In Defense of J. Jonah Jameson
story by Patrick Pugh
J. Jonah Jamesson, the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Bugle (played by J.K. Simmons in the Spider-Man films), is infamous for his hatred of Spider-Man. He is on a one-man crusade to prove that the wall crawler isn’t everyone’s friendly neighbor but a public menace. Because of this vendetta, he’s gotten a bad rap among the general audience and some comic circles as just a jerk who irrationally hates Spider-Man.
But such interpretations either miss the point of his character or fail to account for some crucial details. So, it’s only right that I use my journalistic powers to set the record straight and explain why Jameson isn’t such a bad guy after all.
First things first, we need to get into his hatred for Spider-Man. Why Jameson hates the wall crawler depends on the version you’re reading/watching, from tragic past experiences to simply because it sells papers. Generally, though, one of the main driving forces is the fact that he wears a mask.
Jameson’s thought process is “If Spider-Man really is just here to help, why wear a mask? What is he hiding?”
It’s partially why Jameson holds such reverence for characters like Captain America, not just out of a sense of patriotism, but because “Captain America” is a public figure who can be held responsible for his actions. Above all else, Jameson values transparency and the rule of law.
Jameson also has a sense of journalistic integrity. He might want to take down Spider-Man, but he won’t do it through underhanded tactics like fake evidence.
In Spider-Man 3, Jameson is unknowingly given fake photos of Spider-Man committing a crime by photographer Eddie Brock and runs a story with them. When he finds out the photos were fake, he retracts the story, fires Brock and publicly apologizes to Spider-Man in the next newspaper issue
Lastly, while Jameson might be a blowhard, he won’t sell someone down the river if it puts anyone else in danger, even himself.
In the first Spider-Man movie, when Green Goblin explodes into Jameson’s office and begins threatening to give him information on who is providing the pictures of Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker, instead of squealing, Jameson lies and says he “has no idea who he is, his stuff comes in through the mail.” That’s honestly a lot braver and nobler than most people would act in that situation.
A similar scene happens in the “Spectacular Spider-Man" cartoon series, where the villain Rhino comes in specifically looking for Peter Parker and threatens Jameson for information. Not only does Jameson lie, saying that he's never met Peter and that they only communicate through email so he couldn’t even tell him where he lives, he goes the extra mile and secretly signals a hiding Peter to get out of the building.
At the end of the day, J. Jonah Jameson might be a jerk, but he’s a jerk with a strong moral compass and a real sense of integrity.