#character essay

PART 1

this is the second part of my character analysis masterlist. due to tumblr’s link limit, the full archive has been split into multiple posts.

this section continues the collection of my character psychology, canon analysis, headcanons, meta, and related writing focused primarily on benjamin “dex” poindexter from daredevil, along with select related characters and topics.

all posts remain part of the same overall archive.

Starting with Isha, since so much of the fandom likes to claim that Isha was a "useless plot device" and that she "domesticated Jinx", these perspectives fail to understand that two of the main factors that drive Jinx's actions throughout the show are 1) her desire to be loved/needed/wanted and 2) her fear and trauma. Isha helps Jinx work through both of these defining factors of her character and their relationship gives Jinx a new perspective when, previously, she was able to be reckless and selfish. People like to argue that Jinx would never care about Isha or just take in some random kid, but this dismisses the fact that Jinx didn't just spontaneously start caring about Isha. Their meeting was purely circumstantial, and Jinx killing the Chembaron goons that were chasing Isha was as much for her own benefit as it was for Isha's. During their initial meeting, Jinx points the gun at Isha and tries to warn her and scare her off, but Isha chooses to follow Jinx because, in her eyes, Jinx had saved her and sticking around Jinx seemed like a safer option than being alone. Throughout their few interactions in episode 2, Jinx is pretty dismissive of Isha and kind of just ignores her. The only semblance of affection that Jinx shows Isha is when she does the finger gun at her after Isha throws the glitter bomb. Aside from that, Jinx goes about her plans as if Isha isn't there.

The turning point in Jinx and Isha's relationship comes when Isha throws herself into danger to save Jinx. Up until that moment, Jinx had been used to conditional love. In her eyes, love was only attainable if she altered herself to meet the needs of whoever's affection she was attempting to obtain. We see that at it's peak during the dinner party when she's bargaining with Vi and saying that she can have Powder again. Powder was never really gone, but she could never truly go back to being who she was before everything happened. You can't erase nearly a decade of trauma, but Jinx wanted to try to change her entire personality and essentially get stuck playing pretend if it meant Vi would love her again. This is the same as with Silco. Silco repeatedly makes a point to say that Jinx is perfect. He only says the she is perfect as he's dying, and by then the idea of Jinx had already been solidified in her head. Jinx always felt like she had to be someone else in order to be loved, but that illusion is shattered when, despite seeing all the violence she is capable of, Isha jumps in to defend and protect her. This is also a turning point in their relationship because Jinx is fully aware of the danger that Isha has put herself in. She knows that Vi wouldn't hurt her, but she knows that Caitlyn would because she knows the exact kind of rage and desire for reverge that Caitlyn is feeling (which I could write a whole separate essay on the parallels between Caitlyn and Jinx, but I'll save that for another time). Jinx knows that Isha could end up dead, and the blood would be on her hands, again. That is why Jinx ultimately ends up taking in Isha because she knows that it's too late to scare her off, and if she keeps being reckless, then another person—a little kid—is going to die because of her. It was not an abrupt decision. And to go ahead and refute any arguments about it not making sense that Isha got attached to Jinx so quickly, as someone who works with kids, I have had kids come up and ask me for daily hugs and want to follow me around/talk to me after literally a single, brief interaction. It makes perfect sense that a probably 6-8 year old orphan would get attached to someone that literally saved her life.

Now, it's time to dig into the whole "it's unrealistic and misogynistic that a motherhood arc healed Jinx" argument. First off, Isha didn't magically heal Jinx. We still see Jinx struggling with her mental health even while she's in hiding with Isha. When she mentions Vi and Powder to Isha, her face pretty clearly shows that she misses Vi and is still regretting everything that happened between them. The scene of Jinx running off to Silco's office after she and Sevika argue show that she's still depressed and grieving. Really, the only difference is that she's not as volatile because she knows that indulging in those violent impulses means putting Isha in harm's way, and again, the blood will be on her hands. Also, I've seen people argue about Jinx not being enough of a revolutionary because of her storyline with Isha, but Jinx was never a revolutionary to begin with. She didn't want to be a leader or hero. The only reason she fired Fishbones at the council is because she was angry and grieving and she wanted to lash out and make a statement. She even admits that she didn't know Caitlyn's mom or the rest of the council would be there. It was purely coincidental that they happened to be holding the meeting to vote on Zaun's independence that night. All of Jinx's 'revolutionary' actions are things that were done purely out of emotion and motivated by personal factors. Everything she did while with Silco was for Silco. Even with after the argument with Sevika about staying in hiding, when she's in Silco's office, she says "probably owe it to you, on account of the murdering and all" which shows that even if she were to involve herself in everything it would be because of him and Isha, not because she really wants to.

One of Jinx's reasons for staying in hiding and not wanting to get involved with the revolution is because she's still struggling with her depression, anxiety, and abandonment issues. If she puts herself into public eye, it puts a target on her back and more importantly, it puts one on Isha's back. The fact that Jinx wants to stay in hiding is a testament to the fact that Isha didn't really "heal" her. She is still terrified of getting the people she cares about killed, and her hallucinations/psychosis get triggered as soon as Isha does end up getting taken.

Jinx and Isha's relationship is meant to parallel three of Jinx's major relationships: her relationship with Vi, her relationship with Silco, and her relationship with Vander. This parallel gives her a new perspective and ultimately is what leads her and Vi to be able to reconcile. Without Isha, Jinx and Vi wouldn't have reconciled. Vi had decided she was done with Jinx, and Jinx needed something to push her to be the one to reach out. Vi had already extended the olive branch once before, and Jinx let her paranoia and Silco's manipulation get the better of her and pushed Vi away, so it was her turn to reach out and show that she still wanted Vi as her sister. Jinx never would've come to that realization or decision without Isha giving her insight into Vi's perspective of their relationship when they were kids. All those times that she felt like Vi left her out or didn't believe in her were actually because Vi was worried about losing her, and having Isha in her life—giving Jinx something to lose—is what ultimately makes Jinx understand that and be able to heal that piece of herself. I think this parallel between Vi and Powder's relationship and Jinx and Isha's relationship is a good bridge for the motherhood vs. sisterhood debate, because I think the entire point is that the lines are blurred. Family is such a complicated thing in Zaun because the emphasis isn't on blood relatives, but rather found family. Even with Vi and Jinx, who are blood relatives, the lines between their relationship blur and Vi does take on a more maternal role for Powder because she's the older sister, and Vander unintentionally puts a lot of pressure onto Vi, essentially parentifying her as she's the one that Ekko, Mylo, Claggo, and especially Powder look up to. This line between maternal and sisterly relationships is blurred again with Jinx and Isha. Realistically, I don't think Jinx views herself as a maternal figure, but given the nature of their situation, it's a role she almost instinctively has to take on because there's a little kid looking up to her and relying on her.

Along with paralleling Vi and Powder's relationship, Jinx and Isha also heavily parallel Vander's relationship with Vi and Powder when he takes them in. The parallels between Jinx and Vander are another thing I could write an essay on because, ironically, she ends up becoming more like Vander than Silco. While Silco was willing to sacrifice relationships and hold onto grudges for the sake of getting what he wanted, Vander and Jinx are both willing to stop the violence for the sake of protecting the people they love.

Isha and her relationship with Jinx was not just a useless plot device to "fix" Jinx or eventually make her more depressed. It was what was necessary for Jinx to grow as a character. Without Isha to change her perspective on her past and specifically her relationship with Vi, the sisters never would've reconciled, and ultimately Jinx would've ended up killing herself or stuck in a stagnant cycle of hurting the people she cares about and in turn getting hurt/facing the consequences of her actions. Breaking the cycle of violence is a huge theme in the show, and ultimately, Jinx did break that cycle with Isha. She showed Isha show much love and care that Isha was willing to sacrifice herself to save Jinx because she'd rather die than live in a world without Jinx in it, and that is a direct parallel to how Jinx's story ends when she sacrifices herself to save Vi. The whole reason she shows up to the war at all is for Vi.

This is a good way to shift over to Ekko and Jinx's relationship and breaking down all the timebomb hate that I've seen recently. I've seen all sorts of hate ranging from claiming their relationship is misogynistic, to Jinx being mentally incapable of being in a relationship, to claiming that Ekko only loves Powder and that Jinx doesn't care about Ekko at all. All of these perspectives, once again, center around a total lack of understanding the individual characters.

Jinx's actions throughout the course of the show are heavily influenced by the people she cares about. When Jinx fights the Firelights, she's volatile and has no fear of killing most of them because she knows it's what Silco wants/what will get her praise and affection. However, despite presumably facing each other in fights for years, and the fact Jinx knows exactly who Ekko is, if she didn't care about Ekko, why wouldn't she just kill him? Silco repeatedly talks about how the Firelights are a thorn in his side and he wants them gone, and if Jinx truly didn't care about Ekko, she easily could've killed him, and Silco would've been thrilled. She didn't though. In fact, it's heavily implied that she knew that Ekko was the Firelights leader, and yet she never said anything to Silco. Even during their fights, it seems awfully convenient that a character that has practically perfect aim in every other situation, somehow misses her shot every time she aims (or fails to aim) at him. I've seen multiple interpretations of the bridge fight and whether or not she was purposefully misaiming and holding her shots or if it was just because Ekko could predict her moves and surprised her, and frankly I think it's a combination of the two. Before the fight, between the snarky remarks and the cold smirks, we see the dread on both of their faces, particularly hers. I think Ekko was far more prepared to directly face off with her, thanks to years of frustration and repressed emotions, than she was to have to face him. I've seen people point out that during the bridge fight, she holds her gun at an angle, which would affect her aim, and I think that is probably enough evidence that she was holding back. I also think that the moment just before he tackles her, she does hold her shot, but I think it's a combination of shock that he's actually going through with it, and also knowing that if she takes the shot, another person Powder cared about will be dead.

All of these things show that, at least to some degree, Jinx does still care about Ekko. Alternatively, Ekko also cares about Jinx, arguably more than he cares about Powder. The whole point of his arc in the AU is to make him see and understand that Powder and Jinx are the same. The key difference is circumstances. The different circumstances between the two worlds is what makes the difference between Powder and Jinx, but other than that, they are the same. Powder still struggles with her mental health, but she has a support system to help her manage it. Jinx didn't have that. In fact, Jinx had Silco manipulating her and actively reinforcing her deteriorating mental state which is what led her down her path of violence. The first seed to rebuilding their relationship was planted on the bridge when he saw that spark of Powder in Jinx, and really allowing himself to recognize that Jinx isn't just a mindless monster that kills for the sake of it is what solidifies his end of things. While the AU is definitely a utopia compared to the world he's used to he chooses to go back to his world for Jinx. Yes, he also goes back for the Firelights, but it's implied that essentially the first thing he does when he gets back is go to save Jinx. If he didn't care about her, why would he go back for her at all?

What makes timebomb such a compelling relationship isn't the romance, in fact, in my opinion, it's the lack thereof. Their relationship and dynamics are so much more complex than just a traditional romance. These are characters that have known each other since childhood and seen every version of each other. Ekko has seen Jinx at her absolute worst, and yet he still shows up to save her, and that is why he was the only one that would've been able to get through to her at that point. Even if Vi had shown up, I don't think Jinx would've have been convinced by her. In Jinx's eyes, Vi is essentially obligated to love her and blind to all her flaws/curse. At this point, Jinx only sees herself as a curse and a monster. Ekko had to be the one to save her because he has seen every side of her, and there was a time when he had given up on her, so the fact that he came back and offers her another chance is part of what convinces her to live. There's a lot of blanks that have to be filled in between that scene and their appearance at the final battle, but I believe that wanting to live long enough to save Vi was the other factor that contributed to Jinx choosing to live and fight.

Now, one aspect I do agree with, in terms of actual canon, is that nothing romantic happened between Ekko and Jinx prior to the war. While it is fun to write and read fics that explore the what-ifs, realistically, Jinx was grieving and in a deeply depressive state during that time, and I think anything romantic would be the furthest thing from either of their minds. One of the major themes with their relationship is the whole 'what could've been' situation. Whether or not they could have developed into something romantic in the main universe is up for debate, and something the writers purposely left up to individual interpretation, albeit with heavy implications leaning towards the potential for romance, but suggesting that they couldn't be because one or both don't care about the other or that Jinx is too unstable for a relationship is a disservice to the characterization and stories of these characters as well as an incredibly ableist take. Just because Jinx struggles with mental health issues, doesn't mean she's unsuitable for a relationship. I think it would take a significant amount of time for them to rebuild their trust in each other, but I also think that Ekko would do what he can to support Jinx regardless of the label on their relationship.

My final note is specifically focused on how much this fandom likes to throw around words, in this case it's misogyny. Just because a female character is shown in a maternal role/enjoying a child's company or in a implied potential relationship with a man does not make the story misogynistic, in fact, I think implying that it does is far more misogynistic than anything that happens in the story itself. Specifically, the views on Jinx having a maternal relationship with Isha or the reactions toward fandom content depicting Jinx as pregnant or with kids comes off as incredibly misogynistic. Jinx is a character driven by family, she wants to love and be loved, and that is not something that should be misogynistic. Women are allowed to enjoy kids and/or want kids, and implying that it's bad writing or a disservice to her character is a terrible reflection of how society views mothers and women that want families/children. While I will certainly agree that certain "trad wife" propaganda is problematic, this isn't that at all. Nothing about Jinx and Isha's relationship falls into the truly misogynistic "trad wife" ideals. If you do take the more maternal perspective of Jinx's relationship with Isha, then Jinx is essentially a single mother with an adopted child, not some meek housewife with a bunch of kids. Aside from that, it's not unrealistic or crazy that Jinx becomes more stable with Isha in her life. As previously mentioned, Jinx doesn't want to lose Isha and having Isha around gives Jinx a purpose. One of the best ways to manage depression is to have something that gives you purpose, and for many people, that could be their kids, or a pet, or whatever else that provides a reason to wake up and get out of bed everyday. When you have something/someone else that is relying on you, it forces you to get out of your own head, and that's exactly how Isha was for Jinx. It has nothing to do with misogyny and everything to do with changing Jinx's perspective to allow her to grow and evolve as a character.

As for timebomb, I truly can't even begin to understand the claims that their implied (since they aren't even technically canonically in a romantic relationship) relationship is misogynistic because both characters are independent and at no point in time does Ekko see Jinx as someone that needs to be fixed or saved. Ekko "saving" Jinx by interfering with her suicide attempt isn't a "damsel in distress" situation, it's, once again, him trying to change her perspective and offer her support. He knows that he can't force her to stay alive, he just happens to say the right combination of words that makes her reconsider, and ultimately she is the one that chooses to stay alive and go with him.

Jax fucking sucks, I'm not going to defend him, I don't even like hearing him talk, BUT he is still a character with a role to play in a story about abusers, enablers, escapism, and coping mechanisms that aren't always so healthy. If SOME (Key word: some) Jax haters had their way, Jax would have abstracted after the entire cast brutally beat the shit out of him and they'd all celebrate his death with a big party, it would have meant nothing other than "Ding Dong, the witch is dead!" It would have been fanservice, straight up fantasy fufilment and nothing else.

I get why this fantasy fufilment would exist, it's comforting, an audience would feel reassurance knowing that an evil abuser like Jax will never be able to hurt their favorite characters ever again, but what we currently have, while it definitely isn't perfect, is far more meaningful than the scenario I just described.

Jax isn't an abuser like Bojack Horseman, he IS callled out and humiliated multiple times but he can still "bounce back" because it isn't validation of the belief that he can be redeemed he's looking for, he just doesn't want to be vulnerable, that's probably why it feels like he gets away with his actions, it usually doesn't affect him on a deep level unless he's being accused of putting up walls to avoid being viewed as vulnerable. Jax wants to be "The funny one" he wants to be this chill rage baiter with all of the personality of your average family guy character, because his sense of humor is already built on violence at the expense of the people around him, he thinks of himself as Peter while viewing everyone else as Meg, so whenever the slapstick logic is turned against him, he responds with even more violence, this time fueled by pure rage rather than a twisted form of escapism.

And similarly to the rest of the Griffin family, the cast of TADC still sticks with Jax because what else do they have? They are all trapped in the same toxic household for which there has yet to be an escape, Gangle never forgave Jax, she's just so mentally drained that she wants to focus what little energy she has left onto a helpful solution instead of causing conflict.

Is it fair? No, she still has yet to receive any proper closure for what Jax put her through. Does that make the damage he caused hurt less? Of course not, if anything it makes it worse because nothing has been resolved or even discussed on occasion. Is it total bullshit that a lot of the characters have to put aside the memories of mistreatment he subjected them to because he's basically on suicide watch? Honestly, yeah, a little bit. That is unfortunately the truth of what it can be like to live with an abuser, even if you have supporters, you can all still be trapped living with said abuser, the longer you have to live with them, the more mentally draining it is and it can get to a point where its easier to just ignore what they put you through in order to survive.

What is my stance on the "Should Jax abstract?" Debate? I feel that it would depend on the way it was handled, because while a household dynamic could feel safer and more functional if the abuser were to die, 90% of the time, it doesn't solve the problem entirely, especially if the abuser was a loved one. Death is one of those things in life that you can't properly understand until you eventually experience it yourself, the cast of TADC has experienced at least one abstraction during their imprisonment in the circus, a good chunk of the audience has likely never experienced that yet (and obviously, Jax is a fictional character to us so we aren't really building actual relationships with him) so its easier for us to say "Why can't he just die already?"

When a terrible person in a family or a friend group dies, it more often than not can be harder to bring up all of their bad moments when it hits you that you'll never see them again, that's the interesting thing about grief, it blinds you to the faults of the deceased that they had when they were alive, all you want to think about could be the few positive moments they had and you can even wonder if you could have "fixed them" so they could've had more positive moments. That doesn't mean their death should erase what they did, the victims still deserve validation for the suffering they experienced and what the abuser did should never be forgotten but it is an unfortunate part of life when you spend so long in a dysfunctional routine.

If Jax were to abstract, I think that the best case scenario for his funeral would be silence or a really short eulogy, scenes that could capture the depression that yet another person they knew succumbed to abstraction in different ways. Pomni being forced to contemplate with who Jax really was as a person, Ragatha trying to think of anything nice to say about him and feeling guilty that she keeps coming up short with anything remotely positive, Gangle and Zooble lowkey feeling conflicted because while they are a little relieved that he's gone, being relieved at anyone's death is almost always going to make you feel guilty, etc.