Legacy of the Dark Knight Sets Up Spider-Man Perfectly

I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve been playing a lot of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight lately after a friend of mine gifted it to me for my birthday, and I just can’t get enough of it. However, now that I’ve had the chance to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day alongside that gaming experience, all I can think about is how it would be fantastic to have a similar LEGO game featuring Spider-Man instead. At this point, the legendary web-slinging superhero has been featured in numerous Marvel LEGO games, but he has never received a dedicated entry of his own. And given the fact that a LEGO Spider-Man game has just as much potential as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, I can’t find a single reason why it shouldn’t happen.

I’ve played a lot of LEGO games in my day—too many, in fact—but none of them have managed to grab me the way LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has. The biggest reason for this is, perhaps, that I’m a lifelong Batman fan—one whose childhood bedroom’s floor was often littered with action figures from the Batman universe—and Legacy of the Dark Knight is a massive celebration of the franchise’s legacy, even harkening back to an era before I was born. But in 2002, with the release of Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film, Spider-Man officially took over as my all-time favorite superhero, and I haven’t gone back since. Now, despite my love for Batman still allowing me to thoroughly enjoy the nostalgia that games like LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight bring, I can’t help but see the LEGO Spider-Man game that could be.

Spider-Man’s Legacy Is Broad Enough That He Deserves His Own LEGO Game—Just Like Batman

The main reason LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has received such praise from fans like me is for how well it honors the broader legacy of Batman, rather than sticking to an era it could assume most players would like most. As a celebration of Batman‘s countless iterations across film, TV, gaming, and even comic books, it effectively nods to players of various ages and preferences in a way no franchise outside LEGO is capable of, thanks to its shameless embrace of the absurd. But that is precisely why a dedicated LEGO Spider-Man game is now long overdue, as he, just like Batman, has a long list of iterations to pull from that would honor the character’s legacy similarly to how Legacy of the Dark Knight honors the Caped Crusader.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

And the timing really couldn’t be better, with Spider-Man still in the spotlight and all but keeping the MCU alive. Plus, the debate about the best film version of Spider-Man is ongoing, with crowds constantly arguing over whether Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland wears the suit best. A LEGO Spider-Man game could essentially throw each of those versions into one game in the same way Legacy of the Dark Knight does with Batman, through comical bits, iconic villains from each cinematic universe, popular quotes, and even meta commentary on the “best Spider-Man” debate.

Given the fact that a LEGO Spider-Man game has just as much potential as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, I can’t find a single reason why it shouldn’t happen.

But just as Legacy of the Dark Knight reaches back further than Batman‘s most memorable movies, a LEGO Spider-Man game could do the same for the web-slinger. There are comics and classic TV series the game could draw inspiration from and reference, whether it’s through a variety of unlockable suits, character appearances for Peter Parker unmasked, locations, and even art styles. The Spider-Man well is just too deep not to draw from now that LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has a proven formula that could work for it.

Insomniac’s Spider-Man Games Have Perfected the Formula That LEGO Spider-Man Could Utilize

Image via Insomniac
Image via Insomniac Games

Something else to consider, though, is how Insomniac Games has basically perfected the formula for Spider-Man gameplay, giving a LEGO Spider-Man game a solid foundation to build on. Just as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight shamelessly borrows from Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham series in its combat, exploration, and world design, a LEGO Spider-Man game could do the same by following in Insomniac’s footsteps. In fact, given that Insomniac’s Spider-Man games were actually heavily inspired by the Batman: Arkham series, at this point, there’s already a bridge there that LEGO only needs to cross.

Reviews of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight were very positive, with critics praising it as a strong return to form for TT Games. Reviewers highlighted its engaging combat inspired by the Arkham series, a detailed open-world Gotham City, and sharp, nostalgic humor.

With that foundation already in place, a LEGO Spider-Man game wouldn’t even need to reinvent the wheel to give the superhero the dedicated gaming experience he has somehow gone this long without. An open-world LEGO New York with plenty of web-swinging, wall-crawling, rooftop exploration, and street-level crime opportunities would essentially give players the same type of freedom LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight offers in Gotham, only with the faster and more acrobatic movement Spider-Man is known for. Then, when it comes to combat, the game could borrow Insomniac’s web-based attacks, aerial combos, environmental takedowns, and Spider-Sense dodges, just as Legacy of the Dark Knight borrows from the Batman: Arkham series.

Throw in playable versions of Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and even some of the more ridiculous variants from across the Spider-Verse, and there is already more than enough there to build a LEGO game that could rival, if not surpass, what Batman has now received. To put it bluntly, it’s just bonkers that Spider-Man has gone this long without his own LEGO game when all the pieces—pun absolutely intended—are right there.

Ultimately, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has already done most of the work required to prove that a dedicated LEGO Spider-Man game could work. Spider-Man has just as much history to celebrate, just as many iconic villains to feature, and arguably even more opportunities for the kind of absurdity LEGO games have always been at their best when embracing. Plus, with Insomniac having already perfected the gameplay formula and decades of films, TV series, comics, and games to pull from, LEGO wouldn’t exactly be taking a risk by giving Spider-Man his own game. At this point, Batman has received the massive LEGO celebration his legacy deserves, and after seeing how well that formula works, I can’t think of another superhero who deserves to be next more than Spider-Man.