| “ | Who is Spider-Man?" He's a criminal, that's who he is! A vigilante! A public menace! What's he doing on my front page? | „ |
| ~ J. Jonah Jameson |
John Jonah Jameson Jr. is the secondary antagonist of the Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
He is a blustering, bombastic man and a source of comic relief. He retains his dislike for Spider-Man, and takes delight in anything that might discredit or defame him.
He is portrayed by J.K. Simmons.
History[]
Early Life[]
Born in 1951 into a prosperous family, J. Jonah Jameson is the son of J. Jonah Jameson Senior, a well-known billionaire at the time. His father provided him enough money to launch his own company when he graduated from high school. He eventually rose to the position of The Daily Bugle's chief editor. In its early years, The Daily Globe, another newspaper company, was a competitor. He eventually married and had a child named John Jameson.
When Spider-Man first shows up on the streets of New York in 2002, Jameson calls him a vigilante and a threat, pointing out that if he feels the need to wear a mask, he must have something to conceal. Since no one has been able to acquire a good picture of him, he says, "He doesn't want to be famous." In fact, the only reason he publishes news about Spider-Man is because it sells papers. I'll make him famous after that!" Peter Parker makes money by selling Jameson pictures of himself in costume.
He also has a harsh demeanour with his crew and a cynical, avuncular attitude. However, he voluntarily shields Peter when the Green Goblin demands to know who Spider-Man's photographer is. Jameson exclaimed, "I resent that!" in response to Peter accusing him of defaming Spider-Man in the media. Slander is said. It is libel in print. He has the dubious distinction of giving the main antagonists the idea that Spider-Man meets their aliases. He asks his employees to trademark the names he thinks of right away, which is evidence of his greed.
As time passed, Jameson came to the conclusion that, despite his pride, Spider-Man is a hero. After being convinced to give up his life as Spider-Man, Peter finally drops his suit in an alley. After discovering it, a garbage guy sells it to Jameson, who believes he persuaded Spider-guy to resign. In a brief scene from the DVD-only extended cut of the movie, Robbie Robertson, Betty Brant, and Hoffman watch in astonishment and bewilderment as Jameson dons the Spider-Man suit and plays around on his desk.
After Spider-Man briefly vanishes, crime and danger soar, and his son's fiancée, MJ Watson, is abducted. As is his custom, he quickly retracts his statement, admitting that Spider-Man is to blame for the mayhem. When Spider-Man reclaims his outfit from the Bugle to face the raging Doctor Octopus, he becomes enraged. When it becomes apparent that Mary Jane Watson had abandoned John at the altar during their son's wedding, Jameson instructs his wife to contact the caterer and "tell her not to open the caviar."
Edward Brock Jr. joins Jameson as a freelance photographer at the Bugle six months later. Brock and Peter are informed that they must "earn" a staff position by photographing Spider-Man committing a crime. By this point, it is evident that he has a number of medical issues, and Miss Brant, who Jameson's wife notified, warns him to take medication when he feels too stressed. It is established explicitly that he has high blood pressure, and Miss Brant uses a loud, buzzing intercom to remind him to control his temper.
Despite his distaste for the superhero, Jameson later fires Brock for making and selling phony images of Spider-Man stealing a bank because the image damaged the paper's reputation—it hadn't published a retraction in twenty years. When he discovers Parker and Miss Brant flirting on his desk and he exclaims, "Ms. Brant, that's not the position I hired you for," he is taken aback by Parker's newfound assertiveness and aggression, which is prompted by the black suit.
Unable to find Parker at the pivotal fight involving Spider-Man, The New Goblin, The Sandman, and Venom, Jameson haggles with a young girl in the crowd to steal her camera so he may record the fight himself. She won't sell for anything less than $100. When the frugal Jameson reluctantly pays, he finds that the camera is empty of film. She responds, "The film's extra," which makes the chief laugh.
Trivia[]
- J.K. Simmons has expressed interest in reprising the character in the Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man series.
- J.K. Simmons reprised his role as J. Jonah Jameson in a mid-credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Far From Home and it's 2021 sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- Fans of Spider-Man widely complimented and admired Simmons's portrayal of Jameson. Stan Lee said that, assuming the films were made earlier than than they ultimately were, he would have very much liked to have portrayed Jameson in a live-action Spider-Man film, but he has warmly praised Simmons's rendition on multiple occasions.