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| Jean DeWolff | |
|---|---|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Team-Up #48 (August 1976) |
| Created by | Bill Mantlo (writer) Sal Buscema (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Jean DeWolff |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | New York City Police Department New U Technologies |
| Supporting character of | Peter Parker / Spider-Man |
| Notable aliases | Captain Jean DeWolff |
| Abilities |
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Jean DeWolff is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerBill Mantlo and artistSal Buscema, the character first appeared inMarvel Team-Up #48 (August 1976).[1] Captain Jean DeWolff is a police detective fromNew York City.[2] She is depicted as tough and unrelenting, the result of her difficult childhood and teenage years. She is a supporting character of thesuperheroPeter Parker / Spider-Man,[3] for whom she secretly develops romantic feelings. She is also the sister of the originalWraith.
The 1985 storyline "The Death of Jean DeWolff" depicts the character's death at the hands of her partner and lover,Stanley Carter, who became the murderousvigilante "Sin-Eater."
Jean DeWolff debuted inMarvel Team-Up #48-51 (August–November 1976), created byBill Mantlo andSal Buscema.[4] She was one of the few supporting cast members inMarvel Team-Up.[5] DeWolff subsequently appeared inMarvel Team-Up #60-62 (August–October 1977), #65-66 (January–February 1978), #72 (August 1978), #88 (December 1979),Ms. Marvel #6-7 (June–July 1977),The Amazing Spider-Man #226 (March–April 1982), #239 (April 1983), andThe Spectacular Spider-Man #103 (June 1985).
The character waskilled off in the storyline "The Death of Jean DeWolff",[6] spanningThe Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110 (October 1985 – January 1986).[7] She has since made posthumous appearances inThe Sensational She-Hulk #53 (July 1993),Venom Super Special #1 (August 1995), andSpider-Man/Human Torch #4 (June 2005).
Jean DeWolff received an entry in theOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #17, andThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man #1 (2005) andThe Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe: Fantastic Four and Spider-Man #1 (2005).
Jean DeWolff's first rejection comes as a child from her harsh and disapproving father Phillip DeWolff, an officer of theNYPD,[8] who resents having a daughter rather than another son. Her mother Celia gets divorced from Phillip six months after Jean's birth, taking her older brotherBrian DeWolff with her. Jean and Brian develop a close and loving relationship over the years despite their parents' separation. Four years after the divorce, Celia marries police patrolman Carl Weatherby, who gives Jean the love she never got from her real father. Inspired by Carl, Jean joins the police academy as an adult, but this breaks Celia's heart, as she views the police force as a source of stress and danger. It also angers her father, who is now the New York police commissioner; he dismisses Jean and other women as unfit for police duty while showering praise on Brian for joining the NYPD after graduating top of his class at the academy. Just before Jean graduates from the academy, witnesses see Brian shot in the line of duty, but the body disappears before police or rescue services arrive. Phillip retires as police commissioner soon afterward.[9]
Driven by resentment towards her disapproving parents and fueled by anger and grief over Brian's apparent death, DeWolff grows into a tough, unrelenting police officer. She quickly rises in the ranks, becoming a detective and then a sergeant, known for her no-nonsense attitude, as well as her vintage car and preference for 1930s-style clothing. Just over two years after her father's retirement, DeWolff is promoted by his successor to the rank of captain, running Manhattan's 5th precinct.[9]
While investigating bombings by a criminal known only as theWraith, DeWolff discoversSpider-Man andIron Man are also looking into the matter. While many in the NYPD do not care for super-powered vigilantes, Jean sees value in the web-slinger and the armoredAvenger and openly asks them for assistance, going so far as to allow the two access to precinct files. The two heroes, along withDoctor Strange, help DeWolff discover that the Wraith is her psionically-powered brother who is alive but in a coma, his actions the result of her corrupt father's machinations. Doctor Strange's combination of magic and surgical skills restores Brian's mind. Phillip is sent to prison, and Jean welcomes her brother back as he rejoins the NYPD.[10]
The DeWolff siblings continue to aid superheroes on different occasions, with Jean developing a regular working relationship and friendship with Spider-Man, despite her acerbic attitude and the web-slinger's need to keep his identity and full life separate. On Spider-Man's request, DeWolff even draws up amnesty papers for theBlack Cat so she can retire from crime and become Spider-Man's romantic partner and ally in crime-fighting.[11] When the Black Cat is later seriously injured and hospitalized, DeWolff personally assigns her a protection detail in case any enemies try to take advantage of the situation.[12]
In "The Death of Jean DeWolff" story arc, Jean receives formerS.H.I.E.L.D. agentStanley Carter as her partner, and the two develop a close bond, eventually becoming lovers. Unbeknownst to Jean, Carter has an obsession with punishing criminals, which is only worsened by his experiences as a cop, to the point where he decides all "sinners" need to die. Suffering a psychotic break, Carter becomes the Sin-Eater and embarks on a killing spree, during which Jean is killed. Eventually, Spider-Man andDaredevil bring Sin-Eater to justice.[13]
Following Jean's death, Spider-Man discovers that she kept a collection of news clippings, as well as a photo of Spider-Man with Black Cat that was cut to remove the latter from the image. Spider-Man is shocked by the implication that Jean had unspoken feelings for him over the years.[14] It is later revealed that when Spider-Man temporarily used theVenom symbiote as a costume, Jean spoke to Spider-Man about her feelings, saying the hero was the only other person she felt she could rely on and she loved him, not knowing that the alien symbiote was in control and lacked a full understanding of human behavior. When Spider-Man silently leaned in for a kiss, DeWolff seemed to feel awkward and clarified that she loved him as a friend, adding that she would prefer never to speak about this conversation again.[15]
Jean's death also drives her family apart: Celia blames Carl for her daughter's death as Carl had inspired her to join the police force in the first place. Driven mad with grief over Sin-Eater's murder of his sister, Brian declares vengeance against the NYPD before being killed by theScourge of the Underworld.[16]
Years after Jean's death, her close friendYuri Watanabe becomes a police captain and assumes the Wraith identity after losing faith in the law's ability to punish criminals. She wears a mask of Jean's face originally created by theChameleon under her Wraith costume, as both a means of hiding her identity and frightening criminals into believing that the Wraith was Jean's vengeful spirit.[17]
A clone of Jean appears during theDead No More: The Clone Conspiracy event. This clone, a "reanimate" who possesses all of Jean's memories, lives in a special facility called "Haven" and is created by a villain wishing to gain Spider-Man's cooperation by resurrecting all those whose deaths haunt him. A machine connected to Haven is later activated that destabilizes the clones, making them vulnerable to being infected with the deadly Carrion virus. Several reanimates attempt to escape, hoping their bodies will stabilize if they are far enough away from Haven. Realizing that fleeing means potentially transmitting the Carrion virus to people outside of Haven, Jean assists Spider-Man in stopping any clones from escaping. During her efforts, she succumbs to the virus and dies.[18]
Benjamin Falbo ofLooper asserted, "While not a prominent character, she appeared quite frequently, and her presence was always a welcome one."[19] Jason Wiese ofCinemaBlend called Jean DeWolff the "James Gordon to Peter Parker’sBruce Wayne" and a "sharp cop," hoping to see the character in a feature film.[20] Comics journalist Jonathan Miller described Jean DeWolff as a "secondary character that could facilitate a sense of continuity [inMarvel Team-Up], someone who knew only the costumed side of Peter's personality, and yet had a genuine relationship with him. Hard-edged and no-nonsense, DeWolff usually made her entrance in her vintageroadster, cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, a modern, post-feminist take on the classic tough-guy heroes ofDashiell Hammett andMickey Spillane".[5]
An alternate universe variant of Jean DeWolff from Earth-65 appears inSpider-Gwen.[21][22]
Jean De Wolfe, a character based on Jean DeWolff from Earth-90214, appears inSpider-Man Noir: Eyes Without A Face. This version is an FBI agent.[23]
Jeanne De Wolfe, an alternate universe variant of Jean DeWolff from Earth-1610, appears in theUltimate Marvel universe. This version is a corrupt cop and informant for the Kingpin who is later killed by the Punisher.[24][25][26][27][28][29]
Jean DeWolff appears inThe Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced byIrene Bedard.[30] This version is a patrol officer of Native American descent and the partner ofStan Carter who is generally distrustful of Spider-Man despite Carter's enthusiasm for him.
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