'Jessica Jones': A Feminist Manifesto - Part Four: The Anti-Heroine

Written by Kate McHargue

To wrap up this series, I want to focus on the badass feminist protagonist who gives this show its name. I’ve said in my previous articles how much Jessica represents a positive role model for women and all survivors of abuse, but I’ve also mentioned that she’s kind of a jerk. She’s rude, a little self-absorbed, frequently makes callous remarks and uses people as a means to her ends, and if we’re being honest she can be a bit of a bully. But even with all of the negative traits and general unlikeabilty, we root for her. She’s an anti-heroine, which is refreshing.

Don’t get me wrong, geek culture and especially the world of Marvel has given us female characters that are unlikeable or are of the “love to hate” variety, but these characters have either been sidekicks/part of a larger whole (Nolan’s Catwoman, Black Widow, Elektra, etc.) or are villains, not anti-heroes (Harley Quinn, Burton’s Catwoman).  And other than that, our female protagonists are entirely heroic, all good and moral with almost no rough edges (Wonder Woman). Jessica Jones is an actual, honest to goodness anti-heroine with moral gray areas and, at times, selfish motives. And she doesn’t give a damn what you think about her. She joins ranks with the myriad anti-heroes we’ve been given over the years, placing herself firmly in the company of the Walter White’s and Don Draper’s of the world.

One could argue that unlike these anti-heroes, Jessica Jones still does heroic things and “saves the day.” And that’s true. Perhaps in her role as anti-heroine the emphasis should be placed on the latter half of that title. But I’d ask anyone making this argument to consider the other super heroes of the world. Sure, Iron Man can be an egomaniac and perhaps Spider-Man has made some mistakes and questionable choices, but how many of them straight up kill a villain in cold blood? Many of our favorite super heroes refuse to kill and their villains meet their demise indirectly. And in Marvel’s Netflix Originals particularly, Luke Cage makes it clear that he will not stand for unnecessary violence, Daredevil follows a strict moral code and nearly unwaivering faith in the justice system, and both refuse to kill on the grounds that they will not stoop to the level of their enemies.
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Jessica, on the other hand, is perfectly ready and willing to do despicable things if it means bringing justice to the villains of the world. She rips a head off a corpse with her bare hands, tortures her enemy with electro shock and videos of his painful childhood, and when the time comes, she snaps his neck without any hesitation whatsoever.  So yes, she is most definitely a heroine who saves the day and does her part to rid the world of evil.

But she’s also a heroine that doesn’t mind blurring the lines of morality and doing what needs to be done. And she does all of this with a handle of bourbon, a dismissive scowl, and fists at the ready. Jessica Jones doesn’t need to be liked. Jessica Jones doesn’t want to be liked. And continuing her work as a positive female role model, it is refreshing to see a woman with no desire to be loved or popular. She's a woman who just wants to get shit done. Jessica Jones never pretends to be anything less or more than the anti-heroine she is, and this show’s final act of supreme feminism is to give us a female protagonist who is unapologetically herself.

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