There are few Spider-Man characters quite so iconic as J. Jonah Jameson.
The irate newsman is a vital staple of the Sam Raimi trilogy of Spider-Man films, portrayed with stunning expertise by the great J.K. Simmons. He created a challenging situation with his performance by ensuring that absolutely no one could live up to him. In the years since those early 2000s flicks arrived in theaters, Simmons’ performance has informed every subsequent take on Jameson, with the MCU going so far as to simply bring the iconic actor back. And, while Sony’s spectacular Spider-Man game didn’t tap the 68-year-old actor to lend his vocal talent, Darin De Paul clearly based his portrayal directly off of Simmons’ previous Spider-Man performances. Just listen if you don’t believe me.
Jameson was largely absent from the MCU until he re-entered his fan-favorite role in a post-credits cameo for Spider-Man: Far From Home. He enjoyed a slightly larger role in the subsequent No Way Home, and audiences are curious about the character’s future in the franchise. There are a few ways he can be handled going forward, and one fan would like to see Jameson tackled in one of two ways.
As they laid out in Reddit’s Marvel Studios sub, user Living_Strength_3693 ponders whether Jameson will get a redemption arc, allowing him to emerge as a sympathetic character similar to Raimi’s late-stage Jameson, or if he will spiral into unforgivable territory, à la Alex Jones. The latter is definitely what Sony’s Spider-Man games lean into, painting Jameson in a distinctly Jones-tinted light as he rants about Spider-Man, gang violence, and an array of oddball conspiracy theories that echo Jones’ complaints about chemicals in the water that “turn the friggin’ frogs gay.“
Alternatively, they’re curious if the MCU could pull off a very different take on Jameson, and start him as the irredeemable, angry mess that would echo so many right-wing anchors (or, perhaps, recently fired anchors) before using the Secret Wars storyline to quietly replace him with the milder, more sympathetic Raimi version.
Several people were intrigued by this idea, with one adding an even more surprising element. They’d like to see a storyline emerge in which Jameson is secretly a Skrull, whose hate for Spidey is informed by the fact that, upon close inspection, Spider-Man would easily discover his ruse. Once he’s ousted and replaced by the real Jameson, however, the man himself would continue to hold a grudge against the city’s protector. It could be a fun and surprising storyline but feels a bit too daring for the MCU to take on. Plus, it somewhat already leaned into this territory with Nick Fury in Far From Home.
Still, a fun twist on the classic Jameson story would certainly shake things up. The future of the Spider-Man franchise is currently in question, following the conclusion of No Way Home, which leaves the door wide open for the MCU to pack some major changes into the next entry in the lineup. If one of those changes equals out to a major Jameson storyline, we suspect few Spider-Man fans would be disappointed.
