All About Whizzer, the Weird Marvel Character Introduced in Jessica Jones

Chris Tilly
Streaming Marvel
Streaming Marvel MCU Netflix

This article is dedicated to a new superhero introduced during Season 2 of Jessica Jones, so if you don’t want that reveal spoiled, leave now. We’re even going to post a big picture of Jessica just below this paragraph to give you ample time to click away.

So to re-iterate, BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD…

Who is the New Character?

The new superhero is nicknamed Whizzer. And turns out he has a lengthy history in the Marvel universe, dating all the way back to the early 1940s. So we’ll kick off by describing his comic book birth, life and death before getting into Whizzer’s time on Jessica Jones.

Who is Whizzer in the Comics?

Whizzer fighting Nazis during WWII.

There have been multiple Whizzers in the comics, with the Stanley Stewart version of the character joining the Squadron Supreme and the villainous James Sanders edition even doing battle with The Defenders. But we’re going to concentrate on the original and most famous Whizzer, namely Robert Frank.

Created by Al Avison and debuting in USA Comics #1 in August 1941, Frank was travelling through Cameroon with his scientist father Dr. Emil Frank when he was bitten by a cobra. His Dad does what all good Dads should do, and injects Robert with mongoose blood that not only saves his life, but also gives him super-speed.

Whizzer is soon doing battle with Red Skull and the Nazis as part of Bucky BarnesLiberty Legion, fighting crime on the streets of New York, and marrying Miss America, with whom he has a radioactive son called Nuklo.

Drama surrounding said kid brings Whizzer into contact with The Avengers, of whom he becomes an erstwhile member. But the fallout from Nuklo’s mutations has a devastating effect on Whizzer. He turns to drink, stops using his powers, and narrowly survives a heart attack.

Whizzer eventually dies in a fight with Isbisa — the supervillain responsible for his son’s affliction — but during their battle, Nuklo was cured. Meaning Whizzer’s story has a (kinda) happy ending.

Who is Whizzer in Jessica Jones?

Jay Klaitz as Whizzer in Jessica Jones.

When Robert Coleman arrives on the doorstep of Alias Investigations early in Episode 1 of Season 2 — wearing a yellow hoodie the same colour as Whizzer’s superhero suit — he isn’t all that convincing. “Someone’s trying to kill me because I have powers” he claims. “But they haven’t caught up to me yet, thanks to my superhero speed.”

Jessica rolls her eyes, and mocks Robert when he reveals that kids in school called him the Whizzer, and that he’s a fear-based hero who can only speed when he’s scared.

As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that Coleman isn’t lying, and that he really does have powers. Possibly as part of the same programme that gave Jessica Jones her strength. He now takes drugs to control those powers, but Robert suddenly seems to be in grave danger.

“Someone is trying to kill me,” he claims later in the episode. “I need you to protect me. There’s something out there and it is strong and it is fast and it won’t stop.” Coleman then speeds out of Jessica’s office with Jones in hot pursuit, and promptly dies when bits of building fall on his head.

Jessica visits his home, where she discovers clues to the identity of Whizzer’s killer, and also, in a nice callback to the comics, finds his pet mongoose. Who just happens to be called Emil.

But ultimately, Whizzer’s small screen story is no happier than the comic book version.

Chris Tilly
Freelance writer. At this point my life is a combination of 1980s horror movies, Crystal Palace football matches, and episodes of I'm Alan Partridge. The first series. When he was in the travel tavern. Not the one after.