Summary
- Nadji Jeter, the voice and motion capture actor for Miles Morales in Spider-Man 2, learned American Sign Language to accurately portray his character's relationship with Hailey, a hearing-impaired street artist.
- Hailey Cooper, first introduced in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, has a bigger role in Spider-Man 2 as Miles' girlfriend. Insomniac Games prioritized proper representation for Hailey.
- Jeter expressed that learning ASL was "a blast" and believes that Spider-Man 2 will resonate with communities that often feel excluded, as the game aims to connect everyone.
The voice and motion capture actor for Miles Morales in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Nadji Jeter, learned American Sign Language in order to help develop his character's role for the game. Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 continues the adventures of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they face off against the threats of Kraven the Hunter and Venom. Spider-Man 2 builds on some of the relationships established in previous games, like the one between Miles Morales and artist Hailey Cooper.
Hailey Cooper was first introduced in Spider-Man: Miles Morales as the star of her own side quest. Hailey is a hearing-impaired street artist from Harlem who primarily communicates through American Sign Language. Hailey first meets Miles as Spider-Man, hitting it off and giving him a lead about Wilson Fisk in the process. She makes a return in Insomniac's latest release, with the "Graffiti Trouble" side mission in Spider-Man 2 making Hailey a playable character. Since Miles and Hailey interact a lot more in Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales actor Nadji Jeter extensively studied sign language to get into the role.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Jeter explains that they had a lot of coaches and teachers on set to help him. He was particularly passionate about it, as it felt like the representation in Spider-Man 2 would help resonate with certain players. "I feel like we’re touching a lot of communities a lot of people out there that can sometimes feel like they get excluded," says Jeter, "But in Spider-Man 2, everyone is connected with this game."
When Jeter was asked his experience in learning American Sign Language, he expressed how much fun he had learning it, calling it "a blast." Jeter explains that the team wanted to portray Miles and Hailey's relationship in Spider-Man 2 naturally, which meant a lot of "sit-down" sessions in order to get it right. He also explains that it was his first time learning ASL, and hopes that he and the team did a good job with it.
I feel like we’re touching a lot of communities and a lot of people out there that can sometimes feel like they get excluded. But in Spider-Man 2, everyone is connected with this game.
While Hailey Cooper only had a few minutes of screentime in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, she got a bigger role in Spider-Man 2. Alongside Hailey Cooper's playable side mission, she becomes Miles Morales' girlfriend in Spider-Man 2. Hailey is a unique love interest for Miles Morales, since she doesn't have a direct parallel from the comics. Insomniac went above and beyond in featuring proper representation with Hailey Cooper, and many fans believed that the developers stuck the landing with her.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
- Insomniac Engine v.4.0
- Prequel(s)
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.
Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.
Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
- How Long To Beat
- 17 hours
- Metascore
- 90
