Since his inception, J. Jonah Jameson has been one of the most consistent and constant characters in the Marvel Universe, an ever-present thorn in Spider-Man's side. But The Daily Bugle editor has also proven to be a surprisingly honest figure who will defend the innocent and downtrodden when given the chance, and he once even came to the rescue of the X-Men without ever fully realizing it.
Bastion, a cynernetic villain who is strong enough to kill mutant heroes with his bare hands, once got shouted down by J. Jonah Jameson in 1997's Uncanny X-Men #346 by Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira, Rodney Ramos, Tim Townsend & Steve Buccellato.
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While the X-Men are busy contending with Bastion and his Prime Sentinels as part of the larger "Operation: Zero Tolerance" crossover, the world watches and even cheers on as the misunderstood heroes are hunted down. Initially, it's reported as the X-Men attacking the government-sponsored agents, giving the public an easy excuse to believe why the X-Men need to be arrested. However, one principal member of the press refuses to simply believe what others report: J. Jonah Jameson, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Bugle.
Although he's quick to admit he'd be happy if the superhero community was out of commission and even openly insults mutants as "evolution's little joke on humanity," Jameson has concerns about Bastion. He considers the actions of Bastion's Operation: Zero Tolerance campaign to be nothing more than scapegoating to give a reason for the government to violate the civil rights of mutant citizens. He's also suspicious over the disappearance of a reporter named Nick Bandouveris, who Jonah had sent to investigate the connection between Bastion and Graydon Creed months earlier. Even if he believes people should be scared by groups like the X-Men, he still believes it's the sworn duty of the press to get all the facts they can, especially about military operations on American soil and how it targets citizens.
Jonah ends up causing such a ruckus in his attempts to interview Senators and unearth the truth of Bastion's origins that the villain comes to Tthe Daily Bugle to confront Jameson head-on. Instead of threatening him though, Bastion comes bearing gifts: a disc containing the civilian identities of the X-Men and all their known associates. He argues that Jonah could easily win a Pulitizer for The Daily Bugle by releasing an explosive report outing the civilian identities of the X-Men and their allies.
However, Jonah doesn't bite. Instead, he believes that Bastion is the true story, and his gut instinct is to be wary of any offers from Bastion. Jameson proceeds to lecture Bastion on how he isn't for sale, how he intends to uncover the truth of Bastion and the X-Men without his help, before proceeding to destroy the disc in front of the villain. Bastion is a strong enough threat that multiple mutant heroes will eventually end up dead by his hand. But J. Jonah Jameson -- a powerless middle-age man with nothing more than a cigar and integrity -- is able to stare Bastion down and force him to back off The Daily Bugle. He even openly tells Bastion that the villain will end up paying the price for Bandouveris' murder.
Jameson is often shown as more of a cartoonish foil to Spider-Man, someone who can't keep himself from stirring in trouble. But at the core of the character, there has always been an unbendable line of human decency and journalistic integrity that keeps him from ever being an outright villain -- his experience with the Spider-Slayers excluded. This commitment to finding out the truth even gives Jonah a major motivation for wanting so badly to unmask figures like Spider-Man.
Regardless of his views on them, Jameson firmly believes the truth should win out above all else. This is one of his most impressive shows of that side of the character, helping protect people he may not care for, but because he cares about the truth far more.