# List of Jessica Jones characters
**Jessica Jones** is the cast of fictional characters who appear in *Marvel's Jessica Jones*, the American television series based on the [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics) character, which ran on Netflix from 2015 to 2019 across three seasons and later moved to Disney+.[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.mediapost.com/uploads/TheSternbergReport130.pdf) • [2](https://video.disney.com/watch/the-streaming-home-of-marvel-disney-5da6c44a5b572ebd6b4f2a72) The title character is a private investigator in New York and a former superhero, played by [Krysten Ritter](https://www.edgepedia.org/krysten-ritter).[3](https://time.com/4120228/jessica-jones-review-netflix-marvel/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title character | Jessica Campbell Jones, a superstrong private investigator running Alias Investigations; played by Krysten Ritter[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1370/marvels-jessica-jones/characters) • [15](https://www.marvel.com/comics/guides/427/jessica-jones) |
| Comic debut | Alias #1, September 2001, created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos[6](https://www.superherohype.com/features/355633-jessica-jones-origins-and-evolutions) |
| Main cast size | 16 characters listed as main characters on TVmaze, from Jessica Jones (39 main appearances) down to Pryce Cheng (6)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1370/marvels-jessica-jones/characters) |
| Season 1 villain | Kilgrave (Kevin Thompson), a man who compels others through speech, played by David Tennant[3](https://time.com/4120228/jessica-jones-review-netflix-marvel/) • [7](https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/2019/07/the-good-paranoia-notes-on-jessica-jones%EF%BB%BF/) |
| Cross-show characters | Luke Cage, Daredevil's Foggy Nelson, and Claire Temple appear across the Netflix Defenders shows[8](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Category%3AJessica_Jones_%28TV_series%29_Characters) |
| Later MCU appearances | Ritter reprised Jessica Jones in *Daredevil: Born Again* season 2 (2026), with Mike Colter (Luke Cage) and Finn Jones (Iron Fist) joining for season 3[9](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-season-2-exclusive-showrunner-talks-reuniting-the-defenders-for-the-first-time-in-7-years-bringing-jessica-jones-back-in-this-season-was-top-of-the-checklist/) • [10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-ending-season-3/) |
## The title character
Jessica Campbell Jones is a private investigator in New York who tailing adulterers and drinking whiskey replaces a superhero career she abandoned. The series presents her as a rape survivor whose attacker, Kilgrave, could compel her through speech, and her story is driven by recovery from that abuse rather than heroic ambition; season two reveals that her powers resulted from experimental treatment by Dr. Karl Malus at IGH after her car accident as a teenager.[7](https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/2019/07/the-good-paranoia-notes-on-jessica-jones%EF%BB%BF/) • [11](https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/read/diverging-the-popular/section/e168a0b1-60bd-45d9-bac8-7a310e53e820) • [12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2015/11/23/supergirl-and-jessica-jones-how-do-tvs-heroines-compare/) • [20](https://www.bustle.com/p/what-did-igh-do-to-jessica-jones-season-2-gives-her-new-insight-into-how-she-gained-her-powers-8427040) She was the first female superhero to lead any MCU piece, on screen large or small.[11](https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/read/diverging-the-popular/section/e168a0b1-60bd-45d9-bac8-7a310e53e820)
## Main characters
TVmaze lists the following characters as main characters, with the number of episodes in which each appears as a series regular.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1370/marvels-jessica-jones/characters)
- **Jessica Campbell Jones** (Krysten Ritter), 39 main appearances.
- **Patricia "Trish" Walker** ([Rachael Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/rachael-taylor)), 38 appearances; Jessica's closest friend, a former model turned talk show host who in the comics donned the superhero identity Hellcat.[13](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/)
- **Malcolm Ducasse**, 35 appearances; Jessica's neighbor, who gets clean from drug addiction and works as her assistant.
- **Jeri Hogarth** ([Carrie-Anne Moss](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrie-anne-moss)), 34 appearances; a lawyer and, in the comics, confidante and adviser to the family of Danny Rand, Iron Fist.[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/11/19/television/1447950221_280184.html)
- **Kilgrave / Kevin Thompson** ([David Tennant](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-tennant)), 11 main appearances; the season 1 villain, also known in the comics as the Purple Man.[13](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/)
- **Alisa Jones**, 11 appearances.
- **Oscar Arocho**, 10 appearances.
- **Erik Gelden**, 10 appearances.
- **Will Simpson**, 8 appearances.
- **Zaya Okonjo**, 9 appearances.
- **Gregory Sallinger**, 9 appearances.
- **Luke Cage** (Mike Colter), 7 appearances; Jessica's love interest, a fellow superhero who shares her superstrength and stars in his own Netflix series.[13](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/)
- **Inez Green**, 8 appearances.
- **Hope Shlottmann**, 7 appearances.
- **Kith Lyonne**, 7 appearances.
- **Pryce Cheng**, 6 appearances.
Recurring guest characters include Detective Eddy Costa (14 guest appearances), Dorothy Walker (13), Gillian (8), Pam (7), Wendy Ross-Hogarth (7), Griffin Sinclair (6), and Dr. Karl Malus (6).[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1370/marvels-jessica-jones/characters) The MCU Wiki's category for the series counts 238 character pages in total, including the Defenders Saga's shared characters such as [Foggy Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/foggy-nelson) from *Daredevil* and [Claire Temple](https://www.edgepedia.org/claire-temple), the nurse who threads through the Netflix shows.[8](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Category%3AJessica_Jones_%28TV_series%29_Characters)
## Characters from the comics
The Grand Comics Database records 91 characters with appearances in the *Jessica Jones* comic series published from 2016 to 2018, written by the character's original creators.[14](https://www.comics.org/series/107882/characters/) • [15](https://www.marvel.com/comics/guides/427/jessica-jones) Alongside Jessica herself, the list includes her comics family and associates: [Luke Cage](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-cage) (19 issues), their daughter Danielle Cage (14), [Carol Danvers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carol-danvers) (10), Daredevil/Matt Murdock (4), [Captain America](https://www.edgepedia.org/captain-america), Sharon Carter, Nick Fury, Doctor Octopus, Ben Grimm, and Tiger Shark, among others.[14](https://www.comics.org/series/107882/characters/) In the comics Jessica is married to Luke Cage and is the mother of their infant daughter Danielle.[16](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/jessica-jones/4075-613/characters/)
Jessica's comics history also ties her to wider Marvel characters: she attended Midtown High with Peter Parker, on whom she had a crush, and in *[Alias](https://www.edgepedia.org/alias-comics)* her lawyer is Matt Murdock, her best friend is Carol Danvers, and she briefly dates Scott Lang.[13](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/) • [5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/11/19/television/1447950221_280184.html)
## Adaptation changes
Several characters were altered between page and screen. Jeryn Hogarth, a male lawyer who has appeared in the comics since the 1970s, became the woman Jeri Hogarth played by Carrie-Anne Moss, making her the MCU's first openly gay principal character.[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/11/19/television/1447950221_280184.html) Kilgrave is originally a Daredevil villain, and his backstory with Jones occupies only a couple of issues of *Alias*, while the series made him its central antagonist for season 1.[17](https://d1vzi28wh99zvq.cloudfront.net/pdf_previews/240732-sample.pdf) The TV Jessica never wears the costume of her comics alter ego Jewel.[18](https://sciendo.com/2/v2/download/article/10.1515/genst-2017-0017.pdf) Trish Walker assumes her comics identity as Hellcat during the show's third season, and by the end of the show's run her storyline had closed differently from the comics.[13](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/) • [8](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Category%3AJessica_Jones_%28TV_series%29_Characters) • [21](https://www.tvguide.com/news/jessica-jones-season-3-netflix-review/)
## Later appearances
After the Netflix series ended in 2019, Krysten Ritter returned as [Jessica Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-jones) in *Daredevil: Born Again* season 2 on Disney+, her first appearance since the show's finale, with showrunner [Dario Scardapane](https://www.edgepedia.org/dario-scardapane) describing bringing her back as "top of the checklist".[9](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-season-2-exclusive-showrunner-talks-reuniting-the-defenders-for-the-first-time-in-7-years-bringing-jessica-jones-back-in-this-season-was-top-of-the-checklist/) Season 3, confirmed as the show's last at New York Comic Con, reunites all four street-level heroes, with Ritter joined by [Mike Colter](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-colter)'s Luke Cage and Finn Jones's Iron Fist.[19](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/what-marvels-television-and-animation-nycc-panel-means-for-the-future-of-the-mcu/) • [10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-ending-season-3/)
## References
1. [The Sternberg Report 130, February 2022](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.mediapost.com/uploads/TheSternbergReport130.pdf)
2. [The Streaming Home of Marvel, Disney Video](https://video.disney.com/watch/the-streaming-home-of-marvel-disney-5da6c44a5b572ebd6b4f2a72)
3. [Jessica Jones Is Marvel's Most Nuanced Heroine Yet, TIME](https://time.com/4120228/jessica-jones-review-netflix-marvel/)
4. [Marvel's Jessica Jones – Characters, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1370/marvels-jessica-jones/characters)
5. [¿Quién es Jessica Jones? La heroína Marvel que rompe tabúes, El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/11/19/television/1447950221_280184.html)
6. [Jessica Jones: Origins and Evolutions, SuperHeroHype](https://www.superherohype.com/features/355633-jessica-jones-origins-and-evolutions)
7. [The Good Paranoia: Notes on Jessica Jones, Michigan Quarterly Review](https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/2019/07/the-good-paranoia-notes-on-jessica-jones%EF%BB%BF/)
8. [Category:Jessica Jones (TV series) Characters, MCU Wiki](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Category%3AJessica_Jones_%28TV_series%29_Characters)
9. [Daredevil: Born Again season 2 showrunner talks reuniting the Defenders, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-season-2-exclusive-showrunner-talks-reuniting-the-defenders-for-the-first-time-in-7-years-bringing-jessica-jones-back-in-this-season-was-top-of-the-checklist/)
10. [Daredevil: Born Again to End With Season 3 at Disney+, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/daredevil-born-again-ending-season-3/)
11. ["So Go After the Big Green Guy or the Flag Waver": The MCU Reality Bridge, Diverging the Popular, UCalgary Press](https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/read/diverging-the-popular/section/e168a0b1-60bd-45d9-bac8-7a310e53e820)
12. ['Supergirl' and 'Jessica Jones': How do TV's heroines compare?, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2015/11/23/supergirl-and-jessica-jones-how-do-tvs-heroines-compare/)
13. [Everything You Need to Know About Marvel's Jessica Jones, TIME](https://time.com/4029412/jessica-jones-marvel/)
14. [Jessica Jones (2016 series) characters, Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/series/107882/characters/)
15. [Jessica Jones Character Close Up, Marvel Comics Reading List](https://www.marvel.com/comics/guides/427/jessica-jones)
16. [Jessica Jones Characters, Comic Vine](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/jessica-jones/4075-613/characters/)
17. [Sample chapter on Jessica Jones and Netflix adaptation, UCalgary Press](https://d1vzi28wh99zvq.cloudfront.net/pdf_previews/240732-sample.pdf)
18. [Analysis of the Jessica Jones TV series, Genres & Studies (Sciendo)](https://sciendo.com/2/v2/download/article/10.1515/genst-2017-0017.pdf)
19. [What Marvel's Television and Animation NYCC panel means for the future of the MCU, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/what-marvels-television-and-animation-nycc-panel-means-for-the-future-of-the-mcu/)
20. [What Did IGH Do To Jessica Jones? Season 2 Gives Her New Insight Into How She Gained Her Powers](https://www.bustle.com/p/what-did-igh-do-to-jessica-jones-season-2-gives-her-new-insight-into-how-she-gained-her-powers-8427040)
21. [Jessica Jones Season 3 Review - TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/jessica-jones-season-3-netflix-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Fictional universes, characters, and attribute reference › Drama, procedural, and action-series characters › Action and adventure series characters*
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