Yuri Lowenthal, the star of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, has voiced his fatigue regarding the frequent discussions about changing Peter Parker’s facial appearance in the game. Lowenthal shared his thoughts with ComicBook.com, ahead of the eagerly awaited release of Spider-Man 2.
Marvel’s Spider-Man, developed by Insomniac Games and released in 2018, garnered enough popularity to lead to Insomniac’s official acquisition by Sony. It even inspired the character’s appearance in the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Controversy erupted with the release of the remastered version of the original game for PlayStation 5 in 2020, which featured a significant alteration to Peter Parker’s facial model. Insomniac clarified that the change was aimed at improving the alignment of facial animations with Yuri Lowenthal’s performance. However, some fans, who had preferred actor John Bubniak’s previous, more mature appearance, criticized the adjustment. They argued that it appeared to be an attempt to replicate the younger Spider-Man portrayed by Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe–a choice they felt was mismatched with the seasoned web-slinger established in the first game.
“The performance was the same for me,” Lowenthal said. “I got over it as soon as they said, ‘Hey, we wanna make this change so that the facial animation is better.’ I said, ‘I’m all in!’ I don’t care if he looks like a goblin, if my performance is better, then I’m in. I’m kind of tired of talking about it to be honest, because I think everything that needs to be said has been said.”
Lowenthal added, “Some people will take longer to get over it, some people will never get over it. The one positive thing I take away from this experience is that people connected emotionally so hard and so deeply in the first game that they’re mad when they feel that person changes. I can only be so mad about that because it worked, not the change thing, but you connected with the character which is great. Now, get over it!”
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to launch on October 20 for the PlayStation 5.
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