The MCU is finally set to re-introduce Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones years after the unfortunate cancellation of her Netflix series, and there’s one Marvel Comics series that remains a high point for the character which should inform her return to the screen. While the character of Jessica Jones has had many different adventures and misadventures since her debut in 2001, Jessica’s original comic series is still her quintessential story.
Jessica was introduced in Alias, which is now also known as Jessica Jones: Alias, a 28-issue series written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn (mostly) by Michael Gaydos. While the comic series inspired various parts of the original Jessica Jones TV series, there’s still plenty of material to be mined for Jessica’s return in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
The word “gritty” tends to get overused nowadays when it comes to more serious comics or adaptations. However, Alias was legitimately gritty and grounded in a way that turned Jessica from an unknown character into a seriously relatable and well-rounded Marvel hero.
Jessica works best when she’s in stark contrast to Marvel’s most fantastical elements and characters.
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The Character Officially Debuted as the Lead in 2001's Alias
Although the MCU is best known for bright, fun, and largely family-friendly adaptations of Marvel heroes, depicting Jessica Jones’ character requires a darker tone, and the comic that captured this best was her very first series, Alias. Krysten Ritter's television version did a great job of establishing this tone, but Netflix’s shows suffered from a lack of real connections to the overall MCU. Alias was very much part of a universe where Avengers, X-Men and various supervillains could show up at any time, and Jessica works best when she’s in stark contrast to Marvel’s most fantastical elements and characters.
In Alias, Jessica’s story and her personality were much more grounded than other superheroes, but because of that, she made Marvel’s more traditional heroes - like her best friend Captain Marvel - seem more like actual people when interacting with her. Netflix's Jessica Jones and Defenders couldn't touch the larger Marvel Universe, but it's this contrast that made the comic so successful.
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The fact that Jessica exists in the same world as the capes-and-tights superheroes makes her gritty adventures all the darker, and her unique skills all the more vital - when young hero Spider-Girl ends up trapped by a drug dealer, it becomes clear that Jessica Jones can help her escape in a way that Spider-Man or Wolverine couldn't.
Alias remains one of Marvel’s best comic series of all time made for mature readers.
The R-Rated Realism of Alias is Just What the MCU Needs to Revitalize the Franchise
Alias Was Part of Marvel’s Adults-Only MAX Imprint
While the MCU was built on PG-13 movies, recent projects like Daredevil: Born Again and the mega-successful Deadpool & Wolverine leaned in a more adult direction, and Alias remains one of Marvel’s best comic series of all time made for mature readers. Alias was actually the first series to be published under Marvel’s MAX Comics imprint, and if the MCU wants to build out its universe with more R-rated properties, Jessica Jones is the ideal candidate to take center stage. Though she’s been featured in other comics that are intended for all audiences, her essential stories are primarily part of Alias.
Even though Jessica Jones ran for three seasons, there are many more stories that the show either couldn’t achieve without the characters available to appear on Netflix or just never got around to. Jessica’s first investigation in Alias revolved around a secret affair involving Captain America, and the Avengers regularly appeared in the series, in both its present day and flashbacks from Jessica’s time as the costumed hero Jewel. Jessica dated Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, investigated mutant bigotry in a small town, gabbed about 'cape-chasers' with Carol Danvers, and did so much else that’s newly possible as she properly enters the MCU.
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Alias is Iconic, But There Are Plenty of Other Stories the MCU Needs to Adapt
After Alias, Jessica Jones Became a Full-Fledged Superhero
Jessica Jones was at her best when unleashed in the Marvel MAX series, able to let profanities fly and investigate the darkest corners of Earth-616. Still, when Alias ended, Jessica continued to have other adventures that are also worth noting when looking towards her MCU future. Alias’ depiction of Jessica’s romance with Luke was complicated, but along with their daughter Danielle, they’ve become one of the universe’s strongest families.
Jessica got a job with the Daily Bugle in The Pulse (Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley and a variety of artists), took on a serial killer in Jessica Jones: Blind Spot (Kelly Thompson, Mattia De Iulis) and met her alt-reality selves in The Variants (Gail Simone, Phil Noto). She was also a big part of Marvel's New Avengers franchise, which has renewed relevance given the events of the MCU's Thunderbolts*. All of these stories can benefit from the MCU's easier access to the wider superhero universe.
Jessica Jones’ greatest stories in the comics allowed the character to be her most profane, sarcastic, messy and occasionally violent self - Marvel's new Red Band comics can do that again.
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Jessica Jones Coming to the MCU is Great, But Marvel Comics Needs to Bring the Character Back Too
Jessica Hasn’t Led a Solo Comic Series in Years
Jessica Jones is one of Marvel’s best characters, but after The Variants ended in 2022, she hasn't led her own series or even featured prominently since. Marvel released a mystery novel about the character, and she’s popped up in adventures with Luke Cage and Ghost-Spider more recently, but her appearances have been small and underwhelming for the character’s fans. With a big MCU comeback on the horizon, it’s time for Marvel Comics to make her a major part of the universe’s stories again too, and there should be a renewed focus on Alias.
With new red-band series on the rise with titles like Daredevil: Unleash Hell, Blood Hunt, and Blade, maybe Marvel could even find a way for Alias itself to be relaunched in some way. Jessica Jones’ greatest stories in the comics allowed the character to be her most profane, sarcastic, messy, and occasionally violent self, and while the MCU should keep that in mind for her return, Marvel Comics could be reminded of it as well. It’s not a total necessity for Jessica's adventures to be R-rated, but it can enhance her stories specifically.
Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos' Alias was so well-regarded that the creative team returned for another 18-issue run with the character after Jessica Jones debuted on Netflix, and perhaps her MCU debut can achieve the same kind of renaissance. Alias was shamelessly gritty and as realistic as Marvel series could be in the early 2000s. If any Marvel fan wants to understand Jessica Jones' full potential, Alias perfectly encapsulates the character, and would be the ideal inspiration as she hits the MCU after years on the sidelines.
