10 PLAYABLE Side Characters In Spider-Man Games
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VOICE OVER: Mathew Arter
WRITTEN BY: Mathew Arter
While you expect to play as Spider-Man, some of his games let you control his allies as well. For this list, we'll be looking at some of the best (and a few of the worst) playable characters in Spider-Man games that aren't the web-head himself. Our list of playable side characters in Spider-Man games includes Captain America, Black Cat, Sub-Mariner, Venom, and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we are ignoring Peter Parker, and looking at 10 of the best (and a few of the worst) Playable Side Characters in Spider-Man Games. For this list, we’ll be looking at characters who appear in any and all Spider-Man games that players have the opportunity to control. As long as the character isn’t the masked web slinger, we’ll be talking about them. I wanted to include Bombastic Bagman! But my boss said he was still TECHNICALLY Spider-Man, and I said “You’re technically Spider-Man” .. balls in his court now. Which of these characters was your least favorite? And which was your most favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s a difficult task to come through as a fun and interesting playable character when your gameplay style couldn’t be more opposite from the gameplay style people bought the game for .. swinging, punching, jumping, kicking, you know? Fun stuff! Mary Jane popped up a few times throughout 2018’s Spider-Man, and with all due respect to the beloved red head, she was pretty boring. Acting as a stealth character in her starring moments, the stealth was neither fine-tuned, or well designed. Slowing down for a moment would have been digestible for players, if Insomniac had made these sections even 25% less boring. Mary Jane, we love you, but move out of the way, we’ve got web to sling.
Spider-Man: The Video Game was an incredibly underrated 4 player arcade game which allowed players (single or multiplayer) to take control of the web slinger, or alternatively three of his dear friends. One of these controllable characters was Sub-Mariner. Sub Mariner had much the same move set as Spider-Man, with the game functioning like Double Dragon as a side-scrolling beat 'em up! His individual abilities included his hydroelectric blast which was both his special ability, and ranged attack during the ranged gameplay. Short ranged, but stronger, Sub-Mariner was a great option to pick up if you weren’t fast enough to click Spider-Man, and who doesn’t want to watch that body swing punches *wolf whistle*.
We’re jumping back to the 2018 Insomniac game Spider-Man for the last time (I swear), to discuss the other stealthy playable side character, Miles Morales. Of course, Miles eventually became Spider-Man himself in the much beloved follow up entry Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but in 2018’s game he was simply just Miles, which actually made him a little more fun to drive than Mary Jane. Regardless of the gameplay, everybody playing who had even a basic knowledge of Spider-Man knew that the story we were following was leading somewhere good. We never got Peter’s origin story, so living out Miles’ in the events of this brilliant game was actually lots of fun, even if we were slogging through the actual gameplay sections.
The often forgotten SNES title Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge, had players moving through cleverly designed levels for characters like Spider-Man (obviously), Storm, Gambit, Cyclops, and Wolverine. Completing two levels for each character (except Spider-Man who had an extra) meant that the player was forced to familiarize themselves with all characters featured. Wolverine stood out as the only character who didn’t attack at a range, meaning the player got the opportunity to get in close. This added and subtracted a layer of stress as the player couldn’t stand back in safety, but also didn’t have to worry about their aim. Wolverine was a breath of fresh air, and a fun take on the beloved character.
Spider-Man (2002) on the PS2 was a beloved classic. Retroactively, it isn’t nearly as good as the second entry, but before we knew what was to come, it was an absolute blast. The game had a whole handful of cheats that allowed you to play as various characters including Mary Jane, Shocker, and the beloved fan favorite character .. Scientist. All of these characters however spoke with Peter’s voice, and behaved exactly as Spider-Man did. If the player managed to beat the game in hero difficulty, they would unlock a totally original character in the form of Harry Osbourne as The Green Goblin. Complete with his own story (using the exact same levels), dialogue, and abilities, this character added post game content that was substantial, and lots of fun.
The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom’s Revenge! As grueling to say as it is to play. I’m giving it a hard time, but in its defense, it did come out in 1989! Stepping into the role of the web slinger back in the 80’s would have been an absolute blast for young gamers, but this one also allowed the player to take control of the much loved Captain America, complete with strong punches, and even stronger shield throws. It was nothing more than a basic fighting game, with players taking on characters one at a time, but it was enjoyable for players willing to wrap their head around the enemies move sets.
Another SNES title that featured Spider-Man was Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, and maximum carnage was correct! The gameplay was loads of fun, it featured hundreds of enemies and villains, and allowed the player to not only play as Spider-Man, but (should they be feeling a little evil) Venom as well. The move sets were much the same, with the slight differences to grapples and special attacks being in Venom's favor, as they were either more effective, or just way cooler. It’s hard to not want to select the wall crawler when the opportunity presents itself, but we implore you to have one crack at the lethal protector and see if you don’t love it.
We’re back with the arcade entry to the Spider-Man world, Spider-Man: The Video Game. Although Sub-Mariner is a great side character option, there is one more in this game that is slightly more fun, and that is Hawkeye. Hawkeye shares some core similarities with Spider-Man that make the game function to his advantage. Armed with a bow, he can also implement ranged attacks that have no distance limit, allowing him to remain in safety when taking on big bosses like Giant Venom. His controls are identical to Spider-Man, and should the player lose out on grabbing Spider-Man, he’s the next best option!
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a PS2 action adventure platformer and beat-em-up that allowed friends to enjoy a couch co-op Spider-Man adventure. Featuring a full roster of playable characters like Harry Osbourne, Venom, Doctor Octopus, and Rhino, the 2nd player had a plethora of choices. It was actually my little sister who helped me discover the joy that could come out of playing as Black Cat, as her and the rest of the internet seem to agree, if you can’t be Spidey, be Black Cat. Her grapple abilities are identical to Spider-Man, with her charged abilities being even better, which also invalidates a lot of the enemy attacks, making her the perfect ally for a smooth unbeaten run of this game. Will you two just get together already?!
I know it seems unfair to include Venom more than once, but cut us some slack, Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man is very, very sick. As Spider-Man gracefully navigated the skies with acrobatic moves, Venom displayed a more brute and less elegant style, causing destruction to the sidewalk with his massive weight. The gameplay also offered a unique twist, granting players complete control over the symbiote, allowing them to unleash its power on enemies and formidable bosses. He also was able to do another (surprisingly graphic) thing, which was to consume citizens of New York to gain health .. yep, eat em up like little New York chippies.
Mary Jane
It’s a difficult task to come through as a fun and interesting playable character when your gameplay style couldn’t be more opposite from the gameplay style people bought the game for .. swinging, punching, jumping, kicking, you know? Fun stuff! Mary Jane popped up a few times throughout 2018’s Spider-Man, and with all due respect to the beloved red head, she was pretty boring. Acting as a stealth character in her starring moments, the stealth was neither fine-tuned, or well designed. Slowing down for a moment would have been digestible for players, if Insomniac had made these sections even 25% less boring. Mary Jane, we love you, but move out of the way, we’ve got web to sling.
Sub-Mariner
Spider-Man: The Video Game was an incredibly underrated 4 player arcade game which allowed players (single or multiplayer) to take control of the web slinger, or alternatively three of his dear friends. One of these controllable characters was Sub-Mariner. Sub Mariner had much the same move set as Spider-Man, with the game functioning like Double Dragon as a side-scrolling beat 'em up! His individual abilities included his hydroelectric blast which was both his special ability, and ranged attack during the ranged gameplay. Short ranged, but stronger, Sub-Mariner was a great option to pick up if you weren’t fast enough to click Spider-Man, and who doesn’t want to watch that body swing punches *wolf whistle*.
Miles Morales
We’re jumping back to the 2018 Insomniac game Spider-Man for the last time (I swear), to discuss the other stealthy playable side character, Miles Morales. Of course, Miles eventually became Spider-Man himself in the much beloved follow up entry Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but in 2018’s game he was simply just Miles, which actually made him a little more fun to drive than Mary Jane. Regardless of the gameplay, everybody playing who had even a basic knowledge of Spider-Man knew that the story we were following was leading somewhere good. We never got Peter’s origin story, so living out Miles’ in the events of this brilliant game was actually lots of fun, even if we were slogging through the actual gameplay sections.
Wolverine
The often forgotten SNES title Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge, had players moving through cleverly designed levels for characters like Spider-Man (obviously), Storm, Gambit, Cyclops, and Wolverine. Completing two levels for each character (except Spider-Man who had an extra) meant that the player was forced to familiarize themselves with all characters featured. Wolverine stood out as the only character who didn’t attack at a range, meaning the player got the opportunity to get in close. This added and subtracted a layer of stress as the player couldn’t stand back in safety, but also didn’t have to worry about their aim. Wolverine was a breath of fresh air, and a fun take on the beloved character.
Green Goblin
Spider-Man (2002) on the PS2 was a beloved classic. Retroactively, it isn’t nearly as good as the second entry, but before we knew what was to come, it was an absolute blast. The game had a whole handful of cheats that allowed you to play as various characters including Mary Jane, Shocker, and the beloved fan favorite character .. Scientist. All of these characters however spoke with Peter’s voice, and behaved exactly as Spider-Man did. If the player managed to beat the game in hero difficulty, they would unlock a totally original character in the form of Harry Osbourne as The Green Goblin. Complete with his own story (using the exact same levels), dialogue, and abilities, this character added post game content that was substantial, and lots of fun.
Captain America
The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom’s Revenge! As grueling to say as it is to play. I’m giving it a hard time, but in its defense, it did come out in 1989! Stepping into the role of the web slinger back in the 80’s would have been an absolute blast for young gamers, but this one also allowed the player to take control of the much loved Captain America, complete with strong punches, and even stronger shield throws. It was nothing more than a basic fighting game, with players taking on characters one at a time, but it was enjoyable for players willing to wrap their head around the enemies move sets.
Venom
Another SNES title that featured Spider-Man was Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, and maximum carnage was correct! The gameplay was loads of fun, it featured hundreds of enemies and villains, and allowed the player to not only play as Spider-Man, but (should they be feeling a little evil) Venom as well. The move sets were much the same, with the slight differences to grapples and special attacks being in Venom's favor, as they were either more effective, or just way cooler. It’s hard to not want to select the wall crawler when the opportunity presents itself, but we implore you to have one crack at the lethal protector and see if you don’t love it.
Hawkeye
We’re back with the arcade entry to the Spider-Man world, Spider-Man: The Video Game. Although Sub-Mariner is a great side character option, there is one more in this game that is slightly more fun, and that is Hawkeye. Hawkeye shares some core similarities with Spider-Man that make the game function to his advantage. Armed with a bow, he can also implement ranged attacks that have no distance limit, allowing him to remain in safety when taking on big bosses like Giant Venom. His controls are identical to Spider-Man, and should the player lose out on grabbing Spider-Man, he’s the next best option!
Black Cat
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a PS2 action adventure platformer and beat-em-up that allowed friends to enjoy a couch co-op Spider-Man adventure. Featuring a full roster of playable characters like Harry Osbourne, Venom, Doctor Octopus, and Rhino, the 2nd player had a plethora of choices. It was actually my little sister who helped me discover the joy that could come out of playing as Black Cat, as her and the rest of the internet seem to agree, if you can’t be Spidey, be Black Cat. Her grapple abilities are identical to Spider-Man, with her charged abilities being even better, which also invalidates a lot of the enemy attacks, making her the perfect ally for a smooth unbeaten run of this game. Will you two just get together already?!
Venom
I know it seems unfair to include Venom more than once, but cut us some slack, Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man is very, very sick. As Spider-Man gracefully navigated the skies with acrobatic moves, Venom displayed a more brute and less elegant style, causing destruction to the sidewalk with his massive weight. The gameplay also offered a unique twist, granting players complete control over the symbiote, allowing them to unleash its power on enemies and formidable bosses. He also was able to do another (surprisingly graphic) thing, which was to consume citizens of New York to gain health .. yep, eat em up like little New York chippies.
