After breaking the third seal of the Marvel scrolls, it was revealed that four riders would mount individual comic book-based Netflix series before plunging the world into a fiery miniseries crossover event. Daredevil, Luke Cage, Ironfist, and Jessica Jones were their names, but details of their coming were still cloaked in shadow. Then Charlie Cox was declared the one to take up the mantle of the Man Without Fear, and further details about two of the series’ showrunners were also brought to light.
Now, out of the fog of the future, the general shape of the one who will be called Jessica Jones has been divined. Though the visage of this young female superhero-turned-private eye has not been fully glimpsed, early reports say it could look like Krysten Ritter, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, or Jessica De Gouw. Jones, as created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos for the short-lived series Alias, is a richly detailed, complex character, known for her bold decision to give up being a superhero and open her own investigative service. Jones interacted with several high-profile Marvel characters during her Alias run, including being best friends with Carol Danvers—who could appear here before her own feature film, the upcoming Captain Marvel—as well as hooking up with Luke Cage, who will appear on Jessica Jones before headlining his own Netflix series.
Whoever the texts decree will be the one true Jessica Jones will hopefully inhabit a Marvel character unlike those seen in the studio’s other film properties. In the comics, Jones is a flawed, abrasive, and genuine human who views superheroes with a cynic’s eye, and the series would be a good opportunity for Marvel to take a risk by trusting Bendis’ initial vision. One need only look to the poor souls expecting Fox’s Gotham to be an adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka’s Gotham Central to see what happens when it doesn’t.