Do you have a default pawn class defined in the game mode you’re using in the main menu level, for example as per step 22 in the first tutorial you linked? If so, there’s your answer. the game mode’s default pawn gets spawned every time a level starts. Off the top of my head, there are two ways to prevent that:
- Don’t set a default pawn or set a different pawn than the character you use during gameplay.
- Put a camera or a pawn in the level and have them auto possess the player. The default pawn will not spawn when the player already possesses another actor in the level.