Jessica Jones Season 2 Ending Explained
This article contains major Jessica Jones Season 2 spoilers.
Well, that was certainly an eventful season wasn’t it? Jessica Jones Season 2 was smart enough to not try and up the intensity and psychological horror that made season one such a standout with Marvel’s Netflix shows. But it also developed all of its major characters in profound ways. So what’s next for Jessica Jones and friends (although she has fewer and fewer of those these days) after that season two ending?
Trish Walker is Hellcat
OK, well, she might not be Hellcat just yet, and they will probably never call her Hellcat (or even put her in a costume) on the show, but it looks like Trish’s journey to becoming a superhero of her own is moving along pretty nicely. Nobody could possibly have watched that last batch of episodes and not realized how explicit they were making this into a superhero origin story, right? Of course not.
While Trish has already proven to be a capable fighter, I feel like her new powers (whatever they might be) were already beginning to manifest before her final scene. For one thing, that headshot she made on Jessica’s mother, in the dark, with a handgun, from a serious distance, on the first try, would probably indicate hat her senses have been heightened a little.
But it’s that last scene with her, where she drops the phone, gently catches it with her foot, and then flips it back up into her hand, that would seem to hint that she now has some (ahem) “catlike reflexes” (if I may quote Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor…which I will do at any opportunity if we’re being perfectly honest). I’m sure there will be more reveals with Trish, and I don’t think they’ll go overboard with her powers. I expect they’ll lean into the cat element (remember that one of the ingredients stolen by Trish and Dr. Malus was “feline distemper vaccine”) so while Trish will probably be strong (if not quite as strong as Jessica), her powers will likely be more tuned towards heightened senses, balance, and agility, whereas Jessica is kind of a tank.
One thing to note is that for much of Hellcat’s comic book career, she focused on paranormal/ghostly/demonic threats. Hell, she was married to Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan (it didn’t go well) for a bit. There’s lots of speculation out there that the next evolution of Marvel’s R-rated Netflix shows could be to delve into the more horrific Marvel titles, like Blade the vampire hunter. If that’s the case, maybe that could be Trish’s niche in the next wave of Marvel Netflix heroes. In the meantime, expect her to play another major role if (oh, who am I kidding? It’s WHEN) Jessica Jones Season 3 happens.
What About Malcolm?
There’s not much from the comics for us to speculate on with Malcolm. The character shares a first name and virtually nothing else from the early days of the Alias comics. But with Malcolm and Pryce Cheng now on retainer for Jeryn Hogarth’s new company, that means that he’s more likely to show up in other Marvel Netflix shows, much like how Jeri and Daredevil‘s Foggy Nelson keep popping up from time to time.
In any case, I don’t think Malcolm is one to hold a grudge for too long. He’s far too good-hearted a character to never forgive Jessica. Whether he ever works for again is another story entirely. The guy is good-hearted, that doesn’t mean he has to be anyone’s punching bag.
What’s Next for Jeri Hogarth?
Carrie-Anne Moss was absolutely incredible this season, wasn’t she? I am thrilled to see that it looks like she’s going to be a much more powerful presence going forward. Hopefully this also means she’s going to be generally more prominent in multiple shows, not just this one.
It’s important to note that Jeri took Rand Industries with her as a client when she left her firm. I’d say this makes it far more likely that she’s going to show up in a more prominent role in Iron Fist Season 2, which is currently in production. While Jeri has had the majority of her screentime as a Jessica Jones supporting character so far, it’s important to remember that the character in the comics was traditionally an important Iron Fist supporting character. Since Iron Fist the TV series lacked charismatic, strong personalities, adding Carrie-Anne Moss to the mix on a regular basis could only help.
Note that this just speculation right now, as she hasn’t been confirmed for Iron Fist Season 2. But we can certainly hope for the best, right?
What’s Next for Jessica Jones?
Jessica will be fine. She’s pushing her friends away, which isn’t great or particularly healthy, but we saw her grow in other ways this season. Re-establishing any kind of relationship with her mother seems to have awakened something in her, as has her relationship with Oscar and his son.
In the comics, Jessica, who never seemed to have any more maternal instincts than what we have already seen on the show, does eventually embrace motherhood. She settles down and marries Luke Cage, and the pair have a daughter. I still don’t expect to see this play out on screen any time soon, but I love the idea of a future season of Jessica Jones bringing Luke Cage back into her life, and they definitely left the door open to a real relationship between the pair at the end of The Defenders.
In the meantime, we’ll have to wait for more concrete answers, because as of this writing, Jessica Jones Season 3 hasn’t been confirmed by Marvel or Netflix. I expect that will change soon enough, though. With any luck, we’ll have plenty more drinking to do with Jessica over the next few years.