Jameson, J. Jonah
Attributes
| Eyes: | Blue |
| Features: | J. Jonah Jameson is often seen ranting and raving in the Daily Bugle Building, with a cigar in his mouth. |
| Hair: | Black with Grey at temples |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Weight: | 210 lbs |
Powers
| Abilities: | Jameson is a good businessman, and can complain about a subject (usually how expensive everything is, or Spider-Man) for hours on end. |
| Equipment: | A cigar. |
| Limitations: | JJJ has the same limitations as a normal human being. |
| Powers: | JJJ has no exceptional powers. |
| Strength Level: | JJJ's strength is that of a normal man. |
| Weapons: | His stinging editorials. |
Summary
| Citizenship: | JJJ was a legal U. S. citizen |
| Created By: | |
| Current Aliases: | "Flat-Top", etc. |
| Current Occupation: | Owner, Publisher, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Bugle. |
| Education: | Unknown |
| Former Occupation: | Journalist |
| Known Confidants: | JJJ is a close friend to Robbie Robertson, |
| Known Relatives: | John Jameson(son), Joan (first wife, deceased), Marla (second wife), Martha Franklin(niece) |
| Legal Status: | He has no criminal record |
| Major Enemies: | Spider-Man |
| Marital Status: | Married (Marla) |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Real Name: | John Jonah Jameson |
| Usual Bases: | The Daily Bugle Building, in NYC. |
Background
J. Jonah Jameson is a man that often doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He is loud, a bully and couldn't care less if someone doesn't like what he says. All of these traits he learned from his father, David Jameson, a drunken, verbally abusive war veteran. David often derided his son as a wimp and screamed at his wife that he didn't go to war to raise a girl. J.J. was picked on in school, but unlike Peter Parker, he didn't hesitate to kick the butts of his tormentors. This brought him to the attention of his future wife, Joan Jameson. He kept her at arm's length, until one night she told him that she thought his father was a jerk. It was at that moment that he fell in love with her. (Spider-Man's Tangled Web #20)
At age twenty, Jonah took a job as a reporter at the New York Herald Journal Express. He was investigating a story of police corruption when his informant, Sam, a man that delivered money from the Manfredi family to corrupt cops, was killed by a police officer. Jonah was later beaten up by a group of cops as he and a copy boy left the Journal Express Building. He went to a bar after the beating and met William Walter Goodman, the owner of the Daily Bugle. Goodman liked Jameson's character and offered him a job at the Bugle, which he happily took after his previous editor killed his story on police corruption.
Jonah found another informant, a police officer who gave him a key to a locker at the Port Authority. The locker held a book of names of officers that were on organized crime's pay roll. Jameson and the copy boy, Danny, arrived at the Port Authority and split up after Jameson saw the cop that killed his previous informant. Danny went to the locker and was killed by a bomb that was inside. Mr. Goodman found Jonah drunk in his apartment and told him that if he is still alive than he can still do some good. Jameson went to confront officer Kenner, who killed Jameson's informant. Kenner arrogantly confessed to the murders of Danny and Sam, which was recorded by a device in Jonah's coat and heard by Mr. Goodman at the Bugle. (Web of Spider-Man (vol. 1) #52)
The Jamesons happiness didn't last long after they were married. Joan was killed while Jonah was working overseas as a journalist covering the Korean War, an act to prove to his father that he wasn't a wimp. Despite being a tyrant to his employees, Jameson adores and even idolizes his son, John Jameson. Jonah immediately mistrusted the fledgling Spider-Man when he appeared as a New York crime fighter and Jameson used his position as publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper to give lectures and write anti-Spidey editorials. Jonah owes much to Spider-Man, but would immediately fire any employee that would even suggest that fact to him.
Fearing that impressionable children would try to imitate Spider- Man's "fantastic feats" JJJ demanded "I say that Spider-Man must be run out of town! There is no place for such a dangerous creature in our fair city!" Peter got his chance to change Jameson's mind after his son nearly died after his space shuttle lost its forward guidance package on its first flight. Upon pleading his case to the man in charge ("Very well! We have nothing to lose! There is no way WE can do it!" (!) ) Spider-Man gets a pilot and a jet to fly him into the course of the haywire space capsule. Barely managing to hold on, he attaches a new guidance package after web slinging himself to the space craft. Thinking that he just earned a lifetime of good press, Peter is shocked to learn that Jameson wants to see Spider-Man arrested. JJJ accused Spider-Man of sabotaging the space craft in order to appear a hero after saving John Jameson.
Jameson then used the Bugle to take every cheap shot at Spider-Man that he could, making it his personal duty to see the wall crawler unmasked and arrested. It was for this reason that Spider-Man made it his personal business to arrest the Cat Burglar that robbed Jameson. Peter was overjoyed at the idea of JJJ paying him the $1,000 reward for the thief's capture. Jameson still wasn't impressed. He accused Spider-Man of everything from being Electro to being a coward after he ran away from the Green Goblin (Peter had overheard a phone call of someone looking for him, as Aunt May had fallen ill suddenly). The greatest irony is that Jonah employed Peter Parker as a freelance photographer. The Bugle had offered a big cash reward to anyone that could get pictures of the Vulture and Peter was the only person in New York that seemed able to get pictures of Spider-Man in action against a super criminal. It was while working at the Bugle that Peter met many of the people that he would know for the rest of his life, including
- Betty Brant
- Ned Leeds
- Robbie Robertson
- Ken Ellis
- Randy Robertson
- Ben Urich
- Phil Urich
- Glory Grant
- Nick Katzenberg,
- Lance Bannon
- Joy Mercado
- Angela Yin
- Norah Winters
- Jacob Conover
- Frederick Foswell
Seeing his ravings shown false about Spider-Man, Jameson soon took it upon himself to see the web spinner defeated. He employed various crooks and mad scientists to do away with his hated enemy. He employed Spencer Smythe to create the Spider-Slayers, a pack of sophisticated robots. Jameson hired Electro and Mysterio to unmask or kill Spider-Man, with no results. Perhaps his biggest mistake was to use private investigator Mac Gargan in an experiment with Dr Farley Stillwell to make Gargan into the Scorpion. Gargan quickly defeated Spider-Man, but the process that gave him his strength also drove him insane and he used his power for a one man crime wave across New York City.
After being captured, Scorpion became obsessed with revenge on Spider-Man and Jameson. He repeatedly attacked Jameson at the Bugle and at his wedding to his second wife, Marla Madison. JJJ told his secret to his friend and fellow club member, Norman Osborn. Norman, of course, was secretly the Green Goblin and at some point made a note of Jameson's confession to him in one of his journals. After Roderick Kingsley stole Osborn's Goblin equipment and journals to become the original Hobgoblin, he attempted to use the information to blackmail Jonah for millions.
Long before Hobgoblin arrived on the scene, Jonah made an enemy of the Kingpin. The Daily Bugle had been reporting on a rise in violent crime in the city, and Kingpin's thugs arrived at the Bugle late one night to take Jameson to their boss. Fisk told Jonah to stop the crime reports, but Jonah refused. (For his many faults, JJ does what he thinks is best for the people of New York.) Spider-Man took that moment to crash into Fisk's office and was quickly defeated by the surprisingly strong and agile man. Kingpin decided to get rid of two birds at one time and in a great irony, tied the two men to the same chair and flooded the room they were in. Hating to depend on a man he considered a fraud and a vigilante, Jameson woke Spider-Man from unconsciousness, just in time for Spidey to make a web cocoon that kept the water out.
They waited for the thugs to drain the water from the room and to come and collect the bodies and quickly escaped. Spidey went after Fisk and Jameson ran from his gunmen in terror. He ran into Frederick Foswell, another employee of his, who had been working for the Kingpin. Foswell had once been known in the criminal underworld as The Big Man and after being captured, Jameson gave him a second chance working at the Bugle. Remembering Jameson's kindness, Foswell helped JJ escape but was shot by Kingpin's guards. Jameson promised that he would give Foswell a front page obituary and another scathing editorial on Spider-Man, who he considered more dangerous than ever.
JJ has lost control of the Bugle several times, including to Thomas Fireheart, aka the Puma. Fireheart and Spidey had fought each other several times and Puma had developed a grudging respect for the web swinger. However, after Fireheart had read in the Bugle that Spider-Man was a thief, he tried to bring him to justice. After learning of his folly, Puma felt obligated and honor bound to re-pay Spider-Man for his mistake. He bought the Bugle and became its editor in chief, and used his new position to clean up Spider-Man's reputation in New York. Spidey felt embarrassed to have so much flattery thrown at him, and asked Fireheart to return the Daily Bugle to Jameson.
Despite his hatred of Spider-Man, JJ actually cares about Peter Parker, though he would rarely admit it. He pays Peter less than what his photos are worth and calls him an ungrateful, lazy kid but has also come through for him when he needed it. He gave Peter advice before he got married to Mary Jane and Robbie managed to get Jonah to give Peter a bonus to help pay for the wedding. ("Check? What che--? Oh, uh *HRUMPF* Yes, of course.") He also secretly paid for Peter's legal defense when he was on trial for murdering Salt Lake City police detective Louise Kennedy during the Clone Saga. When Mary Jane was thought to be dead after her plane exploded in midair over the Atlantic, Jonah was one of the people that came to Peter's home to help him accept the "fact" when Peter refused to believe her to be dead.
Jameson and the Bugle have been used in several attempted attacks by the city's super villains. Venom laid a trap for Sandman and Spider-Man at the building. Jameson was kidnapped by Cyclone. Dr Octopus tried to poison the ink in the Bugle's newspapers, knowing that the ink would rub off onto the readers hands. This plot was thwarted by Spider-Man and the Punisher. Ock came back at a later date and destroyed the Bugle building. The re-built Bugle was the scene of the final battle between the Jackal, Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider, the Gwen Stacy clone and Spidercide. JJ was kidnapped by Carnage for "spreading the lie! Telling people that good is gonna triumph over evil!" Other situations include the Bugle staff being held hostage by the Green Goblin after Norman Osborn returned from Europe and Spidey being ambushed at the establishment by Morlun as their final battle began.
Perhaps the greatest indignity to Jonah's pride was when he was assaulted by Mad Jack and forced to give over control of the Daily Bugle to Norman Osborn, his former friend. Osborn used the Bugle to clear his name of all crimes committed as the Green Goblin and quickly threatened JJ's family with violence if he dared speak up against him. Jameson's anger and frustration culminated with a loaded gun and a confrontation with Osborn, telling Norman that he wanted him out of the Bugle and out of New York. Norman told Jonah that he didn't have the spine to pull the trigger and that even if he did, he might come back. He had been impaled after all, and he still managed to survive. This made Jonah hesitate and drop the gun. Pointing the gun back at him, Norman told him that he should be put out of his misery when Spider-Man arrived and webbed the gun to Osborn's hand. Even after saving his life, Jameson felt nothing but anger for Spider-Man. "You get away from me! I don't want, or need, your help!"
It seems that for now, Jameson's hatred for Spider-Man is matched by his hatred of Peter Parker. After Peter revealed his secret ID during the Superhuman Registration Act, Jameson's rage and sense of betrayal made him sue Peter for five million dollars. "There's an old saying. Enemies can kill you, but only your friends can hurt you....And there is a price for that, Robbie. There is one hell of a price to pay for that." A price indeed. As enraged as Jonah was at Peter's "betrayal," he was equally angry at his son, John, for marrying a super human. John and Jennifer Walters (She Hulk) got married shortly after Peter's unmasking, causing Jonah to go after Jen with the original Spider-Slayer machine. Jonah only settled down when Jen agreed to help him sue Peter for selling him false photos over the years. She secretly told John that she would keep the case tied up for years.
Jonah, always volatile, has let his anger get the better of him. After Peter's Aunt May was shot by a sniper hired by the Kingpin as revenge for years of interfering with his plans, Peter spared no one in his search for who shot his beloved aunt. In a careless moment, Peter snapped the gun of an officer trying to arrest him. The incident was caught on camera and came to Jonah's attention. Forgetting that he once considered Peter to be like a son to him, Jonah planned to get an exclusive interview with the camera man. Robbie objected and Jonah fired him.
Spidey demanded that Jonah rehire Robbie and Jameson refused. He gave Peter a choice: he could drop the five million dollar lawsuit or he could rehire Robbie. Peter told him to drop the lawsuit, making Jameson feel vindicated for all his years of claiming that Spider-Man was a false hero. As Jameson was walking away, Peter took off his mask and goaded him into hitting him. Jonah lost track of how many times he punched him, but Peter was black and blue from the effort. As he left, Peter let Jonah know that he had a camera set up, and it took pictures of the whole thing. He gave him the film and told him to run them on the front page. "You'll sell a gazillion copies. Make way more money than the lawsuit would've given you."
Lucky for Peter, Mephisto wiped the world's mind clean of his identity. Jameson no longer knew he was Spider-Man and presumably the lawsuit never happened, as well as the photos in the Bugle. Otherwise Jonah probably would have chosen death over being saved by Parker, who gave him CPR after a heart attack.
While in the hospital recovering from his heart attack, Jameson lost control of the Bugle to Dexter Bennett. Jameson rebounded, however, after he was elected mayor of New York after a run off vote from the Randall Crowne/Menace debacle. He created the Spider-Man Task Force, whose sole purpose is to bring down the vigilante. Meanwhile, May Parker became engaged to J. Jonah Jameson, Sr, (his real father, as David Jameson was Jonah's uncle, asked to raise Jonah by Jonah, Sr.). Peter is uncomfortable with the arrangement, while Jonah actively wants to end it.
Jonah suffered a personal loss during a Spider-Man/Alistaire Smythe battle. As Scorpion, Smythe and a robo-insect army attacked John Jameson's shuttle launch, a group of robo-insects went after Spider-Man and Marla, Jonah's wife. Marla was killed while helping Spidey find a way to disable the robots early warning senses. Jonah didn't have to wait long to get his revenge. The Jackal and the Queen were changing average New Yorkers into human spiders, including Jameson himself. In desperation, he demanded that Smythe build spider slayers to combat the infestation. Smythe instead mocked Jonah, calling him The Black Widower. Jonah then carried out a self imposed death sentence on Smythe "for crimes against New York" by tearing his throat out.
Image Gallery
Appearances
Thanks To
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.