Jessica Cruz
Jessica Cruz is a female comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Jessica Viviana Cruz was a female human being native to the planet Earth. Her sister was Sara Cruz with her being close to her sibling. (Green Lanterns v1 #2)
She used to work at the coffee shop at her student union where she used to enjoy being among customers and talking to people. (Green Lanterns v1 #33)
At her apartment, she came to be visited by the Power Ring of Volthoom who forcibly bonded to her against her will. The ring went berserk causing her to lash out at everyone in Portland, Oregon where it attacked the police at the scene. It was then that she was confronted by the Doom Patrol where the Chief sent them to take Cruz down. (Justice League v2 #31) During the fight, Element Woman came to realise that Cruz was not in control of her powers and that it was the ring. At the same time, the Justice League arrived where they were helping save civilians at the scene. Volthoom had wanted his wielder to set a fire that could be seen across the Multiverse which would serve as a beacon to draw a powerful being to this world. (Justice League v2 #32) During the fighting, she was rendered unconscious with Caulder looking to acquire her to be one of his experiments but was stopped by the intervention of Lex Luthor. The ring then woke her up and used constructs based on her past trauma to generate fear that it could use at the superhumans at the scene. Batman though managed to calm her down and deprive the ring of its power causing it to shutdown allowing Jessica to be taken to safety. (Justice League v2 #33)
Green Lanterns
She was later informed by her ring of a hostile alien presence on Earth where she encountered fellow Corpsmen Simon Baz with the two disputing the others status as Green Lantern. They were confronted by a robotic Manhunter where they were almost defeated but it was revealed that the robot was simply a training drone assembled by Hal Jordan. Jordan determined that the pair were not working as a team and decided to fuse their Power Battery together to force them to rely on each other as partners to work together to defend Earth. He then departed for space in order to find and restore the Green Lantern Corps. (Green Lanterns: Rebirth v2 #1) He along with Cruz were the Green Lantern's that worked alongside the Justice League. (Justice League: Rebirth v1 #1)
Even though she had become an official Green Lantern, she was struggling to get the hang of her powers and her anxiety was not making it easy for her. Simon was unhappy being stuck with her. The situation got even worse when Red Lantern Corps attacked Earth to make it their new world full of rage. Jessica was with her sister Sara Cruz when they got attacked and the Red Lanterns filled her sister with rage. Simon rescued her, causing more tension between them. She returned the favour to him later but it was revealed that she had gotten in his way of curing the Red Lantern Bleez. They try their best to not make any more mistakes but things got even worse when she got infected by rage. They fell into the surface of the Earth and Simon tried to cure her as he did the Red Lantern earlier. This time he succeeds and he encourages her to help him fight off the Red Lanterns. However she got a panic attack in the middle of the battle. She did her best to control her negative thoughts and stay aware of the anxiety that was causing her panic. She started to fight with her fears and her willpower increased when she formed her first construct during doing so. She helped Simon to take down the Red Lantern leader Atros. After that, they finally got along and accepted each other as partners. Later as they arrived at Simon's house, a Guardian of the Universe was waiting for them. He demanded that he needed to see Hal Jordan 'Legendary Green Lantern of sector 2814'. But Hal was in space not answering their calls. The guardian revealed himself as Rami the rogue guardian and he was the creator of the Phantom Ring. (Green Lanterns v1 #6)
Whilst on Mogo, she was placed under the training of Guy Gardner who put her through a gruelling regimen which she managed to pass. She and Baz then completed basic training where they were formerly made Green Lanterns by Hal Jordan. (Green Lanterns v1 #24)
At the suggestion of her therapist, it was decided that Jessica had improved to try a new responsibility and that she should try to get a job. (Green Lanterns v1 #33)
She aided in the defeat of the Ravagers whereupon she decided that she wanted to explore more of the universe rather than return to duty on Earth. (Green Lanterns v1 #57)
After the Omega Titan incident, an entire region of space was released into the cosmos with this being the Ghost Sector. The Guardian's forbade entry into this chaotic region of space surrounded by the Maelstrom and established a perimeter of security outposts to prevent entry with Jessica Cruz volunteering to manage it. Whilst manning it, she detected an attempted breach where she found Brainiac's ship that had been commandeered by Cyborg, Starfire and Azrael which she attempted to stop. However, she was nearly killed by the radiation of the Maelstrom leading to the heroes taking her into the craft as it crashed onto a world in the Ghost Sector. Once there, they discovered a mysterious voice that was calling to them which was revealed to had been Darkseid. (Justice League Odyssey v1 #1)
Though seemingly killed, her ring had actually managed to take the brunt of the attack but was destroyed in the process leaving the seemingly deceased skeletal body radiated with Omega energy. This body was transported out of the Ghost Sector accidentally to a Zamaron Science Academy station that had used a device called the Summoner that was designed to recruit surviving New Gods in the battle against the Darkseid. Cruz's body somehow managed to repair itself and she was restored to life where she intended to use the station to summon aid though she herself was still wounded as fractured pieces of her Power Ring were merged into her broken arm. The station then came under attack by Darkseid's forces who detected the use of the summoner with Para-Angels sent to eliminate all threats to their master. (Justice League Odyssey v1 #13)
She came to believe Sinestro was responsible for recent events and using the yellow ring she travelled to New Korugar with her captive Yellow Lanterns. Arriving, she confronted Sinestro who claimed that he had no part in the recent hardship of the Green Lantern Corps. By this point, Lyssa Drak had regained consciousness and fought Cruz where she managed to defeat Jessica due to her superior use of the yellow light. Cruz though was not killed or taken hostage as Sinestro had become impressed at her ability and wanted to recruit her into his Corps. She though refused even though the Korugarian made a case that she could protect Earth's sector from harm and that she would be preferable compared to someone else that might be placed in Sector 2814. Jessica simply requested to be returned to Earth with Sinestro stating that she could use a yellow ring for the task to take her back. On the way, she encountered a distress space transport that would have collided with Earth had Jessica not used her yellow ring to stop the crisis. In this time, she met Hal Jordan who retained his abilities and mistakenly believed Cruz had turned her back on the Green Lanterns. With the Central Power Battery on Oa inactive, Jessica decided to stay a Yellow Lantern and use the power to do some good where she became a Sinestro Corpsman though she refused to follow its leaders commands. (Green Lantern 2021 Annual v6 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Cruz felt that it was her sister Sara who always believed in her. (Green Lanterns v1 #13)
Jessica suffered from anxiety disorder as a result of the attack she experienced where her friends died with her suffering from agoraphobia and panic disorder. (Green Lanterns v1 #33) Due to the anxiety, getting out of bed was a struggle for her most mornings with this being a great battle she had to fight and she was haunted by the same thoughts that she could not handle her life. This led to her suffering from anxiety attacks at times that paralysed her from taking action. (Green Lanterns v1 #15) Her social anxiety meant that she struggled in parties with lots of people. (Green Lanterns v1 #32) Over time, she managed to improve allowing her to interact with others instead of locking herself in her room. (Green Lanterns v1 #33) When he was sad, she said that she tended to obsess and over-think about events leading to her looking to talk about her feelings. (Green Lanterns v1 #37)
Among her fears, she came to suffer from agoraphobia that was a fear of the outside environment. (Justice League v2 #33)
Jessica later came to realise that it was not the Power Ring she was struggling to master but rather she was struggling to master her own emotions. (Green Lanterns v1 #14) She came to realise that helping others helped her better cope with her anxiety by grounding herself in reality and made her problems not seem as overwhelming. Despite that, she did not get better from her anxiety as she faced it every day in her life. To help combat it, she used breathing and meditation in order to ground herself in the present along with using exercise and routine. (Green Lanterns v1 #15)
She said that she never drank alcohol as it did not mesh well with her struggle with her anxieties as it simply made her feeling worse in the end and she saw the outcome it had on others during therap. (Green Lanterns v1 #48)
It was said that she was a survivor which developed as a result of her near death experience. (Justice League v2 #32)
She was attracted to Barry Allen and later worked up the courage to ask him on a date. (Justice League v3 #6)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Jessica Cruz was an ordinary human being with no special abilities inherent in her. She was shown to be capable of wielding firearms such as a shotgun. In fact, she was an adept survivalist who was able to live by herself for three years. She was seen wielding a shotgun with proficiency when she was able to hit the Ring of Volthoom and keep it at bay for a few moments before it made her its host. (Justice League v2 #31)
She was later chosen by the Power Ring of Volthoom that bonded to her. (Justice League v2 #31) It had taken root in her where it extended throughout her body with its veins mainlining into the basolateral nucleus within the amygdala. The ring was described as being an extra-dimensional weapon that could turn the wielder into an instrument of destruction that worked similar to a Green Lantern ring technology as it operated based on emotion. (Justice League v2 #33) It was her fear and trauma that attracted the programming of the ring which came to know everything about her. Her fear was said to fuel it and bring about its mission in the destruction of every form of life on a planet. Despite her attempts at resisting it, the ring came to bond with her against her will. (Justice League v2 #31) Volthoom was the first bearer of the ring where he came to be cursed and imprisoned in it eons ago. For thousands of years, the only pleasure he had was watching people that wielded the ring fail and die. It was said to be drawn to the weak and fearful where she came to struggle control over it that attempted to take over her actions. With the ring, she was able to generate powerful energy blasts from the ring and create constructs with it. (Justice League v2 #32)
Despite Volthoom's demise, the Green Realm within his ring did not disappear but was taken into Jessica's mind. (Green Lanterns v1 #47)
Similar to other ring users, she learnt to use it to create disguises of other people allowing her to masquerade as a different individual for undercover missions. (Green Lanterns v1 #41)
Unknown to her, Cruz's Power Ring was one of the seven original rings that had been built by the Guardian Rami. (Green Lanterns v1 #24)
After wearing the Phantom Ring, she finally understood that it was herself she needed to master rather then the Green Power Ring and she began to make her first constructs with ease. (Green Lanterns v1 #14)
Her Power Ring had bonded to her in a way unlike it had done with other Green Lanterns. It allowed her to rewrite it with her will leading to it giving her advice, caring for her and making jokes. (Green Lanterns v1 #47) She had taught her ring to communicate with her in a personalised way and refer to her as J-Bird. She could assign it tasks such as triangulating her targets and linking the information to various people. (Green Lanterns v1 #20) Cruz used it for more mundane tasks such as being an alarm clock with it engaging with her in conversations such as knowing the various television programs she had watched or commenting about events in her past. (Green Lanterns v1 #34)
Notes
- Jessica Cruz was created by Geoff Johns·and Doug Mahnke where she made her first appearance in Green Lantern v5 #20 (July, 2013).
- In an interview on CBR, Johns noted that, "And then, on Jessica's side, it's about fear; a lot of emotional fears and someone that was dealing with crippling anxiety and depression and worry. That was a totally different type of fear to tackle, and Jessica Cruz embodied that by first having the ring be a curse -- from [Earth-3's] Power Ring-- and her overcoming that and overcoming her own fears and her own personal issues to earn a Green Lantern ring. I felt it was a compelling story and a very different one than the other Lanterns. So both Simon and Jessica, in particular, was about exploring different types of fears, I think overcoming that is what makes Green Lantern great."
Alternate Versions
- In Justice League v3 #27 (2017), it was shown that in an alternate timeline that Jessica Cruz and Barry Allen became romantically involved. The pair had three children; a son and daughter named Jason and Jenny who could manipulate the Emotional Spectrum whilst they had another daughter named Nora Allen who was a speedster named Cruise. They lived in a time 22 years in the future in a world that was ruled by the Sovereign. They along with the other children of the Justice League went back in time to get their help of their parents.
- In Future State: Green Lantern v1 #1 (2021), an alternate version of Jessica Cruz appeared in the possible timeline of Future State. This version was among the many Green Lantern Corps members requested to gather at the nearby Sector Houses with Cruz arriving at the station. However, an unknown cataclysm affected the Power Rings of the Green Lanterns causing them to cease functioning effectively stranding her in deep space. She managed to survive on the supplies present at the Sector House when it came to be approached by members of the Sinestro Corps. Led by Lyssa Drak, they sought to commandeer the station for their own use with Jessica Cruz using her limited resources to deal with the Yellow Lanterns at the scene. She then defeated Lyssa Drak where her actions caused her to be chosen to be a member of the Sinestro Corps on account of her ability to overcome great fear.
In other media
Television
- In DC Super Hero Girls, Jessica Cruz as Green Lantern made her first animated debut in the web series where she was voiced by actress Cristina Milizia.
Films
- In Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High, Jessica Cruz as Green Lantern appeared in the animated film where she was voiced once again by actress Cristina Milizia.
- In DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis, Jessica Cruz as Green Lantern appeared in he animated film where she was once more voiced by actress Cristina Milizia.
- In Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, Jessica Cruz as Green Lantern appeared in the 2019 animated film where she was voiced by actress Diane Guerrero. She was shown to had gone on a camping trip into the woods with her friends when they found a pair of criminals burying a body. This saw Cruz's friends being killed and she barely survived the incident where she began to suffer from PTSD as well as depression. At some point, she was chosen by a Power Ring and became the planet's newest Green Lantern who joined the Justice League.
Video games
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Jessica Cruz was introduced as an alternate skin for Green Lantern in the iOS version of the video game.
- In DC Legends, Jessica Cruz appeared as a playable character in the setting of the iOS video game. Her Bio revealed that she gained a ring from the Anti-Matter Universe and broke free from it thus getting a green ring that made her a Green Lantern who was the co-defender of Earth.
Appearances
- Green Lantern v5: (2013)
- Justice League v2:
- Justice League v3:
- Green Lanterns v1:
- Justice League Odyssey v1:
- Future State: Green Lantern v1: (2021)
- Green Lantern 2021 Annual v6: (2021)
External Links
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