J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons)


 * "Who is Spider-Man?" He's a criminal, that's who he is! A vigilante! A public menace! What's he doing on MY front page?"
 * ―J. Jonah Jameson

J. Jonah Jameson is a fictional character, based on the Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963. A greedy man who demands much of his employees, Jameson is reminiscent of a fast-talking 1940's film character. He was portrayed by actor J.K. Simmons in all three films in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series  between 2002 to 2011.

He is portrayed as a blustering, bombastic man and a source of comic relief. The film version retains his dislike for Spider-Man, and takes delight in anything that might discredit or defame him. In the film, he has a Pencil moustache, unlike in the comics, where he has a toothbrush moustache.

Spider-Man
J. Jonah Jameson is the head editor of The Daily Bugle, a muckracking tabloid newspaper. After Spider-Man first appears on New York's streets, Jameson describes him as a menace and a vigilante, and points out that he mus have something to hide if he feels it necessary to wear a mask. Indeed, the only reason he publishes news on Spider-Man is because it sells papers, and upon hearing that no one has been able to get a clear shot of him, he declares, "He doesn't want to be famous. Then, I'll make him infamous!" Peter gets money from selling photo's of his costumed self freelance to Jameson.

He is also shown to have a cynical, avuncular attitude and brusque manner with his staff, though he willingly protects Peter when the The Green Goblin demands to know the identity of Spider-Man's photographer. When Peter accuses him of slandering Spider-Man in the press, Jameson said, "I resent that! Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel." He holds the dubious honour of providing the nicknames for the central villains Spider-Man encounters. A testament to his greed, he asks his staff to immediately trademark the names he comes up with.

Spider-Man 2
As time went on, Jameson began to realise that Spider-Man is in fact a hero, though he is too proud to admit it. eventually Peter is persuaded to give up his life as Spider-Man and abandoned his suit in an alley. A garbage man finds it and sells it to Jameson who is convinced it was he who convinced Spider-Man to quit. In a DVD-only extended cut of the film contains a short scene in which Jameson dons the Spider-Man suit and romps around on his desk, while Robbie Robertson, Betty Brant, and Hoffman watch in a mix of surprise and confusion.

Crime and danger skyrocket and his son's fiancée, Mary Jane Watson, is kidnapped after Spider-Man temporarily disappears; true to form, he recants almost immediately, acknowledging that Spider-Man is the reason for the chaos. He then becomes infuriated when Spider-Man steals back his costume from the Bugle to confront the rampaging Doctor Octopus. At the wedding of his son John and Mary Jane Watson, once it becomes clear that the she had left John at the altar, the first thing Jameson does is tell his wife to call the wedding caterer and "tell her not to open the caviar."

Spider-Man 3
Six months later, Jameson brings on Eddie Brock as another freelance photographer at the Bugle. Brock and Peter are both told they need to earn a staff job by instructing them to take photo's of Spider-Man commiting a crime. He is shown to have many medical conditions by this stage, being warned by Miss Brant, who was informed by Jameson's wife, that whenever he is too tense or when he needs to take pills. Specifically, it is revealed that he has high blood pressure, and Miss Brant must always remind him to watch his temper, which she hilariously does so through a loud, buzzing intercom.

Later, Jameson fires Brock for creating and selling Jameson fake pictures of Spider-Man robbing a bank, in spite of his dislike of the hero, as Brock's photo destroyed his paper's reputation, which had not printed a retraction in twenty years. He is surprised by Parker's new confident and aggressive demeanor, provoked by the black suit, especially when he finds him and Miss Brant flirting on his desk, exclaiming "Miss Brant, that's not the position I hired you for".

Wife
Mrs. Jameson is alive and well in the movies (unlike the comics), being mentioned in the first and third movies and seen in the second; when informed by his secretary his wife had lost his checkbook, he replies "Thanks for the good news." When asked which flowers he preferred her to get he answered "Which ever one's cheaper."

Reception
Fans of Spider-Man widely complimented and admired Simmons' portrayal of Jameson. Stan Lee said that, assuming the films were made earlier than than they ultimately were, he would have very much liked to have portrayed Jameson in a live-action Spider-Man film, but he has warmly praised Simmons' rendition on multiple occasions.