Not content with trying to keep unruly superheroes organized on the big screen, Marvel has also been expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe on TV. Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are covering the espionage angle over on ABC, while a new collection of Netflix shows are exploring the interlinked stories of Hell's Kitchen's superheroes and vigilantes.
After Daredevil kicked off this corner of the MCU in style, Jessica Jones is up next with Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) playing the titular character, a woman with superpowers who has turned to a career as a private detective after her brief superhero career went badly wrong. The supporting cast includes David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Zebediah Killgrave, the villain of the series, and Carrie-Anne Moss (Vegas) as a woman called Harper, who has so far only been described as someone in a position of power who could be a useful ally for Jessica.
As is typical of Marvel, this coy description and character name turned out to simply be a way of concealing who Moss is really playing, so that the information could be revealed today at New York Comic Con. During the Netflix panel, it was announced that Moss will actually be playing Jeryn Hogarth, a name that avid Marvel Comics readers may recognize.
The casting involves a gender-flip, as the comic book version of Jeryn Hogarth is a man. The character is more commonly associated with Iron Fist and Luke Cage, both of whom will also be getting their own Netflix shows, and is an attorney and manager for their business, Heroes for Hire. Jeryn Hogarth will be the second instance of an explicitly gay or bisexual character in the MCU, if the set photos of her kissing a female costar are anything to go by. The first was Inhuman Joey Gutierrez, who was introduced in the first episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3.
The name isn't completely certain just yet, as we (along with several other audience members) heard the name pronounced as "Jerri" (or possibly another spelling variation i.e. Jerry or Gerri), so Moss' character may have a slightly altered name to reflect the gender swap.
Luke Cage A.K.A. Power Man (Mike Colter) is already set to appear in Jessica Jones before all four heroes team up in The Defenders, so it makes sense that Jeryn Hogarth would also be introduced in Jessica Jones. With the different shows taking place in such close proximity, it seems likely that we'll see a lot of crossover characters and locations, as well as teases for upcoming shows.
As for what Jeryn and Jessica's relationship will be like, the initial character description hinted that Jessica's abrasive personality may risk alienating her potential ally, but as both a superhero and a private detective it's easy to see why she would want someone like Jeryn on her side.
Daredevil Season 1 is currently available on Netflix. Jessica Jones will be made available starting November 20th, 2015, followed by Luke Cage Season 1 and Daredevil Season 2 (a.k.a. Daredevil V Punisher) in 2016. Iron Fist and The Defenders will arrive sometime thereafter.