Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has a handful of returning villains from Insomniac Games’ predecessor, but there are also three, classic foes from the superhero’s comic-book history that make their debut in New York City and the Gamerverse, including Kraven the Hunter and Venom.
The highly-anticipated sequel even teased a few villains to come in the future, but we’re still reeling from a number of high-octane boss battles in this game before we challenge the rest of Spidey’s rogues’ galley. Here are 10 of the hardest enemies from Spider-Man 2.
Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man 2
10 Talon Drones
Kraven the Hunter didn’t land in New York City without backup, including a frustrating number of robotic Talon Drones and Hunter Beasts to up the ante in combat. The Talon Drones in particular cause an electric force field to follow you in combat, and until you take them out, sparks will continue to fly.
Talon Drones dwelling in Hunter Bases can be disabled quickly by overloading the chargers, which gives these enemies a low rank in the list at tenth place. However, their pesky, overhead attacks can be overwhelming when they circle you all at once which warrants an entry.
- Advantage being airborne
- Immobilizing force field attack
- Tougher exterior to destroy
9 Hunters
In the wake of Kraven’s presence in the city, Hunter Blinds pop up all over the map, and it’s your job to infiltrate the blinds, annihilate the enemies, and use their left-behind tech to figure out where the main base is in the area.
Once you discover the base, a bloodthirsty group of Hunters, Talon Drones, and Hunter Beasts await. Tech beasts can be stopped by overloading the charger once again and disabling the communication center will stop the Hunters calling for backup. However, the mix of hunter types, some in range, some not, keep the odds stacked against you and this surplus of enemies deserves a higher ninth place on the list for being harder to clear than the drones.
- Failing to disable Hunter tech is a death sentence
- Mix of snipers, grenade launchers, and sword warriors
- Hordes attack if stealth cover is blown
8 Symbiotes
Sprouting up like infected vines across the city, Symbiote Nests require you to plant an explosive on the bulbous hub and protect the tech from being dismantled by symbiote spawns hungry to pounce.
These enemies can’t be dismantled or lessened like the Talon Drones and Hunters, making them a tougher horde to take down earning a higher ranking at eighth place. Additionally, when there are two bombs to protect, it’s a challenge to cover both nests, and the task is made even harder when there’s a giant symbiote on your tail the size of a small cave troll.
- Strength in numbers
- Excruciating two-minute countdown until explosives detonate
- Sometimes two explosives to defend
7 Sandman
Serving as the opening enemy of the game and the tutorial, Flint Marko, a.k.a. Sandman, appears kaiju-sized in the city and uses a dust storm to his advantage by throwing you off with tornados and falling debris.
Despite being the first encounter, battling Sandman is an exhilarating fight that requires your wits to be about you. Not only do you need to dodge flying objects, navigate the wind, and strike at the right time, but you also have side battles with sand minions that attack in numbers. There’s a lot going on in this fight, even though it’s one opponent, and the ferocity of the villain’s attacks awards this battle seventh place for upping the intensity of the Symbiote Nests.
- Airborne battle
- Falling debris and tornados to contest
- Sand minions waiting in the wings
6 Mysterio
Playing as Miles, Mysterio seems relatively harmless meeting him for the first time at Coney Island, but after the young Spider-Man clears all the illusionist’s Mysteriums around the city, it’s time for the grand finale.
Not only is the battle an eye-widening experience, being shrunk inside a snow globe, but Mysterio’s ever-changing arsenal and battlefield require a higher level of focus. It’s one of the most enjoyable battles, but also a demanding encounter because of the imaginary terrain and the trippy visuals that warrant its sixth-place ranking. At least the Sandman battle took place in reality.
- Disorientating setting
- Skeletal hordes
- Airborne fight with Mysterio’s disappearing tricks
5 Lizard
Dr. Connors is stuck between a rock and a hard place, being captured by Kraven and forcibly injected with a booster serum to make his Lizard form one of the biggest and fiercest ever seen by the doctor and Spider-Man.
Following the Lizard through Oscorp is challenging enough, but the actual battle requires precise timing to dodge the villain’s various attacks. Lizard’s arsenal is much more powerful than Mysterio’s and the reptilian also figures out the symbiote suit’s weakness to sound which puts you at a disadvantage and awards this enemy fifth place to close the low ranks.
- Swipe, leap, and crush attacks to dodge
- Precise timing to open the steam grates to ground Lizard
- Roars that weaken the symbiote suit
4 Kraven The Hunter
There are two fights with Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man 2, one pitting Peter Parker against him and the other being Venom much later on in the game. As a player, you are significantly stronger as Venom, making the battle against Kraven a little easier, but Peter’s fight against him explains why this villain is feared.
The amount of attacks Kraven has compared to the Lizard is tenfold, and he’s upped the ante by using a giant, ringing bell against you instead of the reptile’s roars. The entire first phase of Kraven’s fight is a dance of dodge and parry, and discerning which to perform in a split second can be a challenge, therefore, Kraven is a no-brainer for fourth place.
- Ringing bell is disarming
- Some of Kraven’s attacks cannot be parried
- Laser-guided crossbow is a hard hitter
3 Symbiote Peter Parker
This is a heartbreaking fight, made harder with the emotional score, but a necessary one for Miles to get Peter to fight against the symbiote internally. It’s the toughest enemy of the game, at this point, and there’s a lot tethered to the outcome.
You may have the bell on your side this time, but Peter’s Venom combos and overall aggression are a step up from Kraven. Peter has three phases instead of Kraven’s two, and dodging and parrying is back again, but since the fight has less light than Kraven’s and the symbiote suit is black, it can be harder to react to these attacks. Already proven to be an intense fight worthy of third place, this battle is also pivotal in the story which adds credence to its higher ranking.
- Low light makes dodging and parrying harder
- Venom combos, crush attacks, and symbiote punches
- Peter’s arsenal increases each phase
2 Scream
One of the bigger surprises in the game was seeing the Scream symbiote take hold of MJ, and this battle lasted for four phases instead of the normal three, making the symbiote’s corruption of the reporter relentless.
This enemy tests your stamina more than the others on this list, and Scream’s symbiote hair can unleash a number of debilitating attacks toward the web-slinger. You at least had the bell fighting against Peter’s symbiote, but your web shooters only give you a slight advantage here, making Scream one of the toughest opponents in the game and a just second-place entry.
- Scream’s hair is a menace
- Increased speed and aggression in the final phase
- Projectile attacks from rooftops
1 Venom
Taking first place is Venom, of course, the primary antagonist of the narrative and the villain that serves up not four, but five waves while Peter, Miles, and MJ try to destroy the meteorite particle.
This fight takes place in the destroyed Midtown High gym, the nearby football field, and the EMF building which constantly changes your environment. You will also switch between fighting as Peter and Miles throughout the five phases, which can interrupt your flow. Venom is also a ground-level and airborne enemy, and his tendrils are deadly. Scream and Venom’s battles are nearly on par with each other, but Venom’s arduous fight lasts much longer, and he throws a number of unblockable attacks justifying this battle in first place.
- Winged form takes the battle airborne
- Symbiotes turn the floor black forcing you off the ground
- Litany of combos
- Green symbiote hordes