It is no question that in Marvel and DC comics, there are more males superheroes than female ones. Although there are movies and TV shows that include female superheroes, women rarely assume the role of the main protagonist in this genre. When we think of superheroes- typically Batman, Spider-Man, or Captain America initially come to mind. However, I recently finished watching Season 1 of Marvel's Jessica Jones on Netflix and I have to say that my perspective on superheroes has changed.

Jessica Jones defies the stereotypical role of females in the media. Not only does she have super strength, but she also fights Kilgrave's mind-control, which no one else in the show can do, even though they want to. This shows that she has the willpower that no one else has on the show, whether they are male or female.

We know that several superheroes have had disturbing childhoods in their origin stories, which attribute to the heroism they display later in life. Jessica's parents and younger brother were tragically killed in a car crash, where she was the sole survivor. After this incident, she gained her powers. Kilgrave, the antagonist of the series, produces mind control, where he can simply give anyone a command and they immediately listen to him. When Kilgrave discovered Jessica's powers, he used this evil mind-control maliciously on her and used it to kidnap, rape, and torture her.

Instead of the show focusing solely on Jessica's victimization, it focuses more on how she combats these dark issues. The show as a whole is very dark, as Jessica faces issues such as rape, PTSD, alcoholism, and a lack of attachment towards others. While the show still includes Jessica's symptoms of PTSD with flashbacks, guilt, and so forth, she sets her pain aside and continues to fight through it to bring Kilgrave to justice so that he cannot hurt others.

After Kilgrave forces her to kill an innocent woman with her super-strength, she gains the will and independence to break away from his control. Instead, she is the one who takes control of the situation. She is not the victim of the villain, she is now the hero. Unlike many movies and TV shows, the woman does not wait for the man to save her. She is often the one saving male characters, such as Malcolm, for example, another victim of Kilgrave who was forced to become a struggling drug addict.

After Jessica experiences this manipulation and trauma that Kilgrave caused her, she still has the mental capacity to help others with her Private Investigation work. Even without her physical super-strength, she helps others such as Hope, another victim of Kilgrave's mind-control who was kidnapped and violated by him. Throughout the season, she seeks justice for not only herself, but for Hope and the other victims of Kilgrave's tormenting.

In one episode, Trish Walker says to Jessica, "Men and power. It's seriously a disease." In this Netflix TV series, Jessica Jones combats the patriarchy that society faces. She becomes the hero by saving the city from Kilgrave's manipulation in the interest of others, not in her own self-interest. The dark issues that are shown in this series make society aware that females do experience trauma and are able to overcome it, just as men are.