Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Developers Explain What Makes Their Venom Different, Applaud Voice Actor Tony Todd for His Performance

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, by Insomniac Games, is set to be the third instalment in the series. Developers of the game have now divulged details on what makes their iteration of Venom different from those we have seen in other forms of media. They also highlighted the brilliance of Tony Todd who has voice Insomniac’s Venom. Todd is known for his role in Candyman, is a part of the Star Trek franchise, portrayed Zoom in CW’s The Flash, and has also been the voice of Darkseid in the DC Animated Movie Universe.

Casting Venom for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

With a portfolio like that, it is not hard to figure out why Todd felt like the right choice for Venom. Similar to Darkseid and CW’s Zoom, Venom also carries a darker and heavier voice. Senior narrative director Jon Paquette and Bryan Intihar, senior creative director, recently sat down for an interview with EW where they explained exactly why Todd would be perfect as Venom.

Intihar said that they delayed casting Venom for quite some time as they wanted to find the right actor for it. He heard some lines from Tony Todd’s role as Candyman and later found out that Todd also submitted an audition tape for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. “Everything we talked about [with] Venom--that sense of strength, that sense of fear, that sense of overwhelming, so different from Peter--Tony embraces that completely in the performance,” he told EW.

Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Insomniac's version of Venom has been created to represent an “anti-Spider-Man", as per Intihar. He added that they wanted to do something different after Doc Ock and that’s why they went with Venom. “It's about power, it's about strength, it's about being slighted, it's about Peter being involved much more in the creation of Venom. I think that's what attracted us," he added.

Jon Paquette also revealed the impact Venom will have in the upcoming game on Peter Parker. He said the game will be a story about the effect darkness can have on Peter. Paquette said that there is “a lot of juicy drama” since Peter’s relationship with the symbiote will not just affect him but also Peter’s loved ones and family because they will have to witness what the symbiote does to Peter.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023.