Jinx (DC Comics)

Jinx is a fictional comic book supervillain and member of the Fearsome Five, appearing in books published by DC Comics universe. Created by Marv Wolfman and Chuck Patton, she first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (August 1985). This character bears no relation to the male character of the same name who first appeared in Adventure Comics #488 as an adversary of Chris King and Vicki Grant.

Publication history

She joined the supervillain group, the Fearsome Five, a frequent enemy of the Teen Titans, Superman and the Outsiders.^[1] She has also been a member of Villainy Inc. To date, her real name has not been revealed.

Fictional character biography

Jinx is an Indian elemental sorceress whose powers include the ability to command elements such as air, the manipulation of magical energy that she can manifest as offensive force bolts and green flame, the ability to dissolve matter, and create ground tremors. Jinx is bald and slender because of her cancer. She traditionally wears only a white two-piece loincloth bikini with golden jewelry, and she is always barefoot.

She first encountered the Fearsome Five when that group attacked a research facility belonging to S.T.A.R. Labs where Jinx and another criminal, Neutron were being incarcerated. The Five are defeated by the Teen Titans, but Jinx and Neutron decided to join the Fearsome Five. Jinx remained with the group even after Neutron subsequently left it, but after their next appearance in Adventures of Superman #430 (July 1987), in which they fought Superman alongside new members Deuce and Charger, the group disbanded, and Jinx was incarcerated in the metahuman prison on Alcatraz, along with her teammates Mammoth and Gizmo.

Jinx was part of Circe's army of female supervillains that was defeated by Wonder Woman and Earth's superheroines.^[2] Shortly thereafter, Jinx was recruited by Queen Clea into the re-formed all-female crime organization Villainy Inc. Together with Cyborgirl, Doctor Poison, Giganta, and Trinity, Jinx assists Clea in conquering the other-dimensional land of Skartaris. The plan, however, is commandeered by Trinity. The team has not appeared since.^[3]

Later, in a storyline in Outsiders #12–15 (July–October 2004), frequent Captain Marvel archenemy Dr. Sivana freed Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo from Alcatraz. Having summoned teammate Psimon and having brought her teammate Shimmer back to life after she had been turned into glass and shattered, Sivana put the team to work for him in a scheme to short sell Lexcorp stock by having them steal its accounts from its corporate building in Metropolis, and then driving down the stock by killing all the people in the building. Sivana also had them destroy two other Lexcorp properties. At the latter of the two, a microchip processor factory of Lexcorp's subsidiary, Kellacor, the Five were confronted by the Outsiders. After escaping, the criminally unsophisticated Five urged Sivana to take Lexcorp's nuclear missile facility near Joshua Tree, California. When Sivana refused, Psimon asserted that they would take it anyway, and in response, Sivana killed Gizmo with a laser blast to the head, and severed relations with the remaining four, warning them that he would kill them if they ever crossed his path again. The Five decided to enact their plan to take the facility and fire a nuclear missile at Canada, but were defeated by the Outsiders. Mammoth was returned to Alcatraz Island, but Jinx and the other members of the Five remain at large.

She was later seen among the new Injustice League, and is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run. She is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell free card from the Secret Six.

Powers and abilities

Jinx is a formidable elemental sorceress who draws her magic from the solid, natural ground. This is why she must have contact between the ground and her bare feet at all times, or else her magical effects become weakened or lost altogether. Some of her elemental abilities include, but are not limited to: generating powerful force blasts, conjuring wind bursts, summoning emerald flames, creating earth tremors, creative illusions, and even dissolving solid matter. Jinx also has precognitive abilities where she can sense danger moments before something happens. Jinx has an ability to converse with the Earth itself, to gently manipulate even greater magic stored there. Other abilities may exist but none are certain.

Other versions

Teen Titans Go!

The animated version of Jinx makes numerous appearances in the series comic adaption Teen Titans Go!, starting in issue #1. In #26–27, hints are given of Jinx later "turning over a new leaf" (like the hints in the episode Lightspeed). She also appears in issue #34 as Kid Flash's girlfriend. She gets captured with the other heroines by Blackfire and is rescued by the Titans in issue #36. In issue #39, she is still with Kid Flash; when Larry, who is playing Cupid, strikes other women with his love arrows when Flash wouldn't allow himself to be hit, she has her hands full with keeping them from flirting with her boyfriend. Jinx also appears in issue #40, still as part of the Hive Five at that time, and issue #43, helping the Titans stop the Fearsome Five. In #53, it is revealed that Jinx' nickname is "Lucky" and that she had entered a disappointing relationship with Kid Kold (aka Leo), before joining the H.I.V.E. In that issue she also shares her first kiss with Kid Flash.

In other media

Jinx from Teen Titans the animated series

Television

• A much younger image of Jinx appears in the Teen Titans animated series voiced by Lauren Tom in every appearance but her last, for which Tara Strong provided the voice. She is a H.I.V.E. student and often associates with Gizmo and Mammoth. She has pale skin, pink hair, pink eyes with cat-like pupils and a witch-like attire. The animated Jinx's power is probability manipulation, very similar to early portrayals of Marvel's Scarlet Witch. In one episode she meets Kid Flash and is smitten by him, and is forced to choose between helping Madame Rouge and the Brotherhood of Evil or Kid Flash. She decides to help Kid Flash, because of both her feelings for Flash and because of Madam Rouge's abusive behavior. She subsequently leaves H.I.V.E and joins the Titans with Kid Flash instead, an act to which Cyborg commented "Well, that was unexpected."

• Jinx appears in the Teen Titans Go! episodes "Girl's Night Out", Opposites", and "Operation Tin Man" voiced again by Lauren Tom.

Video games

• Jinx appears as a boss and unlockable character in the Teen Titans console game, voiced by Lauren Tom.
• Jinx appears as a boss in the Game Boy Advance game Teen Titans.
• Jinx appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Claire Hamilton, as part of the expansion pack "Sons of Trigon".

Web series

• Jinx appears in DC Super Hero Girls, as one of the background students of Super Hero High.

References