Is It True? - J. Jonah Jameson Has Always Known Peter Parker is Spider-Man

 

Welcome back to a brand new Is It True? Where I breakdown fan theories and see if they hold any weight.

Who is J. Jonah Jameson

J. Jonah Jameson is a Marvel Comics' character who primarily appears in Spider-Man comic books. His first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #1, with a cover date of March 1963. In the comics he's often running a smear campaign against Spider-Man. Afterwards he found out about Peter being Spider-Man twice. Once in Marvel's big crossover event, Civil War. Which was later undone by the critical panned Spider-Man storyline, One More Day. Then again years later, which resulted in him stopping his smear campaign and becoming Spidey's ally.

The Theory

The theory goes J. Jonah is figured Peter was Spider-Man through his photos, because said photos are always taken at impossible angels. With Jameson being in the newspaper business for 20 years, he would know a lair when he sees one. Because of this, his smear campaign is actually a challenge because Jonah is well aware of how dedicated Peter is, so the "menace" headlines are really motivating Peter not to get complacent. This also gives Spidey a villain to fight even if it's himself. But why doesn't he write about the villains being the true criminals? Well, the theory also states that J. Jonah is aware that bad stories make good headlines. So by making Spider-Man seem like the villain, he's not only gets a headline, gives Spider-Man a challenge, but he's also not glorify bad guys such as Green Goblin, Carnage, and etc.

Is The Theory Believable?

No. The theory doesn't work. Cause if this whole thing was about motivating Spider-Man/Peter, then J. Jonah Jameson is the absolute worst motivator that's ever lived.

During the classic Spider-Man storyline, Spider-Man No More!, Jameson's attacks worked so well that it was one of the many factors that caused Peter to quit being Spider-Man. Kinda the opposite of making sure Spidey doesn't get complacent. Then there's the fact that J. Jonah has also funded projects to take on Spider-Man. One of those fundings going to robots called "The Spider-Slayers". Take a wild guess who those are supposed to kill.

And even if we ignore that VERY damning evidence, as I mentioned previously Peter revealed he was Spider-Man to Jameson twice. During Civil War, when Spider-Man makes his real identity public, Jameson faints in absolute shock. But why? Why would JJJ faint over something he already knew? Then when that was undone, Peter then privately reveals he's Spider-Man to Jameson, and yet again he's shocked. Let me repeat, if he already knew, then there's no reason for him to have this reaction.

Well, that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Jan 25th, for the first part of Looking Back at the Films of 2023. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.