Origin
Jessica Campbell was just about to to speak to her crush, Peter Parker, before being distracted by the spider bite that gave him his powers. While going home, she and her parents are in their family car when it collided to a military truck that is carrying radioactive chemical. Her parents were killed and Jessica slipped into a coma. She was then adopted by the Jones family and she woke up from her coma during the time of the coming of Galactus to Earth to feast on the planet. She was enrolled back to Midtown High School, where she was at the receiving end of bullying by Flash Thompson.
Peter felt empathy towards Jessica as he grew up without his true parents, but Jessica lashed out to him because she thought that he was pitying her. It was at this time that the exposure from the radioactive chemicals gave her powers. As the superhero Jewel she had a brief career thwarting crime. During one of her adventures, she ran into the mind controlling Purple Man. He took control of her life and used her in many unpleasant ways. He eventually tried to use her to kill Daredevil, but instead she attacked the first person she saw in a red costume, which happened to be the Scarlet Witch. After a fight with the Avengers they helped to free her of the mind control, and even offered her a place on the roster. She declined, quite disturbed by the abuse the Purple Man inflicted upon her.
Saddened by the fact that almost no-one noticed that she had gone missing for eight months, Jessica gave up being a superhero and started the Alias private detective agency working for superheroes and related clients, including Matt Murdock.
Creation
Jessica Jones was a character created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos to star in a Marvel series called Alias, after Bendis decided that his original idea of using Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) just wouldn’t work for continuity and storytelling reasons. As such, Jones made her debut appearance in Alias issue 1 in 2001, with a back story that made her something of a retcon character, being shown appearing at the same high school as Peter Parker, and having a crush on him.
Character Evolution
Jessica Jones as a character has had a hard time establishing herself in the Marvel Universe, both in the comic stories themselves, and from a storytelling perspective too. Her creation as a retcon character with few friends in the superhero community is the first part of this problem, but she has gradually worked her way into becoming a mainstream hero.
Many of the stories that feature her, depict her struggle with fully taking on the role of a hero, due to her tragic experience with the Purple Man and anxiety over how best to look after her baby daughter. But together with her husband Luke Cage, Jessica became a central figure in the New Avengers line-up and finally found a place to call home and a defining purpose.
As the Avengers went through multiple roster changes, Jessica would settle down with her family returning to her private investigation office.
Major Story Arcs
Knightress
She tried to reinvent herself as the Knightress. She met Luke Cage and Iron Fist, when she helped take down the Owl. She left that alias behind after her first night out in the new costume, when she reveled her identity to the police to get two mafia kids to stay the night at her place until social service took them.
Alias Investigations
Jones attempted to retire from the superhero life by opening a private investigation agency. However this just got her more involved with the superhero world, when she was hired to find a number of missing people. At least two of her missing person cases were related to anti-mutant sentiment. She was also hired to find James Lucas, the father of Luke Cage, who she also entered into a on and off romantic relationship with. She was hired to track down Rick Jones but only found an imposter running around New York, and she was hired to find Spider-Girl, whose disappearance was related to a MGH drug ring.
One of her biggest cases was when she was hired by a political campaign manager to find a girl. That girl happened to be Captain America‘s girlfriend and turned up dead. The campaign manager was hoping to tarnish the reputation of Captain America to put pressure on the President, but all she ended up doing was putting Jones in the crosshairs of the killer, Man-Mountain Marko.
It was also during this time that she was forced to confront The Purple Man again. After he escaped from The Raft during a riot, he started stalking Jessica. He made her see Scott Lang, her current boyfriend, in compromising ways, including dead and sexually involved with her close friends. He also caused mob violence in the streets to get the attention of the Avengers, so that he could command Jones to beat one of them to death. This backfired when a Jean Grey implanted psychic block kicked in, and Jones beat him within an inch of his life instead.
In the aftermath, Jones found out she was pregnant with Luke’s baby. This caused Scott to leave her, but when she confessed to Luke, Luke reacted positively. They would later marry.
The Pulse
Despite a fraught relationship when he hired her for some P.I. work, J.J. Jameson hired Jones to work on The Daily Bugle‘s new magazine, called The Pulse, about superheroes. He believed his business was struggling thanks to his antagonistic opinion of superheroes and needed fresh blood to investigate them. Jones would work as a researcher for writer Ben Urich. This gave her the opportunity for stable income and health benefits for her expected child.
Their biggest story came when Ben got his hands on evidence that Oscorp employees were “disappearing” and that company CEO, Norman Osborn, was, in fact, the Green Goblin. Jameson reluctantly moved forward with the story as long as they first shared the evidence with the police. Unfortunately, they were attacked by the Green Goblin for interfering, worrying Jones that she may have complicated her pregnancy in the fight. Spider-Man was able to get her to the hospital where they confirmed the baby was healthy, but an irate Luke Cage attacked Green Goblin back leading to Osborn’s public reveal and arrest.
Civil War
After Jessica and Luke are confronted by Iron Man and Ms. Marvel to register under the Superhuman Registration Act, they make their intentions clear to defy the new law. Making sure Danielle would be safe, Jessica travels to Canada with her while Luke stays in New York and joins Captain America’s “Secret” Avengers.
Secret Invasion
It has been speculated that Jessica might be a Skrull because her baby lit her eyes with a green flash. After the New Avengers fought and defeated The Hood’s Gang, she feared for her safety and her baby and so she goes to see Iron Man to register.
When a Skrull ship crash lands in the Savage Land, the Avengers go out to investigate. What is inside of the ship are what appear to be a number of pre-existing heroes, including Jessica in her Jewel costume. This Jessica is later revealed to be a Skrull, and is killed along with the heroes from the Skrull ship. The real Jessica Jones is present in the final battle between Earth’s heroes and villains fighting together against the invading Skrull empire. After the Skrulls lose, the Skrull that masqueraded as Jarvis kidnaps her child and disappears. Luke Cage and Jessica later find their baby with Norman Osborn‘s help.
Dark Reign
Jessica does not have a large role to play during the events of Dark Reign. She reveals that she used to have a crush on Peter Parker in high school. But when Clint Barton is captured trying to kill Norman Osborn, Jessica calls her mother to babysit so she can don the costume of Jewel once more and rescue him with the help of Spider Woman and Ms. Marvel.
New Avengers
Jessica is seen moving into Avengers Mansion with the new incarnation of the New Avengers, along with her husband and child. Upon arriving at the mansion they are confronted by Victoria Hand wielding a gun. She gives the team a note from Steve Rogers stating that he is moving Victoria in with them to keep an eye on them. Jessica is furious that Victoria aimed a gun at her baby’s head.
Luke becomes possessed by a demon when the Eye of Agamotto suddenly drops into his hand. Jessica assists in the fight, giving her baby to Spider-Man to keep safe. She fights the possessed Luke but also tries to reach out to him and make him fight off the demon inside. Eventually the demon is removed from him, and Luke recovers, but the team has bigger problems. The sky opens up and demons begin swarming the city.
Jessica leaves the fight and flies back to Avengers Mansion looking for her child, where she is attacked by demons. She holds her own but in the end is nearly taken down by the swarm. Victoria Hand appears and takes out the rest of the demons. Jessica thanks her and runs into the mansion. She is with the Avengers when Doctor Voodoo sacrifices himself to save the world.
Jessica and Luke go on a date and discuss her role with the Avengers. Luke comes up with the codename Power Woman for her, based on his Power Man name, which she rejects. They are attacked by Doctor Doom who is shown to be a Doombot after being defeated. Later, Jessica announces to the other Avengers that she will become an official member of the team and use the Power Woman alias. She immediately takes this back when Luke shows over-excitement about it. It is unclear if she will use the name or not.
The Defenders
With Diamondback (Willis Stryker) inexplicably back from the dead and with superpowers, he targets Jessica and her friends: Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil. They decide to work together to flush Stryker out and defend their city. Unfortunately, that means clashing with The Punisher (gunning for Stryker), avoiding Black Cat’s gang (dealing with Stryker), and many trips to Night Nurse‘s clinic.
They are finally able to track him down when he shoots Black Cat causing a “crazy pants gang war” (Jessica Jones’ words). With their combined strengths, they are able to beat Stryker and get him arrested. Jessica and her new team still have the gang war to contend with, mixing it up with Elektra, Deadpool, The Punisher (again), and Stryker (still). Luckily, with help from a bunch of allies, they take down an amped-up Stryker.
Purple Daughter
After SHIELD fell apart during Secret Empire, Purple Man escaped custody, irritating Jessica Jones. Killgrave was obsessed with approaching her peacefully to prove himself worthy of being in her life, including many deranged acts like mind controlling Carol Danvers into beating him to death. After which, so he never comes back, Carol throws his body into the sun. Sadly, Purple Man left one last surprise for Jessica.
Danielle Cage is now purple. Luke Cage starts to doubt he’s her father. Carol doubts she threw the right body into the sun. And Jessica blames herself. To find Purple man, she sought out Kara, Killgrave’s daughter. Kara sends Jessica to a self-help group which includes a member who later winds up dead. While investigating the death, she is confronted by the Purple Children, who swore they were on her side. They wanted to protect her, but, ultimately, they pointed her in the right direction.
She was sent to a brownstone where Jess had to fight through a horde of mind-controlled drones, including Luke Cage. She eventually made it to a room with a drugged Purple Man and his son, Benjamin. Benjamin didn’t have his father’s power innately like his other children. However, he was able to reverse engineer it from his father’s blood. Ben mind-controlled Jess and Luke into being his idyllic traditional parents.
Purple Man was able to break through the psychic delusion and take over Jess’s body (since his body was still sedated) to fight Ben. After Ben was incapacitated, Purple Man confessed that he turned Dani purple so that Jessica would come looking for him and save him. Luckily, the Purple Children were really on Jess’ side and psychically overwhelmed Purple Man.
Blind Spot
While investigating a former client, Dia Sloane, who was found dead in Jess’ office, Jessica Jones is shot in the head. She wakes up later in the hospital miraculously having survived. As she continues the investigation, now including her own death, she is approached by Misty Knight, who says she isn’t the first superhuman female to be killed. So, Jones looks for a connection between Sloane and the other superhumans. She found that they didn’t just have run-ins with Sloane but also her boyfriend, Jared. Trying to track him down led Jones to a surprisingly alive Sloane.
Sloane explained that she woke up with the power to manifest things she desired without explanation. Her boyfriend couldn’t handle it and lashed out. She wished he could understand, thus granting him abilities. When she went to Jones for help, she manifested an identical corpse accidentally and took advantage of the opportunity to abandon her current life.
Their meeting was interrupted by the news that Mary Jane Watson was killed. Jones and Sloane rushed to her apartment where they caught Jared fixing her. Jared had accidentally split himself into good and bad versions of himself using Sloane’s powers. Bad Jared has been shooting high profile women, and Good Jared has been trying to fix it (although he thinks he failed Sloane).
Jess took Sloane and Good Jared to Doctor Strange, so he could help them focus their abilities. Sloane was able to take Bad Jared’s power away, and Good Jared was able to re-absorb Bad Jared.
Personal Information
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 140 lbs.
- Eyes: Brown
- Hair: Brown (Formerly dyed pink)
- Place of Birth: Possibly Forest Hills, NY
- Education: High School, Private Investigator’s license
- Occupation: Reporter for the Daily Bugle, consultant for The Pulse. Former owner Alias Private Investigations.
- Known Relatives: Dave Campbell (Father), Phillip Campbell (Brother), Luke Cage (Husband), Danielle Cage (Daughter).
Powers and Abilities
As a result of the chemical spill, Jessica Jones possesses superhuman strength and resistance to injury and the ability to fly at sub-sonic speeds. The exact limits of her strength and durability have not been defined, but she was able to lift a two-ton police car with apparent ease. She was not able to fully withstand a Venom Blast from Jessica Drew nor a severe beating by Iron Man and the Vision.
Jessica was vulnerable to telepathic attack which led to her ordeal at the hands of the Purple Man until mental barriers were put in place by Jean Grey to grant her better resistance.
In addition to her superhuman powers, Jessica is a skilled detective and investigative journalist.
Alternate Versions
House of M
In the House of M reality, Jessica is married to Scott Lang.
Ultimate Jessica Jones
In the Ultimate Universe, Jessica is a senior studying in the same school as Peter Parker does. She is the executive producer of that school’s television network, but becomes jealous of Mary Jane‘s skills of being a producer. She seems to be convinced that Spider-Man goes to their school and has a desire to expose him.
What If?
In this reality, Jessica accepted Captain America‘s offer to work for SHIELD. She later found out what was wrong with Scarlet Witch and she was able to avert the events of Avengers Disassembled and House of M. She later married Captain America.
Other Media
Television
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones appears in her own 13-episode Netflix series, portrayed by Krysten Ritter. The series is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Notable changes in the first season from her overt comic abilities include a reduced emphasis on her durability (in contrast to Luke Cage), and downgrading her flight to short leaps and “controlled falling”.
The series was initially announced back in 2010 and was slated to air on ABC for the 2011-2012 TV season. The initial scripts also featured Carol Danvers as a major character. ABC passed on the show due to its dark content. When Marvel reworked it for their Netflix partnership, writer Melissa Rosenberg was invited to return. Certain elements of the show were altered in order to work in tandem with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as the removal of Carol Danvers.
The first season follows her attempts to stop the Purple Man after he returns and tries to win Jessica back. Though her overall backstory is mostly consistent with her comic counterpart, various changes were made. Her career as a superhero was drastically shortened, and she never wore a costume or used the name Jewel. She was also adopted by Dorothy Walker after the death of her family, making her the stepsister of Trish Walker. It is unsure if she can fly like her comic book counterpart, but she appears that she can leap very high.
In addition to Ritter as Jessica, the series also features David Tenant as Kilgrave, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Rachel Taylor as Trish Walker, Will Traval as Will Simpson, Eka Darville as Malcolm, and Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth.
The series won mass critical acclaim, garnering nominations from the Critic’s Choice Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, and the Saturn Awards. It also won a Peabody and a Hugo Award. It was renewed for a second and third season before Netflix ended their partnership with Marvel.
The second season depicts Jessica investigating the deaths of enhanced people leading her to her biological mother, who survived the car accident and received powers similar to her own. The third season teams Jessica up with Erik Gelden, a low-level psychic who can tell a person’s moral intention, against Gregory Sallinger, an easily emasculated, misogynist serial killer, who was trying to ruin Jessica’s reputation.
The Defenders
Ritter reprises her role for The Defenders, a mini-series crossover featuring Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil. Jones was investigating name changes and transfers of assets going back to the 18th century of some corporate bigwigs. This investigation would force her to cross paths with a ninja assassin and get arrested by NPYD detective, Misty Knight. Daredevil came to her rescue as her attorney. Jones followed Daredevil to a corporate office where Luke Cage and Iron Fist were already fighting off ninjas. After the brawl, the 4 decide to stick together to take on The Hand and end their big plans for NYC.
Games
War of Heroes
Jessica appears in the mobile card game Marvel: War of Heroes. Her cards are:
- [Alias Jewel] Jessica Jones
- [Protective] Jessica Jones
Marvel Heroes
Jessica Jones is non-playable character in the game. She is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
Marvel Future Fight
Jessica is a playable character in the game. She is a combat type, and her description in the game says: Jessica Jones possesses superhuman strength; the parameters of her strength are unrevealed, but she can life an automobile with no discernable effort. She possesses an enhanced level of resistance to physical injury, although she is unsure of whether or not she is bulletproof. She is also a reasonably skilled detective and hand-to-hand combatant.
Marvel: Avengers Alliance
Jessica is playable character in the game, she can be recruited by completing all the task in Special Operation 31 “Jessica Jones”.
Her bio in the game says: The same accident that left Jessica Jones in a coma and killed her parents was also responsible for giving her amazing strength. Shortly after deciding to become a hero, she became a victim of the Purple Man’s mind control. Jessica eventually broke free from his control, but remained traumatized by the long term experience. With her hero days behind her, Jessica opened Alias Investigations and became a private detective, working with locals like Matt Murdock, Luke Cage and Heroes for Hire. Jessica and Luke eventually turned a fling into a thing, and ended up married with a daughter. Jessica has recently been kept busy helping Luke lead various teams like the Mighty Avengers.
Marvel Avengers Academy
Jessica Jones is a playable character in the game. She can be recruited during the “Daredevil” Event. Her Introductory Quest is “First Shot”. She is voiced by Michelle Phan.
Marvel Heroes
Jessica Jones is a Team-Up character in the game, voiced by Tara Strong.
Lego Marvel´s Avengers
Jessica Jones, as Jewel, is a playable character in the game, voiced by Tara Strong.
Marvel Puzzle Quest
Jessica Jones is a playable character in the game.
Her bio in the game says:
Jessica Jones was a Super Hero. It didn’t take. Now she runs Alias Investigations, taking cases as a private investigator in a world full of aliens, gods, and super-soldiers.
Despite her personal demons, Jessica’s fierce sense of justice leads her to begrudgingly take on clients who need her help, whether they can pay or not.
Marvel Contest of Champions
Jessica Jones is a non-playable character in the game.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Jessica Jones appears in the third Marvel Ultimate Alliance game as an NPC, voiced by Tara Strong. She initially helps the player sneak into Shadowland in order to find the Kingpin, but ends up having to bail out due to another case. It is also confirmed through dialogue that she and Luke Cage are married in this continuity.
Merchandise
- Hasbro released a Jessica Jones figure for the Marvel Legends line as part of the Man-Thing Build-a-Figure wave.
- Hasbro released a figure of Jessica Jones as Jewel for the Marvel Universe line.
- Funko produced a line of POP! bobbleheads for the Jessica Jones TV series.
- Diamond Collectibles released a PVC figure depicting the TV version of Jessica Jones.
- Hasbro released a comic version of Jessica Jones as Jewel in an Amazon.com-exclusive Defenders 4-pack.