J. Jonah Jameson and The Daily Bugle have been responsible for a couple of Spider-Man villains, and four of them can fight the web-slinger soon.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man’s story isn’t over, and he’s coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a fourth solo movie, currently referred to simply as Spider-Man 4, and while plot and character details are still unknown, The Daily Bugle’s presence is already setting up four potential villains. The events of Spider-Man: No Way Home left the door wide open for a variety of stories now that Peter Parker is all alone and starting over, and they have also made way for speculation on who the villain will be this time, especially after Venom left a piece of itself in the MCU in the mid-credits scene.
However, there’s another character whose presence is setting up a couple of villains: The Daily Bugle. J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) and The Daily Bugle were officially introduced in the MCU in Spider-Man: Far From Home, though the latter as an online news outlet. Now that no one knows or remembers Peter Parker, Jameson is now focused on uncovering Spider-Man’s identity, and this new mission can make way for four interesting villains who can take the spotlight in Spider-Man 4.
John Jameson a.k.a. Man Wolf & Colonel Jupiter
In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, J. Jonah Jameson’s son, John Jonah Jameson III, was introduced, but he was nothing more than a minor character added to be an obstacle in Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter’s (Tobey Maguire) relationship – but the MCU can fix that and give him an actual role in the story. In the comics, John is an astronaut, and he was first seen when Spider-Man saved him when his craft malfunctioned on re-entry. On a different mission, John was infected with spores that granted him superstrength but strained his body and mind, so he was forced to wear a strength-restraining Jupiter suit, taking the name Colonel Jupiter. John was convinced by his father to go after Spider-Man, who was believed to be robbing a bank, but he was actually saving it from a bomb. Spider-Man eventually managed to neutralize the spores and Jameson returned to normal… but Colonel Jupiter wasn’t his only transformation.
While on the moon, John found the other-dimensional ruby Godstone, which when activated by the moonlight, transformed him into Man-Wolf. John fought Spider-Man as Man-Wolf on different occasions, and as the MCU now has Werewolf by Night, their origins and condition could be linked, making the latter really feel like part of this universe. Perhaps Colonel Jupiter would be the best way to make John part of the MCU and make him Spider-Man’s enemy, and the influence and manipulation of his father can turn him into a complex character.
Mac Gargan/Scorpion
While John Jameson can be easily introduced in the MCU thanks to his father, J. Jonah Jameson is also responsible for one villain who is already part of the MCU: Scorpion. Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) was introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming as a criminal who almost made a deal with Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) but was stopped by Spider-Man and sent to prison. In the comics, Gargan was a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to find out how Peter gets those amazing pictures of Spider-Man. Jameson later used Gargan as the subject of a shady test that left him with an unremovable scorpion-like armor, predatory instincts, and drove him insane.
The mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming teased Gargan’s revenge against Spider-Man, and it’s time for the MCU to pay off this tease. Gargan can be brought back in Spider-Man 4 by having Jameson hire him to uncover Spider-Man’s identity, though the experiment part of his story might or might not be included. If Gargan returns in Spider-Man 4, he could also bond with the Venom symbiote that is now living in the MCU, just like he did in the comics at some point.
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Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a mercenary, hunter of war criminals, leader of the mercenary team known as the Wild Pack, and owner of Silver Sable International. After her mother’s murder by enemies of her father, Silver was trained by her father to become a Nazi-hunting mercenary, and took over the Wild Pack after her father’s death. In the comics, Spider-Man was once accused of murder, and Jameson saw the chance to finally stop the web-slinger and hired Silver Sable and her Wild Pack to catch Spider-Man and bring him to justice. Silver Sable was supposed to get a movie along with Black Cat as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, but the project was canceled, and if she’s really going to star in her own TV series as has been rumored, she could make an appearance in Spider-Man 4 as an antagonist after Jameson hires her to uncover Spider-Man’s identity.
Kingpin
Another villain who is already part of the MCU is Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), who was officially brought back in the TV series Hawkeye – and as it turns out, he and J. Jonah Jameson have a history in the comics. In Kingpin’s first comic book appearance, he tried to form a coalition of New York’s crime families after hearing that Spider-Man disappeared, but Jameson had been reporting on Kingpin’s criminal activities, so he ordered Jameson’s abduction. Luckily for Jameson, Spider-Man returned and rescued The Daily Bugle’s leader, making way for Spidey’s first encounter with Kingpin. With Fisk now an active character in the MCU and returning in the TV series Echo and Daredevil: Born Again, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jameson has been reporting on Kingpin’s activities for The Daily Bugle, making way for Kingpin to become the villain in Spider-Man 4.
Will Peter Parker Work At The Daily Bugle In Spider-Man 4?
The final spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home made the world forget Peter Parker, leaving him completely alone. At the end of the movie, Peter was seen moving into a small apartment, making a new Spider-Man costume, and listening to the police’s radio frequency in order to know where to go to fight crime. Peter will now need a job, and this is the perfect chance for the MCU to go back to basics by having Peter work at The Daily Bugle as a photographer. Even if Spider-Man 4 doesn’t see Peter joining The Daily Bugle, this news outlet and J. Jonah Jameson are already big presences in the MCU and the latter is now determined to find out who Spider-Man is, which is enough for both to be a big part of Peter’s life from now on.
