Jinx (DC Comics)

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caption = Jinx, from "Outsiders" #15 (October 2004). Art by Tom Raney.
character_name = Jinx
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "Tales of the Teen Titans" #56 (August 1985)
creators = Marv Wolfman
Chuck Patton
alter_ego =Nicole Diaz
full_name =
species =
homeworld =
alliances =Injustice League Fearsome Five Villainy Inc. Secret Society of Super Villains
aliases =
supports=
powers = Magical command of elements
Manipulation of magical energy in diverse ways

Jinx is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in "Tales of the Teen Titans" #56 (August 1985), and was created by Marv Wolfman and Chuck Patton.

Publication history

She joined the supervillain group, the Fearsome Five, a frequent enemy of the Teen Titans, Superman and the Outsiders. She has also been a member of Villainy Inc. To date, her real name has not been revealed.

Fictional character biography

Jinx is an East Indian elemental sorceress whose powers include the ability to command elements such as air, the manipulation of magical energy that she can manifest as offensive force bolts and green flame, the ability to dissolve matter, and create ground tremors. Jinx is bald and very slender. She traditionally wears only a white two-piece loincloth bikini with golden jewelry, and she is always barefoot.

She first encountered the Fearsome Five when that group attacked a research facility belonging to S.T.A.R. Labs where Jinx and another criminal, Neutron were being incarcerated. The Five are defeated by the Teen Titans, but Jinx and Neutron decided to join the Fearsome Five. Jinx remained with the group even after Neutron subsequently left it, but after their next appearance in "Adventures of Superman" #430 (July 1987), in which they fought Superman alongside new members Deuce and Charger, the group disbanded, and Jinx was incarcerated in the metahuman prison on Alcatraz, along with her teammates Mammoth and Gizmo.

Later, in a storyline in "Outsiders" #12–15 (July–October 2004), frequent Captain Marvel archenemy Dr. Sivana freed Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo from Alcatraz. Having summoned teammate Psimon and having brought her teammate Shimmer back to life after she had been turned into glass and shattered, Sivana put the team to work for him in a scheme to short sell Lexcorp stock by having them steal its accounts from its corporate building in Metropolis, and then driving down the stock by killing all the people in the building. Sivana also had them destroy two other Lexcorp properties. At the latter of the two, a microchip processor factory of Lexcorp's subsidiary, Kellacor, the Five were confronted by the Outsiders. After escaping, the criminally unsophisticated Five urged Sivana to take Lexcorp's nuclear missile facility near Joshua Tree, California. When Sivana refused, Psimon asserted that they would take it anyway, and in response, Sivana killed Gizmo with a laser blast to the head, and severed relations with the remaining four, warning them that he would kill them if they ever crossed his path again. The Five decided to enact their plan to take the facility and fire a nuclear missile at Canada, but were defeated by the Outsiders. Mammoth was returned to Alcatraz Island, but Jinx and the other members of the Five remain at large.

Most recently, she as seen among the new Injustice League, and is one of the villains featured in "Salvation Run".

Powers and abilities

Jinx is an accomplished sorceress who abilities have not been fully revealed. Among the powers she has demonstrated are creating mystical force bolts, dissolving solid matter, and creating flames and earth tremors within limited areas. Her powers only function while she is in contact with solid ground.

In animation

Jinx appears in the "Teen Titans" animated series, voiced by Lauren Tom (In "Titans Together" in Season 5; voiced by Tara Strong). In this incarnation, she is a H.I.V.E. student with Gizmo and Mammoth. She was completely reimagined from the comics, bearing no similarities with her comic counterpart; Jinx has pale skin, pink hair, eyes with cat-like pupils, she dresses as a witch and possesses elemental magic of bad luck. She is also quite popular with the male community; in the series a number of super teens - including Cyborg, Kid Flash and See-More - are revealed to have (had) a crush on her.

Her first mission (for which they received order from the H.I.V.E. Headmistress who had been hired by Slade) with her classmates was to destroy the Titans. They managed to get the Titans out of their tower, but the Titans returned and defeated the evil teens.

Jinx was involved in a series of bank robberies with Gizmo and Mammoth but the Titans planted a tracking device on her while they escaped and had Cyborg enter the H.I.V.E. as a student to infiltrate their organization. Cyborg posed as "Stone" and befriended the villainous trio (though Gizmo became more and more jealous about his standing with Brother Blood). Jinx and Stone developed small crushes on each other during this time, though Jinx didn't know that "Stone" was really Cyborg in disguise. Soon Cyborg's identity was revealed and he brought down the H.I.V.E. Academy. Jinx appeared hurt by Cyborg's betrayal, but escaped with her friends and formed The H.I.V.E. Five with Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More and Private H.I.V.E. Jinx and the other members of the H.I.V.E. Five briefly engaged the Titans in combat during a raid on a shopping mall, but just as they were gaining the upper hand in the battle, the entity known as Mother Mae-Eye appeared and defeated them.

She then appeared as the "de facto" leader of a slightly reorganized H.I.V.E. Five group, consisting of herself, Mammoth, Gizmo, See-More, Billy Numerous, and Kyd Wykkyd (when it was pointed out that the group now consists of six members, rather than five, the indignant teens' only response was that the original group name "sounds cooler"). Jinx was apparently the only member of this group who took her criminal career seriously, as the other members all displayed a serious lack of initiative and a remarkably short attention span.

This latest incarnation of the H.I.V.E. Five was foiled during a raid on a museum by the teenaged superhero Kid Flash, and in an attempt to improve the group's standing in the eyes of the Brotherhood of Evil, Jinx attempted to capture Kid Flash and present him to the Brotherhood as a gift. Jinx particularly hoped to win the approval and respect of Madame Rouge, whom she idolized. However, Kid Flash took a liking to Jinx, and during their encounters, he alternately flirted with her and tried to convince her to renounce her life of crime. She later told Kid Flash that it was her power of "bad luck" that made her decide on pursuing a villainous life, since she saw little alternative considering the nature of her powers.

Jinx was eventually successful in capturing Kid Flash (with See-More's assistance), but she quickly released him after Madame Rouge's constant string of insults and patronizing attitude became too much for her to bear. At that point Jinx swiftly blasted Madame Rouge away with her powers, saying 'I don't care who you are, nobody messes with me', which apparently impressed Madame Rouge enough to reconsider Jinx. However, Jinx disappeared into the shadows to join forces with Kid Flash. In "Titans Together" she, along with Kid Flash, helped the Titans defeat the Brotherhood of Evil by capturing the H.I.V.E. Five and subsequently became an Honorary Titan. She was seen in the Titans Tower, socializing with the other Titans, and later preparing to help them stop Dr. Light after he robbed a bank.

Jinx's personality is very different from when she first met the Teen Titans to when she met Kid Flash. At first, Jinx appears to be quiet, mean, mysterious, often speaking in whispers, and sometimes depicted as crazy because of the evil, crooked grin she usually wore when battling. However, at "Lightspeed", we see a more determined, outspoken, and sane Jinx who wanted to be respected and not shunned because of her bad-luck powers, but was able to choose the right path with Kid Flash's help.

Jinx has made several appearances in "Teen Titans Go!", starting in issue #1. In #26–27, hints are given of her later "turning over a new leaf" (like the hints in the episode "Lightspeed"). She also appeared in issue #34 as Kid Flash's girlfriend and became jealous when he began inadvertently flirting with Raven, Argent, and several other females. She gets captured with the other heroines by Blackfire and she will be helped the Titans in issue #36. In issue #39, she is still with Kid Flash; when Larry, who is playing cupid, strikes the other women with arrows, she attempts to keep them from falling in love with her boyfriend. She will also appear in issue #40 as part of the HIVE FIVE and issue #43, helping the Titans stop the Fearsome Five. She is mad at Raven and the Titans because she had not been given a communicator, so she decides to 'join' the Fearsome Five. When they make their appearance to Cyborg and Beast Boy, Jinx is with them. After the Fearsome Five go into Titans Tower, the Titans, Jinx, and Kid Flash ambush them. After the battle, Robin gives her a communicator. The only reason Jinx did not get a communicator because Robin had ran out of them during the Brotherhood of Evil's battle. It is also revealed that in #53 that Kid Kold liked Jinx and her name is Lucky.

Powers and abilities

The animated Jinx's powers portray a manipulation of probability, more specifically, the ability to "bring bad luck" to her enemies, similar to early portrayals of the Marvel Comics character Scarlet Witch; how she does this is never explored. When she wants her enemies to be "unlucky" she fires waves of pink energy from her hands, often causing solid structures in her surroundings to break or fall on her opponents. She is also an accomplished gymnast capable of dodging beam weapon bursts with ease.

Other media

Jinx is a boss in both "Teen Titans" video games.

ee also

*List of fictional characters who can alter probability

Bibliography

* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/animated/charjinx.html Teen Titans: Characters]
* [http://www.titansgo.net/characters.php?id=14 TitansGo.net: Characters]
*DC’s "Who's Who"
*"The Official Teen Titans Index" (ICG; 1985)
*"The New Titans Sourcebook" (Mayfair Games; 1990)
*"Tales of the Teen Titans" #56–58 (August–October 1985)
*"Wonder Woman" vol. 2 #175 (December 2001)
*"Wonder Woman" vol. 2 #179–185 (May–November 2002)
*"New Titans" #116–117 (December 1994 – January 1995)
*"Outsiders" #13–15 (August–October 2004)