The infamous "boat people" are now gone in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

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The superhero sequel now features only fully formed humans in NYC.

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(Image credit: Insomniac Games)

The odd and somewhat terrifying "boat people" from Marvel's Spider-Man captured the attention of unsuspecting fans who reached the far-off waters surrounding NYC. What started as a meme would eventually be immortalized in the PS5 and PC remaster for Marvel's Spider-Man, with the devs poking fun at fans for going a bit outside the boundaries.

But now, we've learned that the "boat people" have parted ways with NYC in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and in their place, are normal-looking citizens going about their day in a city of superheroes and villains.

Twitter user Octorious has posted before and after pictures showing that Insomniac Games has moved on from the internet meme for good. Instead of the deformed characters that looked normal at a far distance, are now average-looking NYC citizens just going about their day.

What captured the attention of fans is that the "boat people" are in fact just background characters that were not at all intended to be seen up close, given that Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales didn't have easy ways for players to get to the boats off in the distance. However, with the sequel's expanded web swinging and the new web suit feature that lets players glide throughout NYC, it's now far easier to reach any location in the city.

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In our review, Gamesradar+ features editor Joe Donnelly gave Marvel's Spider-Man 2 a perfect score, stating that: "Just about everything here is an improvement over the original game. The combat and gadgetry is a tangible, if sometimes shameless homage to Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham series. And the breakneck traversal is a tribute to anyone with a passing interest in the subject matter, or anyone else who's ever dreamt of saving the world or defying gravity by flying through the skies. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is, quite simply, the best superhero game yet."

For more on Marvel's Spider-Man 2, check out our explainer with everything you need to know about the game.

Alessandro Fillari
Alessandro Fillari
Freelance Writer

Alessandro is a freelance writer and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area who has covered the games, tech, and entertainment industries for more than 13 years. Having previously worked at GameSpot, CNET, and various other outlets writing features and coordinating event coverage, Alessandro enjoys playing games on PC, but also gives plenty of time to his Nintendo Switch. You can find him on various socials at @afillari.