J. Jonah Jameson

In the Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi, Jameson is portrayed by J. K. Simmons, and serves as a major source of comic relief. Portrayed as a blustering, bombastic man, the movie version of Jameson retains his dislike for Spider-Man, and takes delight in anything that might discredit or defame him. This portrayal has been extremely well-received by fans of the original comics. Stan Lee has said that, assuming the film was made earlier than 2002, he would have liked to have portrayed Jameson in a live-action Spider-Man film, but he has warmly praised Simmons' rendition.

Spider-Man (film)
In the first film, Jameson describes him as a menace and a vigilante, and points out, "He wears a mask. What's he got to hide?" Indeed, the only reason he develops an interest in publishing news on the hero is because it sells papers, and upon hearing that no one has been able to get a clear shot of him, he declares, "If he doesn't want to be famous, I'll make him infamous!" He also retains much of his cynical, avuncular attitude and brusque manner with his staff, though he willingly protects Peter when the Green Goblin demands to known who he is. When Peter Parker accuses him of slandering Spider-Man, Jameson says, "I resent that! Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel." He holds the dubious honor of providing the nicknames (wanting his staff to immediately copyright the name) for the central villains in both of the first two films: the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. In each film his office is rearranged and relocated; only the first movie offers an explicit reason for this, as in that film it is partially destroyed by the Green Goblin.

Spider-Man 2
Ultimately, he is basically a good, loyal man; under the right circumstances, he would die to protect others (as demonstrated in Spider-Man 1 by his refusal to reveal to the Green Goblin the identity of the photographer who took pictures of Spider-Man). Jameson also, at some level, knows that Spider-Man is a hero, but is too proud to admit it. He even goes so far as to admit it in Spider-Man 2 when crime and danger skyrocketed and his son's fiancée, Mary-Jane Watson, is kidnapped after Spider-Man temporarily disappears; true to form, however, he recants almost immediately and becomes infuriated with the web-slinger once again when Spider-Man steals back his costume from the Bugle to confront the rampaging Doctor Octopus.

The DVD-only Spider-Man 2.1 extended cut of the film contains a short scene in which Jameson dons the Spider-Man suit and romps around on his desk, while Robbie Robertson, Betty Brant and Hoffman watch in a mix of surprise and confusion. The filmmakers cut the scene from the theatrical release because Simmons didn't fit their original image of a paunchy middle-aged man; instead, he fills out the costume fairly well.

Mrs. Jameson is alive and well in the movies, being mentioned in the first and third movies and seen in the second. References to her are usually relayed as a foil to Jameson's miserly ways; when informed by his secretary his wife had lost his checkbook, he replies "Thanks for the good news." At the wedding of his son John Jameson and Mary-Jane Watson in the second film, once it becomes clear that the bride had left the groom at the altar, the first thing Jameson does is tell his wife to call the wedding caterer and "tell her not to open the caviar".

Spider-Man 3
In Spider-Man 3, Jameson sets Eddie Brock Jr. and Peter Parker up as rivals to earn a staff job, instructing them to obtain unflattering pictures of Spider-Man. He is shown to supposedly have many medical conditions, being warned by Miss Brant (who was informed by Jameson's wife) whenever he is too tense or when he needs to take his pills. Specifically, it is revealed that he has high blood pressure, and Miss Brant must always remind him to watch his temper. Later, Jameson fires Brock when Brock creates and sells to Jameson fake pictures of Spider-Man robbing a bank, in spite of his dislike of the hero, as Brock's photo destroyed his paper's reputation, which has not printed a retraction in 20 years. He is surprised by Parker's new confident and aggressive demeanor, provoked by the black suit, especially when he finds him and Miss Brant flirting on his desk, exclaiming "Miss Brant, that's not the position I hired you for". At the climactic battle between Spider-Man, New Goblin, Sandman and Venom, Jameson, unable to locate Parker, bargains with a little girl in the crowd to obtain her camera to shoot the battle himself. She refuses to sell for less than a hundred dollars. After the stingy Jameson reluctantly pays, he discovers that there is no film in the camera, to which she explains, "The film's extra," much to his fury.