Spider-Man PS4: 10 Villains Insomniac Must Include
2. Hydro-Man
Marvel Comics
Though Sandman is the most famous of the web-slinger's elemental bad guys, fans of the character's nineties cartoon will know - and fear - Hydro-Man all too well.
Introduced in 1981 by Dennis O'Neil and John Romita Jr., Morris Bench developed his powers while working on a cargo ship for the US Navy. He's accidentally knocked overboard by Spider-Man in a battle with Namor, but before he can be hoisted away, an intense burst of radiation is unleashed into the ocean - transforming the crewman forever.
The TV show actually positioned the character as one of the most threatening Spider-Man villains ever, going so far as to clone Mary Jane in an attempt to destroy Peter Parker's life. He was also the last ever villain featured on the series, which means fans are yet to receive closure on the character in any related Spidey media.
Sandman is a staple of Spider-Man games, but his water-based counterpart is yet to make his triple-A debut. This would make his inclusion massively refreshing, and in furthering the uniqueness of Insomniac's work, Hydro-Man could prove essential.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
