Summary
- The controversial Evolved Suit at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was actually designed by Insomniac, not Adidas.
- Fans expressed displeasure with the suit's design, particularly the glowing blue highlights, unused hood, and hair-exposing mask.
- Insomniac had more influence over the suit's design, contradicting the belief that Adidas was solely responsible.
As it turns out, the controversial Evolved Suit Miles wears at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was designed by the team at Insomniac rather than Adidas as many believed. During the final stretch of Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales decides to change up his look with a new outfit of his own design, which is dubbed the “Evolved Suit” in the game’s costume selection screen. This new suit is meant to represent Miles finally stepping out from under Peter Parker’s shadow as the main Spider-Man in the Insomniac universe going forward, but many players were less than thrilled at the hero’s new threads.
Not too long after Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launched on the PS5 to rave reviews and chart-topping sales figures to match, fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with Miles's Evolved Suit. Much of the criticism stems from the costume’s design, with players finding its glowing blue highlights, unused hood, and hair-exposing mask ill-fitting for the overall Spider-Man aesthetic. The backlash only grew when it was revealed that the much-maligned Evolved Suit was made in partnership with Adidas to promote its new line of Spider-Man 2 shoes, as this contradicts Miles’s refusal to use the Spidey name to advertise for companies in-universe.
Many fans have even started blaming Adidas entirely for the Evolved Suit’s design, but in truth most of it was designed by Insomniac’s in-house art team. Reddit user chemicvls pointed this out by sharing a screenshot from a recent article on the official Adidas website in which Spider-Man 2 senior art director Jacinda Chew described the process of working with the shoe company for the Evolved Suit. “We worked with Marvel on Miles' Evolved Suit and shared the design with Adidas and asked them to design a shoe to match,” Chew explains, noting that Adidas ultimately chose to incorporate Ultra 4D shoe with its 3D-printed midsole.
Jacinda Chew went on to state that the design of Adidas’s Ultra 4D sneakers reflects both Spider-Man’s webbing and the way Miles combines art and technology in his crime-fighting adventures and personal life in Spider-Man 2 thanks to their use of 3D printing. Reddit users commenting on chemicvls’s post aren’t quite convinced about the Evolved Suit, saying that the costume is still “ugly” regardless of who designed it.
Not only does [the Ultra 4D] echo Spider-Man's webs, but it also uses 3D printing, which fuses art and technology like Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Everyone brought their expertise to this collaboration and created an incredible shoe that is true to Miles Morales' character.
Some Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 fans have attempted to redesign the now-infamous Evolved Suit to better match Miles’s traditional black-and-red appearance and personality, with the results being praised as considerable improvements over the outfit he actually dons toward the end of the game. These fans are hoping that Insomniac tweaks Miles’s new costume for the eventual Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, especially now that it’s been confirmed that Insomniac had most of the say in its controversial design.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.
Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.
Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
