The J. Jonah Jameson Theory That Connects Spider-Man: No Way Home To WandaVision

Director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy certainly left its mark on the cinema world, specifically in terms of the superhero genre's public perception. Sure these films were colorful, campy, and downright unbelievable at times, but one couldn't help but get sucked into their stories and the characters at their core. They helped show the world that comic book-based flicks could make some serious cash at the box office and send all audiences home happy. Not to mention, they gave Marvel Comics fans one of the greatest live-action castings to date: J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson.

The cigar-chomping, desk-pounding head of the Daily Bugle newspaper played a minor role in all three "Spider-Man" installments, yet fans couldn't get enough of Simmons' performance. It was as if the longtime Spider-Man foe had jumped from the page right onto the big screen, making it even harder to say goodbye to the character once Raimi's series ended. Thankfully though, to the surprise of everyone, Simmons returned to the JJJ role for "Spider-Man: Far From Home," albeit with some minor tweaks. This time around, he's the Marvel Cinematic Universe's resident loud-mouthed talk show host, and he made quite the splash in his franchise debut.

In his first MCU appearance, J. Jonah Jameson outed Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as Spider-Man and framed him for the death of the public hero Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). With December 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" devoting some time to Peter's quest to clear his name, it should come as no surprise that Jameson will factor into the plot somehow. Although, his presence may hint at more than just his desire to take down the web-head for good.

According to one fan theory, J. Jonah Jameson may connect to a concept introduced by Disney+'s "WandaVision" — tying the show directly to "No Way Home." Here's how. 

As "WandaVision" went from an off-kilter love letter to classic sitcoms to a universe-redefining tale of love, loss, and magic, it introduced a few world-shattering concepts to the MCU. One of which is that of Nexus Beings, who are among the most powerful entities in all of time and space. They are constant across all timelines and serve as anchors in their respective realities, thus granting them the ability to alter the course of their universe with relative ease. The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is one such individual, and some believe that J. Jonah Jameson is as well.

So, what kind of evidence is there to back up this theory? For one, it's no mere coincidence that both the Raimi and MCU versions of Jameson look exactly the same and have drummed up feuds with their respective Spider-Men out of the blue. Of course, there's also the fact that the "new" JJJ's choice to call out Spider-Man publicly will lead Spidey and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to send the multiverse into disarray in "No Way Home" — changing the course of the MCU for good as only a Nexus Being can.

When it comes to reactions to this idea, we're looking at a mixed bag. "That's why he said Dr Strange already existed in Spiderman 2, he forgot what universe he was in," wrote Redditor CilanEAmber, pointing to a throwaway line from 2004's "Spider-Man 2" that unintentionally drives this point home. At the same time, not every Marvel fan is convinced of Jameson's significance to the Sacred Timeline. "He's a variant .. just like president Loki and Loki both look the same but are from different universes," posits BreathingCorpse252, with Solarpowered-Couch adding, "Nah, this is a variant that developed baldness." 

To this day, J.K. Simmons' rendition of J. Jonah Jameson remains one of the most spot-on casting decisions in history. Whether his updated version of the character is a Nexus Being or not, it's still great to see him back at the movies.