Growing up, I enjoyed watching X-Men and Spiderman and most of Marvel's animated series as I have always felt that the women superheroes weren't just beautiful but they were strong, smart and feminine. So when the cast of Marvel's Netflix series, "Jessica Jones" appeared on AOL BUILD recently, I was interested because it seemed like the complete opposite if what i envisioned a woman superhero to be. It was refreshing to see a cast of complex women be the center of a dark suspense series based on a comic book that few people are aware of. Jessica Jones isn't your stereotypical hero; she isn't blonde, she isn't overly busty, she doesn't run around town half naked and she doesn't have an Amber Rose-type body type that would make the audience envy her superficially. Jessica Jones can be any woman, anywhere at anytime (minus the superhero power).
If you've been sleeping under a rock and haven't seen the series already, stop here and go to Netflix because this is definitely a spoiler alert. Jessica Jones is a woman that moonlights as a private investigator to make a living and while we can all relate to the struggles of living in an expensive city like New York City, a lot of women can also admit to being in a domestic violence relationship and situation. Unfortunately for us mere mortals, we can't seek justice on our perpetrators. Even with the strength and courage Jessica Jones has, she still has legitimate fears of her abuser Kilgrave. Even though she is relentless in her pursuit to capture him, her biggest superhero power is looking her abuser in the face and telling him that he raped her.
According to the comic books, Luke Cage (played by Mike Colter) and Jessica Jones actually engaged in a lot of anal sex (because of her inability to feel pain and pleasure) but in this Netlix series, they engaged in some physical power exchanging sex that looked better than every sex scene in "Fifty Shades of Grey." Jessica Jones owns who she is unapologetically; the alcoholism, the flippantness, the rebellion and her rejection of typical courtship.
" I don't flirt, I just say what I want", Jessica Jones tells Luke Cage before they exchange bodily fluids. Jones' one-liners create this Daria Morgendorffer-like (MTV's Daria) wit paired with superhuman strength. Actually one of her best superpowers is her ability to be so self-sacrificing. Her ability to care for others at the expense of herself is a unique and selfless trait to have that not too many of us possess.
Jessica Jones isn't the only admirable woman in the series. Even though Krysten Ritter does a fantastic job as Jessica Jones, Carrie-Anne Moss and Rachael Taylor are also worth mentioning because they are powerful and assertive in their own right. Moss' character Jeri Hogarth is a high-profile, snarky lesbian lawyer who depicts a character dominated by men; a rich, successful professional that is cheating on their wife with the secretary. Taylor plays Trish, Jessica's best friend and step-sister who is a celebrity-turned radio TV host who uses her position to bring attention to people with real issues who feel they don't have a voice.
So, is Jessica Jones bad ass? Yes. Do you need to be a comic book nerd to appreciate her? Will you root for her to kill and capture her rapist? You absolutely will. Thank you Marvel for allowing us to see a woman that doesn't have to look perfect or be a sex object to save the world from psychopaths like Kilgrave.