The Marvel Universe has several powerful and prominent superheroines, with the legacy starting with Sue Storm and continuing in the modern day with young heroes like Kate Bishop and Kamala Khan. However, one character who slipped through the cracks is Dakota North. With a rather stately name and a premise only tangentially tied to superheroics, North quickly faded into the background of Marvel Comics.
Despite, the mystery-oriented character was in many ways a sort of predecessor to Jessica Jones, while also having some of the espionage aspects of Black Widow. While these elements have failed to net her any real limelight in the comics, it could see Dakota North finally rise to prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who Is Dakota North, Marvel's Forgotten Detective?
Dakota North debuted in her short-lived eponymous comic book series from Martha Thomases and Tony Salmons. Neither of these creators had much of a presence in mainstream superhero comics, with Salmons working more in the underground indie and alternative comics scene. This, in part, likely explains why the Dakota North book tried to shy away from typical superhero plots.
The daughter of an ex-CIA agent, Dakota North chose to forgo her successful modeling career to become a private detective specializing in the seedy underworld of the fashion industry and its crimes. Fittingly, some series' promos resembled high-concept fashion ads of the 1980s, making her closer to Jem and the Holograms than the Avengers. The Dakota North book only lasted for five issues, however, and since then, she's randomly bounced around by appearing in the books of other street-level characters. These include helping Spider-Man protect his wife Mary Jane and dealings with both Daredevil and Luke Cage in the 1990s. Her last significant appearance was as a supporting cast member for Carol Danvers when she took on the mantle of Captain Marvel, but this didn't last.
Despite the failure to make Dakota North much of a deal in the Marvel comic book universe, she could become the next big (or rather, small thing) in the MCU. The Marvel Cinematic Universe desperately needs to focus more on street-level happenings, especially with many planned movies focusing on big concepts such as the Multiverse. Likewise, though the Netflix shows are seemingly finally acknowledged as canon, it's unlikely that the MCU will feature all those characters prominently. This is where Dakota North could finally strike a pose.
How Dakota North Could Replace Jessica Jones in the MCU
The similarities between North and Jessica Jones are rather uncanny. Both have ties to Luke Cage (and, to a lesser extent, Daredevil), are street-level characters, and are private investigators. They fill these roles differently, however. Jessica Jones' stories, namely the original Alias run from Brian Michael Bendis, run rather dark and mature. As gritty as the show was, even it used watered-down language and sexuality compared to the comics. Thus, a Dakota North TV show could take the place of the Netflix Jessica Jones, scratching a similar itch and moving away from some of the tropes of the MCU without being as coarse as Jones' show.
The espionage and ruddy hair also make Dakota North similar to the classic Natasha Romanoff Black Widow, another possible role for the character to slot into in film or television. A Dakota North series could also take the place of the long since passed over Most Wanted show, even involving Jessica Jones in some capacity. Whatever way Marvel Studios would choose to handle it, it would be a guaranteed success in finally getting Dakota North on the map and out of the shadow of her obscure legacy.