Everything We Know About Marvel's Jessica Jones

Netflix and Marvel's Jessica Jones is set to release on November 20th, so here is what we know, what we're looking forward to, and all the background on the character:

Who Is Jessica Jones?

Before becoming the Jessica Jones we come to know in the comics, she went to Mid Town High School with Peter Parker (secretly having a crush on him) and was known by her birth name, Jessica Campbell. While driving with her family one day, Jessica gets into a car accident with another vehicle carrying radioactive chemicals, killing her entire family and putting her into a coma. After being adopted (by the Jones family, hence the switch to "Jessica Jones"), her powers begin to manifest during flashbacks from the accident. After experimenting with what powers the chemical spill gave her, she discovers her super strength and ability to fly, and transforms into a superhero, calling herself Jewel.

Her Dark Past

According to Alisha Grauso, this Netflix series promises to be the MCU's darkest, most sexually explicit addition yet, giving us looks into her relationship with Luke Cage as well as her past with The Purple Man. In the comics, Jessica Jones has a run in with Zebediah Killgrave/The Purple Man, a former spy who gained powers after being doused in a mysterious gas while on a mission. Killgrave possesses the power to take away people's wills, allowing him to control them through verbal commands.

After this run in with The Purple Man, Jessica was subject to his psychological torture. While never being forced into sexual acts with The Purple Man, Jessica explains to Luke Cage how Killgrave's power not only made her do what she was told, but made her believe that she was actually in love with him, saying,

"In my mind I can't tell the difference between what he made me do or say and what I do or say on my own."

This is the power that The Purple Man had over Jessica for eight months. After attacking Scarlet Witch while still under the control of The Purple Man, she was savagely attacked by the then uninformed Avengers and put into a coma.

Upon awakening, she puts the superhero life behind her; Jessica Jones runs a private investigation group labeled Alias Investigations which turns out to be a successful endeavor for her due to her superhero contacts such as Steve Rogers, Scott Lang, Luke Cage, and Carol Danvers (which has us fans hoping for introductions and cross-overs dealing with more than just individuals from the Defenders, though showing us Iron Fist would be a great start). This is where we will see Jessica Jones Season 1 starting up, though some of the details of her past are sure to be changed. Sticking to the darker tone that Daredevil Season 1 brought to the MCU, Jessica Jones is sure to stand out as a psychological suspense thriller compared to its predecessor.

The Long Road to Netflix

This TV series has been in development since 2010, originally being called A.K.A. Jessica Jones, with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg leading the project that got passed up by ABC. The series was shopped around to other networks before finally finding a fitting home at Netflix alongside Marvel's other heroes, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Jessica Jones will eventually fight alongside these other three in The Defenders series, expected sometime in 2016 at the earliest.

The Cast

The show stars Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) in the lead role of Jessica Jones.

Rachael Taylor (Crisis) is Trish ‘Patsy’ Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat (fingers crossed that we'll see her suit up in this series), Jones’s close friend/confidant.

Mike Colter (The Good Wife) is Luke Cage, a.k.a. Power Man, playing a major role in Jessica Jones before getting his own series next year.

David Tennant (Doctor Who) is the villainous Zebediah Killgrave, a.k.a. The Purple Man.

Carrie Anne Moss (The Matrix trilogy) is the gender-flipped role of Jeryn Hogarth, the attorney who later takes on a managerial position at Cage’s Heroes for Hire.

Eka Darville (The Originals) is set to play Malcolm, “a neighbor of Jessica’s whose own journey will intertwine with her quest in a surprising way.”

Wil Traval (Once Upon a Time) plays “an NYPD cop who takes ‘protect and serve’ very seriously.”

Erin Moriarty (True Detective) plays Erin, “a young girl who becomes a client of Alias Investigations.”

Sources: ScreenRant, iO9, pocket-lint, variety.