When Marvel Comics announced their groundbreaking production deal with Netflix, there was an understandable level of cautious excitement. That excitement started to further build, particularly when the names of some of the series began to trickle out: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist. And the excitement ratcheted up another level or two with the reveal that the heroes of each series would eventually come together for a team-up miniseries called "The Defenders." Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil in particular, are longtime Marvel mainstays - the two former may arguably be second-tier characters, but there's still a degree of name recognition there. But the fourth character announced - Jessica Jones - that one's a departure. Jessica Jones is much lesser known and it's a safe bet that the majority of people have no clue who she is. If you happen to be one of the people scratching your head and wondering just who Jessica Jones is and why you should be excited she's coming to Netflix, fret no more. Here's everything you need to know about "Marvel's Jessica Jones.
WHO IS JESSICA JONES?
The word is that the Netflix series is heavily inspired by Brian Michael Bendis' 2001 comic book series Alias - which took home a Harvey Award for best new series in 2002 (The Harvey Awards are the Golden Globes for comic books). Alias featured Jessica Jones as a former superhero working as a private detective and trying to piece together some semblance of a regular life following the tragic end of her superheroic career. That, in and of itself, is an intriguing departure from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Up to this point, we've only seen heroes (super and otherwise) hero-ing (again super and otherwise). The possibility of watching a person deal with the fallout of an unsuccessful costumed career is a fascinating one. Throw in a healthy dose of PTSD, a tragic past, and a hard-edged vulnerability and it's easy to see why fans of Alias are excited to see Jessica Jones on the screen. Oh, and did we mention that the awesome Krysten Ritter will be playing Jessica Jones?
OK, BUT WHAT KIND OF TONE SHOULD WE EXPECT?
Alias was the flagship title for Marvel's MAX imprint (think of it as a line of R-Rated comics). MAX was Marvel's way of presenting comics that couldn't or wouldn't fit into the regular Marvel Universe - titles with explicit violence and overt sexuality. Given that fact, and the fact that Marvel intends to eventually unite their Netflix properties, expect the overall tone of Jessica Jones to be similar to "Marvel's Daredevil." "Jessica Jones" will be set in Daredevil's version of Hell's Kitchen and Jessica Jones is a noir-tinged character - in many ways a classic, hard-drinking, hard-boiled detective with an acerbic wit and a past she's trying desperately to escape. Where "Daredevil" was really a crime drama, "Jessica Jones" is being called a psychological thriller. Although the comic book version of Jessica Jones does have a degree of superhuman strength, flight, and invulnerability, expect those elements to be downplayed substantially. Marvel is going for a more grounded, street-level feel with their Netflix series and bombastic feats of strength do not appear to be part of the plan. That doesn't mean that Jessica Jones won't be able to hold her own. According to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg ("Dexter"), fans can expect the sort of violence we saw in "Daredevil" - just not the same sort of fights. As Rosenberg put it, "Jessica Jones is a brawler. She gets drunk, she gets pissed off and boom, you're down. She doesn't wear a costume. She doesn't have a mask. She's just who she is."
WHAT ABOUT THE VILLAIN?
You have to hand it to Marvel; they really swung for the fences in "Marvel's Daredevil" when they brought in Vincent D'Onofrio to take on the role of Wilson Fisk a.k.a. The Kingpin. D'Onofrio created a charismatic, tragic, sympathetic villain who bucked Marvel's ongoing villain problem in their Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, "Jessica Jones" appears to be on the same path. The series will feature longtime Marvel villain Zebediah Killgrave - The Purple Man. Killgrave, originally created by Stan Lee as a Daredevil villain in 1964, was revamped by Brian Michael Bendis in 2001 and became a far creepier and threatening presence, a sort of twisted manipulator who revels in psychological torture. With the ability to secrete a pheromone that allows him to control the minds of others, Killgrave is a particularly dangerous sort of villain and in Alias it was a deeply disturbing confrontation with Killgrave that led Jessica Jones to retire from the hero business. Given that "Marvel's Jessica Jones" is being billed as a psychological thriller, we're betting that her history with Killgrave will be a big part of the mystery of the series and we don't want to spoil anything for those who aren't familiar with Alias. Know, though, that Zebidiah Killgrave (David Tennant in a bit of pitch perfect casting) will be unlike any villain in the MCU so far and that's a good thing.
IS THERE ANY ESSENTIAL READING TO PREP FOR JESSICA JONES?
Well, since you asked. If you want to get a jump start on Jessica Jones prior to her Netflix debut later this year, check out these titles to get a good idea who the character is and what you might expect from the series: Alias Vol. 1 - 3 by Brian Michael Bendis; The Pulse Vol. 1 - 3 by Brian Michael Bendis; New Avengers Annual #1 (2006) by Brian Michael Bendis.
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