The MCU’s Daily Bugle Changes Are Creating Future Spider-Man Problems

To promote the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU version of The Daily Bugle now has a TikTok account, which creates some problems for the characters associated with it. The Daily Bugle was part of the Marvel universe before Spider-Man’s 1962 debut, but it quickly became an essential element of Peter Parker’s adventures when it showed up in the first issue of 1963’s The Amazing Spider-Man. The Daily Bugle has, unsurprisingly, been featured in most Spider-Man adaptations, occasionally reimagined to fit its respective universe’s sensibilities. Case in point: The MCU’s version, which may prove problematic in the universe’s Spider-Man stories.

With Uncle Ben’s death leaving Peter Parker and his Aunt May financially strapped, the former sought work in his high school years, ending up working as a photographer for The Daily Bugle. The Bugle’s publisher, J. Jonah Jameson, made Spider-Man the target of a near-perpetual smear campaign, which Peter ironically provided the photos for. Jameson and the Bugle were adapted to film perfectly in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, with Jameson being played by J.K. Simmons.

Simmons reprised his role, albeit an alternate universe version of his Raimi trilogy counterpart, in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The MCU iteration of The Daily Bugle now depicts what was once a legitimate news outlet as a sensationalist, conspiracy theory-peddling source of disinformation, in a similar vein to Alex Jones and InfoWars. At the end of the film, Jameson reveals to the world that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, setting the plot of No Way Home in motion. The Daily Bugle has recently opened an in-universe TikTok account for promotional purposes, including footage of Simmons’ Jameson and Angourie Rice’s Betty Brant. Having Brant work for the Bugle follows the comics, but creates problems, given Brant’s previous characterization and the reimagined Daily Bugle.

Betty Brant was one of Peter Parker’s first serious love interests in the Amazing Spider-Man comics, with the more experienced Brant meeting Parker when the latter began working for the Bugle. Along with Bugle Editor Robbie Robertson, she served as a voice of reason amidst Jameson’s often ludicrous behavior. Over time, Brant became a skilled journalist in her own right, with her endeavors being featured in major story arcs, such as Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.

Brant’s kindness and level-headedness were shown often in the Raimi Spider-Man films, and her MCU counterpart alludes to her eventual career in journalism by working at her school’s newspaper. The Daily Bugle’s TikTok page has her (humorously) designated as an unpaid intern at Jameson’s “news” outlet. For someone who should eventually have a career in legitimate journalism, this is a bad look for Brant, as it associates her with a conspiracy-laden website that spreads harmful misinformation.

No Way Home’s marketing likely didn’t take this into account when making The Daily Bugle’s TikTok page, however, and it was likely a simple oversight in a well-intentioned attempt to bring the MCU’s version of Brant closer to her comic counterpart. Moreover, this isn’t the first time that a Spider-Man movie has used in-universe The Daily Bugle social media accounts to promote itself. The Daily Bugle, notably had a Tumblr account to promote The Amazing Spider-Man 2. While affiliating Betty Brant with the MCU’s sensationalist version of The Daily Bugle may be problematic, the Bugle’s TikTok page is simply part of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s marketing campaign, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

About The Author

David Miller
(628 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

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