History
Jack Norriss was the husband of Barbara Norriss, a woman who was driven mad by the demonic Undying Ones after the couple foolishly joined a cult devoted to them for kicks. Barbara’s spirit was trapped in the dimension of the Undying Ones, but later became a host body for the spirit of Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie. Jack refused to accept that the Valkyrie was not really Barbara and as a result became a sometimes unwelcome associate of the Defenders. However, he was frequently of considerable help to the team, once even saving the Valkyrie from being burned on an inverted cross by the Sons of the Serpent. On another occasion Norriss consented to have his mind transferred into the body of Kyle Richmond and fought alongside the team as Nighthawk for a time.
Eventually, Jack came to accept that he had lost Barbara and left the Defenders, though only after Nighthawk paid him $300,000. Norriss used the money to fund his own mission to stop Ruby Thursday of the Headmen from running for president. He contributed a portion to Ruby’s campaign in order to get close to her and spent the rest on a Bond-esque tuxedo, complete with secret gadgets and weapons. Thursday eventually saw through his ruse, but not before he was able to expose her to the American public, ending her Campaign. Soon after, the Defenders managed to defeat the rest of the Headmen.
Jack then join S.H.I.E.L.D. as a file clerk and then went on to become a full time agent, assigned him to bring in Nomad. Dissatisfied over their handling of the Nomad situation, Jack eventually left S.H.I.E.L.D. When Jack left S.H.I.E.L.D. he then became an investigative reporter and working for Inside America; a news-related TV series, and has been of some use to Andrea Sterman when she was investigating the government conspiracy involving the killings of the reporter Gayle Rogers and Roberta Haggerty of Roxxon.
Other Media
Film
All Hail the King
Jackson Norriss, is chronicling the events of Trevor Slattery, learning more about the man behind the Mandarin person personally. Norriss eventually informs Slattery that his portrayal has angered some people, including the actual Ten Rings terrorist group, which Slattery did not know existed. Norriss tells him the history of the Mandarin and the terrorist group, before revealing that he is actually a member of the group. The real reason for Norriss interviewing Slattery is to break him out of prison so he can meet the actual Mandarin. Hearing this, Slattery still has no idea the full ramifications of him acting as the Mandarin.