Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4 | Who Is International Mercenary Silver Sable and What Does She Want in 'Silver Lining'

The third and final chapter of the "Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps" DLC is here! Before we dive into "Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining," the folks behind Marvel Games, Insomniac Games and PlayStation have a special holiday gift for Spidey fans!

As a thank you for the best Spidey PS4 fans in the world, the latest game update, as of yesterday, now includes a highly requested suit. Hint: It's webbed and it's FREE for all owners of "Marvel's Spider-Man"!

Now back to "Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining," Silver Sable is back in the action-packed conclusion to "Marvel’s Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps." The deadly mercenary is back to reclaim her stolen Sable International tech and gear from the city’s thugs. But with Police Department Captain Yuri Watanabe on administrative leave after her controversial efforts against crime boss Hammerhead, and bigger threats on the horizon, Spider-Man must rely on unlikely allies to keep the city safe from impending calamity.

Marvel.com had the opportunity to talk with the creative minds and talent behind the hit blockbuster about the international mercenary Silver Sable—Bill Rosemann, Marvel Games executive creative director; Ryan Smith, Insomniac Games game director; and Gavin Goulden, Insomniac Games lead character artist.

Marvel.com: Silver Sable lives by a strict code, and her mercenaries operate at a level above all others. What makes her a great antagonist for Spidey especially as we navigate through the main game and the DLC where they’re often at odds and other times working towards the same goal?

Bill Rosemann: All of the best Spider-Man foes (whether they’re a flat-out villain or on-again-off-again frenemy) are in some way a dark reflection of Peter Parker that force him to re-examine his mantra of power and responsibility. In Sable’s case, while on the surface she may come across as a cold-hearted mercenary who’s willing to kill for money, once you dig deeper you realize she follows a code of honor just as meaningful to her as Spidey’s own.

While Spider-Man has a cast of supporting characters to worry about, if not all of New York City itself, Sable has Symkaria, an entire nation, that relies on the money she earns. With the fate of that many people hinging upon your actions, how far are you willing to go and what lines will you cross? Heady stuff indeed, and exactly the type of complex character that all of us at Marvel Games and Insomniac Games love to spotlight.

Ryan Smith: Silver Sable decides to take matters into her own hands when Hammerhead steals her technology. She also tosses a healthy dose of blame at Spider-Man along the way, as she sees his failure to stop Hammerhead as weakness. As they both work to find and defeat Hammerhead, their differing approach to the shared goal provides the conflict in their relationship until they finally find a way to work together. Sable’s fighting skills and powerful tech initially present a huge challenge for Spider-Man, but eventually these same aspects become the key to a powerful partnership – although never an easy one!

Gavin Goulden: Silver Sable is the perfect “straight person” to Spidey’s comedic personality, and both have a sense of responsibility that comes with their position – wanting to do the right thing but using different methods. While Sable is certainly all business, what may appear to be a gun for hire is actually someone on a personal mission trying to help the people of her home in Symkaria, and righting the wrongs of her past mistakes during her work with Norman Osborn. What makes her a great antagonist for Spidey is that, beyond being an incredibly skilled fighter with the financial backing to gain access to high tech weaponry, she also has an unbridled dedication to her cause and is willing to go to extreme lengths to be successful on that personal mission.

Marvel.com: Her presence has been felt throughout the entire "Marvel's Spider-Man" storyline. After all, Sable International is tasked with bringing order to the city by Mayor Osborn. We even see Hammerhead’s attack on her holdings in "The Heist." What did you want to explore further with her storyline in "Silver Lining"?

Bill Rosemann: "Silver Lining" provides the opportunity to shine a larger light on what motivates Sable and fully explain why she would be willing to have taken an assignment from Norman Osborn, and also illuminate why she would eventually defy her client – and return to New York – to preserve her good name. It’s another chance to show that while she employs different tactics than Spider-Man, she is at her core a force for justice on her own terms. Oh, and it’s also another opportunity to show Sable – brought to life by the equally impressive Nichole Elise – kicking butt and blowing stuff up!

Gavin Goulden: With "Silver Lining," we really wanted to give more depth to her story and show the aftermath of the main "Marvel's Spider-Man" storyline. Sable is called in to protect the city during the outbreak of Devil’s Breath, and has her technology stolen by a notorious criminal who can cause even more damage to NYC. By showing what her technology can do in the wrong hands, and what Sable will do to prevent that from happening, gives us the opportunity to explore how powerful she really is as a character. From her actions in the story and seeing the error of her ways, and then fighting back against Hammerhead, we get to explore Silver Sable’s dedication to doing what is right by her code, and that there are no loose ends when it comes to her organization, Sable International.

Ryan Smith: In this chapter of the "The City That Never Sleeps," we also wanted to dig in to Spider-Man and Sable’s relationship together. From the initial clash of strong personalities facing a dangerous threat from their own perspective, to the gradual building of trust and becoming an effective team, we explore how these two great characters can grow together. We also delve deeper into Sable’s character – her motivations, what drives her, and what Symkaria means to her, and how she’s more than just a gun-for-hire.

Marvel.com: As you began fleshing out Silver Sable’s role in the game, did you look to any comic storylines as inspiration? What makes this iteration stand apart?

Ryan Smith: We read lots of Sable storylines to help us get to know her character and see how we could bring her to life in "Marvel’s Spider-Man" and "The City That Never Sleeps."

The "Ends of the Earth" storyline that starts in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #682 features Silver Sable and Spider-Man working together, and provided us with inspiration for Sable’s tech as well her relationship with Spider-Man. In "Silver Lining," you’ll see some familiar Sable tech as well as some cool new additions.

Another sequence that comes to mind is "The Osborn Identity," starting in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2015) #25, where Sable and Spider-Man go to Symkaria and fight to free Sable’s people. This inspired us to think more about Sable’s backstory and particularly what is happening in our version of Symkaria for "Marvel’s Spider-Man."

Marvel.com: As for the design of Silver Sable, what classic elements did you want to keep for her and her mercenaries, and what areas did you have room to play around and upgrade?

Bill Rosemann: When reinterpreting characters for our game, our ultimate goal is to make them instantly recognizable and also distinctly unique. From head to toe, the teams at Insomniac and Marvel Games analyze the visual elements that identify them and then we discuss how we can respect their core while also modernize them in a way that makes them feel a natural part of our game’s aesthetics. In Sable case, we thought about how we could apply her trademark silver coloring and attitude to everything from her hair to her practical and functional (but still eye-catching) outfit and then applied that “Sable International” branding – including an all-new logo we had fun designing – to her mercs and their equipment.

Gavin Goulden: For Silver Sable’s design, we kept many of the elements fans will remember of her versions in both the late 1980s and the 2000s. Of course, we used her iconic silver coloring in the costuming and hair to make her instantly recognizable on-screen, as well as many landmarks in her body suit like the T-Shaped harness, and gear placement. From there, we wanted to modernize the materials within her costume and pull her more into our game’s universe – looking at light weight fabrics like nylon for the more flexible areas, and thin leather’s for more protective sections of the outfit. Additionally, we added a white trench coat that gives her more secondary motion during gameplay and gives her an element that separates her design from other villains in the game.

With Sable’s technology, we really kept similar branding and color schemes that ties the mercenaries to their leader. Beyond the visual connection, we also really wanted to focus on the higher tech nature of Sable and her crew – they have access to weapons, armor, shields, and gadgets that other factions in the game do not have, making it a very lucrative score for Hammerhead and his gang.

Marvel.com: What fun mechanics can we expect in the playthrough of "Silver Lining"?

Ryan Smith: We wanted to reinforce Sable’s evolving relationship with Spider-Man through the gameplay in "Silver Lining." You’ll face off against Sable in the initial mission, so you’ll experience her acrobatic combat skills first-hand and see what a formidable foe she is. We also feature Sable’s hover-jet in multiple missions, giving each encounter a different gameplay twist. It’s a great opportunity for the player to experience how Spider-Man and Sable work together in different ways through the story, culminating in – spoiler alert – an epic battle with a massively upgraded Hammerhead where they must work together to defeat him.

Marvel.com: How about any fun anecdotes about the development of Silver Sable you can share?

Ryan Smith: The main focus of "Silver Lining" is how Silver Sable and Spider-Man work together to bring down Hammerhead. However, we also made sure to follow up on Captain Yuri Watanabe, who was left on administrative leave at the end of "Turf Wars" after she went too far in her pursuit of justice by any means. Even after you’ve wrapped the "Silver Lining" story, you’ll be able to learn about the next step in Yuri’s transition from by-the-books police officer to vigilante. I got chills when I heard some of the audio that we use to tell this story, and I think players will really enjoy discovering what’s happening with Watanabe.

Gavin Goulden: In "Silver Lining," we really wanted to surprise fans with new takes on characters they have known for years. The best example is our totally new version of Hammerhead, having full access to experimental tech from Sable that he is using for his own demented level of power. We get to show just how far Hammerhead is willing to go by full replacing his body with this technology and becoming a monster. The combination of his (nearly) indestructible skull and skeletal, robotic body is a great visual to match Hammerhead’s willingness to do anything to win, and what he would do if given a chance to use extremely powerful weapons.

Marvel.com: Lastly, this is the final conclusion to The City That Never Sleeps; it’s been a solid story and we’re not ready to walk away. Is there anything you can tease or provide as a glimmer of hope for fans who need more Spidey in 2019!

Bill Rosemann: Without delivering any spoilers, with the overwhelmingly positive response by True Believers to our Spider-Man appearing in the Spider-Geddon event, you have to ask yourself: Have we seen the last appearance of our game’s web-slinger in the pages of a Marvel comic book?

Ryan Smith: We really loved crafting the storyline across the three chapters of "The City That Never Sleeps," and we are so happy people went along for the ride with us. Now that we’ve launched "Silver Lining," the team is about to take a well-earned break - so that’s a wrap for "Marvel’s Spider-Man" for now.

"Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining" is now available for download on the PlayStation 4 system.

Grab "Marvel’s Spider-Man: Silver Lining" on the PlayStation Store for $9.99! Or buy all three installments of "Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps" DLC series as a special bundle for $24.99, which gets you "Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining," as well as the previously released "Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist" chapter and "Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars."

In need of a fantastic holiday gift for a special loved one? Get the special Spidey fans in your life the Digital Deluxe Edition, which gets you the full game, as well as all three chapters of "Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps" for $79.99.

Be sure to snag Marvel's Spider-Man now.  Keep it on Marvel.com for all the latest and greatest on Marvel’s Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Games roster. And follow Marvel Games on Twitter for more!