Highlights

  • Mary Jane and Miles' stealth sequences in Marvel's Spider-Man were divisive, but MJ's involvement in such gameplay is essential to her character development.
  • Insomniac has made MJ an equal part of the equation to Peter and Miles in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, with new offensive abilities to hold her own in gameplay.
  • If MJ was to take a backseat and not have playable missions, it could undermine her importance and significance in the story, even if her presence is still impactful.

It’s no surprise that Mary Jane and Miles’ powerless stealth sequences were the most divisive portions of Marvel’s Spider-Man. In a game where the Spider-Man power fantasy is obviously its selling point, hardly anyone might prefer a relatively dogged stealth segment. Most of these instances were thankfully story-driven and therefore had some degree of urgency and anxiety-inducing interactions, but especially on subsequent playthroughs they can be underwhelming.

It was then surprising to see stealth sequences return for MJ in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Fortunately, MJ comes far more prepared to hold her own in the sequel as her time in Symkaria apparently resulted in some more offense-oriented training, allowing her to sprint toward unsuspecting enemies to taser them unconscious. Insomniac has gone on to publicly state how crucial these sequences are for MJ in the franchise, leaving Marvel’s Spider-Man with an interesting dilemma in future games.

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Insomniac Has Made Mary Jane Essential to Marvel’s Spider-Man

Playable MJ sequences were reprised for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to accentuate her character more and demonstrate how she is an equal part of the equation to Peter and Miles. It’s true that without these sequences she’d easily slip backward into obscurity as a side character let alone a love interest, whereas giving her playable missions prevents that from happening due to her relevancy in tense, narratively rich moments. Indeed, MJ’s whole plight in Marvel’s Spider-Man is that she deserves to be seen as an equal partner, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 needed to perpetuate that with evidence of her holding her own—even if MJ being capable of taking out countless trained killers is rather preposterous.

New Features Added to MJ’s Gameplay in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

  • MJ can sprint toward enemies.
  • Hunter arrows/bolts can be pulled free, but taking enough damage will result in incapacitation (explained as being hit with tranquilizers).
  • MJ eventually receives a web-shooter modification, allowing her to web enemies to surfaces or temporarily stun them, leaving them open to a taser strike.
  • MJ eventually receives a sonic device modification to defend herself from symbiote enemies.
  • MJ sequences are altogether quicker now with fewer moments of slow, repetitive movement through an area.

Enemy attacks are a one-hit knockout on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ’s Spectacular difficulty , meaning players won’t see the tranquilizer effect come into play and sprinting at enemies still needs to be done so strategically to avoid head-on, point-blank attacks.

MJ Not Having Gameplay Now Would Be a Character Backslide

If MJ was allowed to take a backseat and not hop into gameplay, there wouldn’t necessarily be any way to show that she is still as vital and has her own role to play. Of course, cutscenes could always aptly demonstrate how important MJ is without fans needing to play as her for any period of time. Unfortunately, though, if Insomniac features MJ in a Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sequel and doesn’t provide her with playable missions, it might give fans the impression that she isn’t as influential or significant in the story anymore.

This might not be true depending on what her role in the narrative is, but MJ missions have now become a patternable feature with meaning and implication. Taking those away, particularly after they have finally become somewhat interesting with third-person shooter-like mechanics, could be a huge detriment to MJ’s character and the way fans perceive her moving forward.