Jan 06 2015 08:57 PM
Once again, we are force to confront one of Vic Sage's uncomfortable interfamilial match ups. Two important notes:
[list][*]Though when you see a woman with a feminization of a male hero's name, you're typically seeing a derivative hero, Jessica Jones is anything but, having had a long history as a hero under other names.[/*:m]
[*]When you see a male and female character have reflections of each other's names (Batman/Batwoman, Spider-Man/Spider-Woman), their placement in the universe is usually to construct a merely symbolic marriage --- a rivalry/occasional uneasy partnership with an awkward sexual undercurrent --- Power Man and Power Woman are actually a married couple, with Jessica not taking on the nickname until becoming Luke's wife.[/*:m][/list:u]
Both Luke and Jessica are probably more known among readers by their civilian names, but we tend to go by hero codenames in our match ups, so it's Power Man vs. Power Woman.
| [fimg=280]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/7/73958/2200946-luke_cage.jpg[/fimg] | [fimg=240]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_small/3/39027/1237872-new_avengers_vol_2_20100304112019839.jpg[/fimg] | ||
| Name: | Power Man | Name: | Power Woman |
| AKA: | Luke Cage; also Carl Lucas | AKA: | Jessica Campbell Jones Cage; also Jessica Jones, Jewel, and Knightress |
| Creator(s): | Archie Goodwin, John Romita, Sr. | Creator(s): | Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos |
| Place of Birth: | Harlem, New York, NY | Place of Birth: | Forest Hills, NY |
| How He Came to Be: | As a prisoner, he offered himself as a lab rat to a scientist trying to develop a super soldier formula. While the scientist's back was turned, a vindictive prison guard turned the machines up to 11, trying to kill the future Power Man. Kill him, it did not. | How She Came to Be: | As a young woman, her family was in a car accident which doused them in radioactive chemicals. Most of the family died in the wreck, but Jessica went into a coma, eventually waking up a badass. |
| Base of Operations: | Times Square, New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Mobile | Base of Operations: | Forest Hills, NY |
| Teams/Affiliations: | Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, Defenders, "Marvel Knights," Thunderbolts, Dark Avengers | Teams/Affiliations: | Mighty Avengers (Support Team), formerly New Avengers, Daily Bugle, Alias Investigations |
| Signature Lines: | "Sweet Christmas!" | Signature Lines: | "You shoot that gun at me--I will pull that bullet out of my ruined four hundred dollar leather jacket...and I will shove it up your ass with my pinky finger. And which one of us do you think that hurt more?" |
| Arch-Enemy: | Chemistro | Arch-Enemy: | Purple Man |
| Sidekick(s): | None. | Sidekick(s): | None. |
| Paramour(s): | Reva Collins, Dr. Claire Temple, Harmony Young, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Jessica Jones/Power Woman (wife) | Paramour | Peter Parker (unrequited), Clay Quartermain, Luke Cage (husband) |
| Has Been Played By: | Mike Colter | Once Played By: | Krysten Ritter |
| Could Have Been Played By: | Morris Chestnut | Could Have Been Played By: | Eliza Dushku |
| Song I Think Of: | "Soul Power" | Song I Think Of: | "The Power" |
| Supernatural Powers: | Luke's super strong and injury resistant, although not completely invulnerable, he's mostly bullet proof. He heals fast too. His jacket is as tough as his skin. | Supernatural Powers: | Jessica has super strength, enough to lift a car over her head. She also has some degree of invulnerablity (as implied by the quote above), but not completely so(she's bluffing somewhat). She can fly, although this ability has waned over the years. Jean Grey has given her mind protection against psionic attacts and other brain manipulation. She's healed from some pretty traumatic injuries. |
| Non-Super Abilities: | He's a gifted street fighter that has become even more adept studying under and working with Iron Fist. | Non-Super Abilities: | She is a skilled detective and an investigative journalist, and has some solid-but-not-great-hand-to-hand skills. She's a mother, which is a pretty good ability in its own right. |
| Weaknesses: | He's got a kid and everybody knows it. That can compromise a man. He's also a streetwise man who marches to his own beat, which can make him distrustful of institutions. | Weaknesses: | She's probably less invulnerable than that quote suggested. She's torn about her decisions, and has quit superheroing several times now. She has a kid, which compromises a person. |
