Despite the many variations of Spider-Man across the multiverse, there is one constant.
There are a lot of easter eggs and meta references in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but one veteran of the Spider-Man film franchise may have slipped under your radar. The voice of J. Jonah Jameson, originally portrayed by J. K. Simmons in 2002's Spider-Man, can be heard several times throughout the film. Notably, unlike characters like Peter Parker, whose various incarnations are portrayed by separate performers, Simmons provides the voice for all of Jameson's appearances throughout the film. Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Peter Parker (Jack Quaid) from Earth-65, LEGO Spider-Man (Nic Novicki), Spectacular Spider-Man (Josh Keaton), and Spider-Man (Yuri Lowenthal) from the PlayStation 4 video game all make appearances in Across the Spider-Verse, and that's not even including the Spider-Men who appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Jameson, on the other hand, is prepared to buck the norm by being the only character consistently voiced by the same actor.
J. Jonah Jameson: Who Is He?
Spider-Man's legendary supporting cast is one of the character's greatest assets. J. Jonah Jameson, who made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 1963, has been a consistent member of the cast ever since. Jameson is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, and he often plays the role of Peter Parker's aggressive superior. Jameson is a major antagonist in the war on Spider-Man because he uses the images he purchases from Peter to spread vicious rumors and false information about the wall-crawler. He treats his staff badly and is especially harsh to anyone who disagree with him about Spider-Man being dangerous. Jameson has been a constant in Spider-Man stories since he was created by Stan Lee as an exaggerated, gruffer version of himself.
Jameson's precise function in the comics has changed over time. On occasion, he's gone all the way to the dark side, employing scientists to create robots with the express purpose of killing Spider-Man and providing financial backing for the development of the supervillain known as Scorpion. In a later narrative, however, Peter voluntarily revealed his identity to Jameson, and the latter has since made an attempt to be more understanding of Spider-Man and his mission to keep New York City safe. In the end, Jameson is usually depicted as a man who is basically kind and wants to do the right thing but is frequently undone by his more superficial and combative impulses.
The role of J. Jonah Jameson, played by J.K. Simmons in "Spider-Man," became an instant classic after its release.
From the very first film in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, J. K. Simmons' portrayal as J. Jonah Jameson was unforgettable. Simmons nailed every aspect that made the comic book version of the character so lovable, including the character's brash but adorable attitude toward the Daily Bugle's staff, his irrational obsession with Spider-Man, and his unwavering moral compass. Although viewers are supposed to root for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), they can't help but enjoy Simmons' over-the-top performance. His scenes, from dismissing Peter's artwork as "crap" to sacrificing his life to protect Peter from the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), are all hilarious. Simmons manages to depict both the character's humanity and his ridiculousness. Somehow, in between all of the swearing at Spider-Man and getting shocked by his secretary to calm down, he manages to show Jameson's softer side in the later films.
This characterization became so instantly recognizable that it wasn't even changed in the subsequent Amazing Spider-Man movies. The Amazing Spider-Man movies were already having trouble living up to the lofty expectations set by the Raimi trilogy, so it's probably for the best that they didn't try casting a fresh actor as Peter Parker. We never even got close to seeing a different live-action take on the character by the time Sony cancelled The Amazing Spider-Man and its many intended spinoffs. The first Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man film, 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, continues this practice by excluding Jameson entirely. Even though Simmons had indicated interest in returning for the Amazing Spider-Man movie, it seemed unlikely that we would see Jameson on the big screen for quite some time.
J.K. Simmons tends to play the role of J. Jonah Jameson in most alternate universes.
Many spectators saw J. Jonah Jameson for the first time since the Raimi films for the first time in Spider-Man: Far From Home's stunning concluding scenes. However, unlike the previous Spider-Men and their adversaries, this Jameson was not plucked from another world and instead served as the MCU's definitive take on the character, despite his following presence in Spider-Man: No Way Home being overshadowed by other returning actors. This Jameson, who has been reimagined as the conspiracy theorist host of a fake news site, is far simpler than the one we met in the Raimi trilogy, and is defined solely by his animosity toward Spider-Man. However, Simmons remains the sole real-life J. Jonah Jameson.
Simmons made his first live-action Jameson appearance since 2007 in Far From Home, but this wasn't his first time revisiting the role. From 2012 to 2015, he provided the voice of Jameson in Disney XD's animated MARVEL programs, including several Jamesons from different realities in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. finale. Now he's back in the recording booth giving voice to not one but all of the Jamesons in Across the Spider-Verse. This seems like a strange decision for a film that is so preoccupied with the universe. It doesn't matter how many different versions of Spider-Man exist in the multiverse, one thing remains the same: J. Jonah Jameson dislikes Spider-Man and is always voiced by J. K. Simmons.
Simmons was the sole option for casting when it came time to add J. Jonah Jameson to the MCU. Director Jon Watts said to Collider of the decision to reveal Peter's identity in Far From Home, "That was always the plan." And he (Simmons) was always destined to be the one to do it. No one else appears likely to ever play Jameson on the big screen, despite the fact that he has been voiced by a number of other actors in various media (such as Darin De Paul in Insomniac Games' current Spider-Man series). Simmons is now universally recognized as Jameson, much to how the late Kevin Conroy was inextricably linked to the Dark Knight. Even the extremely imaginative people who made Across the Spider-Verse didn't think they could top it.
In theaters now is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
