Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has been well received, although the return of Mary Jane's stealth missions from the first game has sparked controversy amongst fans. Some have appreciated the upgrades she received in this sequel, such as a stun gun that makes her more powerful, while others feel these changes slow the game's pacing. The creative team at Insomniac has defended these decisions, stating they wanted to present Mary Jane as a capable hero, even without superpowers. Furthermore, Bryan Intihar, Senior Creative Director at Insomniac, has stated that including her in a playable scenario during the final mission was important to them, to portray her as an able and proactive character.

These decisions were influenced by the criticism of her missions in the first Spider-Man game. Instead of removing MJ missions, Insomniac decided to improve them, believing in her importance to the game's narrative. Bryan Intihar also discussed the team's decision to equip MJ with a powerful stun gun in Spider-Man 2, which turned out to be an idea originating from an early development phase of Spider-Man 1, where they envisioned a scenario where MJ helps an injured Peter Parker, even using his web-shooters.