Be warned Spider-Fans, this article contains MAJOR spoilers for the entirety of Marvel’s Spider-Man! Turn back now if you wish to remain unspoiled!
There are many, many easter eggs in Marvel’s Spider-Man, and quite a few of them are surprisingly obscure. For casual Spider-Fans it may be difficult to fully appreciate Insomniac’s dedication to the lore of the wallcrawler. As someone with a bit too much knowledge of Spider-Man and Marvel, I’ve written out this list of 24 spectacular easter eggs that can be found throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man. And for posterity, here’s one last SPOILER WARNING.
Superior Spider-Man Hints
As I mentioned in my feature about what the sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man could cover, Doctor Octavius drops a lot of references to putting his mind into a healthier and younger body. This is the premise of the Superior Spider-Man series, where Doc Ock swaps minds with Peter Parker and becomes Spider-Man.
Mr. Negative’s Chessboard
This one isn’t a 1:1 reference, but I think it has to be intentional. Martin Li has a semi-played chessboard in his office, which seems to be in reference to how his mind is split between Martin Li and Mr. Negative.
In the “New Ways to Die” comic run, Martin Li has a Go board in his “sanctuary”. Li mentions that he’s been playing against an unknown opponent for quite some time, as he’ll often find someone he has never seen has made a move on the opposite side of the board. This is Mr. Negative playing against his other half, Martin L, as Li isn’t entirely aware of his alter ego’s existence in the comic books. Though it’s a chessboard instead of a Go board, I’m marking this as a reference, and a damn good one.
Deep End Club Card
The Deep End card can be found in one of Peter’s backpacks. The Deep End is a nightclub visited by Harry Osborn and Peter in the “Brand New Day” storyline.
Phillip Chang, Parker Industries
You do a number of side-missions for the technologically gifted Phillip Chang in Marvel’s Spider-Man, which typically involve his homemade facial recognition software. Phillip is a minor character in the comics, where he eventually works for Parker Industries.
Agents Parker
Another item in Peter’s backpack is a locket with a picture of his parents in it. Peter mentions that they were secret agents, which is true to the comics. Mary and Richard Parker were C.I.A. operatives who were killed in a plane hijacking on their way to take down the then-current Red Skull.
Crusher Hogan Flyer/Poster
Visible in Peter’s room and backpack are a poster and a flier for his match against Crusher Hogan. Early in his career, Peter used his abilities in a wrestling match to earn some cash. I think you probably know the rest of Spider-Man’s origin.
Wheatcake Recipe
Aunt May has always had a special talent for making wheatcakes, a skill that seems to have carried over into Marvel’s Spider-Man, if Peter’s backpack recipe is anything to go off of.
Van Adder, the Proto Goblin
While snooping around Norman Osborn’s secret lab towards the end of the game, Mary-Jane finds a list of scientists being tracked by Oscorp. One of these scientists is “Van Adder”, which assumedly refers to Nels Van Adder, an Oscorp scientist who was featured in a single comic issue in the late 90’s. Van Adder is mutated by the Goblin Formula, becoming the violent Proto-Goblin.
Pumpkin Bombs
Also in Norman’s lab is a prototype for small, throwable explosives. These are shaped an awful lot like pumpkins, meaning they’re definitely prototypes for the Green Goblin’s iconic Pumpkin Bombs.
Chameleon Reference (Fake Spider-Man Mission)
While trying to find the over-enthusiastic Spider-Man fanboy, Peter speculates that the person imitating him could be the Chameleon. The Chameleon is a classic Spidey villain who can perfectly alter his appearance to assume the identity of almost anyone. He’s imitated Spider-Man in the comics, and it sounds like he may have in the universe of Marvel’s Spider-Man as well.
Lizard Blood
Another backpack item is a vial of the Dr. Kurt Connors/The Lizard’s blood. This means Peter has tangled with his professor before, though his status as a villain in the present time is unknown.
Sandman Vial
Like the Lizard, there’s a bit of Sandman in one of Peter’s backpacks. Upon examination, Peter wonders if opening the vial will release Flint Marko, then wisely decides not to test it.
Menace of Mysterio and The 60’s Spider-Man Show
In one of Peter’s backpacks is a comic cover that a kid drew for him. Titled “The Menace of Mysterio”, the comic references the episode of the 60’s Spider-Man cartoon of the same name.
West Coast Avengers
When Peter snaps a pic of Avengers Tower he mentions that they’re never around to use it, and last he checked, they were at the West Coast. This is a reference to the West Coast Avengers, a sect of Avengers that are stationed in L.A.. Hawkeye famously led the team at one point, with other famous members including Wonder Man, War Machine, and Moon Knight.
Roxxon
Roxxon’s brand can be seen on a number of gas stations throughout New York, in reference to their position as an energy/technological development company. They’re notably more sinister under the surface, having had a hand in the death of Tony Stark’s parents in the 616 universe of Marvel comics.
Nelson and Murdock Business Card
There are lots of little details to be found in Peter’s lifetime supply of Oscorp backpacks, from Spider-Man merch to pieces of his opponents suits that he used to improve his own. One of the best references comes in the form of a business card that Peter received from a “blind guy”. The card is from the legal firm Nelson and Murdock: Attorneys at Law, which belongs to Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock, better known as Daredevil. Daredevil and Spidey team up a decent amount in the comic books, so Murdock’s existence in the universe of Marvel’s Spider-Man opens some interesting doors.
Taskmaster’s Organization
Another plotline I mentioned in the sequel feature, Taskmaster states that he works for an organization that was interested in hiring Spider-Man. As a mercenary, Taskmaster has worked for a lot of organizations, but my money is on this being a reference to A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), an arms-dealing terrorist group that uses science to make things like M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing). The fact that Octavius has an A.I.M. mug in his lab certainly helps this theory.
Marvel vs Capcom Reference
Sometimes when you take a picture of a landmark, Peter will say “That’s why Jonah paid me the big bucks”. One of Spider-Man’s win quotes in Marvel vs Capcom 3 is “That’s why Jonah pays me the big bucks”, which he says as he snaps a photo of his victory. The line delivery is almost identical, meaning there are probably a couple die-hard Marvel vs Capcom fans working at Insomniac.
Arm Webs
One of the items in Peter’s backpacks is the webs that old-school Spider-Man would sometime don under his arms. Peter says that they didn’t really do much, which is a completely fair assumption.
Spider-Signal
Though it hasn’t gotten much mileage, Spidey has had a Spider-Signal for brief periods throughout a number of different mediums. Spider-Man Homecoming, the Spectacular Spider-Man TV series, and the comics have all featured it at some point, so it’s neat that Peter tinkered with the idea in this universe too.
Spider-Man 2 Balloon Reference
One of Peter’s backpack mementos is a drawing by a small child. The kid drew it for Spider-Man to thank him for returning the child’s balloon that was floating away. This is likely a reference to the infamous balloon side-missions from the video game adaptation of Spider-Man 2, which tasks Spidey with grabbing and returning a balloon to a shrill, high-pitched child.
Pizza Delivery Hat
One of Peter’s backpacks has a pizza delivery hat. Inspecting is prompts Peter to say that as Spider-Man, he could deliver his pizzas fast but squished. This references the iconic pizza delivery missions in the Spider-Man 2 game. Remember that if you flip those pizzas, Mr. Aziz will flip out. As a sidenote, Mr. Aziz’s canon status is currently unknown.
Alchemax
A few side-quests and locations throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man mention Alchemax and the chemicals they produce. Alchemax is best known as the company that Miguel O’Hara, better known as Spider-Man 2099, works at in the not-so distant future.
Famous Locations
A solid number of the “landmarks” in New York are places that are well-known in the larger Marvel Universe. Here’s a small list of these places, and what characters they relate to:
–Avengers Tower, the aptly named tower that the Avengers operate from.
–Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, home of the supernatural hero Dr. Strange.
–Alias Investigations, Jessica Jones’s P.I. agency.
–Rand Industries Building, the company owned by Danny Rand, also known as the Iron Fist.
-Fogwell’s Gym, The Training Grounds of Jack Murdock, Daredevil’s late father.
–Wakandan Embassy, which represents the Black Panther’s home country of Wakanda.
–Symkarian Embassy, which represents Silver Sable’s home country of Symkaria.
–Josie’s Bar, a bar in Hell’s Kitchen that minor characters frequent.
–The Bar With No Name, a bar where Spider-Man’s villains hang out.
–Damage Control Building, base of operations for Damage Control, the company that cleans up after superhero battles and incidents.
And there are 24 of the coolest easter eggs to be found in Marvel’s Spider-Man. Have we missed any? What are your favorites? Leave a comment below, and stay tuned to MonsterVine for all the latest Spider-Man content.
