As Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s release gets closer on the 2026 movie schedule, J.K. Simmons is going viral for his recent run-in with the hero at a baseball game. While the J. Jonah Jameson actor didn’t react quite as strongly as his fictional counterpart might have to seeing the webslinger, his reaction was perfection.
Simmons was seen at a New York Mets game on the Jumbotron, with a familiar Marvel superhero hanging out just behind him. I feel reasonably safe in assuming it wasn’t Tom Holland in costume behind him, but I loved the moment all the same. Check it out:
“He’s a menace … I WANT SPIDER-MAN!”J.K. Simmons is at the Mets game tonight and ran into a familiar face 😂 pic.twitter.com/rbxjd1Zm5eMay 27, 2026
Isn’t that the best? Of course, Simmons wasn’t going to blow a fuse like the real Jameson would’ve done if the real Spider-Man was just hanging out behind him, but the closed fist wave was all he needed to effectively sell the moment.
Of course, J. Jonah Jameson’s feud with Spider-Man hasn’t been quite as substantial in the MCU, as Tom Holland admitted he still has yet to meet Simmons in person. Sam Raimi’s films, the comics, and, of course, the animated shows available with a Disney+ subscription did a lot of the heavy lifting in making this moment so great for Mets fans who know Jameson despises the webslinger.
At the moment, we don’t know if J.K. Simmons will return as Jameson in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but I hope he does. Back when he was head of The Daily Bugle, Peter Parker was able to get a job as a photographer taking photos of Spider-Man. Is there an opening for Parker to work for Jameson at his new outlet, maybe providing GoPro footage or something of that nature?
There is an opening for Parker to get a new mentor or confidant, with Iron Man out of the picture and Jon Favreau confirming Happy won’t be a part of the story. Honestly, I’d love the subversion of expectation if J. Jonah Jameson ended up being a great friend to Peter Parker. However, something tells me that no matter the universe, those two will always have a tense relationship.
Relationships seem to be a key point of interest in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Peter adapts to a new life in which everyone has forgotten he existed. MJ and Ned have forgotten their shared ride-or-die friendships and past adventures, and I’m curious how Peter has coped with that while still fulfilling his duties as Spider-Man. Of course, there’s no shortage of action either, as we’ve seen in clips.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will swing into theaters on July 31. I’m excited to see how this adventure shakes out, especially with Avengers: Doomsday coming up after. However, right now, I’m living for the shenanigans the webslinger is getting into at the baseball park.