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J. Jonah Jameson
J
Name: John Jonah Jameson Jr.
Affiliation: Daily Bugle
Rank: Editor-in-Chief
Spouse(s): Joan Jameson
Children: John Jameson
Portrayed by: J.K. Simmons
First appeared: Spider-Man
Last appeared: Spider-Man 3
"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[src]

John Jonah Jameson Jr. 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.

History[]

Early Life[]

J. Jonah Jameson was born in 1951 to a wealthy family and the son of famous billionaire at the time J. Jonah Jameson Senior.

After finishing high school, his dad gave him enough money to start his own business eventually he became the chief editor of The Daily Bugle during it's early days it was rivals with another newspaper company called The Daily Globe he later got married at some point and had a kid named John Jameson.

Framing Spider-Man[]

"Spider-Man, Hero or Menace? Exclusive Daily Bugle Photos."
"Menace? He was protecting that armored truck.."
"Tell you what, Atticus, you take the pictures, I'll make up the headlines! Okay? Is that okay with you ?"
"Yes sir."
"Goodie.
"
―J. Jonah Jameson to Peter Parker[src]

In 2002, After Spider-Man first appears on New York's streets, Jameson describes him as a menace and a vigilante, and points out that he must have something to hide if he feels it necessary to wear a mask. Indeed, the only reason he publishes news on Spider-Man is because it sells papers, and upon hearing that no one has been able to get a clear shot of him, he declares, "He doesn't want to be famous. Then, I'll make him INFAMOUS!" Peter Parker gets money from selling photos of his costumed self freelance to Jameson.

Jameson

Jonah in his office.

He is also shown to have a cynical, avuncular attitude and brusque manner with his staff, though he willingly protects Peter when the The Green Goblin demands to know the identity of Spider-Man's photographer. When Peter accuses him of slandering Spider-Man in the press, Jameson said, "I resent that! Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel." He holds the dubious honor of providing the nicknames for the central villains Spider-Man encounters. A testament to his greed, he asks his staff to immediately trademark the names he comes up with.

Becoming Spider-Man[]

"Spider-Man won't let me take any more pictures, you've turned the whole city against him !"
"A fact I'm very proud of!
"
―Peter Parker to J. Jonah Jameson[src]

As time went on, Jameson began to realize that Spider-Man is in fact a hero, though he is too proud to admit it. eventually Peter is persuaded to give up his life as Spider-Man and abandoned his suit in an alley. A garbage man finds it and sells it to Jameson who is convinced it was he who convinced Spider-Man to quit. In a DVD-only extended cut of the film contains a short scene in which Jameson dons the Spider-Man suit and romps around on his desk, while Robbie Robertson, Betty Brant, and Hoffman watch in a mix of surprise and confusion.

Jonah in Spidey Suit

Jonah trying on Peter's abandoned Spider Suit in his office.

Crime and danger skyrocket and his son's fiancée, MJ Watson, is kidnapped after Spider-Man temporarily disappears; true to form, he recants almost immediately, acknowledging that Spider-Man is the reason for the chaos. He then becomes infuriated when Spider-Man steals back his costume from the Bugle to confront the rampaging Doctor Octopus. At the wedding of his son John Jameson and Mary Jane Watson, once it becomes clear that the she had left John at the altar, the first thing Jameson does is tell his wife to call the wedding caterer and "tell her not to open the caviar."

Hiring Eddie Brock[]

Six months later, Jameson brings on Edward Brock Jr. as another freelance photographer at the Bugle. Brock and Peter are both told they need to earn a staff job by instructing them to take photos of Spider-Man committing a crime. He is shown to have many medical conditions by this stage, being warned by Miss Brant, who was informed by Jameson's wife, that whenever he is too tense or when he needs to take pills. Specifically, it is revealed that he has high blood pressure, and Miss Brant must always remind him to watch his temper, which she hilariously does so through a loud, buzzing intercom.

Later, Jameson fires Brock for creating and selling Jameson fake pictures of Spider-Man robbing a bank, in spite of his dislike of the hero, as Brock's photo destroyed his paper's reputation, which had not printed a retraction in twenty years. He is surprised by Parker's new confident and aggressive demeanor, provoked by the black suit, especially when he finds him and Miss Brant flirting on his desk, exclaiming "Ms. Brant, that's not the position I hired you for".

Witnessing Spider-Man Fighting Venom and Sandman[]

At the climactic battle between Spider-Man, The New Goblin, The Sandman, and Venom, Jameson is unable to locate Parker and bargains with a little girl in the crowd to obtain her camera to shoot the battle himself. She refuses to sell for less than a hundred dollars. After the stingy Jameson reluctantly pays, he discovers that there is no film in the camera, to which she explains, "The film's extra", which left the chief in ridicule.

Despite no more films being released, it is safely assumed that Jameson continued to serve as Peter's boss and bash Spider-Man.

Personality[]

"I WANT SPIDER-MAN!"
―J.J.Jameson[src]

J. Jonah Jameson is a blustering, bombastic man, who retains his dislike for Spider-Man, and takes delight in anything that might discredit or defame him. He describes him as a menace and a vigilante, and points out that "He wears a mask. What's he got to hide?" indeed, the only reason he develops an interest in publishing news on the hero is because it sells papers, and upon hearing that no-one has been able to get a clear shot of him, he declares that "If he doesn't want to be famous, I'll make him infamous!". He also retains much of his cynical, avuncular attitude and brasque manner with his staff. When Peter Parker accuses him of slandering Spider-Man, Jameson says, "I resent that! Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel". He holds the dubious honor of providing nicknames for the villains: the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. In each film his office is rearranged and relocated, only the first movie offers an explicit reason for this, as it was partially destroyed by the Green Goblin.

However, he is basically a good, loyal man, under the right circumstances, he would die to protect others (as demonstrated by his refusal to reveal to the Green Goblin the identity of the photographer who took pictures of Spider-Man). Jameson also, at some point, knew Spider-Man was a hero, but was too proud to admit it. He even went as far as to admit it when crime and danger skyrocketed and his son's fiancee was kidnapped after Spider-Man disappeared for a short period of time, true to form, however, he recanted almost immediately and became infuriated with the web-slinger once again when Spider-Man stole back his costume from the Bugle to confront the rampaging Doctor Octopus.

Jameson sets Eddie Brock Jr. and Peter Parker up as rivals to achieve a staff job, instructing them to obtain unflattering pictures of Spider-Man. He is shown to supposedly have many medical conditions, being warned by Miss Brant whenever he is too tense or when he needs to take his pills. Also, it is revealed that he has a high blood pressure, and Miss Brant must always remind him to watch his temper. Later, Jameson fires Brock when he creates and sells to him false pictures of Spider-Man robbing a bank, (in spite of his dislike of the hero and not having to print a retraction in 20 years) but is surprised by Parker's new confident and aggressive demeanor, provoked by the black suit.

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 Far from Home and it's 2021 sequel 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.

See Also[]


Raimi Film Series
Films: Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3
Characters: Peter Parker/Spider-Man | Mary Jane Watson | Harry Osborn | J. Jonah Jameson | Uncle Ben | Aunt May | George Stacy | Gwen Stacy | Robbie Robertson | Betty Brant | Curt Connors | Flash Thompson | Dr. Stromm | Mr. Ditkovich | Ursula Ditkovich | Maximillian Fargas | Henry Balkan | Rosalie Octavius | Hoffman | Bernard Houseman | Mr. Aziz | Bonesaw McGraw
Enemies: The Green Goblin | Doctor Octopus | The Sandman | New Goblin | Venom | The Carjacker
Locations: The Daily Bugle | Oscorp Technologies | Quest Aerospace | Osborn Penthouse | Goblin Lair
Video Games: Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3
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