One Iconic Spider-Man Actor Just Confirmed He Won’t Return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day seems to be packed with returning Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, including Bruce Banner, Frank Castle, MJ, Ned, and even Michael Mando reprising his role as Scorpion almost a decade after that Homecoming post-credits scene. But there is one icon of the Spider-Man universe that has confirmed he will not be returning despite a two-decade history in the franchise.

Since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, J.K. Simmons has been the definitive live-action J. Jonah Jameson. After skipping Andrew Garfield’s movies, Simmons made an unexpected return in Spider-Man: Far from Home in 2019. With the character established in the MCU, it seemed that any new Spider-Man film would naturally bring back the cigar-chomping newsman to bellow about New York’s webslinger. It looks like anyone expecting that, though, will be disappointed with news from the man himself.

Simmons confirmed in a new interview with ComicBook that he will not be reprising his role this time around. Asked about a possible return as Jameson while promoting his new MGM+ series The Westies, Simmons left no room for doubt, saying, “Not in it, dude. I don’t know who on the internet decided that that was fact, but I ain’t in it.”

J.K. Simmons Made J. Jonah Jameson His Own

Simmons first made the role his own in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, beginning with 2002’s Spider-Man, delivering a version of the Daily Bugle editor so perfect that it became almost impossible to picture anyone else in the part. When Marvel Studios wanted to bring Jameson into the MCU, they made the very wise decision to bring back Simmons as a slightly altered version of the character – understandable as this is a different universe to the one Maguire’s movies took place in.

He returned to torment Peter Parker again in Spider-Man: No Way Home, playing a part in outing Spidey’s identity to the world – following on directly from the closing moments of Far from Home – before the film’s memory-wiping finale. The back-to-back appearances seemed to suggest that Jameson was back for good, so many had already assumed he would have a role to play in Brand New Day.

Scoopers online have been throwing out “confirmed” rumors of what Jameson’s role would be in the movie, and it did not seem far-fetched for it all to be true. How Jameson would just vanish from Spider-Man’s world is unclear, but it has been five years since No Way Home and time has been passing for Peter Parker and the characters of the MCU as well. This could simply mean that Jameson has moved on to pastures new. Perhaps the movie will still have a passing mention to him.

There are Still More Chances for J. Jonah Jameson to Torment Spider-Man in the MCU

We will possibly never know exactly why Simmons is not returning this time around, but there are several factors that could have played a part. Jameson in the MCU has never been as prominent a character as he was in the Raimi movies. With the movie already pushing two-and-a-half hours, there may not have been time to incorporate the character in any meaningful way. Simmons himself is also quite busy right now with several new projects at various stages of production, and that could mean clashes in schedule just didn’t allow him to join the movie.

Simmons ruling himself out of this film doesn’t necessarily mean his days as Jameson are over. With Brand New Day tracking to become one of the biggest box office hits of the year, two all-encompassing Avengers movies on the horizon, and a new rumor that Spider-Man 5 is already being planned for the early stages of the post-Secret Wars era, Jameson could be berating Tom Holland’s hero again in the future.

For now, though, Brand New Day is not going to suffer for Jameson’s absence. There seems to be plenty going on in the movie to keep everyone glued to the screen in just a few weeks’ time. Peter’s mutating body, the return of a Hulk that is out to smash, Frank Castle aka Punisher’s first MCU movie appearance, and the reveal of Sadie Sink’s mystery character are just some of the highlights. Fans are already set to make Spider-Man: Brand New Day one of the MCU’s biggest movies when it opens in UK cinemas on July 29, and in the US on July 31.

(featured image: Sony Pictures)

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