Spoilers ahoy! Who the heck is Cindy?

By Rob Leane

Published: Friday, 20 October 2023 at 13:31 PM


Although the game has only recently come out, Spider-Man 2‘s ending already feels like one that fans will remember for a long time.

In this spoiler-filled article, we’re going to unpack those climactic Spider-Man 2 moments as best we can.

So don’t read any further unless you want to learn all about the big spoilers at the end of the game’s main story missions.

Listen to our One More Life podcast – the new episode is about Spider-Man 2!

Still here? Right, keep on reading and we’ll delve right into the Spider-Man 2 ending with all its twists and turns. And yes, we will explain who the mysterious new character Cindy is, and predict what all this could mean for Spider-Man 3.

What was Venom’s evil plan in Spider-Man 2, and how was it stopped?

Venom in Insomniac Games’s Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac Games

In a larger evil scheme than we’ve seen from other Venom adaptations in recent memory, the symbiote baddie in Spider-Man 2 wants to spread its mind-altering black goo all over the planet and assimilate all human life into its hive mind.

In a twisted sort of logic that has mixed in with host Harry Osborn’s charitable desire to ‘heal the world’, Venom seems to believe that enveloping all of mankind in its alien substance will altogether be a positive thing for the planet.

Our heroes, naturally, disagree with this concept. In a thrilling three-pronged finale, the goodies put things right.

MJ, after being freed from her brief stint as a symbiote host, steals the mysterious meteorite that seems to allow Venom to spread himself further and control more people.

Miles repeatedly attempts to shove the meteorite into the particle accelerator that had been previously been seen to negatively impact the symbiote (it doesn’t like sonic blasts, either).

Peter does the lion’s share of actually fighting Venom in a series of tricky boss battles, although Miles does sub in at one point.

Eventually, the gang manages to blast the meteorite with the machine and pound Venom into submission. Peter uses his Anti-Venom powers (a handy gift from Mr Negative) to blast the black goo off his pal.

Harry appears to be dead for a moment, in a sad echo of Aunt May’s demise at this point in the previous game, until Miles miraculously uses his electrical powers to zap Harry back to life. Who needs a defibrillator?!

Where do we leave Peter, Miles and MJ in Spider-Man 2?

Mary-Jane, Peter Parker and Miles Morales in one of the final scenes in Spider-Man 2 standing together looking beaten up
Mary Jane, Peter Parker and Miles Morales in one of the final scenes in Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac Games

At the end of Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales is established as the main Spidey that is currently active in New York. (That being said, you can still swap to Pete later if you want to play as him in your post-game exploration.)

Peter Parker, despite promising to help in times of crisis if anything major requires his superheroic attention, has vowed to step away from the spandex for the most part and put his civilian life first for a change.

Pete has set up an office in his garage, where he seems to be relaunching the Emily-May Foundation, the science-heavy charitable institute that Harry introduced earlier in the game.

Mary Jane, meanwhile, has quit her soul-destroying job at The Daily Bugle and decided to launch her own podcast (who’d think of doing that?!). It’s called The New Normal, and it will document how the citizens of New York are coping and adapting in this ever more bizarre world.

As for the Venom symbiote, it seems to have been defeated, but you can never really say never with these things. There’s a chance that traces of the symbiote remain in all its previous hosts, with the goo slowly biding its time before mounting a comeback.

Perhaps we’ll even see Carnage in a sequel or spin-off. Only time will tell!

What happened to Harry, what is Norman doing and what is the G-Serum?

Norman Osborn, in a green shirt and black pinstripe suit, near the end of Spider-Man 2.
Norman Osborn, in a green shirt, near the end of Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac Games

Harry undoubtedly gets the worst ending (unless you count Kraven, who got brutally murdered by Venom earlier). Harry seems to be in a coma with little hope of recovery and minimal brain activity, and his dad Norman Osborn is clearly holding the Spider-Men accountable for this outcome.

With the doctors seeming to suggest that traditional medicine can do nothing to help Harry, Norman orders one of his lackeys to ‘get the G-Serum ready’ as soon as possible. What could go wrong?!

Any fan of the comics or movies can predict that the G-Serum is a powerful chemical compound that will probably turn Harry and/or Norman into a version of the villainous Green Goblin in a later game (should such a sequel get made).

Harry has already had his villain arc in this game, so we’d predict that Norman himself will be the one gaining super strength, donning a silly costume and attacking the city in the next game. Dodging those pumpkin bombs won’t be easy!

What is Otto Octavius up to in the post-credits scene?

Doctor Octopus, in his prison garb, in Spider-Man 2.
Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac Games

Spider-Man 2 has two post-credit scenes, one of which is far more obvious in its foreshadowing than the other.

In a scene reminiscent of the Tom Holland movies, Norman Osborn (leaning into the role of overarching big bad) visits Otto Octavius in prison. The former is trying to get the latter to reveal the identity of the Spider-Men.

Doctor Octopus refuses to unmask Pete and Miles, but Norman does notice that his fellow scientist is writing something. Upon being asked what it is, Otto simply says, “The Final Chapter.”

This seems to suggest that Otto is planning his next big project, which could spell a lot of trouble for our heroes in the potential sequel. We don’t have much else to go on, but we’d assume its some sort of villainous revenge plot!

There is an amazing comic book arc called Superior Spider-Man, where a dying Otto manages to swap his consciousness into Peter’s body and take over as Spider-Man, leaving his greatest enemy to die in his own addled body. That would make one heck of a game storyline, but it feels like a long shot to us!

Who is Cindy in Spider-Man 2?

Cindy Moon, AKA Silk, in a comic book cover drawn by Ian Herring. The character was just introduced in the Spider-Man 2 game.
Cindy Moon, AKA Silk.
Marvel

In the other credits scene, Miles’s mum introduces her son to her new love interest, named Albert. When Albert introduces his daughter, Cindy, comic book fans will instantly assume that this is Cindy Moon.

Cindy Moon is the secret identity of a superhero named Silk, who was created by writer Dan Slott and artist Humberto Ramos back in 2014. She’s appeared in numerous major comic book events since then, but this is her first appearance in Insomniac’s gaming universe.

In the comics, Cindy is a Korean-American student who was bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker and gained similar powers.

She was bitten mere moments later, in fact, meaning she has been a spider-themed hero for almost as long as the original.

However, before Cindy could become a public-facing hero, her mentor, Ezekiel, made the dramatic decision to lock her away in an inescapable facility to protect her from outside threats. (There was a brutal villain called Morlun hunting down spider-powered beings at the time.)

Eventually, Pete found out about Cindy and freed her from the facility. The two, due to their shared spider DNA, share a powerful chemical attraction. They have worked together to take down numerous baddies since then, and Silk has had her own solo books, as well.

Of course, there’s no telling how much of this comic canon will translate into the future of the gaming universe. But it seems safe to assume that Cindy will get spider powers of her own and possibly become another playable character.

This would help to keep things fresh in Spider-Man 3 and beyond (assuming Insomniac will keep going with his franchise), especially if Pete takes his Spider-retirement seriously!

Read more on Spider-Man 2: 

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