JMS was pretty much the one who kept Pete and MJ together during his run. Quesada has wanted them apart since the first movie. I'm sure that Quesada insisted that the upcoming creative team be given a certain playing field with which to play.
I do think saving Aunt May is stupid. Not because I think she should have died 30 years ago, but because of the most recent issue of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. She let Peter know that she didn't want to go back and asked him explicitly to let her move on, save lives, be with MJ, and have kids. But hey, maybe that was just the writer's way of voicing his opinion on the storyline.
