Marvel Rivals players have an issue with Squirrel Girl’s new summer skin, here’s why

Marvel Rivals has recently released two summer-themed Epic skins, one for Squirrel Girl and one for Rocket Raccoon. These skins, Sunshine Squirrel and Sunshine Raccoon are well-made and the perfect cosmetic choice for players who frequently use one or both of these heroes. However, some controversy has arisen online due to the colouring of Squirrel Girl’s skin. 

Squirrel Girl has naturally tanned skin, and some believe this new skin whitewashes her to make her more similar to the other pale-skinned blonde female characters in the game. Let’s look at the Sunshine Squirrel skin in more detail to see if these concerns are justified. 

Squirrel Girl’s new skin is a summer vacation-themed skin called Sunshine Squirrel. It was released on May 9 as part of the second season of Marvel Rivals. 

The skin is available to be purchased on its own or as part of the Krakoa Resort Bundle, which includes Rocket Raccoon’s Sunshine Raccoon skin and accompanying cosmetics. 

Players can buy the skin by itself for 1,400 units or the Sunshine Squirrel store, which includes a spray, an MVP animation, a nameplate, and an emote along with the skin, for 1,600 units. Those who want to buy the Krakoa Resort Bundle get everything included in the Sunshine Squirrel bundle and Rocket’s Sunshine Raccoon bundle for 3,000 units. 

Sunshine Squirrel was mostly received positively when it was released, but some people online felt that the outfit lightened Squirrel Girl’s tanned skin and whitewashed her. YouTuber @khymomaruu describes the situation well with a YouTube short, effectively explaining the drama that the skin tone change has caused. 

Most of those finding issues with the skin are making their feelings known on X. X user @Loudwindow edited the skin to give Squirrel Girl tan lines, making her look darker and closer to her default skin tone. 

Comments are positive about the change, such as a response from @grimdereaper which states: “Makes way more sense and looks great! Like why is she more white than her default on her SUMMER SKIN.” Another comment from @jones_fiend states: “Marvel devs plz give me this.”

That being said, more general discourse surrounding the skin is not as negative as certain online conversations suggest. Comments on the aforementioned YouTube shorts show that the YouTube community don’t particularly care about this change. YouTuber @bullymaguire23 noted how it seems odd to be annoyed at a white character being whitewashed, saying: “Isn’t she already white? How are you going to whitewash a character that’s already white?”, which received almost 6,000 likes. 

Another popular comment from @LyingOstrich, with over 1,500 likes, makes a few points that reiterate the feeling that this is an overreaction while also making some logical arguments about the choice of skin tone: “1. Is anyone actually mad about this?

2. Squirrel Girl is and always has been white. How do you whitewash a white woman?

3. The fairer skin tone complements the outfit better than the original would.” 

YouTube account @bobafett7543 suggests that the developers are clearly trying their best despite the community finding something to complain about: “Honestly the community doesn’t deserve these devs.” With over 2,000 likes, it’s clear that many other Marvel Rivals fans are feeling more frustrated with the criticism than with the skin tone change. 

As of yet, there has been no response from NetEase to the criticism aimed at Squirrel Girl’s Sunshine Squirrel skin. Quite frankly, though, they shouldn’t have to respond, as changes do not need to be made. The criticism truly seems to be an overreaction, as the colour palette and skin tone match up well with the new outfit and the summer themes. 

Yes, it’s a summer vacation skin, so it’s understandable if Squirrel Girl had a darker skin tone rather than a paler one to reflect a sun tan. That being said, the nature of the outfit, such as the green and white colour palette and purple flower accessories, suits the slightly lighter skin tone better from a creative perspective. 

Of course, if Squirrel Girl were a person of colour and her skin tone had been drastically lightened, it would be understandable if there was outrage and criticism. However, Squirrel Girl is a red-headed white woman, and although she does have naturally tanned skin, the paler tone is not unbelievable or drastic for her. 

A comment on the aforementioned YouTube short from YouTuber @jaredrufolo2588 perfectly describes what the skin tone change could reflect: “Beach skin: summer and pre tan. Default skin: autumn and post-summer tan.” This makes a lot of sense, and also pairs well with the blonde hair, ears and tail that Squirrel Girl dons with the skin. Not only that, but plenty of other heroes receive changes to their colour palettes when they get epic skins. It isn’t a new phenomenon to see colour and tone changes with Marvel Rivals skins, and this change is no different. 

Squirrel Girl’s new Sunshine Squirrel beach skin does feature a lighter colour palette, with a skin tone that has been lightened ever so slightly to reflect her summery outfit. While it is a little samey to have another character with a blonde-haired pale look in Marvel Rivals, the changes have clearly been made to reflect the rest of Squirrel Girl’s outfit. 

The skin tone has not been lightened to the extent that Doreen looks like a totally different person, and it’s a change that makes sense for aesthetics and even logically (pale in the summer before the tan with the new skin, then the default skin with a tan for the rest of the year). NetEase clearly put a lot of effort into the epic skins for their heroes, and it seems unfair to throw criticism at them immediately for something as small as this.