‘Marvel’s Jessica Jones’ Is More Than Just Oral Sex & Gritty Violence — It’s Revolutionary Superhero Storytelling

I’m going to assume that by now you have already heard that Marvel’s Jessica Jones is going to be a “different kind” of superhero show. It’s going to be “edgy.” It’s going to be violent. It’s going to be about a “hard-drinking, short-fused, mess of a woman” who has casual doggy-style sex. But if you’re one of the people just looking at the rough sex between two super-strong superheroes, illicit lesbian love affairs, and sunlit afternoon cunnilingus, you’re actually missing the bigger picture.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones isn’t edgy simply because it’s showing us sex and violence, but because it’s giving us a far more human superhero than ever before. This show isn’t simply about some quippy everyman realizing that he has both the power and responsibility to help people, but rather it’s about a group of victims who decide to rise up and become heroes that fight back against their oppressor. Every choice in the show pushes back against Marvel’s typical pattern. It’s not an origin story, it doesn’t look at good and evil in black and white terms, and it’s not about a lone white man shouldering the burden to save the world like some Ayn Rand wet dream. In fact, you could almost argue that the tone and subject matter of the show is focused on correcting these tried and true sins of the superhero genre.

If the onslaught of moody trailers haven’t clued you in, Marvel’s Jessica Jones is kind of like an R-rated Veronica Mars set in the world of the Avengers. The show’s film noir style mixed with wry humor makes it a natural showcase for the dazzling Krysten Ritter. For years, the actress has made a name for herself playing sharp comedy foils and smoldering femme fatales, but Jessica Jones is the first role where she is given free reign to show off the full spectrum of her unique range. Jones has a snappy wit, but she’s also a hard-boiled private eye running from her secret past: she tried to be a superhero but was manipulated into performing terrible crimes by a sadistic mind-controller named Kilgrave (David Tennant). Jones is as haunted by her own sins as she is by her inherent “otherness.” Even without her powers, she isn’t the type of woman who fits in. Her vice-ridden lifestyle doesn’t serve to make her a morally ambiguous heroine, but to illustrate how the pain of her past has driven her to certain types of self-harm.

Superhero stories typically look at good and evil in black and white terms. The hero is good and the villain is bad. It’s the simplistic moral code of ancient myths and fairy tales. However, the new Marvel Netflix shows are injecting new shades of grey into this spectrum. Marvel’s Daredevil began this transition in earnest with the use of Catholicism; Matt Murdock’s conscience was often as bruised and battered as his body was. Jessica Jones pushes it even further. Even though her powers are purely physical, her job and skill set lie in uncovering secrets and lies. Her crusade isn’t tackling some big threat from the sky, but exposing the darkness within each of us. Often, she has to first face herself.

Her nemesis, Kilgrave, is in effect, a physical manifestation of this interior battle and Tennant plays him with an unctuous reptilian charm. Even as he smirks through every scene, he leaves an unsettling sense of filth behind in his wake. He convinces people that they want to give up their homes, their lives, their families, their sanity, themselves…all for his amusement. It’s a far more intimate threat and therefore a more terrifying one. It’s hard now to fear a legion of CGI aliens surging from the sky, but anyone can lose their mind — even superheroes. Jessica Jones and her sometimes lover, Luke Cage (Mike Colter), are physically unbeatable. She is super-strong and he is invulnerable to boot.  Their weaknesses are all within: their fears, their loves, their losses, their guilt, and their self-control. Kilgrave can exploit all this and more which means that Kilgrave is by far the scariest Marvel baddie to date.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones doesn’t ask us who we could be if we had a suit or a mask or a super serum injected into us. Instead, it wonders if it’s possible to save the day without first facing off against ourselves. That’s why she’s simply called “Jessica Jones.” This isn’t a story about an everyman becoming a superman — it’s about a woman reclaiming herself.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones debuts tomorrow November 20 on Netflix.

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[Photos: Photo: Myles Aronowitz/Netflix]