The Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of slowing down, with the studio consistently putting out new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies are fan favorites, with folks hyped for Brand New Day to hit theaters this July. Although I am gobsmacked that J.K. Simmons has never met Holland, despite appearing in two films (so far) as J. Jonah Jameson.
After famously playing JJJ in the Tobey Maguire films, fans were shocked when Simmons reprised that role during Far From Home's twist ending. In a clip from the Happy Sad Confused podcast's Instagram, the Whiplash actor revealed how last-minute that cameo was. In his words:
In the third iteration, when that came along to do a sort of cameo reprieve, that was a complete shock and a very last-minute decision. Which I still think is why JJJ doesn't have hair in the Tom Holland Spider-Man universe. Because like they literally call my agent, we had a meeting the next day, and it was like a day or two later I was shooting in somebody's office.
How wild is that? While the fandom was shook when J. Jonah Jameson showed up, it sounds like J.K. Simmons was similarly caught off guard. He filmed his brief role after primary photography had wrapped, and the movie was in the midst of being edited. So there was no time to get the 71-year-old actor fitted for a wig, resulting in the character being bald in the MCU. He went on to share how quick and dirty his shoot for Spider-Man: Far From Home was, saying:
Some executive's office on the lot because there was not set. They were well into editing the film when they went 'What if we stuck a little JJ in here?'
Of course, fans know that he would go on to reprise the character in a more significant role for No Way Home. Despite this, he still hasn't met Tom Holland, as the pair of actors haven't actually shared any scenes together. Simmons went on to joke about this, saying:
I've not met Tom Holland. Delightful guy, I'm told.
This shows just how unique the movie industry is. Because despite being in two movies together, J.K. Simmons and Tom Holland still haven't actually crossed paths. We'll just have to wait and see if this changes with any upcoming Marvel movies.
Now, I'm very curious to see if J. Jonah Jameson ends up appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will hit theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. That's because, while he's presumably still working for the Daily Bugle, Doctor Strange's spell at the end of No Way Home erased Peter Parker from his memory.
