Matt Hancock joins the Metaverse with ‘creepy’ avatar of himself

Matt Hancock has become the first MP to join the Metaverse and and unveiled his own personal avatar on Wednesday – but the announcement hasn’t quite got the reaction he might have hoped for.

The former health secretary joined Facebook’s digital platform – where users can carry out everyday activities using an avatar in a virtual world.

Hancock spoke about the need for the Metaverse to be open and free and how it can be used to enhance innovation.

However, his input was mostly met with mockery, as people criticised his avatar for its “creepy” look and only passing resemblance to Hancock’s actual appearance.

Some people highlighted how Hancock’s body was a far cry from his real-life look, with one person writing: “Proper bigging himself up in the bicep/tricep department! Like a child creating an avatar for a WWE game!”

Others were equally scathing, with one person writing that the avatar showed “a very generous hairline”, while another added: “You can be literally anything you want in the Metaverse, so why on earth would Matt Hancock still choose to be Matt Hancock?”

The resemblance to the villain in Terminator 2 also did not go unnoticed, while some thought it was the spitting image of the infamous bronze statue of Manchester United star Ronaldo.

Hancock joined an event run by tech firm Shift designed to help organisations arrange networking events in the virtual world.

He was full of praise for the Metaverse as “an incredibly important and exciting new technology”, saying: "I've long been interested in innovation, and the way technology can transform and improve the way we live…

"Putting on the headset and not only seeing but hearing myself within the Metaverse was great fun and I look forward to doing it again – perhaps as a fully-fledged avatar next time.”