Nexus Mods, a popular modding website, finds itself at the center of a heated debate after removing over 500 user-created modifications for the game Marvel Rivals within a single month. The controversy ignited when mods replacing Captain America's head with images of Joe Biden and Donald Trump were taken down.
Nexus Mods' owner, known as TheDarkOne, addressed the situation on Reddit, clarifying that both the Biden and Trump mods were removed simultaneously to prevent accusations of political bias. TheDarkOne stated, "We removed the Biden mod on the same day as the Trump mod to avoid bias. But for some reason YouTube bloggers are silent about it."
However, this action didn't quell the outrage. TheDarkOne revealed that the removal resulted in a barrage of threats and hateful messages. "Today we're receiving death threats, being called pedophiles, and enduring all sorts of insults simply because someone chose to amplify this issue," TheDarkOne added.
This isn't the first time Nexus Mods has faced backlash over mod removals. A similar incident occurred in 2022, involving a Spider-Man Remastered mod that replaced rainbow flags with American flags. At the time, the site's administration openly supported inclusivity and stated their commitment to removing content that violated their diversity policies.
TheDarkOne concluded, "We're not going to waste our time on people who think this is cause for uproar." The situation highlights the ongoing tension between content moderation and user freedom within online modding communities.
