Like it or not, but it’s probably fair to say that Marvel’s biggest appeal these days is as a cameo engine. Just look at the most successful MCU movies of recent years, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine — both crossed billion-dollar hauls at the box office thanks to all the intense interest folks had in seeing which familiar faces would come back and which wouldn’t. So it’s no surprise to hear that Spider-Man 4 might just be repeating the trick.
Or, you know, maybe it isn’t. A certain Marvel legend who’s been knocking around the multiverse for 23 years and counting at this stage was asked point-blank in a new interview whether he will show up in Tom Holland’s next outing as the wallcrawler, and he gave practically the best response he could when it comes to pleading the fifth. Even so, the little he did say has got fans wondering if he has something to hide.
The legend in question is none other than J. Jonah Jameson himself, J.K. Simmons. When asked if he’s back as the Daily Bugle blowhard once more for Spider-Man 4, Simmons replied simply, “No spoilers. Sorry, I’m not telling!” That’s all well and good, J.K., but it still kinda sounds like you’ve got something to spoil in the first place…
How much Marvel actors should and shouldn’t say about their upcoming movies is a difficult game, and every MCU star plays it differently — from Holland and Mark Ruffalo’s famously loose lips to the magnificent duplicity of Andrew Garfield swearing upon his mother’s life that he wasn’t in No Way Home and all evidence to the contrary that had leaked online was photoshopped. It takes a special sort to commit to this level of lying, though, so Simmons’ “I ain’t saying nothin’ to nobody!” approach is a strong alternative.
After two back-to-back walk-on parts in both Far From Home and No Way Home, it probably wouldn’t be too much of a spoiler if we did find out Jameson was back for Spidey 4, anyway. What would be a nice surprise is if he actually had something interesting to do this time around. Could Peter finally get a job with the Bugle now that no one knows who he is following the tragic ending of the last film? It’s bizarre that Simmons has been in the MCU for two films and he hasn’t had a meaningful interaction with Spidey and/or Peter yet — and his last film had three Peters in it!
There’s a worthwhile debate to be had over whether Spider-Man 4 should attempt to recreate the crossover party atmosphere of NWH or if it should get back to the more character-driven storytelling of Homecoming (and maybe even the original Sam Raimi films), but it’s hard not to argue that the former would be its best route to success amid the current cinematic climate. Simmons might be the first potential cameo we’re hearing about for the upcoming production — which starts shooting in the U.K. later this year — but he’s almost certainly not the last.
