John Jameson (comics)

John Jameson

John Jameson.
Art by John Romita Jr.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Mar 1963)
Created by John Jameson:
Stan Lee (writer)
Steve Ditko (artist)
Man-Wolf
Gerry Conway
In-story information
Alter ego John Jonah Jameson III
Supporting character of Spider-Man
She-Hulk
Fantastic Four
Captain America
Notable aliases Colonel Jupiter, Man-Wolf, Stargod
Abilities Skilled pilot and astronaut
Experienced hand-to-hand combatant
Use of various weapons
(As Man-Wolf):
Superhuman strength, speed, agility and durability
Enhanced senses
Accelerated healing factor
Large razor sharp claws and teeth
(As Stargod):
Vast superhuman strength
High-level durability
Cosmic and telepathic powers
Wears scale mail armor
Use of a broadsword, dagger, short bow and arrows

John Jonah Jameson III (also known by the aliases Colonel Jupiter, Man-Wolf, and Stargod) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

John Jameson debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.[1] This first story introduces the character as a prominent astronaut.

During his lengthy stint on The Amazing Spider-Man during the 1970s, writer Gerry Conway had Jameson turned into a werewolf, with the new alias "Man-Wolf". Conway explained:

I'd wanted to do something with [John Jameson] for a long time. I felt like he was a character who'd gotten lost over the years. Also, at this point, it's 1973, John Jameson is an astronaut, and we've been to the moon, so I asked myself, "What would we do with that in Spider-Man's world?" And that was how it played out. It also added another layer of tension to Spider-Man's relationship with J. Jonah Jameson. As a writer, you always want to find a way to increase the pressure on the main character, to increase the involvement of other characters with that character. Consequently, anything that could make Jonah's hatred of Spider-Man more intense and at the same time more understandable was a useful device dramatically.[2]

As the Man-Wolf, Jameson was the lead feature in Creatures on the Loose #30 (July 1974) to #37 (Sept. 1975).[3]

Fictional character biography

John Jonah Jameson III was born in New York City. He is the son of J. Jonah Jameson, the irascible, gruff publisher of the Daily Bugle. Jonah is immensely proud of his son, whom he sees as a true hero. Initially an astronaut, he was first seen being saved by Spider-Man when his craft malfunctioned on re-entry,[1] something that did nothing to endear the wall-crawler to his father, who resents Spider-Man's form of heroism.[4]

On a later mission, Jameson was infected with spores that gave him super-strength, but strained his body and mind. He was forced to wear a strength-restraining "Jupiter suit" and battled Spider-Man at his father's urging before recovering and calling himself Colonel Jupiter. His father convinced him to go after Spider-Man, who had been seen apparently robbing a bank. The web-slinger outsmarted him, and Jonah soon learned that Spider-Man was saving the bank from a bomb. However, John didn't care about the misunderstanding; he was really out for revenge. Spider-Man managed to neutralize the spores with electricity, returning Jameson to normal.[5][6]

While he was on the moon, Jameson found the mystical Godstone, an other-dimensional ruby. The jewel grafted itself to his throat and extended tendrils through his body. Moonlight activated the gem, which transformed him into the lycanthropic Man-Wolf,[7] and he fought Spider-Man in this bestial form.[8] The ruby was removed by Spider-Man.[9] Some time after that, the ruby was reattached to John by Morbius, the Living Vampire[10] who used the Man-Wolf as a pawn so Morbius could find a cure for himself. Man-Wolf was again thwarted by Spider-Man.[11]

Later, he was transported to the dimension known as Other Realm, from which the ruby originated and the source of the radiation that transforms John into the Man-Wolf. It was revealed that the ruby was created by the dying Stargod to pass on his powers. While on Earth Jameson could only partially transform, resulting in his berserk behavior. While in the Other Realm he could fully transform, resulting in retention of his human consciousness while in lupine form. He took up the mantle of Stargod, and acted as champion of the Other Realm, and gained new powers such as telepathy and energy manipulation. He fought his foes with a sword, dagger, and longbow in this incarnation.[12] Afterward, he opted to return to Earth, resulting in him losing the ability to fully transform, and the loss of all memories of being the Stargod. He later allowed himself to be subjected to a procedure that removed the ruby, restoring normalcy for some time.[13][14]

Jameson became the pilot of Captain America's personal Quinjet for a period, using the call-sign "Skywolf". During this time, he was temporarily transformed into Man-Wolf by Dredmond Druid, who wanted the power of the Stargod. Jameson left Captain America's employ due to his attraction to Cap's then girlfriend, Diamondback.

Jameson remains friends with Spider-Man and often tries to convince his father to "let up on him." He spent some time as Ravencroft Head of Security and briefly dated its director Dr. Ashley Kafka. Both John and Ashley were fired by a director angry about the escape of the Chameleon and his subsequent wounding by Kraven the Hunter II. Via hypnotherapy, Kafka helped discover that Jack O'Lantern had caused him to attack his hospitalized father. This therapy also briefly unleashed John's Man-Wolf aspect before Ashley was able to help John suppress his changes once more.

During the Civil War storyline, John helped Captain America while the latter was in hiding. He was assisting She-Hulk in locating and signing up unregistered superheroes. John has also been registered as the Man-Wolf under the Superhuman Registration Act. During this time, the villain Stegron temporarily transformed him into the Man-Wolf again, as a side-effect of his latest mad scheme, to devolve the entire population of New York City. He attacked Mary Jane and Aunt May in the Avengers Tower, but was subdued by Tony Stark's Guardsmen before he could harm them.[15] Reed Richards subsequently cured him of this form.[16]

John had been dating She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) and the two had been living together for some time along with She-Hulk's coworker, Augustus Pugliese.[17] Eventually they eloped in Las Vegas.[18] However, John was forced into becoming the Man-Wolf once more after being injected by a mysterious substance. After a brief rampage, John stopped fighting his situation and became the Stargod again. He now retains his intelligence while in Man-Wolf form, has the Stargod's powers, and apparently can switch between human and lupine forms. His current superhuman status can be defined in his own words as "I am a god" and is supported by a battle with a clone of the Mad Titan Thanos in which he held his own. However, John does not want to be the Stargod because he feels that having powers makes him arrogant and savage. She-Hulk and Stargod separated after she discovered that her feelings for John were influenced prior to their marriage by her former Avengers teammate, Starfox, and when she learned that John had hoped to convince her to give up her powers permanently. Dejected, Stargod sought adventure in outer space, before finally returning to Earth. He resumed his human form and tried to reconcile with Jennifer, but when she rejected him again, John realized their relationship was truly over and he signed the legal papers annulling their marriage.

When it came to John Jameson's next mission into space, Alistair Smythe, Scorpion, and a new villain named Fly-Girl attack the launch site with an army of cyborg minions (each one wanting revenge on J. Jonah Jameson) where they sabotaged the launch and hold John Jameson for ransom.[19] John was saved.

Soon after, John Jameson was attacked on the Apogee 1 Space Station by co-workers mind-controlled by Doctor Octopus, who wanted to take control of the station. With the help of Spider-Man and the Human Torch, he was able to save the day and the station safely crashed into the ocean, its employees alive and well.[20]

Powers and abilities

Jameson is a skilled pilot and astronaut and is experienced in hand-to-hand combat and a variety of weapons.

While Jameson was doing search and rescue missions in the Middle East, the American military discovered that another Godstone had grown within his body, the original having altered his physiology to the point that he now spawns replacement gems.[21] When the new Godstone is ripped out and crushed by Carnage, another immediately appears and heals Jameson.[22]

As the Man-Wolf

Jameson possessed superhuman strength, agility, speed and durability, an accelerated healing factor and heightened senses. He also has large razor sharp teeth and claws to use as weapons once transformed. The Man-Wolf's strength and degree of intelligence varied according to the phases of the moon. Jameson did not retain his personality or intelligence while in Man-Wolf form. He was not a traditional werewolf and was invulnerable to silver.

As Stargod

While in the Other Realm, Jameson possessed both his human intellect and the Man-Wolf's body, as well as vast superhuman strength, a high degree of durability, and cosmic and telepathic powers, the full extent of which is yet unrevealed. He wears scale mail armor and uses a broadsword, dagger, short bow, and arrows.

Other versions

Earth X

On Earth X, John Jameson lives on the moon and is the father of Jay Jameson. He first appeared in Earth X #0.

House of M

In the House of M universe, John Jameson was part of the project that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. Jameson is in the spacecraft along with Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, and Susan Storm. Instead of transforming into the Torch, he died along with Richards and Sue, leaving only Ben alive in the form of the Thing but calling himself The It.

MC2

In the alternative universe MC2, John Jameson married Dr. Ashley Kafka and they had a son, Jack. Jack became the costumed adventurer known as The Buzz.

newuniversal

In the alternate world of newuniversal, Lieutenant General John Jameson is assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Thad Ross, and is involved in arranging an airstrike to kill Ken Connell. The attempt is unsuccessful.[23]

What If?

In "What If the Radioactive Spider Had Bitten Someone Else?", John Jameson is one of three candidates - along with Betty Brant and Flash Thompson - who is bitten by the radioactive spider which gave Spider-Man his powers. Equipped with a rocket pack, and upon his father's relentless prompting for the sake of his paper's publicity, John begins to fight crime as "Spider Jameson". However, when he attempts to save an astronaut from his crashing capsule (the same situation from which he was saved by Spider-Man in mainstream continuity), his rocket pack runs out of fuel, but Jameson heroically sacrifices his life by using his own body to cushion the capsule's impact. The death of his son makes Jonah Jameson re-think his relentless attitudes, and he subsequently dedicates the Daily Bugle to the promotion of superheroes, not their persecution.[24]

In other media

Television

Man-Wolf battling Spider-Man in Spider-Man Unlimited.

Film

References

  1. 1 2 Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1960s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. Dorling Kindersley. p. 18. ISBN 978-0756692360. [The Amazing Spider-Man #1] introduced readers to The Daily Bugle publisher and anti-Spider-Man activist J. Jonah Jameson, as Spidey saved his astronaut son, John, from a space mission gone awry.
  2. ↑ Williams, Scott E. (October 2010). "Gerry Conway: Everything but the Gwen Stacy Sink". Back Issue!. TwoMorrows Publishing (44): 10.
  3. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 75: "Man-Wolf was awarded his own regular spotlight in the ongoing title Creatures on the Loose...Man-Wolf's adventures became the focus of this title until its conclusion with issue #37."
  4. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963)
  5. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #41-42
  6. ↑ Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 37: "Spider-Man tangled with a powered-up John Jameson, driven half-mad by contact with spores encountered on a space walk."
  7. ↑ Conway, Gerry (w), Kane, Gil (p), Romita, Sr., John; Mortellaro, Tony (i). "The Mark of the Man-Wolf" The Amazing Spider-Man 124 (September 1973)
  8. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 70: "The Man-Wolf, a major new threat to Spider-Man and his supporting cast, was introduced in a two-part tale that saw the werewolf terrorize J. Jonah Jameson."
  9. ↑ Conway, Gerry (w), Andru, Ross (p), Romita, Sr., John; Mortellaro, Tony (i). "Wolfhunt!" The Amazing Spider-Man 125 (October 1973)
  10. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 73: "Morbius had reunited John Jameson with his moonstone necklace, causing John to revert to his horrific Man-Wolf form."
  11. ↑ Conway, Gerry (w), Kane, Gil (p), Esposito, Mike (i). "Chapter 1: Man-Wolf at Midnight!/Chapter 2: Duel of the Demon Duo!/Chapter 3: When Strikes the Vampire!" Giant-Size Super-Heroes 1 (June 1974)
  12. ↑ Creatures on the Loose #30-37; Marvel Premiere #45-46, The Savage She-Hulk 13-14.
  13. ↑ Kraft, David Anthony (w), Sherman, James; Weiss, Alan (p), Mitchell, Steve (i). "Dark Side of the Moon" The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 3 (1981)
  14. ↑ Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 121: "With the help of Dr. Curt Connors and Spider-Man, John was cured of his condition, seemingly forever."
  15. ↑ Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2 #25
  16. ↑ Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2 #27
  17. ↑ She-Hulk #8 (2005)
  18. ↑ She-Hulk #9 (2005)
  19. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #652
  20. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #680-681
  21. ↑ Gerry Conway (w), Mike Perkins (p), Mike Perkins (i), Andy Troy (col), VC's Joe Sabino (let), Nick Lowe (ed). "The One That Got Away, Part Three" Carnage v2, #3 (30 December 2015), United States: Marvel Comics
  22. ↑ Gerry Conway (w), Mike Perkins (p), Mike Perkins (i), Andy Troy (col), VC's Joe Sabino (let), Nick Lowe (ed). "The One That Got Away, Part Five" Carnage v2, #5 (17 January 2016), United States: Marvel Comics
  23. ↑ Warren Ellis (w), Salvador Larroca (a). "Mystery" newuniversal 5 (2007), Marvel Comics
  24. ↑ What If? Vol. 1 #7
  25. ↑ "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Friday, April 25, 2008". Comicscontinuum.com. 2008-04-25. Retrieved 2011-01-12.

External links

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