X-Men: Who Is Jia Jing? Marvel’s Fierce Fairy Is Gearing Up For a Surprising Comeback

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The critically acclaimed Marvel Rivals video game continues to gain a loyal following among Marvel fans, and with that increased interest comes a higher likelihood of game leaks. The latest leak of the game, outlined in Forbes, details a number of X-Men–related characters who will most likely debut in the coming months, including the lesser-known mutant Jia Jang, or “Sprite.”

The leak reveals that Jia Jang may join Marvel Rivals as a “Strategist,” players who act as support systems for the team, which makes sense given Sprite’s defensive mutant abilities, and the fact that she has never been seen as a main character in comics.

Forbes’ article, which credits the data mining group XOXLEAK for the leaked information – a group who previously correctly leaked details about the Fantastic Four coming to Rivals – lists a number of X-Men characters who may be joining the game alongside Jia Jang, including big hitter Colossus, Professor Xavier, and Cyclops.

Jia Jang Is Coming To Marvel Rivals

But who exactly is the fairy-like mutant?

Jia Jing debuted in 2012’s Avengers vs. X-Men #12, when the young woman’s mutant powers suddenly manifested after Hope Summers and the Scarlet Witch dispersed the energy of the Phoenix Force across the planet. Trapped on a bus in Beijing, China, Jing was rescued by Spider-Man before a bright flash of light hit her, activating her X-Gene. Out of nowhere, Jing could fly with insect-like fairy wings and grew blue rock-like skin, which she can manipulate on a genetic level. It did not take Jia long to move to America and enroll in the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning, determined to become, “the greatest X-Man who has ever lived.”

Due to her Chinese heritage, Jia was extremely dedicated to the idea of bringing her family, and homeland, honor, the main inspiration for her heroic journey and a mission she is still trying to live up to. Since her spontaneous evolution into a mutant hero more than a decade ago, Jia Jang has featured heavily in Wolverine stories, in some ways becoming Logan’s newest young mentor, following in the line of Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, and Armor before her. In fact, Wolverine even named her “Sprite,” which is the former codename of his favorite pupil, the talented Kitty. Jia Jang took place in the teenage Contest of Champions, pitted against other young heroic students, and her defensive flying and ability to create huge rocky fists made her a fierce competitor.

The Leaks Don’t Detail How Jia Jang’s Powers Will Work

Hopefully, her flying and metamorph abilities will act well as support

Marvel Rivals, and its parent company NetEase, have not confirmed or denied the latest leaks, so there is a chance that Jia Jing may not be appearing in the game, or might debut later. While Jing might seem like an incredibly deep-cut character to pull from, Marvel Rivals may be trying to uplift lesser-known heroes to make them more popular in comics. Plus, the company NetEase is Chinese-owned, and Marvel Rivals is incredibly popular in China, so it makes sense that the developers would want to add more Chinese characters into the game!

While leaks can never be guaranteed, it would be awesome if cameo-queen Jia Jing were to join the cast of Marvel Rivals, especially if it means she will start showing up in X-Men comics again.

Source: Forbes

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