How Did Jessica Jones Get Her Powers? Netflix Origins Explained

Ever since the first season of Jessica Jones fans have one big question: How did Jessica Jones get her powers? So far the only answer seems to be "a car accident and some experiments." Three years later, we'll finally get closer to the truth. Here's all the clues we have about the origin story of Jessica Jones.

First, the car accident. Jessica was riding in the backseat with her brother, Phillip, when he started whining about his broken Game Boy. Jessica's father looks back to try and resolve the dispute, but loses control and hits an oncoming truck head-on. Jessica's whole family dies in the car accident, and this tragedy is where the decade-long mystery begins.

Jessica wakes from a coma and is adopted by Dorothy Walker, who is mentally and physically abusive toward Jessica and her sister, Trish. In flashbacks throughout the series, Jessica discovers her special abilities after getting angry, breaking a sink with her bare hands. Dorothy is horrified when she sees Jessica's abilities in action, and the two sisters bond over keeping Jessica's powers a secret.

It's not until the introduction of Trish's boyfriend, Will Simpson, that the origin mystery starts to heat up. After he's injured by Kilgrave, Simpson calls a doctor named Kozlov who saves his life with special pills. Turns out, he knows Kozlov because he volunteered to be part of a combat-enhancing drug trial during his military days. Trish investigates the shady situation with Kozlov and discovers a connection between Simpson and her sister: a mysterious acronym called IGH. According to medical records, IGH paid Jessica's hospital bills after the accident.

Those are all the facts we have, and unfortunately the comics are no help. It took Marvel quite a while to reveal Jessica Jones's origins in print and the Netflix TV series has proved no different. It's quite interesting that in the Season 2 trailers Jessica says the classic Uncle Ben line from Spider-Man. "If you say with great power comes great responsibility, I swear I'll throw up on you." In the comics, Peter Parker and Jessica both went to Midtown High and this Uncle Ben mention may be a callout to the Brian Michael Bendis run that reveals more about Jessica's backstory. But unfortunately, it's the same basic narrative we've seen so far in the series. An army truck carrying radioactive material crashes into the family car, killing everyone except for her. Six months later, Jessica wakes from a coma. That's it.

Regardless of the lack of clues from source material, avid fans do have a few theories about IGH. Remember that mysterious yellow USB drive Kilgrave got from Reva Connors before she was killed by a brainwashed Jessica Jones? It showed Kilgrave's parents experimenting on him, but it also showed quite a few other children stowed away against their will. Were Kilgrave's parents involved with IGH? That theory seems even more probable when you consider why Kilgrave manipulated Simpson into trying to kill Trish. Is it just coincidence he chose Simpson? Or is there a deeper IGH connection at work? Whatever the case, Reva Connors having that USB ties Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Kilgrave all together.

Another fan theory holds that Kilgrave, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones all got their powers from the IGH-associated doctors. What comic book fan doesn't enjoy a classic "everything is connected" resolution? According to the Season 2 trailers, Trish has all of Jessica's medical records and is committed to investigating what really happened to her. We do hear Janet McTeer's mystery character say something intriguing as well. "You were brought back from the dead. The powers were a side effect." The questions still persists, though. What and who brought Jessica back to life?

We should have answers of our own come March 8. Any theories? Let us know in the comments.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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