J. K. Simmons' performance as J. Jonah Jameson is as excellent in Spider-Man: No Way Home as it is in Sony's Sam Raimi trilogy, but the character's best trait is missing from the MCU movie. Jameson is famously a complex figure in the world of Marvel, often irritable and petty, especially when it comes to Spider-Man. However, even though he is shown constantly bullying Peter in the original trilogy, there are certain lines he won't cross. Notably, Jameson refuses to give the hero up to the Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man. It means that for the entire Raimi trilogy, even though he returns to undermining and belittling Peter, there is still sympathy for the character.
Jameson's comion at key moments offers a small note of redemption for an otherwise awful person. It colors his character just enough to humanize him. This opportunity is not afforded to the MCU's Jameson in No Way Home, who comes across as plainly malicious, engaging in wholly evil behavior Sony's version of the character would deem unforgivable. In this way, the MCU's Jameson is a much darker, more hateful iteration of the character.
Why No Way Home's J. Jonah Jameson Is Darker
No Way Home's Jameson is clearly intended to parrot the 21st-century trend of controversial talking head broadcasters, airing provocative and even dangerous opinions, often without credibility or basis. Over the course of No Way Home, Jameson builds public antipathy towards Spider-Man and Peter Parker, genuinely endangering the safety of Peter and the people he cares about. He even goes so far as to hound 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 on his malicious crusade. There is no redemption arc for him here.
J. Jonah Jameson Can Be A Future MCU Villain
The flip side to Marvel pivoting away from a Jameson redemption is how future projects can weaponize his obsessive cruelty and turn Jameson into a villain instead, further distinguishing him from Sony's version of the character. His meatier role in No Way Home, post-credits scenes in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the limitless possibilities of the Multiverse, all combine to suggest a variety of directions the MCU can take Jameson. That could even include a potential timeline where he battles Spider-Man alongside other supervillains, with the help of mechanized Spider-Slayers designed by Professor Spencer Smythe.
That storyline occurred in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 after Jameson's hatred of Spider-Man reached a murderous extent. Disturbingly, and quite at odds with the pantomime villain Jameson has played in the MCU and Sony trilogy, the Spider-Slayers even feature a screen so that Jameson can watch Spider-Man die. It could be a fascinating and distinctive take on the fan-favorite character, building on his sheer cruelty displayed in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
