With the recent release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac has witnessed a huge appreciation from fans for delivering a memorable sequel. Not to mention the epic portrayal of Peter Parker and Miles Morales fighting against some of the strongest villains. But then, there’s MJ as well who has made a comeback from the first installment. And it’s her arc that has actually received an impressive elevation this time. Especially when considering the poorly received missions featuring Mary Jane in the original game from 2018.

So what’s actually changed in 2023 that has created a vast difference? There are certain key reasons making Mary Jane in Spider-Man 2 a treat to watch. Not just from the perspective of her relationship with Peter, but her own missions showcasing a different side this time. One can even call her the third unofficial superhero in the latest PS5 exclusive.

A refreshing take on Mary Jane’s stealth missions makes her a strong character in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

In the first title, stepping into MJ’s shoes was a great concept, but the devs somehow couldn’t execute the plan flawlessly. As a result, missions featuring her as a playable character were heavily criticized by most of the fans. There was nothing too special about those quests whatsoever.

Now, looking at Mary Jane in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, there’s a very clear difference one can make out. In short, it feels comparing night and day. Being a journalist at The Daily Bugle, her character is bound to go places in order to investigate mysteries. The first game had such situations, but the sequel improved on them. It gives MJ a lot more strength instead of being someone who always needs to be rescued in the last moment. But how?

Compared to the lack of interactivity in 2018’s Spider-Man, MJ is now capable of tackling the enemies around her. In the first title, all she could do was to move from one point to the other. Now, she’s able to do more than that – make pretty good and lethal moves. To be precise, the devs have given MJ a little firepower, if not in too much capacity. Now, she’s got weapons instead of being clueless in moments of being vulnerable against armed enemies. Yes, she hasn’t got any superpowers, but she’s got other means to help herself out.

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Due to such involvement, players have now got a reason to be more invested into a given mission focusing on MJ. It wasn’t the case at all taking into consideration her previous iteration in Insomniac’s original game. Mary Jane can now handle the circumstances in her own manner, thus breaking free from the linear approach of just trying to hide and escape.

MJ in Spider-Man 2 vs. MJ from Insomniac’s 2018 installment

While there are similarities between the character’s iterations in two titles, a lot of drastic differences are also present. Speaking of similar aspects, the first game had a mission where Mary gets to use a taser to shock the guards. Well there’s no taser in Spider-Man 2, she’s got a stun gun now.

Then, there are moments of hiding and sneaking past the enemies. In the original game, there were missions like the one in Grand Central Station where MJ had to stay hidden from a number of Mr. Negative’s demons to defuse a bomb. Similarly, in Spider-Man 2, MJ is seen hiding from the hunters during the ‘Wake Up’ quest. But what’s actually changed?

Well, the very difference lies in the lack of MJ’s abilities in the first game and how she’s evolved in the second. Coming back to the ‘Wake Up’ mission, she’s seen sneaking past the hunters but she’s also capable of performing Takedowns on them. It wasn’t the case in the previous title. Her missions have become better now with the devs actually spending time on giving her a chance to fight.

Coming back to the stun gun part, MJ is pretty skilled in using it, during missions like ‘Good Men’, thanks to her training with Sable. Also, now she’s got the option to even run away and hide when spotted by enemies. The playability factor around her has increased a lot compared to being just an observer, for the most part, in the first game. That’s the biggest and most visible difference.

Mary Jane and her missions in Spider-Man 2 allow the story to proceed without causing a problem for the central protagonists

The best thing about going through the quests showcasing Mary Jane is that they never try to overpower the ongoing story itself. The game’s narrative remains intact, no matter what. There never occurs a feeling of the devs trying too hard to make it seem like her missions are stretching out of their boundaries.

Although they are designed well this time but one has to commend Insomniac’s team to keep a limit on not making MJ’s gameplay moments seem forced or going beyond a certain point. They serve their purpose without affecting the main plot of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or overlapping with Peter or Miles’ stories. In a way, each character has been given a good amount of time to shine. At times, it may feel like MJ’s playable sequences should have been extended. But it’s nice to see that the devs decided to not do that; sometimes less is more and fine.

Despite Spider-Man 2 being more of a Peter’s story (in its entirety), MJ’s role has been given equal significance too. There’s a visible growth in her arc especially considering her profession as a journalist. Yes, she’s Peter’s love interest, but that’s not everything she’s there for. Players can easily see it happening throughout the game’s duration.

The verdict?

It’s obvious to expect that a lot of fans who didn’t like MJ’s missions in the first installment won’t like her this time as well. But considering how she was before and how she’s in Spider-Man 2, the overall change is quite praiseworthy. Things are different this time, thankfully.

MJ’s missions are now having some actual meaning attached to them rather than acting like fillers. Players who want to have a few interesting moments aside from the main quests featuring Miles and Peter can have a sense of finishing well-designed stealth quests. Mary’s gameplay missions end up increasing the overall quality of Spider-Man 2. All things considered, it is great to see Insomniac improving on this aspect instead of removing it completely.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is now available on PlayStation 5 worldwide.

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