During mid-November, Netflix released Jessica Jones, the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second Marvel-Netflix crossover, the first being Marvel's Daredevil. This show, based off the Alias comics, received rave reviews from both viewers and critics alike. Part of the reason for this is the deep issues that are brought up throughout the season, including rape, PTSD, and victim-blaming. This show is, without a doubt, the realest show that has been released, discussing societal issues in a very dark manner, and truly showing what the world would be like if superpowers. There are three ways in which this was done:

Rape and Victim-Blaming:

In the show, the main villain, Kilgrave (David Tennant), has the power to make people do whatever he wants. Before the show began, he took control of Jessica, using her both as a companion and someone to do his dirty work for him. During this time, Kilgrave compelled Jessica into having sex with him, meaning that she never truly consented to sex. The show clearly acknowledges this as rape, going so far as to have Jessica confront Kilgrave about her rape about halfway through the season, which he denies. This is drastically different from the comics, which had Jessica do terrible things but never stated that she was raped. This change is important in an age where rape victims are often not believed because of their circumstance or anything they said before or after a rape. However, we still see victim-blaming in the series. Despite being in a universe with superheroes and aliens, people are hesitant to believe that someone like Kilgrave exists. All of his victims are victim-blamed and doubted unless someone is controlled by Kilgrave and sees his powers.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):

Throughout the early episodes of the show, Jessica sees Kilgrave wherever she goes, even before he actually appears in front of her. She often flashbacks to when she was under his control, and the terrible things that he made her do. In order to deal with this, she remembers the road she was raised on, the road on the corner, and the road a block over. This is how the audience is introduced to Jessica's PTSD. This isn't the first time PTSD is acknowledged in the Marvel Character Universe, especially when it is obvious the mental scars superpowers cause. However, in this case Jessica's PTSD isn't caused directly by her powers, but what somebody else did to abuse her. It not only fuels her revenge against Kilgrave, but is an internal struggle for her as she figures out how to help other people. Mental scars are important to discuss, especially when considering the effects of trauma.

Kilgrave as a Villain:

The antagonist of the show, Kilgrave, is a mind-controller who uses his powers to exert control and dominance over other people. In the show, he makes people jump off buildings, put their body parts through blenders, and starve themselves in order to manipulate Jessica. At the heart of it, he honestly believes that his actions will help win over Jessica, and even tries to get Jessica's pity by going "how do I know if somebody is doing what they want to, or what I want them to do?" When I first saw this villain, I thought he was heartless, inhuman, something that nobody could ever be. However, as I saw more of his character and learned about his motivations, I realized that this is the most "human" Marvel villain to date. In the comics, Kilgrave was completely purple and much more heartless than the Kilgrave on TV, where purple is only seen in flashbacks and in his clothes. The reason for this is that anybody could be Kilgrave. Given, most people would not be as cruel and malicious as Kilgrave is, but there are many people who would take his powers and use them to manipulate someone into doing what they want. Going back to the issue of rape and victim-blaming, many men feel entitled to sex and women's bodies, and many of whom would use Kilgrave's powers to get sex out of women. The biggest indication of such was in one line:

Kilgrave's calling card, seen in Jessica's flashbacks and in his encounters with Hope, is actually something many victims of catcalling complain about: misogynists who insist women show that they enjoy acts of abuse. This was the biggest indication, at least to me, that Kilgrave isn't as soulless and inhuman as people first assume. That many people could be him, should we live in a universe where these powers existed.

Jessica Jones is a deep show that discusses complex issues beyond the realm of superpowers. It answers many questions that people have about the Marvel Character Universe and how our world is not all too different.