J. Jonah Jameson’s appearance in the mid-credits scenes of Spider-Man: Far From Home is very similar to Darth Maul’s cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The Marvel Cinematic Universe reached its peak with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, with Spider-Man: Far From Home closing Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga. Spider-Man: Far From Home followed Peter Parker to the other side of the world as he joined his classmates on a school trip, but little did he know there was a new type of villain waiting for him.
Meanwhile, in the Star Wars universe: in between Star Wars episodes there was another anthology film, titled Solo: A Star Wars Story. It followed a young Han Solo as he joined forces with a gang of smugglers, years before the events in A New Hope. Although Solo: A Star Wars Story and Spider-Man: Far From Home come from very different universes, their surprise cameos at the end are something they have in common, as well as the implications of these.
As noted by robthemind on Twitter, J. Jonah Jameson’s cameo in Spider-Man: Far From Home is the equivalent to Darth Maul’s in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and not just because both were a surprise to viewers, but because they showed up in similar ways. Both appearances marked the return of a classic character from their respective universes, played by the original actor (J.K Simmons and Ray Parker, respectively), and in a projection: J. Jonah Jameson showed up on a big screen, and Darth Maul as a hologram projection. These cameos hinted at a major villain presence (although not directly) in future films from each franchise, but it might not be like that anymore given the current status of their respective film series.
The end of the Disney/Sony deal was a big shake-up for the MCU and the Spider-Man trilogy, with J. Jonah Jameson’s involvement in the third film now unclear, and it would be very disappointing if he doesn’t show up at all. As for Darth Maul, it’s unlikely that he will appear in future films, mainly because the anthology series is now over after the performance (both with critics and at the box office) of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maul could still show up in one of the planned Star Wars TV series, but the impact might not be the same as if he appeared in another film, in a much bigger role than a cameo.
With everything going on with Spider-Man and the MCU, J. Jonah Jameson risks having the same fate as Darth Maul after his cameo in Spider-Man: Far From Home, although he has better chances of coming back than the Sith Lord. Only time will tell what the future holds for these characters in their universes, but for now, J. Jonah Jameson will be considered by many as the Darth Maul of the MCU – when Spider-Man was still part of it.
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