Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Mary Jane Model Says Fans Have "Crossed Boundaries" With Her

Marvel's Spider-Man model Stephanie Tyler Jones has reported that fans of the game have "crossed boundaries" with her, and even begun stalking her at her place of business. In a post on her Instagram page, Jones detailed how Spider-Man and Mary Jane fans have been making her feel "unsafe and uncomfortable" by leaving voicemails at her work, and comments on pages unrelated to the game. Jones went on to note that she is "no longer an active or auditioning actor or model" and is currently a licensed esthetician. Unfortunately, fans have used her skincare page to post things related to Spider-Man and message her about the games. 

Stephanie Tyler Jones' Statement

"I appreciate the love for my role in the Spider-Man games and the positive response to my version of MJ has gotten over the years. However, I am no longer an actively auditioning actor or model. The shoots I do now are purely a creative outlet for myself and a way to collaborate with friends I love. Over the weekend, some followers crossed boundaries. One even went to the extent of calling my workplace and leaving multiple voicemails wanting to speak with me and requesting I call back, which is unacceptable and considered stalking," Jones wrote on Instagram. "My skincare page is not for Spider-Man or MJ fans. Bottom line is that I came into work this morning and immediately felt unsafe and uncomfortable hearing those voicemails. Please respect that I am a human being trying to make a living just like you, and I kindly ask for boundaries to not be crossed. Messages will not be answered, I will block you if you make me uncomfortable and you can unfollow me if this disappoints you." 

Fan Harassment in the Video Game Industry

Jones does not voice Mary Jane in the games, but her likeness appears in both the original Marvel's Spider-Man as well as Marvel's Spider-Man 2. When Mary Jane's appearance in the game was revealed last year, some fans accused Insomniac Games of changing her face and using a different model. The developer denied this, noting that Jones' likeness was still the one used for the sequel, but with some changes to her hairstyle. In the months since that reveal, a number of negative comments about the character's appearance have been made across social media, with some calling the slight redesign "uglier." It's unclear whether the harassment directed at Jones had anything to do with comments about Mary Jane's appearance between games, but it seems like a pretty safe bet. 

Unfortunately, this sort of thing is hardly new in the internet era, particularly for women in the video game industry. The public nature of social media has given a lot of fans a sense of entitlement, and many have used language and comments that are completely inappropriate. Most often, this seems to happen to developers and community managers; in 2021, former Sea of Thieves community manager Daley Johnson revealed that the harassment the team received from gamers was so bad that "Rare hired in a psychologist to give us group therapy." Hopefully Jones' statement will get people to back off a bit, and realize that the way they communicate with people in the video game industry needs to be handled better. 

Are you surprised that Stephanie Tyler Jones has been getting this kind of treatment? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: @Vinewoodmiles]