'Legends Of Tomorrow' Can Take Jax Anywhere

There's no new show that looks more ambitious — and potentially, more brain-bendingly confusing — than DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which will include characters like Captain Cold, The Atom, and other heroes and villains from The Flash and Arrow. And even though he's not as immediately recognizable as some of his fellow Legends of Tomorrow , Jax Jackson is from DC Comics too. Yes, Jefferson Jackson, also known as Firestorm, like the other new characters who will be featured in the series, was in an episode of Arrow and The Flash, giving a little insight to the character. That should come in handy when getting to know the huge, sprawling cast of The CW's latest superhero series.

But where Arrow and Flash have a laser focus on individual heroes and make their sidekicks and stables of villains into a rich backdrop, Legends of Tomorrow is a frantic, fragmented series that has tons of characters to keep track of. And one way to make all of that a little easier is to look at the comics that the writers are drawing from. Jax's comic book history stretches back to the early 1980s, but, like almost everyone in the DC universe, will also be adapted somewhat liberally from the comic books, with a brand new spin for TV.

He Didn't Originally Have Any Powers

The most exciting part of a comic book vigilante is, of course, their powers. On The Flash, young Jefferson Jackson was affected by dark matter, and, when sharing consciousness with the molecularly unstable Professor Stein, becomes nuclear-powered hero Firestorm. But in the comics, Jackson was just an average high school student in New York City.

He Didn't Always Collaborate With Professor Martin Stein

Stein, played by Victor Garber, needed to find a suitable person affected by dark matter to form Firestorm alongside him, and even though Jax was a mechanic rather than a scientist or professor, he fit the bill. While the comics version of Jefferson Jackson is definitely a good guy, he never worked with the professor.

But He Was Pals With The Original Firestorm

Firestorm was also Ronnie Raymond in the comics, where he was Jackson's classmate and friend. The Flash paid tribute to this, with Ronnie's wife, Caitlin Snow, becoming a sort of mentor for Jackson as she watched him assume the identity her missing husband once had. Even though The Flash changed the continuity, making Jackson a mentee of the Raymond family rather than a friend, the two characters have always had a connection.

His Full Name Was A Mystery

A weird quirk about Jax in the comics is that while he was called, alternately, "Jefferson" or "Jackson," he never had a full name in DC continuity. And the nickname "Jax" seems to be a The Flash original.

His Continuity Was Erased

Like all of the pre-Crisis On Infinite Earths characters, Jackson's identity was wiped away after 1985. While the character has rarely popped up since, his appearances on The Flash and now as a main member of the Legends of Tomorrow mark the first time he's gotten a major spotlight. That means when the new series premieres on Thursday night, Jax's story can go anywhere, which is exciting for comic and TV fans alike.

Images: Diyah Pera, Jeff Weddell/The CW; IriisWests/Tumblr (4); Giphy