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

There's something up with that serum.

There is a shot of Norman Osborn sitting in a helicopter.
Norman Osborn arrives via helicopter. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

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?

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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?

There is a shot of Norman Osborn using his cell phone.
Norman makes an important call. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

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?

There is a shot of the legs of Norman Osborn as he stands above Harry Osborne lying in a bed.
Norman stands above Harry in the hospital. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

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.

Author
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Jakejames Lugo
Jakejames Lugo is a writer and creator that has been covering video games, movies, and general entertainment for over a decade. He has published various articles on many outlets, and makes videos regularly for platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Jakejames continues to share gaming related content daily over social media for everyone to enjoy.