SPRINGHEELED JACK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance, presumably UK citizen
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: Spirits of Vengeance / Ghost Riders
Affiliations: Formerly Zadkiel
Enemies: Neo-Nazis bootboys, demons, Kid Blackheart, Zadkiel; possibly formerly Dan Ketch
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: London, England, UK
First Appearance: Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch#3 (February, 2009)
Powers/Abilities: Springheeled Jack wielded a hellfire-enhanced knife. Like most Ghost Riders, he presumably possessed superhuman strength and durability, could generate fire, and could transform his chosen mode of transport into a burning vehicle capable of great speed. Given his chosen memeform, he might have been capable of breathing fire and making prodigious leaps (see comments).
History: (Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch#3 (fb)) - Upon taking a host body in London, a Spirit of Vengeance had then tuned into the local zeitgeist to choose an appropriate shape to take (see comments), and had chosen a mixture of Victorian London's most terrifying legends, the spectral Springheeled Jack and the serial killer Jack the Ripper. He haunted the alleys of London, carving the name Jack into his victims, such as Neo-Nazi Bootboys.
(Ghost Rider VI#30 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Springheeled Jack was destroyed, possibly by Dan Ketch (see comments).
(Ghost Rider: Heaven's on Fire#6 - BTS) - Like all past Ghost Riders, Springheeled Jack was revived to take part in defending Heaven from both the rogue angel Zadkiel and then Kid Blackheart's demon army.
Comments: Created by Simon Spurrier and Javier Saltares.
Since Springheeled Jack only appeared in a single panel, there's very little information known about him. He's not explicitly named in the comic, but the revelation that Spirits of Vengeance adopt "memeforms" (idea forms) based on local myths and legends that have entered the public consciousness, combined with being described as "Springheeled,"and being said to carve "Jack" into his victims provide sufficient clues to identify him as Springheeled Jack, a legendary figure who allegedly terrified London from as early as the 1830s, though his Victorian-era clothing and single blade fits better with the public's common conception of Jack the Ripper might have looked. The script confirms that he is an amalgam of both concepts, and the Ghost Rider Index identifies him as Springheeled Jack.
It isn't specified exactly in which time he operated, but the script identifies him and the other Ghost Riders shown in the same vision as being "contemporary." However, if active at the time of Dan Ketch's vision, he was no longer so by Ghost Rider VI#30, when a discussion between Caretaker (Sara) and the Ghost Rider's Molek and Bai Gu Jing confirms the identities of the tiny handful of surviving Ghost Riders, none of whom are Jack. Between GR:DK#3 and GR VI#30 Dan Ketch was racing round the world slaying Ghost Riders, so the Springheeled Jack may well have been one of his victims.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Springheeled Jack is definitely connected to, but should not be confused
with
but has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch#4, p15, pan1 (main image)
Other Appearances:
Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch#4 (March, 2009) - Simon Spurrier (writer), Javier
Saltares (art), Axel Alonso (editor)
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire#6 (February, 2010) - Jason Aaron (writer),
Roland Boschi (art), Sebastian Girner (editor)
Last updated: 03/19/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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