Spider-Man 2 Game Stirs Controversy with Woke Changes Ahead of Christmas Release
As Christmas approaches and gift-buying season peaks, the highly anticipated Spider-Man 2 game from Insomniac Games is facing waves of pushback due to its noticeable embrace of progressive values.
The revived franchise, much like other Marvel cinematic universe updates, introduces changes to cater to modern and sensitive audiences, including the inclusion of characters like Miles Morales, whom Marvel confirms was created to celebrate the election of Barack Obama.
But Miles isn’t the only change coming to the Spider-Man universe; observant gamers have also noticed changes to characters’ appearance. Among these is Peter Parker’s long-time love interest Mary Jane, who has been aged and, in what seems to be a very narcissistic twist, tweaked to visually resemble one of the game’s lead writers. Additionally, the feminist writers decided that Mary Jane should morph, fittingly enough, into a Mary Sue as she effortlessly engages with side missions intended to prove she’s no longer the damsel in distress.
Interestingly, Marvel is somewhat self-aware as they note that players didn’t want to take the role of Mary Jane in the game, so they altered her character and gave her more power, even at the cost of other aspects of the gameplay.
Continuing the journey toward diversity and equity is the inclusion of a mission featuring a racially-diverse deaf girl who tags a building with graffiti, and a side mission involving gay romance.
Other alterations include the rewriting of Black Cat’s character to be bisexual, a move that, unsurprisingly, is omitted in the Saudi Arabia version due to cultural considerations. In fact, all other LGBTQ content in the game has been left out in the Saudi Arabia version.
Obviously, these woke new edits have nothing to do with the actual gameplay, especially since the older Spider-Man games were known for side-missions that focused on uncontroversial topics like crime-fighting and pizza delivery, which was a classic for Peter Parker. In context, though, Sony itself has a history of catering to modern audiences. The company is known for promoting feminist themes like downplaying female beauty and going out of their way to introduce progressive narratives into formerly-neutral games.
Spider-Man 2 is one of the biggest new drops for Christmas 2023, and it’s both disappointing and refreshingly honest that its woke bonafides are on such transparent display. Certainly worth keeping in mind as you head out for Christmas shopping.
