A controversial Donald Trump mod for Marvel Rivals has reportedly been banned due to its sociopolitical implications, which violate Nexus Mods' rules. Since its launch nearly a month ago, Marvel Rivals has attracted millions of players worldwide, all eager to master various Marvel heroes and climb the ranks.
As a hero shooter, Marvel Rivals provides an engaging experience where players can explore clever strategies and leverage unique character interactions to secure victories. Meanwhile, some players have enhanced their gameplay by utilizing mods that alter the heroes' models. These modifications have included skins inspired by Marvel Comics and movies, as well as integrating Fortnite models of characters like Captain America and Spider-Man into the game.
Recently, a Nexus Mods user uploaded a Donald Trump mod for Captain America, one of Marvel Rivals' popular Vanguards. The mod quickly circulated on social media, with some users even searching for a Joe Biden mod to create politically themed matchups. However, Nexus Mods has since banned and removed the Trump mod, redirecting users to an error page indicating that the mod is no longer available on the site. Similarly, the Biden mod is also unsearchable on the platform.
Why Was the Donald Trump Marvel Rivals Mod Removed?
In 2020, Nexus Mods issued a blog post announcing that it would ban mods related to sociopolitical issues in the United States and urged users to report any violations. This decision came around the time of the highly contested election between then-President Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden, who ultimately won.
On social media, many Marvel Rivals fans were not surprised by the ban, citing the inappropriateness of using Captain America's model for Trump. However, a few expressed dissatisfaction with Nexus Mods' policy of banning political imagery. This isn't the first instance of a Trump mod in gaming; while many have likely been removed from Nexus Mods, mods featuring the controversial figure still exist for games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and XCOM 2.
Meanwhile, Marvel Rivals' developer, NetEase Games, has not addressed the issue of character mods, particularly those involving controversial or political figures. As a relatively new game, NetEase has been focusing on resolving various issues, such as fixing gameplay bugs and reversing wrongful bans on players.
