JESSICA JONES versus SCORPION
The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones 2 of 2 (Marvel)
Where: Alias #23 When: August 2003
Why: Brian Michael Bendis How: Michael Gaydos
The Story So Far...
Jessica Campbell was an ordinary kid until her life was turned upside down by a car accident on the way home from a family trip to Disney World.
The collision with a military convoy carrying hazardous chemicals killed her family, and left Jessica in a coma for six months. She awakens to a world in chaos as Galactus and his herald touch down in Manhattan.
If that wasn't bad enough: Jessica is soon adopted, and returned to a life of high school bullying and flashbacks to her family's death. The only upside is that she can now fly and break trees with a firm shove! With great power comes great possibility and fate is about to deliver Jessica to her first heroic moment!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Jessica Jones 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Scorpion 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Scorpion 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Scorpion 3 (Explosives)
Total: Scorpion 24 (Champion)
Every superhero origin story has its confrontation with a first foe. Some stories start with a nemesis that will stay with the hero for their entire career. In the case of Jessica Jones, the story is a bit more simple than that.
A family car accident involving certain hazardous materials left Jessica Jones in a coma, and unwittingly endowed with extraordinary powers. Living in an age of Marvels in New York City, she naturally considered using her newfound super-human strength, endurance, and ability to fly to fight crime.
Fate had already crossed Jessica's path with various super-human phenomena. Like many young girls, she admired teen heart throb Human Torch, unknowingly went to high school with Spider-man, nearly shared a chemical bath with Daredevil, woke from her coma when Galactus was in town, and was even rescued from drowning by a passing Thor! Which brings us to her first fight!
Scorpion was once private investigator Mac Gargan, but when he was hired to learn more about Peter Parker's connection to Spider-man - his life changed forever! In the pursuit of results, Daily Bugle Editor J. Jonah Jameson paid to submit Gargan to an experiment to grant him super-human powers.
Gargan possesses super-human strength, durability, reflexes, speed, and agility. He's also capable of clinging to walls, and wears an advanced powersuit with a trademark tail. Operating as an extra appendage with impressive whipping strength, the tail has also been upgraded to offer a variety of extras: spikes, poisons, electrical charge, acid spray, laser projectiles and more.
His most frequent sparring partner has been Spider-man, but over the years Scorpion has been a formidable foe to the likes of: Ms. Marvel, Captain America, The Avengers, Alpha Flight, and even the Rhino!
We've only seen the classic Scorpion in moments of defeat. Spider-man put an end to his mad vow for revenge in Spectacular Spider-man #215. He was also out maneuvered by Batman during a crossover in DC/Marvel: All Access #3!
Jessica Jones undoubtedly has the strength and endurance to take on Scorpion, but this early in her career, it's fair to question her preparedness for the wild strikes the villain is capable of. A lapse of concentration during a dark period left her exposed to The Owl during a flashback in The Pulse #13.
Scorpion's mental state isn't exactly balanced, and although he's more powerful than Spider-man, he's been known to be outwitted. Jessica's inexperience gives Scorpion an edge in combat, but also means she hasn't learnt fear. The Tape tells a tale that favours Scorpion. Let's see if it's right...
The Tape: Scorpion Ranking: Jessica Jones (#94)
What Went Down...
In the park: Jessica Jones tests her newfound powers with relative success. She can hoist a bike above her head no trouble, and snapping an oak requires little more than a small run-up. Flying is a little trickier, but once she takes off it isn't long before she has a bird's eye view of the world!
Where: Alias #23 When: August 2003
Why: Brian Michael Bendis How: Michael Gaydos
The Story So Far...
Jessica Campbell was an ordinary kid until her life was turned upside down by a car accident on the way home from a family trip to Disney World.
The collision with a military convoy carrying hazardous chemicals killed her family, and left Jessica in a coma for six months. She awakens to a world in chaos as Galactus and his herald touch down in Manhattan.
If that wasn't bad enough: Jessica is soon adopted, and returned to a life of high school bullying and flashbacks to her family's death. The only upside is that she can now fly and break trees with a firm shove! With great power comes great possibility and fate is about to deliver Jessica to her first heroic moment!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 5 (Super-Human)Intelligence: Jessica Jones 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Scorpion 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Scorpion 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Scorpion 3 (Explosives)
Total: Scorpion 24 (Champion)
Every superhero origin story has its confrontation with a first foe. Some stories start with a nemesis that will stay with the hero for their entire career. In the case of Jessica Jones, the story is a bit more simple than that.
A family car accident involving certain hazardous materials left Jessica Jones in a coma, and unwittingly endowed with extraordinary powers. Living in an age of Marvels in New York City, she naturally considered using her newfound super-human strength, endurance, and ability to fly to fight crime.
Fate had already crossed Jessica's path with various super-human phenomena. Like many young girls, she admired teen heart throb Human Torch, unknowingly went to high school with Spider-man, nearly shared a chemical bath with Daredevil, woke from her coma when Galactus was in town, and was even rescued from drowning by a passing Thor! Which brings us to her first fight!
Scorpion was once private investigator Mac Gargan, but when he was hired to learn more about Peter Parker's connection to Spider-man - his life changed forever! In the pursuit of results, Daily Bugle Editor J. Jonah Jameson paid to submit Gargan to an experiment to grant him super-human powers.
Gargan possesses super-human strength, durability, reflexes, speed, and agility. He's also capable of clinging to walls, and wears an advanced powersuit with a trademark tail. Operating as an extra appendage with impressive whipping strength, the tail has also been upgraded to offer a variety of extras: spikes, poisons, electrical charge, acid spray, laser projectiles and more.
His most frequent sparring partner has been Spider-man, but over the years Scorpion has been a formidable foe to the likes of: Ms. Marvel, Captain America, The Avengers, Alpha Flight, and even the Rhino!
We've only seen the classic Scorpion in moments of defeat. Spider-man put an end to his mad vow for revenge in Spectacular Spider-man #215. He was also out maneuvered by Batman during a crossover in DC/Marvel: All Access #3!
Jessica Jones undoubtedly has the strength and endurance to take on Scorpion, but this early in her career, it's fair to question her preparedness for the wild strikes the villain is capable of. A lapse of concentration during a dark period left her exposed to The Owl during a flashback in The Pulse #13.
Scorpion's mental state isn't exactly balanced, and although he's more powerful than Spider-man, he's been known to be outwitted. Jessica's inexperience gives Scorpion an edge in combat, but also means she hasn't learnt fear. The Tape tells a tale that favours Scorpion. Let's see if it's right...
The Tape: Scorpion Ranking: Jessica Jones (#94)
What Went Down...
In the park: Jessica Jones tests her newfound powers with relative success. She can hoist a bike above her head no trouble, and snapping an oak requires little more than a small run-up. Flying is a little trickier, but once she takes off it isn't long before she has a bird's eye view of the world!
In town, the costumed villain known as Scorpion is on a desperate dash for cash and a bee-line out of the city! He uses his suit's tail to shatter the window of a local laundromat and issue his demands.
It isn't exactly Fort Knox in terms of security -- or riches. His targets don't have much more than loose change and dirty clothes. The deranged Scorpion isn't about to change his plans any time soon, though.
He re-issues his demands, threatening the perturbed trio of laundromat patrons with a wiggle of his tail. He clearly didn't notice the girl flying above him.
It wasn't the most elegant take down, but a girl with super-human strength dropping out of the sky doesn't exactly need style points. The impact does it's job - knocking Scorpion out cold before he even knew what him!
Jessica sits on top of the unconscious villain - slightly stunned. Passersby ask if she's the latest superhero in town. After a moment's pause, she decides that's exactly what she is. They discuss her lack of costume, confident in the safety of Jessica's first heroic triumph!
The Hammer...
Every hero has their first fight, but they don't always claim victory on debut. It may've been unorthodox, but Jessica Jones notches up a big win in her first outing! Not bad for a rookie!
Scorpion probably isn't the most obvious foe for a teen Jessica Jones, but I always appreciate it when writers pick up on a small detail that inspires otherwise unusual pairings.
Jessica Jones' superhero career doesn't exactly go well. Eventually she quits the costume biz and gets into more down-to-earth work with Alias Investigations. That little meta connection to Mac Gargan's origins as a P.I. is a lot of fun, and elevates an otherwise arbitrary pairing to something more interesting.
It surprises me slightly that the two characters didn't have more to do with each other. I can't think of any stories that revisited the pairing, and I wonder if that's still fertile territory left untouched.
As a mature readers MAX series: Alias ultimately had higher-minded ideas, tackling a darker side of the Marvel Universe, most notably with the invasive exploitation by Purple Man -- the series' most challenging and iconic plot.
Jessica Jones did eventually make it into wider circulation via The Pulse, though: A short-lived series that turned private investigator Jones into a "vigilante analyst" for The Daily Bugle.
Mac Gargan has a long held homicidal hatred for Bugle Editor in Chief, J Jonah Jameson. A great many of his appearances have largely revolved around violent attacks on the publisher! Which would've made it very easy to bring Scorpion into Jessica's life again for a positive ID on the unmasked girl who sat on him. Thus igniting a beautiful new arch-rivalry!
I might've even enjoyed a brief return to Gargan's skills as an investigator.
Most stories tend to double-down on the madness Gargan incurred after being forced to live inside his Scorpion suit. That hatred of J Jonah Jameson, of course, is owed to his role in taking the humble investigator, and making him a half-crazed super-villain who needed a bright green suit to live.
At the time of The Pulse: Gargan was bonded to the Venom Symbiote - meaning he could've easily operated more discreetly than the days of relying on his bulky green power-suit. Perhaps a moment of lucidity leads Gargan to try attacking [The Bugle] where it hurts, by lending his investigative services to a publishing rival? It's hindsight, but it might've been a fun avenue to see explored.
Jessica Jones' future feels a little uncertain with creator Brian Bendis leaving for DC Comics. If new writers take her forward in the Marvel Universe, I wonder if some of these ideas might get a run. The character is still recent enough that her history might inspire further exploration. Scorpion is tipped to be a big deal again, too, if Sony follow through with that Silver Sable/Black Cat movie.
As you can probably tell, I don't love Scorpion as the comedy punching bag, but Alias was hardly the first time he fell flat on his face. These days he's back in the Scorpion suit and mixing it up with Spidey and Black Cat. Heck, even Shocker survived the serial mocking Bendis treatment to make it big again.
I could go on for many more hours about B tier villains, but it's probably time we wrap this up. There are many more fights to get to!
If you'd like to examine today's featured fight in its entirety, you can do just that by picking up a collected edition via the Amazon link provided [embedded right]! Doing so helps support the site at no extra charge to you!
Note: Alias is a Marvel MAX mature readers series. It contains adult language and sensitive subjects. Please ensure you are making responsible, age-appropriate decisions before making the purchase.
Need more superhero smackdown in your life? Follow links throughout this post to discover new and exciting battles. Or just dive into the Secret Index to access hundreds of fights organized by publisher, series, and issue number! Subscribe to Twitter and Facebook for daily links to fights inspired by the topic of the day! A like, share, or retweet is another great way to show your support!
Winner: Jessica Jones
#56 (+38) Jessica Jones
#373 (-7) Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
Scorpion probably isn't the most obvious foe for a teen Jessica Jones, but I always appreciate it when writers pick up on a small detail that inspires otherwise unusual pairings.
Jessica Jones' superhero career doesn't exactly go well. Eventually she quits the costume biz and gets into more down-to-earth work with Alias Investigations. That little meta connection to Mac Gargan's origins as a P.I. is a lot of fun, and elevates an otherwise arbitrary pairing to something more interesting.
It surprises me slightly that the two characters didn't have more to do with each other. I can't think of any stories that revisited the pairing, and I wonder if that's still fertile territory left untouched.
As a mature readers MAX series: Alias ultimately had higher-minded ideas, tackling a darker side of the Marvel Universe, most notably with the invasive exploitation by Purple Man -- the series' most challenging and iconic plot.
Jessica Jones did eventually make it into wider circulation via The Pulse, though: A short-lived series that turned private investigator Jones into a "vigilante analyst" for The Daily Bugle.
Mac Gargan has a long held homicidal hatred for Bugle Editor in Chief, J Jonah Jameson. A great many of his appearances have largely revolved around violent attacks on the publisher! Which would've made it very easy to bring Scorpion into Jessica's life again for a positive ID on the unmasked girl who sat on him. Thus igniting a beautiful new arch-rivalry!
I might've even enjoyed a brief return to Gargan's skills as an investigator.
Most stories tend to double-down on the madness Gargan incurred after being forced to live inside his Scorpion suit. That hatred of J Jonah Jameson, of course, is owed to his role in taking the humble investigator, and making him a half-crazed super-villain who needed a bright green suit to live.
At the time of The Pulse: Gargan was bonded to the Venom Symbiote - meaning he could've easily operated more discreetly than the days of relying on his bulky green power-suit. Perhaps a moment of lucidity leads Gargan to try attacking [The Bugle] where it hurts, by lending his investigative services to a publishing rival? It's hindsight, but it might've been a fun avenue to see explored.
Jessica Jones' future feels a little uncertain with creator Brian Bendis leaving for DC Comics. If new writers take her forward in the Marvel Universe, I wonder if some of these ideas might get a run. The character is still recent enough that her history might inspire further exploration. Scorpion is tipped to be a big deal again, too, if Sony follow through with that Silver Sable/Black Cat movie.
As you can probably tell, I don't love Scorpion as the comedy punching bag, but Alias was hardly the first time he fell flat on his face. These days he's back in the Scorpion suit and mixing it up with Spidey and Black Cat. Heck, even Shocker survived the serial mocking Bendis treatment to make it big again.
I could go on for many more hours about B tier villains, but it's probably time we wrap this up. There are many more fights to get to!
If you'd like to examine today's featured fight in its entirety, you can do just that by picking up a collected edition via the Amazon link provided [embedded right]! Doing so helps support the site at no extra charge to you!
Note: Alias is a Marvel MAX mature readers series. It contains adult language and sensitive subjects. Please ensure you are making responsible, age-appropriate decisions before making the purchase.
Need more superhero smackdown in your life? Follow links throughout this post to discover new and exciting battles. Or just dive into the Secret Index to access hundreds of fights organized by publisher, series, and issue number! Subscribe to Twitter and Facebook for daily links to fights inspired by the topic of the day! A like, share, or retweet is another great way to show your support!
Winner: Jessica Jones
#56 (+38) Jessica Jones
#373 (-7) Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
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