Ahead of the Spider-Man 2 release date, Insomniac Games dropped a brand new Spider-Man 2 story trailer and there’s so much to unpack. Not only do we get our first look at Harry Osborn in this Spider-Man universe, we also get a glimpse of Venom in action and some insight into the darkness that will consume Peter – and make this one of the most exciting upcoming PS5 games out there. This trailer also offers up our first look at Coney Island, a new location players will be able to visit and explore in this sequel. While exciting, this Spider-Man 2 Coney Island scene could actually be teasing the biggest cameo possible for Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2.
At the 32 second mark in the trailer, which you can see below, Insomniac Games offers us a panning shot of Coney Island – a peninsula sticking out off of Brooklyn known for its amusement park and beaches. Shown at night, and followed by a scene of Peter introducing Miles to Harry, this really does look like it’s going to be an area of Spider-Man 2 ripe with easter eggs and references. Just think back to the ESU Halloween party in the first Spider-Man game and all the little references and fun costumes that were there.
With easter eggs and references in mind, however, it looks as though this depiction of a brightly-lit and busy Coney Island amusement park is going to be so much more than just that; it’s low-key setting up the ultimate cameo for Spider-Man 2 and the introduction of what could be one of the best Spider-Man 2 villains we’ll see in-game.
We are, of course, talking about Big Wheel – or, Jackson Weele if you’re pals.
Yes, that’s right, Insomniac Games could be teasing an appearance from the almighty Big Wheel in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – and, honestly, we would love that.
As you can see below, Coney Island’s ferris wheel – which is named Wonder Wheel in real life – is labelled Big Wheel in Spider-Man 2. We don’t know if there’s any sort of copyright issues stopping Insomniac Games from using the official name, but when you consider the fact that it still uses the correct name for other New York City landmarks, this seems like a rather odd change.
So, that’s why we think it could mean we’re going to get a Big Wheel cameo. At the very least, it just has to be a reference to him – and, to be honest, that’s more than we were expecting.
If you’re wondering who Big Wheel is, and what his deal is, you’ll be thrilled to learn that he’s just a man who drives a big wheel. That’s it. His name is Jackson Weele and he drives a big wheel with a variety of weapons attached to it. Why is he a villain? Well, he’s actually a disgraced businessman who embezzled money from his company and actually became Big Wheel to go toe-to-toe with the villain Rocket Racer – who betrayed him.
This led to him crossing paths with Spider-Man and briefly regretting his conflict with Rocket Racer before returning to a life of crime, not utilizing everything the Big Wheel itself had to offer.
We know Big Wheel isn’t as interesting as Venom or Kraven, but he could certainly fill a Screwball-esque role in Spider-Man 2 and if anyone can give a second-rate villain more weight in a narrative, it’s Insomniac Games.
If you want to bring some more Spider-Man 2 to your setup, you can check out the Spider-Man 2 PS5 pre-orders and Spider-Man 2 DualSense pre-orders right here. If you just care about the game itself, we have everything you need to know about Spider-Man 2 game pre-orders right here. This game is going to take Peter into some really dark places, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have some humor in it, too.