Jack of Hearts
Encyclopedia
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character
, a superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
#22 (March, 1976), and was created by writer Bill Mantlo
and illustrator Keith Giffen
. He was presented as an antagonist for the superhero White Tiger
but his origin story in the following issue established him as a hero. His debut appearance in a color comic book was in Incredible Hulk #214 where he fought the Hulk, whom Jack mistakenly believed to be a threat. He later served a brief stint as an ally and apprentice of Iron Man
, becoming a regular cast member of the series during Mantlo's tenure as writer.
Jack has made various guest appearances in several books over the years, including Marvel Two-In-One
, The Defenders
, Marvel Premiere
, (in a solo story meant to launch the character in his own series) ROM, and Marvel Team-Up
, (which served as an intro to his 1984 mini-series) among others. He starred in his own self-titled, four issue limited series from January to April 1984.
. He is the son of Philip Hart, a scientist who created an energy source called "zero fluid", and Marie, an alien humanoid woman of the Contraxian race. After being exposed to a vat of zero fluid, Jack underwent a mutagenic change and gained the ability to project concussive energy from his body. After gaining these powers, Jack began his mission of vengeance against the Corporation
that killed his father. This led to Jack fighting other superheroes such as the Sons of the Tiger
and the Hulk
. He also fought the White Tiger
. Eventually, he killed Stryke, his father's killer.
Later, Jack mistakenly fought Iron Man
. Being new to super-heroics, he asked Iron Man to take him on as an apprentice, which he did, to show him the ropes. Jack teamed with Iron Man, Nick Fury
, Guardsman, Jasper Sitwell
, Jean DeWolff
, and the Wraith, and battled Midas
. Jack was briefly turned to a golden living statue by Midas, and then freed from this golden state by Iron Man and Yellowjacket
. Jack then aided Iron Man in fighting the Soviet Super-Soldiers
on the moon. Jack aided Iron Man against the Rigellian
Commander Arcturus. Jack later went off on his own, and fought Hemlock.
. Jack fought the Thing
, who was under mental control of the Machinesmith
. Jack Hart was then reunited with a college girlfriend named Marcy Kane (who was also a fellow graduate student of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man
). Marcy, a scientist, and S.H.I.E.L.D.
offered to help find a cure for Jack's dangerous super powers. Jack fought some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and his powers were temporarily dampened by Spider-Man. Marcy turned out to be a Contraxian agent sent to Earth to find Jack. It was at this time Jack learned of his half-Contraxian heritage. Marcy took Jack to Contraxia, where he discovered that his powers had increased exponentially, and saved the home-world of his mother by reenergizing its dying sun. The Contraxians could not find a solution for Jack's unstable powers, and he left Contraxia to wander outer space in exile.
While wandering space he was captured by the Stranger
. He later escaped captivity on the Stranger's planet. Jack fought Quasar
during his return to Earth; however, Jack exploded when his containment suit was breached in battle with the Presence
. Jack was retrieved from space, revived and mentally controlled by Moondragon
, and he attacked Kismet
. The damage to his armor led Jack to seek aid from the Silver Surfer, who found an alien armorer on Anvil who designed a new containment suit for Jack. Jack then battled Nebula
and Geatar
. Shortly after this adventure, Jack fell in love with the alien warrior woman known as Ganymede
, though she did not return his feelings.
In an effort to save R-76, an outpost manned by the Rigellians
, Jack of Hearts was injured in battle with the Servitors. Jack was rescued by a team of Avengers, and succeeded in convincing the Infinites to restore R-76. Subsequently, Jack and these Avengers were captured, first by the Shi'Ar
, and then by the Ruul acting under the orders of the Supreme Intelligence
. Jack and the Avengers eventually escaped to Earth and helped reverse a plan to have Earth consumed by Ego the Living Planet
.
Jack's return to Earth happened during the period known as the Kang War, and Jack of Hearts was accepted as a member of the Avengers
, becoming the fifty-second superhero to join the team, though the traditional welcoming ceremony for new Avengers were deferred given the nature of the crisis they faced. During his tenure, the Avengers teamed-up with the Justice League of America, and fought the Red Skull
for unleashing a biological weapon at Mount Rushmore
, killing many civilians.
, the daughter of Scott Lang
(the second Ant-Man), along with him when he exploded in space. With his uniform destroyed in the blast, the naked body of Jack of Hearts drifted deeper into space.
" event, Jack reappeared in uniform as what appeared to be a zombie just long enough to blow himself up, killing Scott Lang and destroying half of the Avengers Mansion. Jack's return was caused by the probability-shifting powers of the Scarlet Witch
through methods that have remained ambiguous. Unlike his prior explosion in space, Jack's body was never recovered from the ruins. It's thus unclear if that was the real Jack of Hearts or a magical creation of Scarlet Witch, and in this case the status of the real Jack of Hearts is yet to be determined.
to win a chance to return to the living. This is not the intended way the afterlife should operate, according to the characters. Jack wins, and excitedly declares that he is next for resurrection.
(the young Kang the Conqueror
) transports the Young Avengers
and the amnesiac Wanda, no longer the Scarlet Witch, back to that fateful time and place when Jack had been used as a weapon to destroy the Avengers. Jack, undead and quite miserable, and unaware that he is facing a different Wanda, pleads with Wanda not to go through with her monstrous plan. The horror and pity of this shocks Wanda into recovering her memory - and therefore her powers. As an unexpected side effect, the life of Scott Lang is also saved. Jack's last words before exploding were "I'm sorry."
came across a source of zero-point energy
which Harper believed could help them stop the zombies. The zero-point energy unexpectedly reformed itself into corporeal form as Jack, who returned to life wearing his original suit for unexplained reasons. Harper managed to revive Jack, who was temporarily amnesiac and fainting from the stress of becoming human again. Although initially weakened, Jack quickly regained control of his powers and assessed the situation. Using his powers, Jack destroyed the zombies and saved Harper's life after she became infected with the zombie virus. Afterwards, the two shared a romantic kiss.
The left half of Jack of Hearts' body has turned purplish-black from direct exposure to "Zero Fluid". Jack of Hearts' left eye has an opaque white membrane covering the entire pupil.
Jack originally wore a suit of armor crafted in medieval Europe. His second suit of armor was designed by Torval, and made from alien materials designed to contain the zero energy his body generates. His original suit of armor was later restored and upgraded by Moondragon
after Jack was rescued from space by the Avengers
and thus leading to his connection with the team.
Jack is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, has had some S.H.I.E.L.D. combat training, and is a skilled writer of poetry.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung FuDeadly Hands of Kung Fu
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu is a martial arts comic book magazine published by Curtis Magazines, a short-lived imprint of Marvel Comics. There were a total of 33 issues published, plus one "Special Album Edition," before the series was cancelled.-Overview:...
#22 (March, 1976), and was created by writer Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. An attorney, he also worked as a public defender...
and illustrator Keith Giffen
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
. He was presented as an antagonist for the superhero White Tiger
White Tiger (Hector Ayala)
White Tiger is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, and was created by Bill Mantlo and George Pérez. First appearing in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 , he is the first Puerto Rican superhero in the history of comics, and Marvel's first superhero of Hispanic descent.- Publication history...
but his origin story in the following issue established him as a hero. His debut appearance in a color comic book was in Incredible Hulk #214 where he fought the Hulk, whom Jack mistakenly believed to be a threat. He later served a brief stint as an ally and apprentice of Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, becoming a regular cast member of the series during Mantlo's tenure as writer.
Jack has made various guest appearances in several books over the years, including Marvel Two-In-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
, The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
, Marvel Premiere
Marvel Premiere
Marvel Premiere is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It ran for 61 issues from April 1972 to August 1981....
, (in a solo story meant to launch the character in his own series) ROM, and Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
, (which served as an intro to his 1984 mini-series) among others. He starred in his own self-titled, four issue limited series from January to April 1984.
Early life
Jack Hart was born in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He is the son of Philip Hart, a scientist who created an energy source called "zero fluid", and Marie, an alien humanoid woman of the Contraxian race. After being exposed to a vat of zero fluid, Jack underwent a mutagenic change and gained the ability to project concussive energy from his body. After gaining these powers, Jack began his mission of vengeance against the Corporation
Corporation (comics)
-Publication history:The Corporation first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #23-24 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Gil Kane....
that killed his father. This led to Jack fighting other superheroes such as the Sons of the Tiger
Sons of the Tiger
The Sons of the Tiger were three martial arts heroes featured in comic books published by Curtis Magazines called the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu...
and the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. He also fought the White Tiger
White Tiger (Hector Ayala)
White Tiger is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, and was created by Bill Mantlo and George Pérez. First appearing in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 , he is the first Puerto Rican superhero in the history of comics, and Marvel's first superhero of Hispanic descent.- Publication history...
. Eventually, he killed Stryke, his father's killer.
Later, Jack mistakenly fought Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. Being new to super-heroics, he asked Iron Man to take him on as an apprentice, which he did, to show him the ropes. Jack teamed with Iron Man, Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
, Guardsman, Jasper Sitwell
Jasper Sitwell
Jasper Sitwell is a fictional, comic book espionage agent in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Strange Tales #144 .-Publication history:...
, Jean DeWolff
Jean DeWolff
Jean DeWolff is a fictional police detective who functions as a supporting character in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring Spider-Man...
, and the Wraith, and battled Midas
Midas (comics)
-Mordecai Midas:Mordecai Midas was born in Athens, Greece, and was once a starving child in Europe. He became a billionaire business magnate, determined to become the richest man by any means possible....
. Jack was briefly turned to a golden living statue by Midas, and then freed from this golden state by Iron Man and Yellowjacket
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
. Jack then aided Iron Man in fighting the Soviet Super-Soldiers
Soviet Super-Soldiers
The Soviet Super-Soldiers are a fictional super team in the Marvel Comics universe.-History:The Soviet Super-Soldiers were a superteam that was brought together by the Soviet government of Russia to be the counterpart of American teams like the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Professor Phobos founded...
on the moon. Jack aided Iron Man against the Rigellian
Rigellians (Marvel Comics)
The Rigellians, also known as the Colonizers of Rigel, are a scientifically and technologically advanced alien race in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, devoted towards amassing an empire via colonization. They are native to Rigel-3 the third planet orbiting the star Rigel in the Milky Way Galaxy...
Commander Arcturus. Jack later went off on his own, and fought Hemlock.
Being a Hero
Later, Jack moved past his mission of blind vengeance and became a true hero, working with various other superheroes such as the DefendersDefenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
. Jack fought the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, who was under mental control of the Machinesmith
Machinesmith
Machinesmith is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in robotics, and is able to make convincing doubles of other superhumans...
. Jack Hart was then reunited with a college girlfriend named Marcy Kane (who was also a fellow graduate student of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
). Marcy, a scientist, and S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
offered to help find a cure for Jack's dangerous super powers. Jack fought some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and his powers were temporarily dampened by Spider-Man. Marcy turned out to be a Contraxian agent sent to Earth to find Jack. It was at this time Jack learned of his half-Contraxian heritage. Marcy took Jack to Contraxia, where he discovered that his powers had increased exponentially, and saved the home-world of his mother by reenergizing its dying sun. The Contraxians could not find a solution for Jack's unstable powers, and he left Contraxia to wander outer space in exile.
While wandering space he was captured by the Stranger
Stranger (comics)
The Stranger is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The Stranger first appeared in X-Men #11 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
. He later escaped captivity on the Stranger's planet. Jack fought Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
during his return to Earth; however, Jack exploded when his containment suit was breached in battle with the Presence
Presence (Marvel Comics)
Sergei Krylov is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:As a younger man, Sergei was a Russian nuclear physicist born in Minsk, U.S.S.R...
. Jack was retrieved from space, revived and mentally controlled by Moondragon
Moondragon
Moondragon is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe. A vastly powerful telepath, master martial artist, minor telekinetic, and highly skilled geneticist, Moondragon's most notable characteristics are her shaved head, superiority complex, and gruelling elite excellence in virtually every...
, and he attacked Kismet
Kismet (Marvel Comics)
Kismet, also known as Paragon and Her is a fictional superheroine that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics...
. The damage to his armor led Jack to seek aid from the Silver Surfer, who found an alien armorer on Anvil who designed a new containment suit for Jack. Jack then battled Nebula
Nebula (comics)
Nebula is a fictional character, an alien supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:A brutal space pirate and mercenary, Nebula seized control of Sanctuary III, a massive spaceship previously under the command of Thanos. Thanos was believed to be dead at...
and Geatar
Geatar
Geatar is a fictional warrior from an unknown alien race who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Geatar first appeared in Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #38 , and was created by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim.-Fictional character biography:...
. Shortly after this adventure, Jack fell in love with the alien warrior woman known as Ganymede
Ganymede (comics)
Ganymede is a fictional character and an extraterrestrial superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe-Fictional character biography:Ganymede is the last surviving member of a race of warrior women known as the Spinsterhood, a group which was formed with the sole purpose of destroying the cosmic being...
, though she did not return his feelings.
In an effort to save R-76, an outpost manned by the Rigellians
Rigellians (Marvel Comics)
The Rigellians, also known as the Colonizers of Rigel, are a scientifically and technologically advanced alien race in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, devoted towards amassing an empire via colonization. They are native to Rigel-3 the third planet orbiting the star Rigel in the Milky Way Galaxy...
, Jack of Hearts was injured in battle with the Servitors. Jack was rescued by a team of Avengers, and succeeded in convincing the Infinites to restore R-76. Subsequently, Jack and these Avengers were captured, first by the Shi'Ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
, and then by the Ruul acting under the orders of the Supreme Intelligence
Supreme Intelligence
The Supreme Intelligence is a fictional organic computer featured in several Marvel Comics stories.-Fictional character biography:The Supreme Intelligence, also known by the honorific title Supremor, was created more than a million years ago on the planet Kree-Lar by the extraterrestrial race known...
. Jack and the Avengers eventually escaped to Earth and helped reverse a plan to have Earth consumed by Ego the Living Planet
Ego the Living Planet
Ego the Living Planet is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Thor #132 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
.
Jack's return to Earth happened during the period known as the Kang War, and Jack of Hearts was accepted as a member of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, becoming the fifty-second superhero to join the team, though the traditional welcoming ceremony for new Avengers were deferred given the nature of the crisis they faced. During his tenure, the Avengers teamed-up with the Justice League of America, and fought the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
for unleashing a biological weapon at Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
, killing many civilians.
Death
Jack of Hearts chose to commit suicide rather than continue living in containment 14 hours a day. Jack took a child murderer who had abducted Cassandra LangCassandra Lang
Stature is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the daughter of the late Scott Lang . Cassie Lang is a member of the Young Avengers and The Initiative...
, the daughter of Scott Lang
Scott Lang
Scott Lang is a fictional character featured in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the second superhero character to use the name Ant-Man in the Marvel Universe, following the original, Dr. Henry Pym...
(the second Ant-Man), along with him when he exploded in space. With his uniform destroyed in the blast, the naked body of Jack of Hearts drifted deeper into space.
Avengers Disassembled
In Avengers #500 (now back to its original renumbering) at the onset of the "Avengers DisassembledAvengers Disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. The general idea is that the major heroes are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally...
" event, Jack reappeared in uniform as what appeared to be a zombie just long enough to blow himself up, killing Scott Lang and destroying half of the Avengers Mansion. Jack's return was caused by the probability-shifting powers of the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
through methods that have remained ambiguous. Unlike his prior explosion in space, Jack's body was never recovered from the ruins. It's thus unclear if that was the real Jack of Hearts or a magical creation of Scarlet Witch, and in this case the status of the real Jack of Hearts is yet to be determined.
Afterlife
During the adventures of Hercules in Hades, Jack can be seen playing slotsSlot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
to win a chance to return to the living. This is not the intended way the afterlife should operate, according to the characters. Jack wins, and excitedly declares that he is next for resurrection.
The Children's Crusade
Iron LadIron Lad
Iron Lad is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular Young Avengers, a team of which Iron Lad is a member. He first appeared in Young Avengers #1 , created by writer Allan Heinberg and illustrator Jim Cheung...
(the young Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
) transports the Young Avengers
Young Avengers
Young Avengers is an American comic book series written by Allan Heinberg and published by Marvel Comics. It follows a group of young superheroes, each of whom patterns themselves after a member of the long-established Marvel superhero team the Avengers....
and the amnesiac Wanda, no longer the Scarlet Witch, back to that fateful time and place when Jack had been used as a weapon to destroy the Avengers. Jack, undead and quite miserable, and unaware that he is facing a different Wanda, pleads with Wanda not to go through with her monstrous plan. The horror and pity of this shocks Wanda into recovering her memory - and therefore her powers. As an unexpected side effect, the life of Scott Lang is also saved. Jack's last words before exploding were "I'm sorry."
Marvel Zombies Supreme and resurrection
Jack Hart returned to life once more in the second issue of the Marvel Zombies Supreme mini-series. While defending scientists at Project Pegasus, (which has been sieged by zombiefied clones of the Squadron Supreme) a team of special operatives led by Jill Harper and the superhero known as BattlestarBattlestar (comics)
Battlestar , who was also the fifth Bucky, is a fictional character, who is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America #323 ....
came across a source of zero-point energy
Zero-point energy
Zero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have; it is the energy of its ground state. All quantum mechanical systems undergo fluctuations even in their ground state and have an associated zero-point energy, a consequence of their wave-like nature...
which Harper believed could help them stop the zombies. The zero-point energy unexpectedly reformed itself into corporeal form as Jack, who returned to life wearing his original suit for unexplained reasons. Harper managed to revive Jack, who was temporarily amnesiac and fainting from the stress of becoming human again. Although initially weakened, Jack quickly regained control of his powers and assessed the situation. Using his powers, Jack destroyed the zombies and saved Harper's life after she became infected with the zombie virus. Afterwards, the two shared a romantic kiss.
Powers and abilities
Jack Hart's superhuman powers are as a result of the mutagenic effect of his father's "Zero Fluid," combined with the alien genes from his Contraxian mother. He has superhuman stamina and durability. Jack of Hearts also has the ability to generate "zero energy" within his body and project it as concussive force or intense heat or as a propellant to fly. Jack is sometimes unable to exert complete control over his energies, however. For a short time after restarting Contraxia's sun, he uncontrollably radiated enough heat to melt one of Contraxia's polar ice caps. He can survive unprotected in space. Jack of Hearts's brain has incorporated the artificial intelligence of a computerized device called the Scanalyzer, enabling him to think with the speed of a computer and store and retrieve information with a computer-like capacity and efficiency.The left half of Jack of Hearts' body has turned purplish-black from direct exposure to "Zero Fluid". Jack of Hearts' left eye has an opaque white membrane covering the entire pupil.
Jack originally wore a suit of armor crafted in medieval Europe. His second suit of armor was designed by Torval, and made from alien materials designed to contain the zero energy his body generates. His original suit of armor was later restored and upgraded by Moondragon
Moondragon
Moondragon is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe. A vastly powerful telepath, master martial artist, minor telekinetic, and highly skilled geneticist, Moondragon's most notable characteristics are her shaved head, superiority complex, and gruelling elite excellence in virtually every...
after Jack was rescued from space by the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and thus leading to his connection with the team.
Jack is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, has had some S.H.I.E.L.D. combat training, and is a skilled writer of poetry.