WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for She-Hulk #1 by Rainbow Rowell, Rogê Antônio, Rico Renzi and Joe Caramagna, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
Marvel Comics just brought back one of its most dangerous Avengers.
In She-Hulk #1, Jennifer Walters realizes that she has neglected her civilian life by focusing on being one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes for too long. To remedy this personal failing, She-Hulk reaches out to the Wasp and secures an apartment for herself. However, on her first night to herself, Shulkie's soothing bath is suddenly interrupted by a clatter from the living room. Springing up, She-Hulk discovers that formerly dead Jack of Hearts is somehow alive once more.
Created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen, Jack of Hearts first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #22. Following his father's death, a scientific compound known as Zero Fluid spilled over Jonathan "Jack" Heart. This fluid, combined with Jack's alien physiology, gave him the ability to dispel energy from his body in concentrated blasts. Though his powers forced Jack to wear a suit of armor to stay alive, he proved himself to be a hero and joined the Avengers. Unfortunately, his tenure would be short-lived, as the revelation that he was accidentally absorbing She-Hulk's gamma-radiation threatened both heroes' lives. After resigning from the team, Jack helped save the life of Ant-Man's daughter before flying into space and releasing his pent-up energy, seemingly killing himself in the process. Sometime later, the Scarlet Witch reanimated Jack's corpse to destroy Avengers Mansion, further emphasizing his death.
While Jack of Hearts' return shocks She-Hulk, Marvel has previously teased the hero's imminent arrival. In Timeless #1, Kang the Conqueror opens multiple portals that point towards future events, such as the Punisher working alongside the Hand and a new Iron Fist appearing. Among these images is Jack of Hearts, shown with the accompanying caption "and a heart once through lost beats anew." Furthermore, Marvel's solicit texts for March's issues of She-Hulk and Fantastic Four tease that Jack of Hearts will play a continued role in both titles, suggesting that his return will have some staying power.
Jack of Hearts' revival isn't the only thing that has shaken She-Hulk's status quo in recent months. Over the summer, Jennifer was seemingly mind-controlled by the Winter Guard and turned into their gamma-radiated champion, the Winter Hulk. After numerous missions with the Soviet super-team, Jen revealed that the entire ordeal was a ruse and she had only used the situation to infiltrate the Winter Guard. Eventually, in the pages of Avengers #50, Jen reversed her physical condition by absorbing a gamma bomb, which simultaneously saved Atlantis from certain doom and returned Jen to her classic, sensational self.
With She-Hulk out on her own, the remaining Avengers find themselves outpowered by their latest foes, the multiversal Masters of Evil. Composed of variants of the Earth's mightiest villains, the team's attack threatens the safety of Earth-616 and the entire multiverse. Still, their youngest member may be the answer to the team's problems, as Avengers #52 suggests that Starbrand, a small child with nearly unlimited power, is prophesized to become the greatest Avenger of all time.
Source: Marvel Comics