Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will raise the stakes for the crime-fighting duo of Peter and Miles by introducing some of the web-slinger’s most iconic villains like Venom and Kraven the Hunter. While it’s clear the game will have a menagerie of villains, the latest story trailer hints that we might see one of Spider-Man’s most obscure enemies appear.
Yep, we’re talking about Big Wheel. He’s the villain who — you guessed it — drives a big wheel.
Spider-Man 2’s story trailer puts a surprisingly large emphasis on Peter and Miles’s personal life, as Peter’s best friend, Harry Osborne, has finally arrived back in New York. In one scene we see the trio, and Mary Jane, attending a carnival on Coney Island. The blazingly colorful scene has one particularly interesting background detail, as the Ferris Wheel at the back is named “Big Wheel.” This could be nothing more than an Easter Egg, but fans on Reddit think it points to the inclusion of one of Spidey’s weirdest villains.
Jackson Weele was a corrupt businessman first introduced in Amazing Spider-Man in 1978. After hiring another villain, Rocker Racer, Weele learned about the Tinkerer and came up with a ridiculous idea to fit his namesake, a giant armored monowheel with machine guns and rocket launchers. This was all in an effort to beat Rocket Racer, but Big Wheel would become a regular D-List villain for Spider-Man.
It’s easy to see how a reimagined version of Big Wheel could fit into Insomniac’s universe, especially considering how the developer already has a penchant for designing over-the-top enemies and weapons, with games like Sunset Overdrive and the Ratchet & Clank series.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales also introduced a new version of the Tinkerer in Mile’s friend Phin Mason, a take on the classic Terrible Tinker character, Phineas Mason. This could create an interesting minor villain for Miles, with Big Wheel using leftover tech from the Tinkerere. Of course, even though Phin presumably died at the end of Miles Morales, this is a superhero story and it’s entirely possible she’s still alive in some way.
With both Peter and Miles playable it makes sense Spider-Man 2 might need to introduce a few lesser villains to help fill some gaps, and there’s already a precedent for using D-tier bad guys. A series of side missions in the first Spider-Man featured the social media-obsessed Screwball, and while she could reappear for Peter, Big Wheel could serve a similar sort of side quest deal for Miles. This could also make for some incredible set-piece moments, just imagine having to fight Big Wheel as he stampedes through the carnival, ripping up game booths and sending stuffed animals flying every which way. The stakes could even be amped up significantly if it turns out Big Wheel is actually the Ferris Wheel itself.
Insomniac has previously stated Spider-Man 2’s map is “twice the size” of the original game, which also presumably means the sequel could be a bit longer as well. With that larger scope it’s only natural you’ll need a few bozos to take down on top of serious villains, and no one fits that bill better than a man driving a giant wheel with guns strapped to the side.
