Spider-Man PS4 Gets New Mary Jane Watson Details, Including Her Relationship With Peter

Game Informer is continuing its month-long coverage of Insomniac Games' Spider-Man game, and this time around, we're learning more about one of the side characters -- Mary Jane Watson.

In this latest feature, the developer breaks down just how much Mary Jane is involved in the main story, as well as where players will be able to take control of her over the course of the game.

First off, the team wanted to make sure that she was an integral part of the story, since she's so close to Peter and all. "When we started talking about having M.J. in the game, we didn't want her to be the same character she was in the comics," Insomniac writer Dan Paquette noted. "We really tried to focus on what would make her feel different. From there the conversation went to, "'Okay, how to do we have a playable character who is more than just a sidekick?'"

Her role in the game is quite different from what players might expect, as she actually works at the Daily Bugle as an investigative journalist. "When she was introduced in the '60s, it was not unusual for a character like that to be the love interest or the damsel in distress or other outdated roles. So, we thought, 'What can we do to give her more agency?'" noted Marvel and Spider-Man writer Chris Gage, who's also working on the game.

But she's no damsel in distress, waiting for Spider-Man to come rescue her. "We're tired of that," said Gage. That's not what is happening here. She's actually saying, 'Hey I just got a tip about this, you should probably check it out.' "And she's helping him in a lot of important ways."

The team also took careful consideration into growing the characters up to their proper age. "Relationships are really hard when you're that age, because you just don't have a lot of time to devote to your significant other," Paquette said. "She wants to make the world a better place using her skills as a journalist, which is similar to what Peter does as Spider-Man. She just doesn't go around punching and kicking people like he does."

Insomniac's Bryan Intihar then talked about her gameplay portion of Spider-Man, and while he didn't go into specifics, he did note that she has her own style of play. "It's more than just cutscenes. You will appreciate her arc. You will understand her story and who she is by actually being her," he noted. "She won't be swinging, I will tell you that much."

And, again, it was important to ensure she wasn't a damsel in distress, as her evolution ties in with a "360-degree superhero experience." Intihar then asked, "What is it like for the other people in the superhero's life?"

One thing that will make Mary Jane stand out is how she not only knows Peter for a long period of time (eight years, in fact), but is also well aware of his Spidey alter-ego. "It's serendipitous that she has Spider-Man next to her and the stories kind of follow him, right?" Paquette says, "She's got a partner there, but it is also a complicated relationship."

You can read more of the feature here, but it sounds like Mary Jane will play a huge part in the story -- and fans are sure to love that.

Insomniac Games' Spider-Man releases on September 7 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.

(Big thanks to Game Informer for the details!)