Highlights
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Mary Jane Watson has been criticized for looking "old" and not being "pretty" enough. Similar complaints were made about Nicole in Dead Space Remake.
- These criticisms stem from a poor grasp of what real-life women look like and perpetuate the dated stereotype that women lose attractiveness as they get older.
- The hate for Mary Jane and Nicole's realistic designs reflects how toxic some gamers can be.
The Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise is no stranger to controversy, and unfortunately, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a continuation of this trend. The original game saw certain players embarrassing themselves with puddlegate, unbearable suit demands, and genuine hostility toward Insomniac over a face change. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 around the corner, criticism has shifted toward swinging animations, Miles’ haircut, and - just like with Dead Space Remake - a female character appearing too “old” for some players’ liking.
This would not be the first time that players have been critical of Mary Jane Watson’s design. Despite the character having a different backstory in Insomniac Games’ universe, as she is a risk-taking reporter instead of a flirtatious supermodel, several gamers complained about MJ not being pretty enough in the first game. These gross complaints are nothing new, as unsavory figures on the internet have tried to “fix” female characters like Aloy and Fable’s protagonist through image edits, but the sexism does not stop there. With the sequel, so-called fans are arguing that Mary Jane looks “old,” a complaint that is eerily familiar to what was said about Nicole with the Dead Space remake.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s MJ and Dead Space Remake’s Nicole Reflect The Ugly Side of Gaming
Ever since Insomniac Games released Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story trailer, the internet has been filled with posts about the game’s character designs. While some players still refuse to accept Peter’s new model, and others have poked fun at Miles’ updated look, it is Mary Jane Watson who has been the target of most criticism. While some gamers appreciate the new design, and others are concerned because they believe it looks too different to MJ’s design from the first game, there is one particularly frustrating complaint going around: that being that Mary Jane looks too old.
As Insomniac has already stated, Mary Jane’s face model is the same in the sequel, with better lighting and graphics doing a lot to convince players that she looks different. Further, many have failed to realize how much a change in hairstyle can make a face look different. As such, Mary Jane Watson looking older is a misconception, but even if she did, this would not be unrealistic. Stress has been proven to make people age quickly - with every United States President being proof of that - and being a brave reporter who is also dating a superhero would surely result in stress.
However, the reality of the situation is that Mary Jane does not look old at all. She simply looks like a woman in her mid-late 20s, with the gamers complaining having a very poor grasp on what real life women actually look like. The entire situation is eerily reminiscent of EA Motive’s excellent Dead Space remake and its updated design for Nicole. While the new character model did a much better job of representing a woman in her early 40s who works a job that requires plenty of experience, many complained that the new Nicole was “ugly” and looked “too old” - just as they have been doing with Mary Jane. In reality, Nicole and MJ just look like actual women their age and in their respective lines of work, something many internet users are too immature to grasp.
Frustratingly, this is not a criticism seen with male characters, as players would be hard-pressed to find complaints about the Norse version of Kratos looking older or anything of that sort. On the contrary, there are only really complaints when male characters look young, like with Insomniac’s updated design for Peter Parker. Given the dated stereotypes that men look better with age and women lose attractiveness as they grow older, these views simply come down to physical attractiveness. And in 2023, where many games aim to be more realistic, only featuring older, manly-looking men and gorgeous women who appear to be in their early 20s would be absurd.
While many posts about how MJ and Nicole look in the newer games do feel like they have sexist undertones with women being objectified, blind hatred is not only limited to female characters. Again, Marvel’s Spider-Man provides an example of this, as the disgusting comments leveled at Insomniac over Peter Parker’s younger face are hard to forget. God of War Ragnarok’s Thor was bashed for being too fat despite being an excellent translation of Norse mythology, while Angrboda’s skin color resulted in racists getting outraged. LGBT+ characters in video games like The Last of Us have come under fire, too. While everyone is free to like or dislike any character model they want, there should be a valid reason attached, and those criticisms need to be voiced correctly. Sending death threats over a face change is not okay, and neither is bashing female characters purely because they are not “pretty” enough. Sadly, the reactions to designs like MJ and Nicole show just how toxic gamers can be.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20 exclusively for PS5.
