Jubilation Lee, better known as Jubilee, is one of the most underrated female X-Men there is. In 2004, Jubilee had her comic book series which canceled after only six issues. Her first appearance was in Uncanny X-men issue 244. Jubilee came from a wealthy Chinese-American background and was a typical teen until, of course, life threw her a curve-ball.
Jubilee has no idea what kind of amazing and tragic life she is about to encounter. Throughout her life, she will be apart of several teams that form and disband over the years. She will make friends, lose friends, even rescue former mutants. Jubilation Lee will also have multiple names. Jubes, Wondra, Jubilee, Jub, and Jubilation Lee. Each name is giving her her own identity within the team she is with at the time. She adores the X-Men. However, she will not always be with them. Choices she makes to save herself and those around her with no negative rebuttal makes her even stronger a mutant and written character.
Energetic and talented at a young age, gymnastics and the mall gave this young girl a life. Unfortunately, both of her parents murdered by mistake. The murderer killed the wrong Lees. As a young minor, she was dropped off at an orphanage. Now the rich girl who just lost her parents was lost and alone, so she went to the only home she knew. Jubilee found solace in the mall and sadly stole food and clothes to survive. Her first fight with the mutant-hunting team M-Squad was because she was living in the mall and evading security.
Jubilation Lee is one of the most positive and outgoing mutants I have ever seen. She eventually was rescued by some mutants who brought her to X-Men base in Australia. With the X-Men, she learned to control her powers and even advance them. The X-Men became her family. She was very attached to Wolverine in particular. They traveled for a long while together, and she would come to see him as a father. It is no surprise he gave himself up to S.H.E.I.L.D to save her.
Even after losing all of her powers to S.H.E.I.L.D, she never forgot who she was — reinventing her abilities through technology to help other ex-mutants in the New Warriors. Her new team would be known as Wondra. Eventually, disbanded, she still used New Warrior tech to find ex mutants and help them adjust to “human” life. All without any powers.
Innovation! She soon rejoined the X-Men and became good friends with Pixie, another mutant in the X-Men. Though their friendship looked as if it wasn’t part of fate design, or was it? While at a coffee shop things take a new turn, a turn for the worst?
A vampire suicide bomber blew up a cafe she was at and infected everyone in the vicinity even her. After many tests, the X-Men discovered her transition. Jubilee would have a slow and potentially painful transition into her undead life. Her mutant genes were affecting the speed of the process. While everyone else who was affected vamp’d overnight. Still positive and willing to do good Jubilee was determined to be apart of the X-Men and adapted to her new lifestyle well.
However, the expansion of her character in X-Men #1 in 2013, we see a lot of new things with Jubilee. She has been traveling for a couple of years. No-one has seen or heard from her. Although she did not return home alone, she brings a baby back. While in a Hungarian Airport, she finds an abandoned baby. There is no doubt in her mind where the baby would be most safe. So she heads home to the United States.
As far as female mutants go, she is incredible. Intelligent, reliable, and loyal to a fault. Her usage in the X-Men universe has been downplayed and underutilized. Her original powers of light were more potent than Marvel was given credit. With the ability to use energy as a force of light and blind and attack as well as defend. She needs more attention.
Most People see her as a useless X-Men because of her power of light. But it isn’t just light as it’s energy. Yes, she can display some pretty cool light shows and fireworks, but its an active attack power. The power of energy she possesses and distributes is insane. It isn’t just blinding people, she is capable of physically forcing anyone off there feet with an explosion of energy. The ability to blow things up is a power many Super Heroes have. Starfire in the Teen Titans, Static Shock from the animated show Static Shock. The only reason it is accepted for those heroes and not Jubilee is what she does with it. To entertain people.
Starfire is an alien, and I am sure if she thought she could be a street performer to understand humans, she would. Many mutants and heroes have their quirks. I feel like Jubilees quirks give her character and a sense of relatability. Positively one of my favorite X-Men. Along with thoughts on her power base, many fans believe she’s too naive to be a useful character as well due to her 90s look of putting with the pink top, raincoat and the boots.
Overall, I declare that looks can be deceiving, and this young teen is more than what she seems. If you are a fan of X-Men, you should order her original collection in 2013. As a supporting character, she meets many marvelous mutants, and as the main character, she is pretty bad-ass. Her journey is worth reading.
I hope to see her in the X-Men universe way more. Maybe with Domino and all her new comics with X-Force. As a member of the X-Force, she could have witty banter with Deadpool and given the relationship Deadpool has with Wolverine, Jubilee and Deadpool are bound to bring in the fight to the next level! Or even Jubilee and Squirrel Girl, who is another underappreciated hero. But that’s an argument for another time. Point is look up Jubilation Lee at Marvel’s website. Her power alone is worth the read.