Jenny Quantum

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Jenny Quarx


Jenny Quarx, artist Gene Ha

Publisher Wildstorm
First appearance The Authority #13
(May 2000) as a child
Authority: Revolution #7
(June 2005) as a teenager
Created by Warren Ellis (writer)
Bryan Hitch (artist)
Ed Brubaker (writer)
Dustin Nguyen (artist)
Characteristics
Alter ego Jennifer Quarx
Affiliations The Authority
Notable aliases Jenny Quantum
Abilities Undefined quantum power blasts, teleportation, flight
100 year lifespan, not aging once she reaches adulthood

Jenny Quantum (also known as Jenny Quarx) is a fictional comic book superhero in the Wildstorm Universe published by DC Comics. She first appeared as a child in The Authority #13 (May 2000), and was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. She afirst appeared as a teenager in Authority: Revolution #7 (June 2005), and was developed by Ed Brubaker and Dustin Nguyen.

[edit] Fictional character history

Jenny Quantum was born January 1, 2000 in Singapore), during the death of Jenny Sparks, where her birth mother was killed by super villains attempting to kidnap her and shape the coming century. Her biological father’s identity and whereabouts are unknown. She was rescued and cared for by the Authority and later adopted by Apollo and Midnighter shortly after their marriage. She is the current leader of superhero team, The Authority.

Jenny first appeared in The Authority #13 as a child and Authority: Revolution #7 as a teenager, although it could be inferred that Quantum is the newborn depicted in the last panel of The Authority #12 . Quantum is the corporeal spirit of the 21st century, and the youngest known Century Baby, as well as the reincarnation of the Spirit of the 20th Century, Jenny Sparks.

In Authority: Revolution #7, Quantum forced herself to age several years into her teens so that she could better fight the threat of Henry Bendix and his evil group. While fighting Bendix, Jenny was able to free the current Doctor, Habib Ben Hassan, and enlist him in the fight against Bendix.

[edit] Worldstorm

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In Captain Atom: Armageddon #9, Captain Atom inadvertently kills Jenny Quantum when she attempts to quiet the energy build-up within him that is about to destroy the universe.

However, promotional artwork for the new Morrison/Ha version of The Authority show Jenny Quantum, now renamed as Jenny Quarx, standing in the middle of the poster as the leader of the new Authority, which also appears to have the same line-up as the previous version. Quantum/Quarx is wearing a t-shirt with the Singaporean flag, in a manner reminiscent of Jenny Sparks' Union Jack t-shirts.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Powers and abilities

  • Due to her young age, Jenny's powers have not been fully defined. As a newborn she produced an energy blast of sufficient strength to disintegrate the legs of a giant who was attempting to kill her.
  • She has the ability to teleport between points on Earth and also other dimensions, as well as independent flight. It has been stated that Jenny Quantum's powers are far in excess of those possessed by her predecessor Jenny Sparks, and that she still is the most endangered of all.
  • Inspired by the Doctor's Garden of Ancestral Memory, Jenny created a dimension for all her ancestors called the Infinite City, a metropolis of assorted time-periods on the back of a giant turtle. Jenny Quantum's lineage extends to the earliest accounts of human history, which include Jenny Stone and Jenny Fire, the first two "Century Spirits". Her direct ancestors before Jenny Sparks are Jenny Steam, Jenny Revolution, Jenny Plague and Jenny Inquisition.
  • It has been suggested that, like Jenny Sparks, Jenny Quantum and the human race are linked for the current century and in Jenny Quantum's case, until the end of 2099. Meaning during a great depression, Jenny would be in a state of personal depression, though it is unknown if one causes the other or how. It has also been theorized that if she were raised with, for example, Nazi beliefs then humanity would fall under similar philosophies, though this has yet to be determined.