J. Jonah Jameson is an entertaining thorn in Spider-Man’s side in No Way Home, but he lacks one of his best qualities from Sony’s trilogy.
JK Simmons’ performance as J. Jonah Jameson is just as excellent in Spider-Man: No Way Home as it is in Sony’s Sam Raimi trilogy, but the character’s best feature is missing from the MCU movie. Jameson is famous as a complex figure in the Marvel world, often irritable and petty, especially when it comes to Spider-Man. Although he constantly bullies Peter in the original trilogy, there are certain lines he won’t cross. Notably, Jameson refuses to relinquish the hero to the Green Goblin in the first place Spider Man. It means that for the entire Raimi trilogy, although he returns to undermining and belittling Peter, there is still sympathy for the character.
Jameson’s compassion at key moments offers a small redemption for an otherwise terrible person. It colors his character just enough to humanize him. This opportunity is not offered to Jameson of the MCU in No way home, who comes across as downright evil, engaging in completely bad behavior that Sony’s version of the character would deem unforgivable. In this way, Jameson from the MCU is a much darker, more hateful version of the character.
Why J. Jonah Jameson from No Way Home is darker
No way homeJameson’s clearly aims to emulate the 21st century trend of controversial Talking Head stations broadcasting provocative and even dangerous opinions, often without credibility or basis. In the course of No way home, Jameson builds public antipathy towards Spider-Man and Peter Parker, putting the safety of Peter and the people he cares about in real jeopardy. He even goes so far as to chase schoolchildren and blame Peter for Aunt May’s death. Even after the spell is cast so that Jameson and the rest of the world forget Peter’s real identity, Jameson continues his evil crusade. There is no arc of salvation for him here.
J. Jonah Jameson could be a future MCU villain
The flip side of Marvel turning away from a Jameson redemption is how future projects can weaponize his obsessive ferocity and turn Jameson into a villain instead, further setting him apart from Sony’s version of the character. Its meatier role in No way homescenes after credits in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the limitless possibilities of the Multiverse, all combine to suggest a variety of directions the MCU Jameson can take. That could even include a possible timeline where he fights Spider-Man alongside other super-villains, with the help of mechanized Spider-Slayers designed by Professor Spencer Smythe.
That storyline took place in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 after Jameson’s hatred of Spider-Man reached a murderous magnitude. Disturbingly, and quite at odds with the pantomime villain Jameson played in the MCU and Sony trilogy, the Spider-Slayers even have a screen so Jameson can watch Spider-Man die. It could be a fascinating and distinctive take on the fan favorite character, building on his sheer ferocity shown in Spider-Man: No way home.
