What’s Happening with Jessica Jones’ Powers in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2?

After years of fan campaigns and speculation, Krysten Ritter has made her highly anticipated return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the hard-drinking investigator Jessica Jones. Her appearance in Season 2, Episode 6, “Requiem,” was as gritty as fans had hoped, but it came with a surprising twist: Jessica is no longer the invulnerable powerhouse she once was.

If you’ve been tuning into Daredevil: Born Again and were taken aback to see Jessica bleeding after a simple punch, here’s everything you need to know about her changing powers.

Throughout three seasons of her own Netflix series and The Defenders, Jessica Jones was characterized by her incredible super strength and high durability. While she wasn’t completely bulletproof like Luke Cage, she could stop a moving car or leap several stories without sustaining any injuries.

In Born Again Season 2, Jessica confides in Matt Murdock that her powers have become inconsistent. She describes her abilities as “dropping out” unexpectedly. One moment she can rip a steel door off its hinges, and the next, she has the strength and resilience of an average human.

The series offers a grounded, biological explanation for this shift: childbirth.

The show introduces Jessica’s young daughter, Danielle (a name familiar to comic book fans as the child of Jessica and Luke Cage). Jessica explains to Matt on a rooftop that since giving birth to Danielle, her body has changed. “After Danielle, it just drops out sometimes… I don’t think there’s an owner’s manual for this,” she humorously remarks.

In the MCU, it appears that the physical toll of a “super-powered pregnancy” has led to a permanent or recurring instability in her abilities. This “flickering” power set adds a new layer of vulnerability and tension to her character that we haven’t seen before.

The true consequences of this power loss become evident during a raid against Mayor Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). In previous years, Jessica would have easily taken down unpowered guards. However, during the fight, her strength suddenly fails her.

In a shocking moment for longtime fans, a standard agent lands a punch that causes Jessica to bleed and stagger back in pain. This isn’t merely a cosmetic change; it alters her fighting style. She can no longer depend on brute force and absorbing hits, which forces her to rely more on tactical teamwork with Daredevil.

Jessica’s motivation for re-entering the fray isn’t solely about heroics—it’s about survival. Her suburban life is disrupted by goons working for the enigmatic Mr. Charles, who target her due to her refusal to join a government-sanctioned “super-team.”

While Jessica is back in New York fighting alongside Matt, fans are also curious: Where is Luke Cage? Episode 7, “The Hateful Darkness,” reveals that Luke is currently on an overseas covert mission for the CIA. This explains his absence and hints at a larger conspiracy involving super-powered individuals that Jessica finds herself entangled in.

The “flickering powers” storyline appears to be more than just a plot device to keep the action grounded. It sets the stage for a potential character arc in Season 3 (already confirmed for 2027), where Jessica may need to find a way to stabilize her abilities or learn to be a hero without them.

What did you think of Jessica’s return in Daredevil: Born Again?