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We’re still updating our complete guide to every Marvel Universe reference in the show!
This article contains nothing butJessica Jonesspoilers.
But the thing is…I probably missed some stuff, too.
In fact, Im counting on it.
And thats where you come in!
I imagine many of you are doing the same thing.
Ive got myAliascomics at the ready, too.
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So, lets do this together!
One final note about how all this is structured.
Whew…that was a mouthful.
Its not a perfect system, though, so beware.
Now, on with the show.
This should be fun, because the comics this show are based on are some of my favorites.
That was originally supposed to be a comic starring Jessica Drew, better known as Spider-Woman.
Well get into more details on that when we hit the episodes they appear in, though.
Nobody smokes anymore anyway, and Jessica has enough other endearing vices.
Alias Investigations is (of course) a play on the traditional superhero secret identity trope.
But it was also the name of the comic that this series is based on.
Hey, I bought into it, too.
Of course, that door is ill-fated… Hogarth is Danny Rand/Iron Fists attorney in the comics.
Its still to early to tell if thats going to be the case here in the Marvel Netflix universe.
Oh, and dont believe any silly rumors.TheIron FistNetflix series is alive and well.
Patricia Trish Walker is perhaps better known to Marvel Comics fans as Patsy Walker.
Trish, as she prefers to be called here, has a history of her own.
Before she was a radio talk show host, she was a child star and a model.
No, its true.
Now, heres where shit gets really kind of meta.
The superhero version of Patsy Walker was neveractuallythe teen humor character that headlined various Timely/Marvel books for 20-plus years.
In a way, its kind of a sideways reference to that.
Patsy never appeared in theAliascomics.
Now, heres the thing about the Purple Man…hes actually a Daredevil villain.
He first appeared inDaredevil#4 in 1964, and he was created by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando.
Kilgrave victim and missing girl Hope Schlotman and her folks arent comic book characters.
Like I said, Jessica Jones isnt really an adaptation of anyAliasstories.
Jessicas drug-addled neighbor, Malcolm is kinda not from the comics.
Basically, the cops dont trust her because she tends to attract trouble…and shes got powers.
That doesnt help anything.
He first appeared in 2011sThe Punisher(vol.
- #1 by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto.
Get yourself familiar with Mike Colter as Luke Cage, becausehes going to headline his own series soon enough.
Luke first appeared in his own title,Luke Cage, Hero for Hirein 1972.
He was created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr. Hes been a member of various Avengers teams, but most famously the Defenders.
After his own series, hell definitely be part of MarvelsDefendersNetflix series, so there you are.
We see some hints about Trish Walkers fascination with becoming more than she is, here.
Robert Baxter was a childhood friend of Patsy Walker, eventually marrying her.
He also became a villain known as Mad Dog.
So, yeah, coincidence, but still a cool catch.
Luke and Jessica bond over their similarities.
Luke alludes to his origin story, as an experiment.
Luke also utters his signature comic book phrase of Sweet Christmas!
in this episode, which is a cute touch.
Now, stick with me for a minute.
I couldnt make out the name or the radio station thats playing in the convenience store.
Its easy to forget just how new andweirdthis world feels to everyone.
Lets assume that the MCU as we know it takes place in real time.
Threads of this trauma will probably play out inCaptain America: Civil War, as well.
Short of vaporizing this guy from orbit, what the hell can you do?
Hey, there are Patsy Walker comics in this world, too!
From what I can tell, that isnt an actual vintage cover but the logo is spot on.
Just for reference, heres a look at an old Patsy Walker comic.
Note the Atlas logo that we saw inDaredevil… Trishs radio show yields unexpected consequences.
This episode gives us our first hint about Jessicas origin, which involved a car accident.
The gifted prejudice and the kinky set-up here just felt…well…watered down.
We all know what they really wanted to say.
At one point, 99 per borough probably would have been a very reasonable estimate.
Jessica recalls a pivotal moment in her life.
It turns out in this episode that Trish used to be a redhead.
Thats what the comic book Patsy Walker was!
Holy moley, theres more Patsy Walker history in this thing than there is about Jessica Jones.
Jessica tells Trish maybe you should put on a cape.
Okay, so I guess we have to deal with the Hellcat in the room now, right?
You get the idea.
That issue of Avengers had a pretty awesome creative team of Steve Englehart and George Perez.
And yes, she did call herself Jewel.
And yes, she was suitably ashamed of it after the fact.
One of Jessicasothercodenames was Knightress although we havent heard it mentioned on the show.
Presumably, that was her post-Jewel, mid-90s bad girl reinvention after the Jewel identity became lame.
But in the comics, it was during her Jewel phase, which put it pretty early on.
Jessica recommends another private investigator by the name of Angela Del Toro.
Ms. Del Toro was a Daredevil supporting character who took on the superheroic identity of the White Tiger.
However, this whole thing just feels like such a classic Luke Cage taking care of neighborhood shit story.
Also, note that Luke wont hurt dogs.
Because real tough guys are kind to animals, thats why.
We learn in this episode that Hope is pregnant via Kilgrave.
Jessica mentions real life billionaire Carl Icahn in this episode.
No, fuck you.
No, no, no fuck you!
Seriously, if youre a Marvel fan, you better read that book.
With that in mind, we need to talk about Rubens death.
Jessica was dating Scott Lang (Ant-Man!)
Of course, this was just Kilgraves doing.
He ended up being a little bit of a dick to her, anyway.
It was Carol Danvers who set the two of them up.
Its never made quite clear where Jessicas childhood home is.
It looks like a Long Island neighborhood, or some of the suburbs north of the George Washington Bridge.
Why does any of this matter?
Well, in the comics, Jessica grew up in Queens, probably Forest Hills.
Why is this important?
Because she went to the same high school as Peter Parker.
Not only that, they were actually classmates (and she had a crush on him).
Obviously, that cant work here.
Jessica and Luke, I mean.
Not Jessica and the bartender.
Anyway, as you might expect, their baby complicates things during their time in the Avengers.
Theres no need to get into it here, trust me.
Jessica Jones Episode 8: AKA WWJD?
Jessica experiences a strange homecoming courtesy of Kilgrave.
Hogarths conflict with her estranged wife reaches a tipping point.
Obviously, Kilgrave has great power and none of the responsibility.
Theres something else to consider here, as well.
So remember that if you find yourself rooting for Jon Bernthals Punisher whenDaredevilseason 2 arrives…Kilgrave would approve.
Jessicas family structure is in place from the comics, including her little brother, Phil.
All of this stuff was revealed inAlias#22, by the way.
Her mother is Alisa, the name of Mr. Bendis wife (thanks to Jeff for the correction).
But shed still be a prisoner.
See also: awesome TV series from the 60s,The Prisoner.
The origin of Kilgrave is touched on and revamped in this episode, and its appropriately horrifying.
The thing is, it has no similarities to the comic book version.
Thats a good thing, though.
Did she just fly?Yes.
Does this make her the first character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who can fly under her own power?
It might not be the strongest defense, but Im sticking to it.
Hogarths involvement complicates the situation.
Details of Kilgraves past emerge.
This was another remarkably tense episode.
Thats a good thing, of course.
For one thing, Kilgrave isnt his name, its Kevin Thompson.
This also explains why we never here any mention of his first name being Zebediah or anything similarly ridiculous.
Was Murdercorpse already taken?
Could one of these young people be Jessica Drew, the future Spider-Woman?
Time will tell, I suppose.
See also: the Abomination inThe Incredible Hulkfilm.
But speaking of super soldiers and things that never work out for anyone…
Okay, we need to talk about Officer Simpson.
Im not counting on that, though.
There doesnt appear to be any particular Marvel Comics parallel with the mysterious Dr. Koslov.
Jessica tells Malcolm that helping people feel better is his superpower.
In a loose way, this ties into another piece of Brian Michael Bendis superhero writing.
Are you really good at guitar?
Ultimately, this may turn out to be the major theme ofJessica Jones.
You want to be a hero?
Start by being nice to the people around you.
ThroughoutJessica Jones, I keep feeling these familiar echoes of another famous villain: Dracula.
Im not at all implying that Kilgrave actually is Dracula.
Its just something that jumped out at me about the way theyre treating him and structuring this story.
The flames remind me of the chaos that surrounded the character inDaredevil: Born Again, as well.
This is why you were chosen.
Who was Robbie Baldwin and why should you care?
He was the superhero known as Speedball, and thats where he accidentally landed himself some super powers.
Again: accidental powers = hero.
Not accidental = not hero…most of the time.
Jessica Jones Episode 11: AKA Ive Got the Blues
Jessica searches morgues for clues.
Trish goes all out to keep Simpson from getting in Jessicas way.
Malcom has an epiphany.
Going to the morgue and lying to and/or bribing an attendant are such a staple of that genre.
Except usually it happens like, once an episode or something.
I checked all the names on the list at the morgue, because I am a crazy person.
None of them added up to any Marvel connections.
Jonathan Chibnall and Michael Knue worked as editors on several episodes ofDaredevilandJessica Jones.
Thats all Ive got, folks.
Well, and maybe the kinda underrated 1978 remake starring Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy.
Theyre still teasing out Jessicas origin here.
In the comics, Jessica wasnt adopted by Patsy Walkers family or anyone other celebrity.
Instead, she was taken in by a kindly, middle-aged couple.
Not the Kents, either.
We do get to see Trishs Patsy Walker redhead wig.
Im not counting on it, though.
But while were on the subject of Patsy as Hellcat…
He sure is going to need a new place to hang out after the events of this episode.
Trish receives some unexpected information about Simpson and Jessica.
Well, Im sure it does, but it doesnt have any immediate or obvious parallels.
We know as much about the origin of her powers as she does.
Maybe IGH was carrying the radioactive waste that blinded Matt Murdock, too.
Jessica also mentions that Luke keeps hidden what he needs to hide.
Luke was keen to get away from his bar without talking to the cops, too.
To the best of my knowledge the ZALK company also has no parallel in the Marvel Universe.
Jessica makes a crack about breeders getting in her way in Central Park.
I had to chuckle that Jessica drinks a brand of whiskey called Wild Fowl.
This is either the Marvel Universe equivalent of Wild Turkey, or its an off-brand Wild Turkey knock-off.
If this is a severed body part of any kind, Im going to be very upset.
Thats a sidewaysWaynes Worldjoke, although the line was severed head in that flick.
Ive seen weirder shit happen at Webster Hall than a mind-controlling maniac making two superhumans fight each other.
Kilgrave gears up for a major test of powers against Jessica.
Theres something really elemental from the absolute beginnings of superhero history about needles breaking on Luke Cages skin.
Ill tell you why… as a frustrated doctor broke a hypodermic needle on his unbreakable skin.
Of course, we get Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple in this episode.
From a slightly nerdier standpoint, though, this is her first meeting with Luke Cage.
In the comics, Claire and Luke dated for a bit.
What a stupid evil purple dildo this guy is, right?
When Kilgrave takes the treatment to give him ultimate power, we do see his skin briefly turn purple.
Its absolutely worth a read.
We end with Malcolm answering Jessicas phone.
None of the messages on her phone correspond to any of theAliascases that werent filmed for the show.
Oh, and some parting notes.
Whether she gets a costume or not as Hellcat remains to be seen.
Id say its unlikely.
The only folks on that team that will probably be in costume are Daredevil and maybe Iron Fist.
), hes available.
This is both chilling and awesome.
Alias Investigations, how can we help?
