How to start ‘The Flame’ in Spider-Man 2, and what the ending means

“The Flame” series of missions is one of many side quests in Spider-Man 2PS5. These are not the Spider-Bots nor the Hunter Blinds. They’re full-on missions which will lead you through New York, with an ally who isn’t so mysterious. The Flame, a cult-leader who shares the same name as his cult, is on the run. The Flame, like everything else in the Marvel Extended Universe, is more than what he appears to be.

Here’s what I found Spider-Man 2 guide, we’ll walk you through how to start “The Flame” missionsTell you what Insomniac Games appears to be hinting at in the last mission.

How to start ‘The Flame’ in Spider-Man 2

Images: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment from Polygon

When you look at our Spider-Man 2 walkthrough and mission list, you may have been surprised to not see “The Flame” listed anywhere as an unlock reward. That’s because, unlike other side quests, “The Flame” isn’t unlocked by completing another mission. Instead, it’s something that you’ll randomly encounter as Peter while you’re swinging around the Financial District(or, at least, in lower Manhattan) Act 1,.

We’re not exactly sure what the trigger is here to make “The Flame” show up, but in multiple playthroughs, we’ve gotten a call from the Firehouse Captain requesting Pete’s assistance at the hospital in the Financial District after just a few main missions.

If you’re halfway into Act 1 and haven’t gotten the prompt yet, swap to Peter and do some pop-up crimes in the Financial District. After a short time, you should receive a phone call asking for your help in evacuating a hospital.

The questline starts with the “How long have you been?” mission.

[Spoiler Warning: The following section covers the culmination of “The Flame” questline.]

Who is The Flame’s mysterious cult leader in Spider-Man 2?

Images: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment from Polygon

Spider-Man 2The Flame leader’s true identity is kept secret until the end of the game. But if you’re a web-head fan, you may have figured out the tease well before the dialogue where Yuri just tells you his name (or, at least, his most famous alias).

Redhead? Redhead? You’re mentally unwell. What are the three winning ingredients? Cletus KasadyThe symbiote alter-ego of the infamous ‘Snake-Eyed Man’ Carnage.

Now, don’t panic: You didn’t blink and miss a surprise Carnage cameo in Spider-Man 2. Instead, “The Flame” quest just acts as an elaborate tease of what comes next, as we see Cletus get his hands on a symbiote before escaping into the bowels of New York.

Our money’s on Venom as a stand-alone. game à la Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Venom and Carnage are classic enemies, so it’d be awesome to watch them fight in the way that only two symbiotes could.