Jinx (DC Comics)

Jinx
Art by Brett Booth
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (August 1985)
Created by	Marv Wolfman Chuck Patton
In-story information
Full name	Unrevealed
Place of origin	India
Team affiliations	Injustice League Fearsome Five Villainy Inc. Secret Society of Super Villains
Notable aliases	Jinx
Abilities	Magic abilities that grant her command of natural elements and probability.

Jinx is a fictional supervillain appearing in American books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and Chuck Patton, she first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (August 1985). ^[1] The character is often depicted as a skilled Indian sorceress and one of the leaders of the Fearsome Five, a group of super-villains most notable for being adversaries of the Teen Titans and its derivatives. The character bears no relation to the male character of the same name who first appeared in Adventure Comics #488 as an adversary of Chris King and Vicki Grant. ^[2]

The character has been adapted into other media, including animated films and televisions series, and video games. Her live-action debut was in the fourth season of the HBO Max series Titans , in which she was portrayed by Lisa Ambalavanar.

Publication history

She joined the supervillain group, the Fearsome Five, a frequent enemy of the Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Superman, and the Outsiders. ^[3] She has also been a member of Villainy Inc. To date, her real name has not been revealed.^{[ citation needed ]}

Fictional character biography

Jinx, an elemental sorceress from India, acquired her magical training as an acolyte within a priesthood temple. Demonstrating exceptional skill and proficiency, she surpassed her peers in magical abilities. However, after believing herself to have acquired all she could from her master, Jinx committed an act of violence, resulting in the death of her mentor and fellow acolytes. As a consequence of her actions, she became a wanted criminal in India. ^{[4] [5]}

She first encountered the Fearsome Five when that group attacked Tri-State prison where she was incarcerated at the request of Indian authorities. 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 The 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.

Jinx was part of Circe's army of female supervillains that was defeated by Wonder Woman and Earth's other superheroines. ^[6] Shortly thereafter, Jinx was recruited by Queen Clea into the re-formed all-female crime organization Villainy Inc. Together with Cyborgirl, Doctor Poison, Giganta, and Trinity, Jinx assists Clea in conquering the other-dimensional land of Skartaris. The plan, however, is commandeered by Trinity. The team has not appeared since. ^[4]

Later, in a storyline in Outsiders (vol. 3) #12–15 (July–October 2004), frequent Captain Marvel archenemy Doctor 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.^{[ volume & issue needed ]}

She was later seen among the new Injustice League, and is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run . She is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell free card from the Secret Six.^{[ volume & issue needed ]}

As part of DC Comics' 2011 reboot of its continuity, The New 52, Jinx is a member of the Fearsome Five, which is part of the Secret Society, and allies with The Crime Syndicate. ^[7] She is sent with the other members of the Fearsome Five, Mammoth, Gizmo, Shimmer and Psimon, along with Doctor Psycho and Hector Hammond to fight against Cyborg and the Metal Men. She ends up defeated by Lead.^{[ citation needed ]}

In DC's 2016 relaunch of its titles, DC Rebirth, Jinx appears as a member of the Fearsome Five. ^[8]

Powers and abilities

Jinx using her probability powers, in a panel from Outsiders (Vol 3) #15 (October 2004). Art by Tom Raney.

Jinx is a sorceress skilled in the realm of sorcery. She demonstrates a remarkable command over mystical arts, granting her the ability to manipulate the elements at will. With this power, she can transmute the elements for various purposes, such as projecting bolts of lightning, creating localized earthquakes, and conjuring potent bursts of magical energy. It is worth noting that Jinx's sorcerous abilities require her feet to maintain contact with the ground. ^{[5] [9]} Following DC Rebirth, Jinx's powers changed, bringing her closer to her animated counterpart. She gained the abilities of a "probability magician," granting her the capacity to manipulate probability at her discretion. This unique power enables her to influence the likelihood of different events occurring, offering her a distinctive advantage in shaping outcomes according to her intentions. ^[8] She also retained her prior depicted abilities. ^[10]

In other media

Television

Jinx as she appears in Teen Titans (2003)

• Jinx appears in Teen Titans (2003), voiced primarily by Lauren Tom and by Tara Strong in "Titans Together". ^[11] This version is a teenage student of the H.I.V.E. Academy, later a member of the H.I.V.E. Five, who often works with fellow students Gizmo and Mammoth. Additionally, she resembles a witch clad in purple clothing, pale skin, and pink hair and eyes. Throughout the series, she battles the Teen Titans until an encounter with Kid Flash convinces her to reform.
• Jinx appears in Teen Titans Go! (2013), voiced again by Lauren Tom. ^[11]
• Jinx appears in the fourth season of Titans , portrayed by Lisa Ambalavanar. ^[12] This version is a magic-using thief and grifter as well as a contact of Dick Grayson's.^{[ citation needed ]}

Film

• Jinx makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies .^{[ citation needed ]}
• Jinx makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis .^{[ citation needed ]}

Video games

• Jinx appears as a boss and unlockable character in Teen Titans (2005), voiced again by Lauren Tom. ^[11]
• Jinx appears as a boss in Teen Titans (2006).^{[ citation needed ]}
• Jinx appears in DC Universe Online , voiced by Claire Hamilton. She appears as part of the "Sons of Trigon" DLC.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Jinx appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains , voiced again by Lauren Tom.^{[ citation needed ]}

Miscellaneous

• The Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Jinx appears in Teen Titans Go! (2004). She pretends to return to villainy to infiltrate and undermine the Fearsome Five on the Teen Titans' behalf.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Jinx appears in DC Super Hero Girls as a background student of Super Hero High.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 156. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
2. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 170–171. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
3. Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Fearsome Five", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 120, ISBN   978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC   213309017
4. Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #179-183. 2. DC Comics.
5. Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #11. DC Comics. 1986.
6. Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #174-175. DC Comics.
7. Justice League (vol. 2) #29. DC Comics.
8. Abnett, Dan (w), Booth, Brett (p), Rapmund, Norm (i). "Made in Manhattan Part Two: Buzz Kill", Titans (vol. 2) #9 (May 2017). DC Comics.
9. Jimenez, Phil (2002). Wonder Woman v2 #108. DC Comics.
10. Abnett, D., Asmus, J., Booth, B., Rapmund, N., Jung, M., Weeks, L., Dalhouse, A., Lucas, A., Kalisz, J., Aviña, T., Mangual, C. M., Breen, C., & Reed, J. (2017). Made in Manhattan. DC Comics.
11. "Jinx Voices (Teen Titans)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 17, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
12. Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2022). "'Titans' Sets Season 4 Villains: Joseph Morgan As Brother Blood, Franka Potente As Mother Mayhem, Lisa Ambalavanar As Jinx". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 31, 2022.