Marvel's Latest Spider-Man Finally Lets J. Jonah Jameson Become a Wall-Crawler (2024)

The Marvel multiverse has opened the doors to countless variants of characters like Spider-Man, giving plenty of other characters the chance to don the mask. This has resulted in plenty of fun (and occasionally frightening) takes on the character. One of the latest Spider-Man variants also happens to be one of the most unexpected.

The story "The Spider-Reporter of Earth-1755" from Edge of Spider-Verse #4 (by Daniel Kibblesmith, Chriscross, Andrew Dalhouse, and VC's Joe Caramagna) introduces a new take on Spider-Man that turns one of his oldest enemies into the Wall-Crawler. Instead of being the loudest critic of the masked hero, the J. Jonah Jameson of this timeline becomes the Spider-Hero known as Headline. This fun development should definitely be revisited in future stories.

RELATED: The Spider-Verse’s Next Breakout Hero Just Introduced an Entirely New Marvel Universe

How One J. Jonah Jameson Became His Timeline's Spider-Man

Earth-1755 is the home to Headline, a variant of Spider-Man who isn't secretly Peter Parker, but rather J. Jonah Jameson. In this timeline, Peter Parker was already an aspiring photographer, and working as an intern for J. Jonah Jameson when they visited a lab run by Curt Conners. Still reeling from the accidental death of his son John during an experimental rocket launch — caused by this timeline's Shocker at the behest of the Starroxx company — Jonah was bitten by the radioactive spider and granted amazing abilities.

Using his newfound powers — as well as Parker's skills as a costume maker and tech expert — Jonah created a masked identity as Headline to investigate Starroxx and their role in the "accident" that resulted in John's death. Quickly defeating the Shocker but inspired both by his son's memory and the idea that with great power comes great accountability, Jameson spares the villain. However, he uses Shocker's confession to expose the Starroxx's crimes. The story ends with Headline poised to be his world's Spider-Hero, with Peter Parker serving as his assistant and "man in the chair." It's a very fun short story, with an older but optimistic J. Jonah Jameson becoming the very "menace" that countless other J. Jonah Jamesons would spend their lives decrying.

RELATED: The X-Men, Thor and She-Hulk Become Spider-Verse Heroes in New Variant Series

Why Headline Needs To Return In Future Spider-Verse Stories

The idea of J. Jonah Jameson being Spider-Man is an inherently fun concept, since Jameson has been defined by his antagonism with the Wall-Crawling hero. That bitter history makes it surprising to see Jameson in any other form. Even his modern acceptance of Peter Parker's secret identity and eagerness to help him — a healthy development for both characters — came as a huge shock when it first happened. Seeing a variant of Jameson who's become Spider-Man is intriguing from the on-set. It also impacts the rest of Spider-Man's typical orbit in interesting ways.

Instead of being an early love interest to Spider-Man, Betty Brant works as a dedicated reporter, unknowingly relaying intel to Jonah on possible targets. Peter Parker's technical expertise comes in handy as Jonah's "man in the chair," a role he's quick to settle into. This twist cleverly moves Peter and Jonah's relationship closer to their snarky but unbreakable bond that defines their core-Marvel Universe connection. Jonah's age and experience makes him a more aggressive Spider-Man. However, his deeply held morals — a long-standing trait that keeps him from becoming too much of a villain — gives Jameson a compelling rendition of Spider-Man's core motivation. There's even the hint that Headline still needs to deal with Canon Events, a concept suggested by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Instead of losing his uncle, a paternal figure, or best friend, Headline carries on in the memory of his lost son. This gives Jameson's work with Peter and commitment to justice a bittersweet vibe that's fitting for his character.

Headline would shock his various Spider-Man variants from across the multiverse — especially since the other Spider-Heroes have to deal with their own J. Jonah Jamesons. Headline introduces a harsher yet heroic vibe to the Spider-Man mythos that would be well worth revisiting. It'd be interesting to see how this Jonah bounces off the rest of his world's hero community, how his rogues' gallery would form, and how the rest of his supporting cast could develop.