Peter Parker has one of the most interesting rogues’ galleries in comic book history, perhaps only challenged by DC’s Batman in terms of memorable foes. Released back in 2018, Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PS4 packed in an insane number of iconic villains, with the Kingpin, Mr. Negative, and Doctor Octopus headlining the show and a dastardly supporting cast that included Tombstone, Silver Sable, Vulture, and more. You’d think Insomniac would’ve run out of villains after including a few more in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but that’s far from the case: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 promises to introduce some of the most iconic evildoers yet, starting with the Lizard.
Who is the Lizard in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?
A scientist named Curtis ‘Curt’ Connors assumes the role of the Lizard in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This is confirmed in a post-credits cutscene in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, where we see the one-armed scientist working away from the perspective of Harry Osborn, suspended in some kind of tank that’s keeping him alive. Subtitles reveal that the man is in fact Connors, a longtime Spider-Man villain, sometimes ally, and always the Lizard. Norman Osborn and Connors have a brief argument in which it’s revealed that Connors does not wish to let Harry out of the tank, worried about a disease afflicting him. Norman demands Connors release his son, however.
During the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay reveal trailer, both Spider-Men and Kraven’s army chase the Lizard through New York’s East River. Here, the Lizard shows superhuman strength – crashing through walls, swimming at an alarming speed – and almost gobbles up Miles. It’s also revealed during this sequence that both Peter and Miles are aware of the Lizard’s identity and that they seek the creature out to protect him from Kraven’s army because only Connors can cure Harry Osborn’s mysterious illness. It seems that since the post-credit scene in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Connors has undergone the change into the great green reptile. This is currently all we know about the iconic villain.
The Lizard’s History in Marvel Comics
The comics tell us a little bit more of what to expect from the Lizard. Intrigued by how reptiles regenerate body parts, scientist/doctor Curt Connors sought to regenerate his own missing arm. He was successful, creating a serum that gave him his arm back – but also turned him into the Lizard, a violent green monster that Spider-Man has put a stop to more than once by creating an antidote for his lizardness. While the Lizard is a moniker reserved for Connors, some stories have seen his son Billy assume the monstrous mantle. Billy often factors into stories featuring the Lizard.
In terms of powers, Connors himself is a genius that has sometimes been portrayed as a mentor to Peter Parker, and he maintains most of this intelligence when transformed – just with vicious reptile instincts getting in the way of his better judgment. In fact, he usually still sports a lab coat and purple pants while transformed, though in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 this isn’t the case. The Lizard poses a great threat to Spider-Man as he matches him in terms of reflexes and also has super-human strength. His tails, claws, and viscous bite are no joke, able to smash and tear through just about anything in his way. Making matters worse for Spider-Man, the Lizard’s scaly hide is strong enough to deflect bullets and he can regenerate limbs. Furthermore, some comics have depicted him as having control over other reptiles.
While Spider-Man has provided the Lizard an antidote before, he has also used cold to subdue the cold-blooded reptile.
When not in Lizard form, Spider-Man and Connors have worked together to thwart other villains such as the Rhino or cure Spider-Man’s friends of various ailments; however, Connors’ obsession with reptile DNA (and frequent unfortunate accidents) often spurs the return of the Lizard and plenty of destruction that follows. He has also maintained control of his Lizard form on more than one occasion to fight along Spider-Man against other villains such as Kraven – a plot point we might see repeated in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
All that said, Insomniac likes to put their own spin on these classic characters. Expect Connors and the Lizard’s impact on the story to differ from the comics when the game releases on October 20th. He’s not the only villain set to appear, though, and you can find out about some of the others, and much more about the game, in our other coverage.
