6 Characters Turned Private Investigator

In a world where good guys and bad guys battle for the fate of the universe, on the regular, the average every day person still has problems that need solving; problems that a private investigator might be uniquely suited to improving. Below, we put together a list of six Marvel characters turned PI.

Jessica Jones
While she may have cut her teeth in the super hero game—first as Jewel, then as Knightress—Jones has always had the type of temperament a little more at home with the rough and tumble life of a PI. Alternating between run of the mill “catch my wife cheating” to the high tension “find out Captain America’s real identity” cases, Jones showed that despite self-hatred, alcohol dependence, and a general inclination away from customer service, she had private investigating in the blood.

Years later, Jones may be in a far better more stable personal place, but she has not lost her edge. Her most recent case proves that even without booze and outward turned rage, she remains one of the better frosted glass doors of the Marvel U to knock on with your problems.

Scorpion
Believe it or not, MacDonald “Mac” Gargan did not always hate Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson and make his bones in a bright green costume complete with tail weapon. For a time, Gargan walked the rainy streets of Manhattan charging 200 a day plus expenses.

He had a decent career going too, until he agreed to be the guinea pig in an experiment paid for by Jameson. It turns out an acute sense of amorality can serve you well when you make your money invading other people’s privacy for anyone who will pay you.

Spider-Woman
While she mostly spends her time as the more active extension of Ben Urich’s investigative reporting these days and the previous years have been marked by space travel and avenging, Jessica Drew spent several years being one of the most popular PI’s in the San Francisco phone book.

Motivated by her sense of justice—not a desire for monetary reward—Drew stepped in for those most in need who might not have convinced the average private investigator to take their case. Jessica proved so dedicated to her work that even after she lost her powers for a time, she kept the agency open and taking cases until life took her east once more.

X-Factor Investigations
Founded and headed up by Multiple Man in part to help him find his way in life, the agency boasted the likes of Wolfsbane, Siryn, Rictor, Monet, and Strong Man as operatives.

Although they took up in “Mutant Town” as their base of operations, X-Factor quickly became an international investigating force, gallivanting around the world—and eventually, through time and other dimensions—to deliver their customers the very best work they could.

Knightwing Restorations LTD
After years in the NYPD, Misty Knight lost her arm and began to experience intense depression. On top of that, she felt constrained by the job and its rules, unable to truly help those that needed it most. So, with best friend Colleen Wing’s encouragement, she quit the force and joined her pal to create Knightwing. For Wing, who had previously had her life saved by Knight when she ended up in the crossfire of a gun battle, it felt like nothing more than returning the favor.

The duo, most often known as the Daughters of the Dragon—a nickname awarded in derision but now worn like a badge—quickly gained a reputation for taking on risky and dangerous cases that set them against some truly over powering foes. Eventually, the pair transitioned to more of a bails bond focus, but both retain their highly honed undeniable talents.

Dakota North
Despite an “only the pretty survive” reputation, the fashion industry actually requires remarkable strategical thinking to prosper over the long haul. In the Marvel U, the best example of this comes from Dakota North, the model turned private investigator who made the switch without missing a beat.

The daughter of an intelligence officer, North grew up around the ideas that helped mold her into a highly successful PI. Applying her honed business acumen to it proved just the next step and, rapidly, she grew her agency to an international one with offices in Tokyo, Paris, and Rome. After a brief time staying in New York in Nelson & Murdock’s personal employ, it appears she is back out on her own, traversing the globe, and maintaining her business.