Jester (Marvel)
The Jester is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Jonathan Powers was originally a bad actor on a children's television program who became embittered and entered a life of super-villainy. He fought Daredevil.
He was the leading character an off-Broadway revival of Cyrano de Bergerac that was panned by critics, jeered by the audience, and disdained by his fellow performers. (Daredevil v1 #42) It was noted that director James Martin had been responsible for firing him. (Moon Knight v1 #13) During his acting career, Powers starred in several other productions that were also major flops. (Daredevil v1 #44) Powers was furious in the aftermath where he spent the following months learning swordsmanship, gymnastics, body-building, and physical culture, ignoring others advice that he should be studying acting. His frustration mounted when the only job he could find was as a stooge on camera for a performer called Tubby, who continued humiliating Powers by tossing pies in his face. Unable to take it anymore, he struck Tubby in the face and decided to seek a life of crime. He costumed himself as the Jester, equipping himself with weapons specially designed to look like toys. Jester went on a crime spree, developing a name for himself in the criminal community. He was written about in the Times by Steven Urban. (Daredevil v1 #42)
The Jester then robbed a bank where he was pleased with himself and knocked a driver out with a yo-yo as well as stealing his car to get away. Back at his headquarters, he surveyed his success and his deadly toys, thinking over his origins. Jester heard that mayoral candidate Richard Raleigh was making an enemy of the Jester, so Jester attacked him in his campaign headquarters. He found Raleigh waiting for him, and Raleigh offered Jester ten thousand dollars to attack district attorney candidate Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. Though he was planning to double-cross Raleigh, Jester attacked Nelson and his companions Matt Murdock, Debbie Harris, and Karen Page in the park. Though he easily hit Nelson, Jester decided to take the blind Murdock hostage, demanding Nelson to drop out of the race or Murdock would be harmed. Though Jester had heard Daredevil had recently been killed, Murdock told Jester there was a new Daredevil in town. Jester returned Murdock to his headquarters and went to get ropes. When he returned, he found Daredevil waiting. They began sparring and Daredevil successfully evading Jester's sword thrusts. Daredevil quickly grew impressed with Jester's fighting skills. They continued to fight and Jester fled when he thought Daredevil was unconscious. Jester drove back to Raleigh, furious about having to fight Daredevil, but Daredevil attacked him anew. They burst through the door and found Raleigh dead. Jester made Daredevil fall with tossed marbles, then jumped through the window, vowing revenge. (Daredevil v1 #42)
Afterwards, Jester robbed a jewelry store, using a diminutive voice-responsive robot he had designed to aid him in the heist. When the police arrived, Jester gladly left his heist behind, thrilled in the hunt itself and not worried about the rewards. He developed a plan to kill his Jonathan Powers identity and frame Daredevil. Powers went to the police and told them that he would be revealing Daredevil's true identity that night on the George Washington Bridge. The media, including cameraman Joe, got word and attended the event. Powers planted a submarine at the edge of the bridge, then posed as a man on the bridge who needed aid. As the media recorded it, Daredevil moved to save Powers, who made it look as if Daredevil was attacking him. Powers fell off the bridge, seemingly to his death, and escaped in the submarine, and Daredevil was publicly accused of murder. Later, Jester used his toys to hold up a TV station and told the cameras that he would prove himself a hero by apprehending Daredevil. Then he activated a transistor that he'd placed on Daredevil's costume, bring Daredevil to him in Central Park. He used gas-filled popcorn kernels to knock Daredevil out and turned him over to the police. (Daredevil v1 #44) As the police surrounded, Daredevil managed to kick Jester, dislodging the rest of the kernels, which expelled their sleeping gas and allowed him to escape. Jester decided to put his criminal career on hold and focus on apprehending Daredevil. While riding on the subway, figuring he should spend some time with the common folk, Jester spotted a man with Daredevil's boots. He called out to the crowd that Daredevil was on the train, so the hero quickly fled, punching Jester aside. Jester pursued Daredevil to the Statue of Liberty, where he tossed antiseptic spraying flying discs at him. They engaged in an agile battle from the Statue's crown. When a man from a helicopter, Johnson, was going to fall to his death, Daredevil moved to save him and was rearrested. Jester, a champion diver and swimmer, fell safely in the water. (Daredevil v1 #45) The Jester saw someone posing as him on a live television show and grew furious. He donned his costume and rushed to the studio, where he forced his way in. He attacked the false Jester, who took off his costume to reveal himself as Daredevil. Jester tossed an expanding ping pong ball to encase Daredevil in, but the hero managed to pop it and then pin Jester, who drew a yo-yo and fought Daredevil off. Daredevil unmasked the Jester on live television and revealed that Powers had staged his own murder. Jester was arrested and Daredevil pardoned. (Daredevil v1 #46)
Afterwards, he collaborated with Screwball in creating a web show called "Jested". For their first episode, they decided to play a prank on New York City Major J. Jonah Jameson. They were later tracked down by the Superior Spider-Man where they were brutally defeated by the hero. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #6)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He claimed that all he wanted was an applause from the public but they came to deny him leading to him resenting society as a result. This led to him deciding to embark on a career as a costumed supervillain criminal. (Daredevil v1 #42)
Powers was shown to have an inflated ego where he considered himself a genius. (Daredevil v1 #42)
Powers and abilities
Powers considered himself the greatest actor of the modern age though this was disputed by everyone that saw his performance. He had spent years studying gymnastics, physical culture, body building and swordsmanship skills that he did originally for acting roles. It was shown that his acrobatic skills allowed him to recover from a blow by back-flipping into another fighting stance without a single wasted motion. (Daredevil v1 #42)
He used innocent looking carefully modified toys as among his gimmicks as part of his crimes. When fleeing a scene, the Jester was shown to throw marbles on the ground in order to prevent pursuers from chasing him. He also made use of sleeping pellets to knock out some of his targets. (Daredevil v1 #42) In one case, he used a miniature toy robot styled as a jester that had jets in its feet and a sonar scanner that it could use to help in thefts. (Daredevil v1 #44)
Notes
- Jester was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan where he made his first appearance in Daredevil v1 #42 (July, 1968).
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Daredevil v1: (1968)
- Daredevil v3:
- Superior Spider-Man v1:
- Spider-Men II v1:
External Links
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