Spider-Man has some of the best villains in comic book history, but one has all but disappeared. Titans like Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom, and Sandman are all fantastic characters who can each easily carry a Spider-Man story. With so many amazing villains to pick from, it's a bit surprising that Marvel seems to be moving away from one of Peter's greatest antagonists: J. Jonah Jameson.

Over the years, Spider-Man has fought against some truly sadistic villains. He's gone up against the Green Goblin and even Venom, monsters who knew his secret identity and weren't afraid of hitting Peter Parker where it hurt. The Green Goblin alone has tried to ruin Peter's life more times than anyone can count. But there's one villain who has always posed a unique threat to Peter, one he couldn't just defeat with his fists alone.

J. Jonah Jameson is one of the biggest reasons Spider-Man's reputation is so bad, making him a very special antagonist in the long history of the character.

Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson Have a Very Special Relationship

J. Jonah Jameson First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Stan Goldberg, and Jon D'Agostino

One of the key aspects of Spider-Man's character is that he does what's right, no matter the cost. Spider-Man is all about responsibility, and he has to use his powers to help others - not for praise or for adoration, but because it's the responsible thing to do. That's what made J. Jonah Jameson such a perfect antagonist for this hero. Instead of fighting Peter Parker on top of a bridge or trying to rob a bank full of diamonds, J. Jonah Jameson attacked Spider-Man somewhere that no other villain did. Jonah attacked Peter's sense of responsibility.

Every single day, Peter Parker would wake up and try to do the right thing. Spider-Man has enough power to rob any bank he wants or take the life of anyone who annoys him. Instead, he woke up every day and tried to do the right thing with the power he had, simply because that's the responsible thing to do. J. Jonah Jameson was the only antagonist that Spider-Man has ever had who didn't try to beat him in a physical fight, but instead insisted that Spider-Man wasn't responsible, that he was a menace, and that he made the City of New York worse for being there.

Marvel Comics Has Been Pushing Jonah As a More Comedic Spider-Man Character

But Jonah Once Pushed Spider-Man in Ways No One Else Did - as an Antagonist

Jonah hasn't completely disappeared from Spider-Man comics. He's definitely still around, but he's not used nearly as effectively as he used to be in Spider-Man storytelling. In Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man games, Jonah is used as nothing more than a clown. He shows up on his radio show, says something outrageous about Spider-Man, and even the characters laugh about how absurd he is. One of the reasons that Jonah was so effective as an antagonist is that sometimes he had good points against Spider-Man, and even if he didn't, the public believed him. Jonah is a much more effective antagonist when he isn't played as a clown.

Jonah always firmly believed that Spider-Man was an irresponsible menace who damaged the city...

This aspect of his character has been lost. It seems like Spider-Man's creators have forgotten how to use Jonah. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jonah does turn the public against Spider-Man, but he doesn't have any personal connection to Spider-Man. Jonah only does it due to the manipulations of Mysterio; he has no personal stake in bringing Spider-Man down. That's not how it used to be in comics. While Jonah might get fooled here or there, Jonah always firmly believed that Spider-Man was an irresponsible menace who damaged the city, and sometimes he was right.

Marvel Needs to Bring Back a Serious Version of J. Jonah Jameson

Spider-Man Needs That Kind of Challenge in His Life

Over the years, Marvel has tried to evolve Jonah and Spider-Man's relationship. After Jonah learned Spider-Man's secret identity, the two actually began working together pretty well for a while. Those kinds of changes to classic characters are great, but the most important aspect of Jonah is that he has to challenge Spider-Man's sense of responsibility and the effect he has on New York. That's what originally made him indispensable as an antagonistic force. That can continue even if the two are allies, but continually playing Jonah down and making him more comedic isn't the answer here.

Fans can catch up on Spider-Man's latest adventures in The Amazing Spider-Man #69 by Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Caramagna, ​​​​​​which is available now from Marvel Comics!

Spider-Man has so many great villains that any writer can choose from when making their story. It's completely understandable that there might be times when Jonah isn't as prominent or doesn't have a place in a story. But Marvel has consistently downplayed the character and used him less and less, which is worrying considering how iconic he is. While Jonah isn't completely gone yet, if Marvel continues with this trend, the J. Jonah Jameson that fans know might not exist for much longer. That's why, for Spider-Man's sake, Marvel needs to bring back the old J. Jonah Jameson.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.