Since it was released, Marvel Rivals has leaned into the more risqué nature of costume design. Originally, players found that the character models were a bit more detailed than they expected. Shortly after, characters such as Invisible Woman received costumes that were a bit more revealing. While some of this is harmless fun, a recent Marvel Rivals TikTok advertisement has taken this to the extreme by breaching policy. The removal of the ad specifically calls out the ad for promoting “sexual violence towards women.
Marvel Rivals TikTok ad breaches policy
Earlier today, user r0m_bag posted an advertisement they saw on TikTok on the Marvel Rivals SubReddit with the caption, “Anyone else find this marketing to be really distasteful?” To no surprise, many commented on the post sharing their disgust. The advertisement in question shows a shot of Invisible Woman, a character who became extremely popular after being added to the game, in her Malice costume with the caption, “Abuse her this season.”
It did not take long for this advertisement to get reported by multiple users. According to the case report from the Ad Standards Community Panel, the Marvel Rivals advertisement was reported for “encouraging sexual violence towards women.” The advertisement in question depicts the still image of Invisible Woman for a brief time before showing Marvel Rivals gameplay with a voice-over stating, “Guardian Shield is one of the most busted abilities in the game. So abuse Invisible Woman while you can, but she also has some crazy synergies which is what Marvel Rivals is all about!”
The Ad Standards Community Panel reached out to the advertiser but did not receive a response. The panel concluded that the advertisement breached sections 2.3 and 2.4 of the ad policy and has since been removed. This isn’t the only time an advertisement for Marvel Rivals was brought into question as a past promotional image enraged fans.
The past advertisement showcased the same skin for Invisible Woman from behind where things were a bit more… risqué, with the caption, “When your teamwork is so tight, even Invisible Woman shows up.” One thing is certain, the advertisement team behind Marvel Rivals should tone things down a notch if they don’t want to rile up their fanbase.
