Spider-Man 2 developer Insomniac Games previously teased something to do with Daredevil may be coming to the PlayStation 5 exclusive in the future. Now, players have found a teaser hidden within the game itself that could point in that direction or to related villains.
Veteran fans of Insomniac’s Spider-Man series of games may have noticed the absence of a fun Easter egg in Spider-Man 2 that at first glance might have been a developer error. Last month, IGN reported on how this small map change was very much deliberate, and may even allude to future content.
As IGN’s Spider-Man 2 Easter eggs guide explains, players who explored the previous Spider-Man games could discover Nelson and Murdock’s plaque on a building in Hell’s Kitchen, suggesting these Daredevil characters ran their law firm from there. Interestingly, in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 the plaque remains but all text is gone, perhaps implying the duo relocated elsewhere.
We spoke to Insomniac senior creative director Bryan Intihar on a spoilercast episode of Beyond to ask about the removal of Spider-Man’s Daredevil Easter egg. His answer certainly suggests Insomniac is up to something. “That’s a good question,” Intihar said. “Stay tuned. Good find though.”
That quote was enough to spark fevered speculation about the potential for Daredevil to pop into Spider-Man 2’s New York at some point, potentially as DLC. Now, fans have noticed a secret room tucked away in the back of a seemingly innocuous bookshop in the Upper West Side region that may belong to members of The Hand. (To find the secret room, check out IGN’s Spider-Man 2 Easter eggs guide.)
The Hand is a supervillain organisation made up of evil ninjas who have over the years run up against Daredevil in the Marvel comics. Members of the Hand practice occult magic, which is hinted at in the secret room found in Spider-Man 2. The Hand have also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders.
Back to this mysterious room. Currently, players cannot get inside, but they can get a good look by shifting the camera around from outside. There’s a red flag outside with a strange symbol above the garage door. Inside are guns, swords and shields, more symbols, and skulls.
Head to the opposite side of the building and you can enter the bookshop through the front door (most buildings in Spider-Man 2 do not let you inside). Here you can see the secret room through a bookshelf, but in the bookshop itself there are metallic goat/ram skulls on the wall and an abstract painting that looks similar to Doctor Strange’s famous Sanctum Sanctorum window.
Speculation online suggests this may all relate to Insomniac’s take on The Hand, and are coupling the secret room with Intihar’s tease to suggest Daredevil DLC is in-bound. But it may also relate to Doctor Strange, who was referenced in Spider-Man 2 via his colleague-at-arms Wong in another Easter egg.
So a TON of people have sent me a clip of this super weird Easter Egg and I just had to check it out myself.
WHAT IS INSOMNIAC COOKING?? #SpiderMan2PS5 pic.twitter.com/c5ZwE3TbeN
— Eren | Caboose (@CabooseEK) October 31, 2023
Insomniac has so far teased a potential Venom spin-off, and it seems certain Spider-Man 3 is already in the works. Insomniac is also working on a Wolverine game, which shares the same universe as Marvel’s Spider-Man. It’s worth remembering that Spider-Man 2 contains loads of Easter eggs, many of which point to other Marvel superheroes and potential DLC and sequel threads.
There are the aforementioned nods to Doctor Strange and Wong. The Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building is present and correct, as is The Avengers tower. Ganke mentions the Rand Corporation, which teases the existence of Iron Fist. While superheroes other than the Spider-Men are conspicuous by their absence in the game, something a recent comic book referenced, perhaps Insomniac plans a Heroes for Hire or Defenders spin-off / DLC of some kind.
We chatted with Intihar about absolutely everything Spider-Man 2, including an unused idea for a Venomized Sandman, why Mary Jane’s stealth missions are back, and more. We’ve got a comprehensive guide to the origins of every unlockable costume, and a guide on how to unlock all those outfits in the first place.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].