Spider-Man’s Day Job Was Actually Illegal

It’s no secret that Peter Parker takes his responsibilities as Spider-Man seriously. However, while swinging through the streets of New York and protecting innocent lives is heroic, it doesn’t exactly pay the bills. As a result, creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko came up with a clever solution not too long after Spider-Man’s very first issue: Parker would take pictures of himself as Spider-Man, and then sell them to the Daily Bugle newspaper to make some cash. While taking pictures for the Bugle’s editor J. Jonah Jameson was Peter’s most consistent day job (especially in his younger years), the legality of the work itself is questionable. This came back to bite Spidey after Jameson learned Spider-Man’s true identity along with the rest of the world during Marvel’s first Civil War, leading to the Daily Bugle filing a lawsuit against Peter Parker.

The main conflict of Mark Millar’s Civil War story was over the US Government’s creation of the Superhuman Registration Act, which created legislation requiring all active superheroes to surrender their identities to the government. This effectively tore the superhero community in two, leading to Iron Man heading the Pro-Registration movement, while Captain America fought back to defend his and his fellow heroes’ personal freedoms. However, one of the biggest reveals in the second issue was Spider-Man coming forward and revealing his identity to the public, showing his support for the SRA. This was a huge moment in Marvel Comics, considering all of the great lengths Parker had taken over the years to hide his identity for the sake of protecting his loved ones. One of the individuals most impacted in response to this reveal was JJJ himself.

Jameson’s immense hatred for Spider-Man was always in stark contrast to his begrudging affection and respect for Peter Parker. Learning that Parker was the one underneath the mask he hated so much translated to the ultimate betrayal for Jameson. JJJ confesses that he saw Parker as a son, even buying his pictures when they weren’t that great in order to make sure Peter could get by. Jonah admits that while Spider-Man was always a thorn in his side, Parker was the one who truly succeeded in hurting the editor in chief. As a result, Jameson endeavors to make sure that there’s a price to pay, beginning with a massive lawsuit from The Daily Bugle against Peter Parker.

While five million dollars is certainly a large amount, Jameson’s lawsuit is justified. Peter selling photos of himself while claiming otherwise is technically a misrepresentation of the truth and fraudulent. There’s no doubt that Jameson would have had the law on his side, had Peter’s identity been revealed at any other time and under different circumstances that didn’t involve Spider-Man siding with the government. By agreeing to unmask and register, Spider-Man was granted amnesty for any actions he took to protect his secret identity, which essentially nullified any legal recourse Jameson could have taken.

Thankfully, Peter never had to pay the five million dollar demand, and Jameson was convinced to drop it over time, eventually recognizing the futility. However, it’s safe to say that Spider-Man revealing his secret identity in Civil War was one of the lowest points ever in Jonah and Peter’s tumultuous relationship. Things didn’t get much better for a long time, even after Spider-Man’s identity reveal was effectively reversed after Civil War. Thankfully, Peter did eventually reveal his identity to Jameson in a more personal one-on-one setting, which was received much better and led to Jameson actually supporting Spider-Man more than he ever had. Peter has always been a conflicted person, so it’s interesting to reflect that the majority of his superhero career was founded on a day job that broke journalistic ethics, threatened the livelihood of several people, and definitely broke the law.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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