Cruel Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 fans brand Mary Jane face model ‘ugly’

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Almost everyone on PlayStation is excited to return to web swinging through crime-ridden New York City. However, despite the general excitement, many fans remain split over Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 face model for Mary Jane. Some feel she’s ‘ugly’ and looks too old, while others feel she looks realistic and simply appears different thanks to advancements in graphics and face capture.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will live up to the friendly superhero’s ‘amazing’ moniker. The upcoming sequel is exclusive to PlayStation, and it is not coming to PS4 because it is restricted to PS5 only. Assuming you have pre-ordered to get the spectacular suits and other bonuses, you can preload this very second so you can begin playing right away in less than a week.

Everything about Insomnaic’s second outing looks stunning. The combat looks improved, the story promises to be just as much about the human as the superhero, and it has arguably Spidey’s most famous archenemy, Venom. Yet, despite all the positives, some fans are not particularly impressed with the look of Mary Jane.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Mary Jane face model 

The face model for Mary Jane in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is Stephanie Tyler Jones. She was the face model for Mary Jane in the first game back in 2018. Insomniac Community Manager, James Stevenson, confirmed this when responding to fans in July.  Of course, face models are different from voice actors. While the face model is Stephanie Tyler Jones, the cast list confirms MJ is once again voiced by Laura Bailey. Despite the same face model, some fans over on Reddit can’t stop thinking she looks bad. One Reddit user echoed the sentiment ‘she looks awful,’ while user Osmn03 was strangely specific in saying ‘she looks 46’. 

User Low_Thick didn’t beat around the bush saying Insomniac made her a ‘discount Lois Lane (without the charisma, competence & relevance)’. Many comments say ‘she’s ugly‘, and some even compare her to the stereotypical Karen. Perhaps the funniest critique of all comes from CaptainBlob saying he cannot unsee the comparison to Lord Farquad from Shrek. 

However, just as there are criticisms and unflattering comparisons, there are also defenders of the face model. User dontjudgejoshplz said it’s just the picture that looks weird and ‘she’ll look better in-game, considering some of the clips we’ve seen of her actual model in cutscenes’.

This isn’t the first time Spider-Man fans have voiced harsh criticisms. Some webheads are still about upset about the changing of face models for Peter Parker, and it’s impossible to forget the silly puddlegate debacle back in 2018. Also, some gamers are already complaining about the length to beat Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. 

Insomanic’s sequel launches on October 20th. Again, it is exclusive to PS5, but there’s hope it will come to PC sometime in the future.

About the Author

Callum Smith

Callum Smith is a freelance gaming writer for Videogamer. He covers news for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and he has over five years experience covering the video games industry.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

  • Platform(s): PlayStation 5
  • Genre(s): Action, Action Adventure, Open World
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