What Jessica Jones Got Wrong About The Comic
After a well-received release of Daredevil, the first in the Netflix/Marvel partnership, Netflix released Jessica Jones as a follow-up on November 20, 2015. Based on the Marvel comic book Alias, the show has earned great reviews and a lot of social media buzz. Maybe you've already binge-watched the entire series (we won't judge). However, when Netflix produced the series, they took quite a few liberties from the original comics. Have you caught any of the discrepancies? Here are a few places where Jessica Jones swerved away from the comic.
Jessica's Past As Jewel
Early on in Alias, Jessica once fought crime alongside the Avengers and, to top it off, she always wore ears purple hair and a tight costume. She was a superhero. In Jessica Jones, however, the only taste we get of Jessica's superhero past is a flashback conversation with Trish, in which Trish attempts to convince Jess she should wear a tight costume and go by the name of Jewel. Jessica, on the other hand, totally dismisses the notion of wearing something that ridiculous and scoffs at the idea of fighting crime with a "stripper name."
Trish Replacing Carol Danvers
Jessica Jones' best friend and closest ally in Alias is Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. But because Marvel has a feature film planned for Captain Marvel's character in 2018, it's likely they weren't able to use her character in this plotline as well. Bummer. In Jessica Jones, Jessica's best friend is Patricia "Trish" Walker, a former child star who currently works as a radio talk show host. Most comic fans believe Trish will become superhero Hellcat, which is hinted at early on in the series when she undergoes intense Krav Maga training to be able to defend herself when Jess isn't around.
The Role Of Malcolm
The Malcolm we know in Alias is the annoying, yet committed, teenage superfan who hangs out around Jessica's office in hopes of getting a job with Alias Investigations. His character doesn't carry a lot of weight in the comics but in the Netflix series, that changes big time. In Jessica Jones, Malcolm is transformed into a drug addict who lives just down the hall from Jessica in her building. He turns out to be a pawn in Kilgrave's schemes and eventually, becomes a trusted ally for Jessica once she helps get him clean.
Zebediah Kilgrave A.K.A. The Purple Man
In addition to changing his name (dropping an "L" to make "Kilgrave," and eliminating any references to the name "Purple Man"), there are quite a few differences between the Kilgrave we know in Alias and the Kilgrave we now know in Jessica Jones.
While he no longer wears a purple costume as Purple Man once did, there is always a hint of purple in his wardrobe choices, which pays homage to that alter ego. The most glaring discrepancy in the Jessica/Kilgrave story is where Kilgrave comes from in the first place. In Alias, he escapes from prison, but in the Netflix series, it's unclear, leaving Jessica to try and convince police and the public that Kilgrave is, in fact, dangerous. The Kilgrave we see in Jessica Jones is also much more complex than his comic counterpart. Critics seem to agree that the Netflix version of the villain is much more insidious, thanks to compelling performances by actor David Tennant, as well as Krysten Ritter's performance as Jessica.
Luke Cage
In Alias, Jessica and Luke's relationship is already well-established when we meet both of them. They frequently have sleepovers and eventually become serious about each other when they find out a baby is on the way. Moreover, in Alias, they're both already aware of each other's "gifts" and Luke is already a well-known superhero, going by the name Power Man. In Jessica Jones, this isn't the case. Luke continues to keep his abilities under wraps and an entanglement of other dramatic plot lines keep the two of them from seeing each other and starting a relationship. Stay tuned, however, as Marvel is currently working on a Luke Cage series for Netflix to be released in 2016.
Jessica's Love Triangle
While everyone—fans of the comic and Netflix series alike—are always cheering for a Luke Cage and Jessica Jones love story, Netflix left out another romantic contender of Jessica's. Throughout the entire Alias series, Jessica is torn between two men—Luke Cage, aka Power Man, and Scott Lang, better known to the world as Ant-Man. Considering the summer 2015 Ant-Man movie featuring Paul Rudd as Lang, it's understandable why Netflix would leave that additional storyline out of the mix for its series (especially since Luke and Jessica's relationship is so complicated, anyway). And as we all know, Jessica ends up with Luke in the long run...but wouldn't a Power Man versus Ant-Man showdown have been awesome to watch?