Not only did I get to play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 early to review it, but I also had the pleasure of interviewing Stephen Oyoung, the voice behind Martin Lee/Mr. Negative, and pick his brain about what goes into his character and what we can expect in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
We had an amazing conversation helped by the fact that Stephen Oyoung is an amazing guy, but I walked away with some insight into how surprised he was by Martin Lee/Mr. Negative’s return and how he got to perform the martial arts himself.
Stephen Oyoung’s surprise at Mr. Negative’s return
Something that intrigued me about Stephen Oyoung coming back to play Martin Lee/Mr. Negative was the fact that he wasn’t expecting it or expecting how big it was going to be. In his words, Stephen Oyoung said, “I thought Mr. Negative was an intro villain (and) I thought he was going to be a cameo (in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2). I literally thought they wanted me for a wanted poster only to find out that the scope of (Mr. Negative’s story) is huge. I was just as surprised as the fans.”
I won’t spoil anything, but Stephen Oyoung as an actor and myself as a player were equally shocked at how important Martin Lee/Mr. Negative is to the main plot in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. While Kraven the Hunter and Venom are our main big bads in this game, the story of Martin Lee/Mr. Negative takes a surprising turn that is extremely satisfying and unexpectedly crucial.
Stephen Oyoung mentioned that “there are dramatic, heartwrenching scenes between Peter, Miles, and Mr. Negative that are just incredible.” He’s excited because “fans think it’s one thing and I can’t wait to see their reaction when it does unfold because the story is huge.”
Stephen Oyoung doing the martial arts performance for Martin Lee/Mr. Negative
Besides the surprise and anticipation Stephen Oyoung has for players to experience Martin Lee/Mr. Negative’s story, I was also impressed by how Stephen Oyoung was able to do all the combat motion capture himself. Stephen Oyoung has been a martial artist for years, which added to his excitement to get back into the arena and craft Martin Lee/Mr. Negative’s combat sequences.
In fact, Stephen Oyoung noted, “One of the first things I shot was the fight between Miles and Mr. Negative.” Stephen Oyoung was able to do all the sword fighting and action scenes himself with the help of the amazing coordinators at Insomniac Games, which I think is so cool and really adds to the character. To him, doing the martial arts motion capture and voice acting for Martin Lee/Mr. Negative “felt like destiny.”
Will Martin Lee/Mr. Negative return in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3?
In closing, I had to ask if we would see Martin Lee/Mr. Negative return in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3. In response, Stephen Oyoung said, “I have heard some ideas kicking around” about Martin Lee/Mr. Negative returning for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, but, “I haven’t gotten an email yet.”
He would absolutely love to see Martin Lee/Mr. Negative return for another Marvel’s Spider-Man game, and so would we. Also, I’m petitioning we get Stephen Oyoung as either a live-action Mr. Negative in a Spider-Man movie or get him to do the voice acting for Mr. Negative in a Spider-Verse movie — I’d be happy either way.
In closing, Stephen Oyoung thanks all his fans for their support and is excited to see how people react to “a huge change (for Martine Lee/Mr. Negative) from the first game to the second game.”
Other Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 articles
