The hit gameMarvel Rivals’new skin forWolverine, adapting hisiconic “Weapon X” look from the comics, but the game makes one major change to the design, one which has fans divided: adding pants.Yes, theRivalsversion of Weapon X sports a pair of cut-offs, which some fans are decrying for “ruining” the look.
Weapon X’s official entry intoMarvel Rivalshas been controversial, as the almost-feral version of the character, traditionally rendered either fully naked, or in essentially booty shorts, has been covered up by a pair of pants, which seem wildly out of place compared to the rest of the design. In fact, they are arguably antithetical to the entire aesthetic.
Of course, the game was unlikely to have portrayed Wolverine as nude, but still, some hardcore Marvel fans have questioned whether the skin-shy character skin should have been added to the game in the first place. Others, meanwhile, have accepted the pants as a sort of compromise, so Weapon X could make aMarvel Rivalsappearance.
Wolverine’s Legendary Weapon X Look Joins “Marvel Rivals,” But His Shorts Are Cause For Concern
Fans Don’t Like The Change To The Classic Design
There has been vocal fan reaction to theMarvel RivalsWeapon X design, and it all comes down to the addition of khakis, cut off at the knees, seemingly in an effort to make the character a tad more modest, compared to the comic book source material. However, this has raised concerns among players for several reasons.
Setting aside the matter of comic book accuracy for a moment, as some fans have noted, the game has not previously shown a concern with covering up its more sparsely-clad female characters, suggesting an inequality that rubbed some fans the wrong way. The question they’re fairly asking is,why did the game studio suddenly get so demure about Wolverine?
That said, there have also been many responses online from people who just plain don’t like the look, especially because it is at odds with the point of the character design, which depictsLogan at his most animalisticand dehumanized, having just busted free from his Weapon X imprisonment. Adding pants runs counter to what the design is meant to convey.
The Response To Marvel Rivals' Weapon X Having Shorts Exposes The Divide Among Fans
Purists Vs. Pragmatists
Broadly speaking, the fandom’s response toMarvel Rivalsnew Weapon X Wolverine skincan be divided into two categories: the pragmatic, and the purist.Neither is wrong, but each argument captures a different outlook comic fans have when it comes to the mainstream spread of their favorite characters. That is, some are at odds with it, while others accept it.
Some Marvel readers are protective of the comics’ most memorable moments, while others want to share them, even in somewhat truncated forms.
The purist asks, “why even put Weapon X in the game if they’re not going to adapt it faithfully?” The pragmatic fan, meanwhile, might counter that “an almost naked Wolverine was never going to be put in the game.” Both of these arguments have been made, in varying forms, in various forums, since the Weapon XMarvel Rivalsskin dropped.
Again, for both types of fan, it is a matter of perspective. Some Marvel readers are protective ofthe comics’ most memorable moments, while others want to share them, even in somewhat truncated forms. And even more simply, of course, there are also those fans for whom adding shorts to Weapon X simply comes down to a measure of aesthetic taste.
Not Everyone Hates Marvel Rivals' Weapon X Look, But The Criticism Is Worth Listening To
Wolverine’s Shorts Raise Some Questions
For some fans, criticism of Wolverine’s newMarvel Rivalslook comes down to the idea that the shorts add clunkiness to an otherwise sleek, stylistic look. Some players also cited the mechanical aspects of the design as looking bulkier than in the comics. In both cases, the argument is that the character skin could have been more streamlined.
Yet it is worth noting thatfor all the negative feedback, warranted or otherwise, many people have also responded positivelyto the look. Ultimately, this won’t be a dealbreaker for mostMarvel Rivalsfans, but especially for those questioning the disparity between male and female characters, it raises concerns that will linger as the new update to the game drops.
