What is the G-Serum in Spider-Man 2?

Spider-Man 2 teases the future appearance of a few iconic villains. Toward the end of the game, near the finale, you’ll hear mention of the notorious G-Serum—but what is this mysterious serum and why is it bad news?

Here’s an explanation of what the G-Serum is in Spider-Man 2. Be warned, though—this article contains heavy spoilers for Spider-Man 2’s ending!

What exactly is the G-Serum in Spider-Man 2?

We need to spoil a few things about the story of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 before we can start discussing the G-Serum. Toward the end of the main story, Norman Osborn gives an order to an unknown person on the phone. He tells them to get the G-Serum ready.

For those unfamiliar with Marvel lore, the G-Serum is a concoction that helps turn Norman Osborn into one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains, the Green Goblin. It’s also known as the Goblin Formula or Goblin Serum. Usually, the G-Serum is initially intended as a means to help heal people or create stronger soldiers for combat, but its origins vary between stories.

The G-Serum gives its user enhanced strength, durability, and other powerful abilities. Unfortunately, though, the G-Serum also impacts the user’s mental stability. In the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie, Norman Osborn takes on an alternate personality after using the G-Serum and becomes obsessed with defeating Spider-Man.

Besides using the G-Serum to become stronger, Norman’s Green Goblin persona also utilizes a variety of tech made by Osborn Industries, including the iconic Goblin Glider and Goblin Bombs.

What happens with the G-Serum after Spider-Man 2?

Since the reference to the G-Serum happens at the very end of the game, it doesn’t have a lot of significance in the story of Spider-Man 2. There is a reference to the serum earlier on, but it isn’t mentioned by name. The G-Serum will likely play a major role in a sequel or future downloadable content, where we could see Norman Osborn using it to become the Green Goblin.

Some iterations of Spider-Man saw Harry Osborn take the G-Serum instead, but that may not be the case for Insomniac Games’ spin on the character.