Insomniac's Smart Choice to Avoid a Gwen Stacy Role Paves the Way to Focus on Silk's Potential in Marvel's Spider-Man Franchise

Highlights

Insomniac's wise decision not to include an appearance by Gwen Stacy paves the way to focus on Silk's potential in Marvel's Spider-Man franchise.
For Silk to be a playable character, its development needs to be careful to avoid excesses and maintain the quality of the narrative and gameplay.
Silk's unique abilities and her perspective as a female protagonist may require a game of their own, rather than being just another element in Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Marvel's Spider-Man franchise made one of its best choices by avoiding an appearance by Gwen Stacy, especially by avoiding introducing her persona as Spider-Woman. Gwen, who gained great popularity through the Spidey movies, could have been included in Insomniac's canceled Great Web game, which already gives enough prominence to Miles Morales as the main protagonist. However, it seems that Insomniac is eager to expand beyond the franchise's male protagonists, and Cindy Moon, the Silk, was an excellent choice.

Silk is still a relatively unknown character, which represents a unique opportunity for Insomniac to exploit while other media have yet to catapult her to fame. However, it seems that Insomniac won't have much time to devote to Cindy the attention she deserves within the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise, especially considering the time given to Miles in his own partial sequel. If Insomniac plans to devote itself to X-Men-related projects after Marvel's Spider-Man 3, Silk could end up looking like a superficial addition to the game.

Silk Deserves Its Own Miles Morales-Style Sequel

Rushing Silk into Marvel's Spider-Man 3, regardless of whether or not she's already in her black, white and red costume, would be a mistake. Fortunately for Insomniac, Silk's origin would be easy to explain, since she was bitten by the same spider that bit Peter, or by another Oscorp spider. It's also possible that Insomniac will make changes to its lore for the purposes of its original narrative, which means that a complete history of Cindy as a character isn't essential.

However, dividing the game time between Peter, Miles and a new character will be a challenge that could damage both the narrative and the gameplay design in Marvel's Spider-Man 3.

Marvel's Spider-Man 3 promises to be action-packed

However necessary, Marvel's Spider-Man 3 won't have enough time to properly develop Silk on her own, making a spin-off essential if Insomniac really wants her to take a prominent role in the franchise as a true Spider-Person. Peter will be busy taking on at least one Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and other supervillains, while Miles may be involved in meeting the daughter of his mother's new love, which already indicates a full narrative without the need for a key part for Silk.

Silk is not a 'Spider-Man' and That Should Be Distinguished

Silk as a playable protagonist in a game presumably titled Marvel's Spider-Man 3 would be disappointing, as the name of the game would not fully represent who is being introduced. There's an argument that Mary Jane Watson never got her own spotlight in the Marvel's Spider-Man title, but Mary Jane was always a secondary character whose unique perspective was seen as vital to the gameplay. Instead, the title is reserved for characters with real abilities who take on the mantle of Spider-Man.

Silk is a superpowered woman with spider powers, but she is not a male character, and not representing this could diminish the importance of her role in the game. It would therefore make more sense if Silk had her own game with her own title, such as Marvel's Silk, to recognize Silk's distinction as a female protagonist.

Spider-Man carries the brand name for Insomniac's franchise, but even a title like Marvel's Spider-Man: Silk would be inadequate unless Peter or Miles were playable alongside her. This could work in the case of Miles showing Cindy the ropes of how to be a Spider-Person, as suggested by the chance meeting of their romantically connected parents, and a future as half-brothers could be in the plans for Miles and Cindy, as much as them sharing a mentor and apprentice relationship.