‘Jessica Jones’ FAQ: Your Biggest Questions About Marvel’s New Series, Answered

Marvel’s Jessica Jones bring her particular brand of booze-addled superheroism to Hell’s Kitchen as early as tomorrow morning, joining Netflix’s first Defender Daredevil and even setting up Luke Cage (and a bit of Iron Fist) for good measure. We’ve already taken shots in Jessica Jones‘ honor, as one of Marvel’s greatest, darkest achievements, but before your own binge, get answers to some of Jessica Jones‘ most burning questions with our spoilery FAQ review of the first seven episodes!

[BE WARNED, SOME SPOILERS AHEAD]

So, where and when in the MCU does Jessica Jones fit?

Daredevil had a bit more heavy lifting in mentions of “The Incident” responsible for Hell’s Kitchen’s current state, but it’s safe to presume our November 2015 is their November 2015, jacket weather and all. No one exactly mentions a giant Thomas the Tank Engine, or a maniacal robot dropping entire countries out of the sky, but then again, why would they? It was nuts, but still half a world away, and Jessica isn’t exactly the current events-type.

Do I need to have seen any of the movies or shows for reference?

I wouldn’t think so. A few years ago, aliens tore up New York City. People have superpowers, but they’re not common. Congratulations, you’re up to speed.

So then, I’m guessing none of The Avengers drop by?

An emphatic no, despite how closely tied with the characters as comics have typically painted Jessica’s backstory. None of the major heroes are even referred to by name, but more cryptically as “the big green dude” or “the flag-waver.” That said, and I won’t spoil how, but this might be the first TV instance of seeing one of the characters’ costumes on screen.

Do any of the major Daredevil characters show up?

We know for a fact that at least one notable Daredevil face will pop up in all the Defenders series, but don’t expect much initial crossover with characters or events of Daredevil, other than the shared Hell’s Kitchen locale. You might recognize one character in the first seven episodes, depending how much attention you paid.

So Kilgrave doesn’t send Jessica to fight any other superheroes, like in the books?

Not that we can tell. Again, only by what we’ve seen, Jessica Jones plays a bit hazier with its lead’s backstory. We know she gained her powers in an accident, had designs on helping people as a superhero, and spent time with Kilgrave as companion and enforcer, but the timeline and circumstances of all these events are somewhat unclear.

What are the extent of Jessica’s powers?

Super-strong, seems to heal reasonably quick, for the amount of damage inflicted. Super-strength extends to super-leaps, and a four-minute mile, while Jessica likes to have some fun freaking out criminals with boasts of additional abilities.

No flight?

No flight. Her inability to do so is referenced several times, I’d imagine to set up a surprise down the line.

How about the classic “Jewel” costume?

Yes! Er … you’ll at least see the costume in flashback, but Jessica isn’t exactly enthused about it.

What kind of cases does Jessica take on?

Those in search of Jessica’s services commonly ask for help in locating someone who's gone off-radar, though, as Jessica herself puts it, more often she ends up with jilted spouses seeking evidence of their partner cheating.

What’s the story with Kilgrave’s powers?

Basically, he tells you to do something, and you comply. None of his victims are explicitly aware of his control at the time, they’re just uncertain why they agreed to something. The influence wears off after a certain amount of time without a renewal, but finding other limits, even a weakness, is of paramount importance.

How dark do Kilgrave’s misdeeds go? They got pretty heinous, even for comics.

Very much so. He’s as petulant as diabolical, casually commanding strangers to throw hot coffee in their faces over minor transgressions, and imprinting multiple layers of control on others for months at a time. The comics get a bit more specific with his sexual perversions, where the Netflix version reigns back that angle of torture a bit.

How badass is Luke Cage?

Pretty great! Confident, chisled, and a far cry from the sleazier version of early Alias comics. He and Jessica make a great team, when they’re not slamming each other into things … for one reason or another.

Do we get any setup of his own series?

More or less. Again, there’s plenty left in the season no critic has seen, but we get the sense that Luke has his reasons for eschewing the hero lifestyle, and a past that puts him in Hell’s Kitchen, rather than the Harlem we’ve come to associate the character with.

How are the fight scenes?

Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg and producers made the right call in advertising Jessica’s fighting skills as “one kick and boom, you’re down.” No one’s flipping down hallways Daredevil style, and what few fights we see are largely brawls. Bad guys do get reasonably creative testing heroes’ limits, though.

Is the series still as “PG-15” as Daredevil was?

Absolutely, if not more. They haven’t graduated to nudity, F-bombs, or more explicit gore (remember the car door from Daredevil), but there’s a great deal more sex involved. L-shaped sheets are one thing, but you may want to keep an eye on the volume.

Who else is in the supporting cast?

Well, there’s Jessica’s best friend Patsy “Trish” Walker (Rachael Taylor), a former child star with her own radio talk show, Jessica’s junkie neighbor Malcolm (Eka Darville), a police officer named Simpson (Wil Traval), and a college student named Hope (Erin Moriarty) who ends up entangled with Jessica and Kilgrave.

Is there any indication Trish will suit up as her comic alter-ego Hellcat?

She’s further along that path than you might expect.

What’s the deal with Carrie-Anne Moss’ character? Is she really an Iron Fist setup?

In so far as sharing her name with the Rand Corporation’s lawyer from the comics. Otherwise, Jeri Hogarth is a high-powered lawyer employing Jessica on a freelance basis, and reluctantly accepting some difficult cases along the way. We do spend a bit of time with her personal life, and garner a few implications of more sinister things she keeps to herself.

Are there any additional villains, the way Daredevil had a number of sub-bosses and enforcers?

Not really. Jessica isn’t a crimefighter, so there aren’t really any memorable figures outside of Kilgrave’s influence to come across.

What about Easter eggs of other series, or Marvel characters, a la Daredevil‘s Iron Fist allusions?

Nothing quite so overt, that I can recall. There’s one tongue-in-cheek scene that could be taken to allude to any number of obscure Marvel characters, though in the moment, it’s played as testimony to disregard.

We’re just hours away from Marvel’s Jessica Jones premiere, where you’ll see the answers to these and more for yourself, but what other big questions will the second Defenders series bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Check out the latest trailers below, and stay tuned for more on Marvel’s Jessica Jones!

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