee was one of the first editors who wanted superheroes to be human instead of larger-than-life. He wanted them to have regular people’s problems on top of their hero issues and fought to make sure of that.
That attitude is actually what created Spider-Man, and while Stan Lee’s influence in the industry can still be seen today, it clearly lives on in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
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