Spider-Man: Homecoming: 8 Things It Must Learn From The Sam Raimi Originals
6. J. Jonah Jameson Serves An Important Narrative Function
The absence of J. Jonah Jameson from The Amazing Spider-Man films was fairly glaring, although it's difficult to blame director Marc Webb for sitting him out given the calibre of J.K. Simmons portrayal in Raimi's trilogy and the esteem with which that performance is held. Now, however, it's been long enough - it's time for him to return.
In Raimi's Spider-Man, Jameson initially rejects and frequently debases Peter's pictures, despite the fact they're perfect, underpaying him while in the same breath using them on the front page of the Bugle. This is so important, ensuring that no matter how far he's come as a superhero, we never lose perspective of Peter as a regular person with typical problems, especially with Jonah's repeated insistence that Spider-Man is "a menace".
Cleverly, Raimi also uses Jameson in order to get Peter where he needs to be for narrative purposes: he's taking pictures at the city parade when it's attacked by the Green Goblin and he's working at the Planetarium when he sees Mary Jane is dating Jameson's son. No there's a way to get out of narrative contrivance.
Jameson is an important character, a great way of humanising Peter while also giving him something to do outside of high school, so obviously should appearing in Homecoming.