Spider-Man 2 fans debate game's ending, after earlier draft appears online

Several months down the line from Marvel's Spider-Man 2's launch, fans have been discussing the game's ending and whether elements should have played out differently.

This discussion has been prompted by the apparent emergence of an early plan for Spider-Man 2's story shared on reddit, originating from the files stolen by hackers who targeted Insomniac Games. In that early draft, one particular plot element was different — sparking debate now on whether it was a good thing Insomniac apparently changed its mind.

Please note, the rest of this article will contain major spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Please read on at your own discretion.

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Spider-Man 2's finale sees Peter Parker, Miles Morales and MJ Watson face with Venom, the game's monstrous 'big bad' that arrives after the Symbiote fuses back with Harry Osborne. The three each do their part to eventually overcome Venom and his spawn and then, under Harry's insistence, Peter destroys the Symbiote. This act leaves Harry comatose, and his father — Norman Osborn — distraught.

A Marvel's Spider-Man 2 end-credits scene then shows Norman popping over to The Raft to visit Dr. Octavius. It is heavily implied Norman is going to seek revenge on the Spider-Men for their part in returning Harry to his coma in a future instalment.

But, according to the apparent leak, an earlier draft would have called for Peter to kill Harry in order to defeat Venom, and would have included an epilogue set after his former friend's funeral. Harry would have left money to Peter in his will, which would be used to start «that business they always wanted» (presumably the Emily-May Foundation).

Would this have been a better ending? Well, fans have thoughts. While I am personally in the camp that feels this would have been too cruel, others think it would have been more impactful to have