Lizard in 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2' is "humongous" and "can’t be reasoned with".
Fans can expect nods to the original villain in the Marvel comics, but they decided to "crank it up to 11" and have him "struggling with his humanity", meaning there will be plenty of action between Lizard and Spidey.
Jacinda Chew, the game's senior art director, told NME: “For Lizard in particular, we definitely want to pay respects to what was done before in the comics, where you have Lizard in his lab coat and pants, and he’s kind of human-size and struggling with his humanity.
“But we also want to crank it up to 11 and make our version of Lizard one that’s lost all humanity. He’s humongous. He’s not wearing clothes, he can’t be reasoned with.”
Chew explained how Peter Parker will need to “both contain and help [Lizard], but also stop him."
In the story trailer, Parker's best friend Harry Osborne seeks the web-slinging superhero's help to "heal the world."
And Kraven the Hunter is on the prowl, with Parker needing the assistance of co-Spider-Man, Miles Morales.
The ending sees Venom doing his worst on the city, leaving viewers wondering who the symbiote has merged with this time.
The studio is introducing new villains for the superheroes to battle across New York City, and casting 'Candyman' star Tony Todd as the symbiote was a key piece of the puzzle.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, creative director Bryan Intihar said: "For us, Venom is the host plus the symbiote.
"You don't get Venom without both of them being bonded together. What Tony represents is that bond.
"I think, if anything, casting Tony made us feel more confident in the visual design of the character."
Meanwhile, Insomniac wanted their take on the character to have its own approach compared to other incarnations, with Intihar pointing to the way this version embodies strength and power as an "anti-Spider-Man".
He explained: "We wanted to try something very different, and I don't think you can get much more different from Doc Ock than you do Venom.
"It's about power, it's about strength, it's about being slighted, it's about Peter being involved much more in the creation of Venom. I think that's what attracted us."
