Spider-Man 2 Trailer Includes Plenty of Villains But None More Niche Than This [IGN]

Insomniac Games’ San Diego Comic-Con 2023 trailer for Spider-Man 2 featured lots of villains like Venom and Kraven the Hunter, but Marvel fans have also spotted one super niche reference to a classic Spidey foe.

Several users took to Reddit to share the deep cut they spotted in the trailer. The fairground featured includes a ferris wheel with the name Big Wheel on the side, a reference to the cheesy Big Wheel vehicle driven by the Spider-Man villain Jackson Weele.

The corrupt businessman first appeared in 1978’s Amazing Spider-Man #182, in which he tasked the Tinkerer with creating a giant armoured monowheel to take on the Rocket Racer. Shenanigans ensued, and Spider-Man eventually saved the Rocket Racer but at the cost of Big Wheel falling into the Hudson River.

“Big Wheel for Spider-Man 2 confirmed,” read an excited Reddit post. “We ain’t ready for the GOAT Spidey villain,” replied one user.

In another post, titled “the cameo everyone looked past”, another Reddit user couldn’t believe it. “No way they did this,” they said. “Now let’s hope we’re actually getting Big Wheel.”

Venom is seemingly taking priority over Big Wheel though, and fans have finally stopped debating who the villain’s real identity is after the latest trailer all but confirmed it.

Official final confirmation will likely only come when Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20, of course, though Insomniac is revealing more and more about the game after saying virtually nothing for a year after its reveal.

Insomniac announced a limited edition PlayStation 5 alongside the new trailer, revealed a chunky collector’s edition back in June, and even released new gameplay, bizarrely, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.