Jester | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Daredevil #42 (July 1968) |
Created by |
Stan Lee (Writer) Gene Colan (Artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Jonathan Powers |
Abilities | Well trained acrobat, hand to hand combatant and fencer Trained gymnast Minimally talented actor Possesses an arsenal of joke-themed weapons Use of armed miniature robots and a one-man submarine |
Jester | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Cloak and Dagger vol. 3 #8 (November, 1989) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Jody Putt |
Team affiliations |
Assembly of Evil Thunderbolts |
Abilities | Possesses an arsenal of weaponry |
Jester | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance |
(Earth-238): Marvel Superheroes #377 (September. 1981) (Earth-616): The Mighty World of Marvel #10 (March, 1984) |
Created by |
(Earth-238): David Thorpe Paul Neary Alan Davis (Earth-616): Alan Moore Alan Davis |
In-story information | |
Team affiliations | Crazy Gang |
Notable aliases | Clown |
Abilities | Highly skilled acrobat, fencer and kickboxer Carries a fencing foil |
Jester is the name of three fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The original Jester first appeared in Daredevil #42 (July 1968) and was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan.
Jonathan Powers was the first of several costumed criminals to use the identity of the Jester. He was primarily an enemy of Daredevil.
Jonathan Powers was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was a struggling actor of huge ego who finally got his lead break as the leading character in an off-Broadway revival of Cyrano de Bergerac. Panned by critics, jeered by the audience, and disdained by his fellow performers, Powers was fired after one performance. Obsessively, he continued to study the various arts and crafts that he thought would earn him roles, things like gymnastics and body building. He turned down suggestions that he take actual acting classes, insisting that he already had more raw acting talent than anyone who'd ever lived. Still, Powers was only able to find employment as a stooge in a children's television show taped in New York.
Finally getting fed up with having pies thrown in his face, Powers vents his anger with society by turning his gymnastics and fencing training to a life of crime. Contracting the criminal weapons-maker the Tinkerer to make him a number of gimmicks, Powers fashions himself a harlequin-like disguise and calls himself the Jester. After gaining some notoriety as a professional thief, the Jester is hired by Richard Raleigh to get Foggy Nelson to resign his campaign for district attorney. This brings the Jester into conflict with Daredevil, who continues trying to apprehend him even after they find Raleigh dead. Angered by Daredevil's persistence, he vows revenge.
In his civilian guise as Jonathan Powers, he stages his own murder at the hands of Daredevil. However, Daredevil clears his name by defeating and then unmasking the Jester on live television, demonstrating that his "victim" was still alive. He later escapes prison and teams up with two fellow enemies of Daredevil, Cobra and Mister Hyde, for revenge. They lure Daredevil to an amusement park, but he defeats and apprehends them there.