Superhero Origins: Jubilee

In the Marvel universe, anyone can end up a superhero – even a seemingly ordinary mall rat. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Jubilee. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which unfolded in 1989's Uncanny X-Men #244 and 1993's Wolverine Vol. 2 #72, which was expanded upon in 1997's Generation X #24. The young mutant Jubilation Lee, better known by her code name Jubilee, embarked upon her career in 1989's Uncanny X-Men #244. Not a great deal was revealed about her origin in her debut story; readers simply were introduced to a teen-age girl who enjoyed hanging out at the Hollywood Mall and performing awesome pyrotechnical tricks. Unfortunately, Jubilee's act clearly irritated the head of mall security, who resented the challenge she represented to his authority. As the mall security team chased her, pieces of Jubilee's story were revealed: she was a street kid now, but she used to go to exclusive Beverly Hills Prep. While at school, she apparently excelled as a gymnast, which came in handy as she fled the mall cops. As chance would have it, four of the female members of the X-Men turned up at the mall at this time – along with a laughable band of mutant hunters who deemed themselves M Squad. Unfortunately, the hunters had gotten hold of some impressive technology which allowed them to capture Jubilee. Psylocke rescued her, and during her rescue Jubilee revealed that she was an orphan. At the end of the issue, as the ladies of X-Men teleported away, Jubilee managed to sneak away with them – thus beginning her association with the X-Men. Over the next few years, more details would be revealed about Jubilee's origin. While working with Wolverine, Jubilee found herself in a time rift that allowed her to witness the night when she lost her parents. Jubilee had long believed that her parents were killed in a car accident but now discovered that their deaths were arranged by two thugs named Reno and Molokai – and that it was all a tragic case of mistaken identity. The crooks were hired to kill the couple who lived next door to her, whose last name was also Lee. While this story cleared up information about Jubilee's past, it didn't address the character's knowledge concerning her pyrotechnical powers. This was corrected in a 1997 Generation X story, during which Jubilee revealed that she first demonstrated her abilities during a much earlier run-in with mall security guards. To alleviate boredom, Jubilation liked to engage in a little shoplifting with a friend. One day when it seemed she was actually going to get nabbed by the police, she panicked – and her powers manifested themselves in an explosion of light and energy. In recent years, Jubilee gained new powers and then lost them all, but that wasn't the end of her: using technology to give herself artificial powers, she rechristened herself Wondra and joined the New Warriors. Thanks to the X-Men's popularity, Jubilee has been seen frequently on TV and in films. She was featured in several of the X-Men animated TV series, as well as the Generation X made-for-TV movie. Diligent fans can also catch a glimpse of her in the X-men feature films. Are you a fan of Jubilee? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.