| | Bridging the Gap
Spider-Man® 2, both the movie and the video game, are upon us. As they release, it behooves us at Xbox.com to look at the story and how our web-slinging friend fares. Unlike the recently-released and critically-acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick™: Escape from Butcher Bay, Spider-Man 2 is a direct tie-in with the movie. That is to say, it is not a prequel or sequel—its events and story are directly related to the movie. Let’s take a gander at some of the events in the first Spider-Man® game and movie, and consider what ramifications these have for their respective sequels.
Please note that major spoilers for the first movie are revealed hereafter. If you haven’t already seen Spider-Man (the movie), you should watch it before reading the rest of this article.
MJ and Peter
In the opening moments of Spider-Man the movie, Peter Parker tells us that, like any good story, this one is about a girl. The girl, of course, is Mary Jane Watson, the gorgeous redhead next door. As the tumultuous story develops, Mary Jane finds her fondness for Peter blossoming into love. The movie ends after Mary Jane professes her love to Peter, but with words of great responsibility still ringing in his ear, he can’t bring himself to return the sentiment.
Peter’s fate confronts him.
Spider-Man 2 resonates with the impact of Peter’s choice. His decision to forsake his personal life for the responsibility he must bear as Spider-Man is evident throughout the plot and subplots of the sequel.
Peter and Harry
Excluding his Aunt May and perhaps Mary Jane, Peter’s most loyal friend is Harry Osborne. Unbeknownst to Harry, his father, Norman Osborne, was actually the Green Goblin, who perished at the end of the first story. With his father dead, and the blame firmly placed on Spider-Man, Harry has unwittingly sworn bloody vengeance against his best friend.
His quest for revenge is building steam as Spider-Man 2begins. Harry will use all the power at his disposal (which is considerable, as the heir to the OsCorp throne) to hunt down and kill Spider-Man. In fact, there may be an unholy alliance between Harry and the new villain in Spider-Man 2, which brings us to the next topic.
Peter and Dr. Otto Octavious
Like Norman Osborne before him, Dr. Otto Octavius is a brilliant research scientist, and like Norman, Peter feels an affinity for him. Dr. Octavius becomes a mentor and father figure that Peter admires. The good news for Peter is that Dr. Octavius is willing to take him under his wing, even going so far as to invite him to an unveiling of one of his greatest discoveries.
Unfortunately, fate has other plans than to allow Peter to have another father figure in his life. From the ashes of Dr. Octavius’ disastrous unveiling rises Dr. Octopus, a new and sadistic villain that Spider-Man must contend with. 
A coiled spring, this one.
The prevailing theme in the second game, as well as the movie, is choice—the choice between being Peter Parker and being Spider-Man, between living a normal life and living an extraordinary one. How does he choose between two people who simultaneously need his help? How can he reveal himself to those he loves without putting them in danger? How can he remain Harry’s friend, yet keep the truth hidden from him? How will he contend with yet another mentor descending into madness and villainy? How can he continue to bury his love for Mary Jane? This endless circle of questions and choices drives Spider-Man 2, in both the video game and the movie. How will they be resolved? You’ll have to play the game and watch the movie to find out. By Alex McLain |
