Marvel Snap Faces Plagiarism Scandal Over Stolen Fan Art

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Summary

  • Marvel Snap is accused of plagiarizing fan art for its card designs, leading to demands for answers and possible compensation.
  • The similarities between a piece of fan art and the in-game M’Baku card have sparked controversy among fans and raised questions about other card designs.
  • These plagiarism allegations come after the game was temporarily banned in the US earlier in 2025, leading to a change in publisher.

A Marvel enthusiast artist is claiming that the game “Marvel Snap” has copied an artwork they made around seven years ago, using it in their mobile and computer card battling game. The striking resemblance between a M’Baku fan art piece and one of the characters’ cards within “Marvel Snap” has left some fans seeking explanations and potentially demanding financial restitution.

In the popular game known as “Marvel Snap,” players aim to accumulate the highest scores across any two out of three gaming sections. This is achieved by strategically utilizing the abilities of hero cards and the unique effects associated with the zones where they’re positioned. Each card in this collection, which currently exceeds 270, represents characters from the Marvel universe, both heroes and villains. Interestingly, each character has several distinct artwork versions.

One character from the game is M’Baku, a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who has had a long history of appearing as one of Black Panther’s main adversaries. Artist Jason Kiantoro shared a piece of fan art he created of M’Baku in 2018, the year the first film was released, along with a pixel version of an in-game M’Baku card that looks similar to his artwork despite the change in medium. Although this card was added to Marvel Snap in 2022, Kiantoro stated he didn’t earn anything from his image, and he is now voicing concerns about the game as an instance of artists exploiting others’ work.

Fan Artist Takes Aim at Marvel Snap with Plagiarism Claim

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but notice the striking similarities between two distinct images, even though one has adopted a pixel art style. Both images portray M’Baku with remarkably consistent outfits and expressions. However, it’s their poses that truly catch my eye. In both instances, M’Baku is charging forward, his torso angled towards me, his right leg leading, left hand reaching out in a grasping motion, while the staff is held behind him with the other hand. This parallel has also sparked discussions about the originality of certain cards’ artwork. Some fans argue that cards depicting Young Avengers member Wiccan and Sentry bear a strong resemblance to works by other artists.

In 2025, the controversy over allegedly stolen artwork might not be the most sensational event surrounding the game thus far. In mid-January, Marvel Snap appeared to have been temporarily prohibited in the U.S., following the same congressional order that suspended TikTok nationwide. This was due to Nuverse, the game’s previous publisher, being a subsidiary of Bytedance, TikTok’s owner. Despite the ban lasting less than two days, the publishing rights were transferred to Skystone Games, and Marvel Snap has since made amends by offering various rewards to affected players.

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2025-03-19 23:44