It hasn’t been long since Spider-Man 2 was released, and players have already found many easter eggs, which are quite interesting. These include references to the comics and other Spider-Men, as well as references to other heroes. In today’s post, we’re going to take a closer look at more such easter eggs in greater detail.
1. Fantastic Four Logo & Baxter Building
The Fantastic Four is a well-known superhero team in the Marvel universe, where ordinary people gain different types of abilities after being exposed to cosmic rays. These superheroes are also favorites of many people, just like the X-Men and the Avengers. We can also find a reference to them in Spider-Man 2.
While swinging in New York City, we come across a big “4” on the terrace of a skyscraper. This wouldn’t have been placed randomly by the developers because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise, so it’s more or less a reference to the Fantastic Four. Its color scheme also matches their theme. However, it seems like the paintwork isn’t complete yet, and it appears to be unfinished, so most probably the team has just recently stabilized.
The headquarters in the comics is named Baxter Building, and it is based in Manhattan, so maybe in the future in the Spider-Man universe, we’ll know this skyscraper as the Baxter Building.
2. Amazing Fantasy #15 Comic Reference
The moment from where it all started is always special, and developers know this well. In the game’s phase, we return to Peter Parker’s old house with MJ. When we go to the bedroom there, we’ll see a display board. If we pay attention to the contents of that board, we’ll see a black and white photo, in which Spider-Man is swinging away, saving someone.
This photo, although taken in the game’s graphics, matches the cover of the Amazing Fantasy issue comic number 15, where Spider-Man made his debut in the Marvel universe.
The photo in the game and the cover of the comic has the exact similar scene, with the classic suit. In the same room, on a shelf, there’s also a bundle of that comic, which is actually a quite surprising Easter egg.
3. Hidden Message from the Developers
In that room, the developers have also hidden a message that is both sarcastic and wholesome. On the table, there’s a spray can, and if you look at the information side of it, you’ll find a small message. It reads, “Yo, nerd, good job. How’s your day going? Good, I hope you remember you can achieve anything. Follow your dreams, in like, a smart way y’know.”
A few lines later, it also says, “Can we use swear words in the text? I guess. This is a T rated game, right?” So yes, it was quite a healthy and sarcastic message.
4. Wakanda Forever Pose
Almost every superhero fan already knows about Chadwick Boseman, but for those who might not be aware, he was the actor who portrayed Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). For many fans, Chadwick Boseman was the true live-action representation of Black Panther.
Unfortunately, in August 2020, the news came that he had passed away due to colon cancer, which he had been battling for some time.
In New York, players can find the Embassy of Wakanda, and when they approach its gate, there’s an option to perform an action. By clicking a button, the character does the iconic ‘Wakanda forever’ pose, which is Chadwick Boseman and his Black Panther character’s signature pose.
5. Mention of Greg Miller
Greg Miller is a former editor at IGN and is currently the CEO of Kinda Funny, a well-known gaming content creation and entertainment company. He had attempted to convince the developers before the release of Spider-Man 1 to feature a shirtless Spider-Man in the game. There was even a fan campaign about this. Subsequently, Insomniac Games actually included a character like this, who we meet at a Halloween party and can interact with in the game.
And now, in Spider-Man 2, we can once again see Greg Miller’s request being fulfilled. There are two shirtless Spider-Man characters on the rooftop of a building, with one of them wearing Miles’ mask. They are seen dancing and shooting a video, which is a reference to Greg Miller, and it is similar in style to a photo he posted in 2020. When we take their photo in the game, we refer to them as Kinda Fanboys.
6. Trask Industries & Madripoor
In the X-Men universe, there is a company known as Trask Industries, which developed giant super robots to eliminate mutants, especially the X-Men. In Spider-Man 2, we come across the name of this company during a mission when we read a note written about the scientist Dr. Farley Stillwell.
The note suggests an assumption about whether Dr. Stillwell had contacted Trask Industries or not, but this part is crossed out, indicating that the person who wrote the note was mistaken in their assumption.
This note also contains a reference to Madripoor, which is a famous city in the Marvel Universe. We can also see Madripoor in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, where it is portrayed as a significant island city with distinct areas for the wealthy and the criminal underclass.
7. Villain-Inspired Ride Names at Coney Island
In New York City, there is a large entertainment park called Coney Island, which is featured in the game. Here, you can see large swings and ride on them, which is really fun.
But what’s more interesting is that some of the rides are not just randomly named; they are based on the names of some villains from Spider-Man, like a Ferris wheel named Big Wheel, known for his weaponized wheel. Then there’s a roller coaster called Speed Demon, which, as the name suggests, is related to super-fast speed.
There’s also a shooting ride named Hydro Bench, named after the villain Hydro-Man whose real name is Morris Bench, so they combined the name. Along with these, there are names like Cadenski Arcade, featuring the villain Cadenski from the Spider-Man universe, so villains are indirectly featured in this game.
Additionally, there’s a reference to a hero in Coney Island with Dazzler’s Stage, where people are dancing to music. Dazzler is actually part of the X-Men, and in her civilian role, she is a music and dance artist, so this might be a hint that Dazzler exists in this universe. Also, do let me know in the comments which villain you would like to see next in Spider-Man.
8. Adidas Store
In most games, we usually don’t see real-world names for unrelated things due to licensing issues. For example, in Need for Speed (NFS), aside from car brands, almost everything else has fictional names. In Call of Duty (COD), except for guns, there are no original names, and even that has changed in modern titles. Games like GTA create parodies of brands and give their own names to cities.
In Spider-Man games, New York City and its neighborhoods are named after their real counterparts, but all the brands are fictional, except for one, which is Adidas. There is an Adidas store visible in Times Square, and through its window, you can see exact replicas of Adidas shoes and other clothing, which looks quite cool.
9. Stylish Spider-Man Suits
So, as everyone probably knows, there are 60 suits in the game, and many of them are different variants of Spider-Man. One of them is the Arachknight suit, which can be unlocked at level 20. Initially, it might seem similar to Moon Knight’s suit, but it’s actually a hybrid of both heroes, Spider-Man and Moon Knight. Then there’s the Spider Noir suit, inspired by the character from “Into the Spider-Verse.”
Now, let’s talk about a suit from outside the Spider-Man universe, the Forever Suit. This suit is a mix of Spider-Man suits but themed to match the Black Panther from the MCU, serving as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. By the way, what’s your favorite Spider-Man suit?
10. Movie Style Animation & SFX
If we unlock the suits of Spider-Man or Miles Morales that were featured in Into the Spider-Verse, such as the Spider Noir suit or Miles’ original Spider-Verse suit, it will unlock film-style animation and comic special effects (SFX).
This means that when we use those suits, our actions will be displayed in a completely different way, like swinging in a movie with cinematic action. Additionally, we’ll experience comic-style effects in the text, such as seeing comic-like special effects when punching or jumping.
After that, in the game, we will see Miles Morales’ school, Brooklyn Visions Academy. In fact, it is highly inspired by the academy in Spider-Verse. In fact, the developers directly referenced the academy from the movie to design it. Especially noticeable is the overhead bridge, which is a key feature because a similar bridge was also featured in the movie.
11. Pointing Meme
Everyone must have Spider-Man’s Pointing meme, which became so popular that it was even sneakily included in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. The meme was recreated in the post-credit scenes of the Into the Spider-Verse movie.
So, yes, the game also continues this meme, where we play as Spider-Man and meet another Spider-Man at a random spot, we notice each other and point fingers just like in the meme shot, which is really a great Easter egg.
Do let me know in the comments which Easter egg you liked the most, and also mention if you have found any Easter eggs in the game.
