Spider-Man has had plenty of villains to contend with over the years, but few were as annoying as J. Jonah Jameson. The editor of Bugle of the day wasn’t even a real villain, but he hated Spider-Man so much that he used all of his power as a reporter to make the Wall-Crawler’s life as hard as possible.
J. Jonah Jameson had a very complicated relationship with Spidey from the start, with the two antagonizing each other whenever they had the chance. This was shown in both Sam Raimi films Spider Man movies as well as the MCU with Jameson now portrayed as an Internet blog site reporter. However, with all of this antagonism, Spider-Man and Jameson’s relationship is much more important in the comics.
Jameson was against costumed vigilantes, not just Spider-Man
Originally, J. Jonah Jameson wasn’t just trying to target Spider-Man. For years, Jameson has used his platform with the Bugle of the day fight for social rights and justice. However, he felt that people with superhuman powers posed a threat to the very people he wanted to protect.
When he saw Spider-Man use his powers to stop a criminal, Jameson felt it was too dangerous. However, Spider-Man was a teenager and took it personally, going after JJJ. As a result, Spider-Man became Public Enemy Number One and that lasted for many years.
Spider-Man saved the life of J. Jonah Jameson’s son
Spider-Man actually believed that if he could help J. Jonah Jameson and prove that he was a true hero, it would stop his crusade against him. It did not work. Jameson’s son John was an astronaut returning to Earth after a mission.
His space capsule lost control and started running towards Earth. Spider-Man was able to access the capsule and saved John’s life. However, instead of calling him a hero and thanking him, Jameson wrote a story that accused Spider-Man of causing the dysfunction to make him look like a hero.
J. Jonah Jameson helped create the Scorpion
Things went beyond J. Jonah Jameson trying to ruin Spider-Man’s reputation when he actually helped create a supervillain. JJJ actually paid a private investigator named Mac Gargan $ 10,000 to undergo an experiment aimed at gaining superpowers. It worked, but it also cost Mac its reason.
Mac became the Scorpion and one of Spider-Man’s first villains in the comics. He failed, but over the years Mac has killed countless people, including a time spent as Venom at one point, and Jameson’s rivalry with Spider-Man is to blame.
Jameson also controlled a supervillain
Not only did J. Jonah Jameson help create a supervillain in Scorpion, he also helped fund the creation of Spencer Smythe’s bizarre Spider-Slayer creations. Jameson originally controlled the Spider-Slayer, but he only wanted to unmask Spider-Man.
Sadly, over time, the Spider-Slayers were used as a method to try and kill Spider-Man, which went against everything he believed in. Once again, JJJ created something that grew bigger than his rivalry with Spider-Man.
J. Jonah Jameson is jealous of Spider-Man
There was a point when J. Jonah Jameson admitted why he hated Spider-Man and why he wanted to bring him down. Jameson admitted that he always wanted to help people, and he did so with his journal for so many years.
However, Spider-Man was able to be the hero Jameson could never be and he did so effortlessly. By showing what a real hero looked like, Jameson felt it made him even weaker and helpless. That’s when he put that thought aside and determined that he would drag Spider-Man through the mud with everyone.
J. Jonah Jameson paid for Peter Parker’s wedding
Throughout his vendetta against Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson has developed a strong relationship with Peter Parker. While Peter was initially just a working kid for him, JJJ started caring for him, although he didn’t put a public face on it.
It even led to the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. JJJ paid for the wedding, and he made sure everyone knew about it, but he did it out of the kindness of his heart. He also did it years before he learned the truth.
Jameson chased Spider-Man
In Civil war, Iron Man convinced Spider-Man to do the unthinkable. He got him to unmask and reveal to the world that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. This caused a lot of trouble, including Kingpin setting up a stunt that nearly killed Aunt May.
However, there was another problem. J. Jonah Jameson realized he was paying Spider-Man for photos of himself for years by employing Peter Parker. As a result, Jameson sued Parker for fraud. JJJ forgot Spider-Man’s identity again thanks to An extra day.
Spider-Man helped Jameson become a successful podcaster
When J. Jonah Jameson lost his post at the Bugle of the day after his wife sold the business under him, he found another way to make a living. Jameson used his name and fame to start his own podcast, something similar to his role as a minor villain in the Spider-Man movies.
Jameson then forced Spider-Man to appear on it by making a deal with the Wall-Crawler. While Spider-Man didn’t want anything to do with it, he gave in and the two had a huge argument over the podcast, which pulled up astronomical numbers and made the podcast a smash hit.
Spider-Man finally unmasked to J. Jonah Jameson
Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson had a huge blast because of the podcast, and Jameson demanded that Spider-Man have dinner with him so he can finally get it all off his chest. The two explained why they hated each other, and then things got tough.
JJJ broke down. He spoke about the death of his wife and the loss of his diary. He said he had nothing more in his life than his hatred for Spider-Man. That was all that remained to define him. At this point, Spider-Man unmasked and revealed his identity and let JJJ know that he was still there for him and that the two eventually reconciled.
J. Jonah Jameson became Spider-Man’s chair man
After Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson reconciled, the former reporter decided it would be his job to clear his old accusations and devote his life to making Spider-Man a hero to the public. He started a new internet news show, then hired Spider-Man to carry a camera on his adventures.
That’s when Jameson started telling Spider-Man about his adventures, and he turned the Wall-Crawler into a huge internet sensation, leading his one-liners and sending him on missions to public view. It ultimately ended when Spider-Man decided he was selling himself and left Jameson angry once again with his former nemesis.
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