5 Best Jessica Jones Stories To Read Before Daredevil: Born Again Season 3

Published Aug 30, 2026, 8:34 PM EDT Umair is a contributor for the ScreenRant anime section. He has always been enthusiastic about pop culture. Whether it's anime, movies, TV shows, manga, manhwa, video games, or pop music, he is always tuned in. From the classic Dragon Ball to the underrated Dororo, he has a broad knowledge of the most. When he's not writing, you may find him editing on his favorite anime, movie, or pop star on his Instagram. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Daredevil: Born Again season 2 finale left Matt Murdock in a pretty terrible place. After publicly unmasking himself to save Karen Page and taking down Mayor Wilson Fisk's political empire, the Man Without Fear ended up behind bars himself. With Season 3 seemingly setting up the legendary "Devil in Cell Block D" storyline, Matt is going to need all the help he can get. That is where Jessica Jones comes in. Krysten Ritter finally returned to the MCU midway through Born Again season 2, and it did not take long for her to feel like Jessica again. Her messy PI life, new role as a mother to Danielle, and especially her brutal back-and-forth with Charlie Cox's Daredevil all made it clear that the character had not lost a step since the Netflix days. Now that Jessica is back in Matt's corner, there is no better time to revisit the comic stories that made her such a fan favorite. The live-action shows captured plenty of her attitude, trauma, and superhuman strength, but the comics go much deeper into the person underneath the sarcasm, making them an essential before Daredevil: Born Again season 3. To maintain continuity and have a better reading experience, readers are encouraged to follow the recommended reading order. 1 Alias #1–28 (2001–2004) By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & Michael Gaydos (Artist)\ For anyone looking to understand Jessica Jones at her best, there is really no better place to start than Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos' original Alias run. The 2001-2004 series introduced readers to a very different kind of superhero story, following Jessica as a chain-smoking, brutally honest private investigator running her own agency, Alias Investigations. Instead of treating her powers as the most important part of the character, the series focuses on the damaged person underneath them. That becomes especially important as Jessica's past as the costumed hero Jewel slowly comes back to haunt her. Bendis takes his time revealing the psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of Zebediah Killgrave, making her eventual confrontation with the Purple Man one of the most important parts of her entire story. It is also where the complicated, surprisingly supportive relationship between Jessica and Matt Murdock really starts to take shape. Their connection is established almost immediately when Jessica becomes caught up in a dangerous case and is arrested for a murder she did not commit. Matt steps in as her lawyer in Alias #3, giving readers an early look at the way these two flawed heroes look out for each other. With Matt facing his own legal and public disaster heading into Born Again season 3, this 28-issue run feels more relevant than ever. 2 Daredevil Vol. 2 #36-50 (2002-2003) By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & Alex Maleev & others (Artist) Readers looking to see Jessica Jones at her best as an ally to Daredevil, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's Daredevil Vol. 2 run is essential reading. The story operates in the same timeline as Alias and puts the Man Without Fear in his worst-case scenario. Drawing heavy parallels to the recent Daredevil: Born Again season 2 finale, this specific storyline, famously picking up during the "Out" arc, sees Matt Murdock's secret identity leaked to the Daily Globe by a corrupt FBI agent. Once the news spreads, Matt's enemies immediately start targeting everyone close to him, forcing him to protect more than just himself. That is where Jessica and Luke Cage come in. Matt hires the pair to protect him, Foggy Nelson, and the people around them while he deals with the fallout. Jessica is not simply there to throw punches, either. Her presence shows how much Matt trusts her as his world starts to fall apart. The story eventually takes Matt to one of his darkest points, as he goes after Wilson Fisk and takes control of Hell's Kitchen himself. It is a brutal look at what happens when Daredevil stops trying to play by the rules. That makes this run particularly relevant before Daredevil: Born Again season 3. The MCU has now left Matt publicly unmasked and behind bars, putting him in another situation where his allies could become just as important as he is. If Jessica is going to stand beside him again, this is one of the best stories to see exactly what that partnership can look like. 3 The Pulse #1–14 (2004–2006) By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & Mark Bagley, Michael Lark & others (Artist) If Alias shows how Jessica Jones became the person she is, The Pulse shows what happens when she starts building a life beyond her trauma. Brian Michael Bendis' 14-issue follow-up moves Jessica from the mature MAX imprint into the middle of Marvel's main universe, giving her a surprisingly different job. Instead of running Alias Investigations, she gets hired by J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle and teams up with legendary reporter Ben Urich for the paper's new superhero-focused section, The Pulse. The 14-issue run kicks off with an epic street-level mystery that leads Jessica and Urich to do the impossible: gathering the evidence to publicly expose Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin and finally getting him arrested. But while the Daily Bugle drama and the heavy Spider-Man crossovers are fantastic, the big reason this run matters is Jessica's personal life. Bendis shifts much of the focus toward her relationship with Luke Cage and her high-risk pregnancy, showing a side of Jessica that Alias never had room to explore. Their relationship eventually moves from a messy romance to something much more serious, ending with the birth of their daughter, Danielle. With Daredevil: Born Again officially establishing Jessica as a mother navigating the dangerous streets of New York, and viewers desperately waiting for Luke Cage to make his MCU return, The Pulse serves as the perfect blueprint for her current live-action era. 4 The Defenders (2017) #1-10 By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & David Marquez, Justin Ponsor & others (Artist) For anyone who wants to see Jessica Jones working alongside the rest of Marvel's street-level heroes, Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's The Defenders is a great pick. The 10-issue series brings Daredevil, Jessica, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist together for a violent fight over New York's criminal underworld. It wastes very little time getting started, either, with Willis Stryker, better known as Diamondback, launching his campaign by shooting Jessica in the gut. That attack quickly gives the team a reason to stick together. With Diamondback using a dangerous new drug to build his power, the four heroes are forced to work as a unit while protecting their families and everyone caught in the middle. Jessica gets plenty of chances to show she is much more than the team's powerhouse. Her instincts as a private investigator remain just as important as her ability to throw down when things get ugly. The biggest draw, though, is seeing Jessica and Matt actually function as part of the same team. They have crossed paths countless times, but The Defenders gives their partnership room to breathe while putting both characters right in the middle of a city-wide crime war. 5 Devil's Reign #1-6 (2021) + Omega (2022) By Chip Zdarsky (Writer) & Marco Checchetto and others (Artist) Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s Devil's Reign is easily the most essential modern street-level Marvel event. The event begins with Wilson Fisk at his most dangerous position yet: Mayor of New York City. With the law on his side, he uses his power to outlaw superheroes and sends government-backed Thunderbolts after anyone who refuses to fall in line. This city-wide crackdown forces heroes like Daredevil, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones to go underground just to survive. Jessica quickly finds herself dealing with something even worse than Fisk's hit squads. To strengthen his grip on the city, Fisk brings Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, back into the picture. For Jessica, that means facing the villain responsible for some of the darkest moments of her life while trying to protect the people closest to her. The story also gives Jessica a bigger role in the fight against Fisk when Luke Cage decides to challenge him politically by running for mayor. That makes Devil's Reign more than another superhero brawl. It is a story about power, politics, trauma, and what happens when someone like Fisk gets control of an entire city. With the MCU already building its own version of Mayor Fisk, this is perhaps the most useful modern Jessica Jones story to read before Daredevil: Born Again season 3. Release Date 2015 - 2019-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, Scott Reynolds A hard drinking private investigator with superhuman strength attempts to leave her past as a costumed hero behind, but old wounds refuse to stay buried. This gritty 2015 Netflix series adapted Brian Michael Bendis' character and featured the first on-screen appearance of Luke Cage. Directors Jennifer Getzinger, Stephen Surjik, David Petrarca, Rosemary Rodriguez, Simon Cellan Jones, Uta Briesewitz, S.J. Clarkson, Mairzee Almas, Neasa Hardiman, Anna Foerster, Billy Gierhart, Jennifer Lynch, John Dahl, Liz Friedlander, Michael Lehmann, Michael Rymer, Millicent Shelton, Minkie Spiro, Sanford Bookstaver, Sarah Boyd, Zetna Fuentes, Deborah Chow, Krysten Ritter, Larry Teng Writers Micah Schraft, Raelle Tucker, Jane Espenson, Edward Ricourt Franchise(s) Jessica Jones Main Genre Crime Creator(s) Melissa Rosenberg Executive Producer(s) Melissa Rosenberg, Scott Reynolds, Brian Michael Bendis, Alan Fine, Hilly Hicks Jr., Howard Klein, Stan Lee, Jeph Loeb, Joe Quesada, Jim Chory, Dan Buckley, Karim Zreik, Liz Friedman, Cindy Holland, S.J. Clarkson, Allie Goss, Raelle Tucker, Kris Henigman Producers Tim Iacofano Seasons 3 Story By Melissa Roseborg Streaming Service(s) Netflix