Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, and… Joel McHale. Yup, you read that right. The Community and Star Girl star made his feature film debut in the 2004 superhero smash as Mr. Jacks, the smarmy bank clerk who turns down Aunt May’s application to refinance the Parker family home.
After suffering an under-the-table kick from an annoyed Aunt May, he doesn’t even give her the free toaster. Then, as Doc Ock attacks, he spots Peter Parker apparently running away and comments to May “that boy of yours is a real hero…”. He’s later spotted by May attempting to pocket a stray rolling coin, though May raps him on the knuckles with her umbrella.
Mr. Jacks’ ultimate fate is unknown, though McHale rues that they didn’t ask him back for Spider-Man: No Way Home. In an interview with Comicbook.com, he said:
“I saw it twice in the first week. I became emotional when they came on screen, because it was such a well-executed story. But yeah, there’s this nostalgia and this sort of like … I mean, the movie was so well done because it brought together all these things. Because that moment when Andrew Garfield catches Zendaya, it was such a great payoff. And so I was so happy. I saw it again, even more to see the second time, and believe me, I wanted Mr. Jacks the bank manager to come back.”
Yeah, that’s what everyone’s saying. A lot of people are talking about that. Where is Mr. Jacks?”
Sure on paper, Mr. Jacks pales in comparison to heavy-hitters like Electro and Lizard, but you can’t deny there’s something more insidiously villainous about casually repossessing an elderly widow’s home. Not to mention denying her that toaster.
Joel McHale will next be seen alongside fellow Community alum in a Super Bowl ad for Planters Nuts. In the meantime, Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally ending its smash-hit box office run and will be available for digital rental and purchase early next month.
