Square Enix's Marvel's Avengers had a lot to live up to when it was fully revealed at E3 2019, but MCU Avengers fan reactions were mixed due to the heroes' character designs. These have since been updated with new Marvel's Avengers character models, some of which have changed the heroes' looks significantly.
After the reveal, some felt Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers designs looked like cheap knock-offs of their MCU counterparts. The Marvel's Avengers team heard that criticism, going back to the drawing board for the heroes. Fans got a look at the new designs, like Thor's updated appearance, as early as September 2019, just a few months after the reveal, and a recent Marvel's Avengers trailer showed a closer look at some of the models.
Below are comparisons of all five character redesigns, with the new design shown on the left. Since Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel was revealed after the Avengers' appearances were already updated, she is not included in the comparison.
Marvel's Avengers Black Widow Redesign Comparison
Black Widow may have the most drastic of the redesigns. This is likely because Black Widow, along with Thor, was the subject of the majority of fan criticism upon reveal - disappointing, yet unsurprising, given the societal pressures put on women to be beautiful (and the common objectification of female video game characters, in particular). Her hair is now a bit longer, and her facial structure has been redesigned to give her sharper features that create a more conventionally attractive look. She also appears to be wearing more makeup, with darker lips, eyebrows, and eyeliner. At least the Marvel's Avengers Black Widow has super strength, unlike her MCU double.
Marvel's Avengers Hulk Redesign Comparison
Hulk went mostly unchanged, it seems. Everything about the Marvel's Avengers Hulk model's face, from his eyebrows to his teeth, looks pretty much the same. His Bruce Banner form does seem to have some slight differences in facial structure, but they're subtle enough that it could just be due to lighting and texture changes.
Marvel's Avengers Iron Man Redesign Comparison
The Marvel's Avengers Iron Man suit design is similarly untouched. The textures do look a bit cleaner in newer screenshots, giving the suit a more matte look, but the design itself appears to be the same. Tony Stark's character model, on the other hand, does look like it's changed a bit. His face looks slightly shorter overall, especially in the nose, and he looks a bit younger. As with Bruce Banner, however, this could just be a trick of the light. His beard and hair shapes remain unchanged, if slightly shinier.
Marvel's Avengers Captain America Redesign Comparison
The Captain America redesign is proof that a mask like that might actually work as a disguise, since it's difficult to see the differences with his costume on. With the mask off, though, the Marvel's Avengers Captain America model does have some significant changes. Like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers looks a bit younger in his new model. He's got a shorter nose, a slightly darker complexion, a rounder face, and shinier hair. The new model actually might look worse than the old, but - again - the differences could be mostly due to lighting and image quality.
Marvel's Avengers Thor Redesign Comparison
Besides Black Widow, Thor was the redesign fans seemed most eager for. Some compared his original look to The Big Lebowski's The Dude, with his somewhat messy hair and longer beard. The redesign trimmed Thor's facial hair and tied his hair back in a half-updo. His facial structure also appears to have changed, looking a bit more chiseled and traditionally "heroic."
In January 2020, Square Enix announced that Marvel's Avengers would be delayed from May to September. It's unknown if these character redesigns, in particular, had anything to do with the extra development time needed, but Crystal Dynamics did say the delay was needed for "fine tuning and polishing the game."
Marvel's Avengers releases for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia on September 4, 2020.