J. Jonah Jameson
Wait! Hear us out, before you judge.
We know it’s downright blasphemous to suggest anyone take up the mantle of J. Jonah Jameson after J.K. Simmons played the character to perfection in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy. After all, it’s hard to imagine anyone else portraying him with the same intensity, humor and heart as Simmons did and it’s by far going to be the hardest role to recast once the Marvel movies actually introduce the Spider-Man-hating editor of the Daily Bugle into their universe. This is where the studio needs to deliver on a completely off the wall, yet still oddly feasible choice for the character, and that’s why we think Matt Smith should be the next J. Jonah Jameson.
On Doctor Who, Smith showed an incredible knack for switching between silly and angry faster than you can say “Get me pictures of Spider-Man!” and that’s the one element of Jameson’s character that should be retained when the character gets rebooted. Everything else? It’s time for an update.
In the comics, Jameson is the stereotypical newspaper editor who just yells out ridiculous things and hates Spider-Man with a fiery passion. He has to be the butt of many jokes as a result of his blow-hard, one-sided viewpoint, but he’s not dumb by any means. J.K. Simmons was able to walk that line with ease, and we believe a more modern take on the character with Smith stepping in could bear similar results.
