Why J. Jonah Jameson hates Spider-Man so much, explained

Spider-Man has come across many iconic villains over the course of the years. But perhaps his greatest rivalry is with none other than J. Jonah Jameson. The editor-in-chief and publisher of the Daily Bugle has tried to convince the public that the wall-crawler is nothing but a menace more times than we can count. To make matters worse, Peter Parker has often worked for Jonah - selling him pictures of Spider-Man only for the latter to publish them with misleading headlines.

J. Jonah Jameson is so integral to Spider-Man stories that his first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963). Just when the wall-crawler was making it big-time in the entertainment world, a publication by Jonah turned the whole city against him. Jonah's hate for Spider-Man even led to the creation of the Scorpion and the Spider-Slayer years down the line. Besides, we've seen this iconic rivalry portrayed in movies, video games, animated series, and countless comic books. So the question has to be asked; How did it all start? Why does the Daily Bugle publisher hate the web-slinger that much? Well, it's time we finally break down that lingering mystery.

J. Jonah Jameson is jealous of Spider-Man

At first glance, it would appear that Jameson only attacks our friendly neighborhood hero because he knows controversy sells and he needs to make the Daily Bugle profitable. In The Amazing Spider-Man #5 (1963), he confesses to Peter Parker and Betty Brant: "I have only one real motive... to make money! The more I attack Spider-Man, the more people read my papers! It's to our advantage [...] Everybody is interested in him. Whether they agree with me or not doesn't matter".

However, things are not quite that simple. As it turns out, J. Jonah Jameson is actually jealous of the wall-crawler, as was revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (1964). When a masked villain called "The Big Man" takes over the criminal underworld, it becomes Jonah's personal mission to prove that the thug and Spider-Man are one and the same. However, that theory is eventually proven wrong. So frustrated by his failure, Jonah finally lets readers know how he really feels:

"All my life I've been interested in only one thing: making money! And yet, Spider-Man risks his life day after day with no thought of reward. If a man like him is good [...] then what am I? I can never respect myself while he lives! [...] But I can never climb to his level! So all that remains for me is to try to tear him down".

J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man have turned into friends

More recently, some Spider-Man stories have turned the ever-iconic rivalry into a friendship. In Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) #6, Jonah and the wall-crawler vigorously argue about why they can't stand each other. However, the conversation quickly takes a turn when the reporter decides to stop the fight and, instead, reveals how their enmity is all he has left after the passing of his wife and daughter.

In a big moment of sympathy (and taking a leap of faith), Spider-Man takes off his mask and reveals his true identity. Learning that Peter Parker is the friendly neighborhood hero, J. Jonah Jameson's character takes a 180 turn and starts supporting the man he once tried to take down for so many years. Their friendship grew so strong that now villains kidnap the Daily Bugle publisher in an attempt to get leverage on Spider-Man (such as Chasm did in the Dark Web comic book storyline, to give a recent example).

All things considered, there is admiration and respect behind the iconic rivalry we all know and love. And who knows? Maybe we'll see that story adapted on the big screen someday.