Crazy Jane

Crazy Jane
Crazy Jane as depicted on the cover of Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #63 (January 1993)
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #19 (February 1989)
Created by	Grant Morrison (writer) Richard Case (artist)
In-story information
Full name	Kay Challis (legal name)
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Doom Patrol
Notable aliases	Various, see Alters
Abilities	Various, see Alters

Crazy Jane is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Richard Case, the character first appeared in Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #19 (February 1989), which was published by the DC imprint Vertigo Comics. She suffers from dissociative identity disorder as a result of childhood trauma, and each one of her 64 alternate personalities, or "alters", has a unique superhuman ability. According to the afterword in the first trade paperback collection of Morrison's run on Doom Patrol, she was based on Truddi Chase's autobiography, When Rabbit Howls, which Morrison had been reading while creating the series.

Jane is portrayed by Diane Guerrero in the TV series Doom Patrol on Max along with Skye Roberts portraying Kay Challis.

Fictional character biography

Jane Morris is the current dominant alter, or host, of Kay Challis's system (used to refer to every alter someone has as a collective). Kay Challis, as a result of repeated childhood trauma, developed dissociative identity disorder. Later in life, while being exposed to the alien Dominators' "gene bomb", each of her dissociative parts, or alters (which is numbered at 64), has a different super-power.

Beginning at only five years old, Kay Challis is continuously abused by her father. The first time this happens, she is putting a jigsaw puzzle together; this becomes an important symbol in her future. As the abuse continues, Kay withdraws and goes dormant, retreating to the unconscious brain. Her role as host is then taken over by an alter with the name "Miranda". One Easter Sunday while at church, Miranda is raped, which triggers several flashbacks to her former abuse. This causes the dormancy of Miranda and a massive amount of alters to be split off. She is committed to a mental institution soon after. During that time, an alien species called Dominators invade Earth and activate a device which they call their "gene bomb". When the gene bomb goes off, Jane and all of her alters are affected; each alter gains a different power (e.g., Black Annis has retractable claws, Flit can teleport, etc.).

The superhero Cliff Steele, or Robotman, suffered several losses due to this bomb. Killing many of his Doom Patrol teammates, he was struggling emotionally. While staying in the same institution as Jane, Dr. Will Magnus, creator of the group "the Metal Men", asks Cliff to look after her, which leads to Jane becoming a member of the Doom Patrol.

Near the end of the Grant Morrison run of Doom Patrol, Jane makes a pilgrimage back to her childhood home, facing her own traumas and overcoming them. This brings peace to her inner turmoil, causing her and her alters to come to an understanding and live in co-operation.

Upon returning to the Doom Patrol, Jane is attacked by the Candlemaker and thrown into another dimension, which is similar to the real world, where she is diagnosed with schizophrenia and treated with shock therapy. Cliff eventually rescues Jane from the other dimension and they relocate to Danny the World, formerly Danny the Street. In Rachel Pollack's run, it is revealed that Jane's alters still exist, which causes many arguments between the two. Cliff decides to leave her with Danny and returns to Earth.

Jane makes a cameo appearance in Teen Titans (vol. 3) #36, where she is seen on Danny the World through a portal in Dayton Manor in Prague. She returns in Doom Patrol (vol. 5) #7, written by Keith Giffen, on Oolong Island, asking for Cliff and carrying with her the remains of Danny the Street. Danny has now been reduced to a single brick, making them Danny the Brick. Jane says "If you build it, he will come", although she does not explain further.

Jane then travels around the universe along with Danny the Brick. A man named "D" then uses Danny the Brick to kill a god and causes another alter to split, or "break off". This alter starts a cult and plans to spread Crazy Jane's alters among the 63 cult members and then kill the cultists. She is stopped by the Doom Patrol, who then return Jane to the front, in order to be the host.

Jane now accepts her mental illness, no longer seeking to cure it but to cope with it and healthily coexist with her alters. Robotman also helps and accepts her disorder.

Alters

Crazy Jane's alters are organized in a mental subway grid called "the Underground", their headspace. Each alter has their own "station", which appears to serve as home when they are not in control. In the lower section of the Underground is a well where the alters can go to destroy themselves. This is where Miranda was "killed". This well houses Daddy, an alter who resembles their father, in the deepest, most protected part of the Underground. The alters consist of:

• Alice: An introject from the children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, her personality being adorable and docile. In the Underground, Alice is a beautiful young woman with blonde hair, she wears a childish blue Victorian dress and a white apron. Her powers allow her to sense, augment and manipulate the emotions of those around her and, if she wishes, convert those emotions into destructive energy.
• Baby Doll: A telekinetic (rarely-seen ability) childlike alter that believes everything is lovely which is her weakness with her always being in this state. It is said to be one of the few in the system that trust men.
• Baby Harlot: An integration of Baby Doll and Scarlet Harlot. She appeared when Jane confused her head imagining two people into one, resurfacing Baby Harlot. Her powers of Ecto-Telekinesis, this ability allows her to move/levitate with telekinetic movement.
• Bizzarely Shaped Orange Head: She has a fear of "physical touch" and a bizarre way of dealing with things,she has an orange head with a strangely odd shape and wears blue and white striped pajamas. Because of her fear of physical touch, her powers allows her to create force-fields to protect herself and others.
• Bizzie Lizzie Borden: An unknown personality. It is unknown whether this is a real personality or just an alter ego of Jane's. She possesses 360-degrees-senses abilities, having a history and the title of his name is honored by the murderer Lizzie Borden who committed double homicide.
• Black Annis: An aggressive alter equipped with sharp claws, red eyes, and blue skin. In the TV series, she stood guard over the station that held Daddy. Also a misandrist, one who hates men, so she never lets any men pass her.
• Blood of the Lamb: In this form, her body is covered head to toe in blood coming from unknown (or nonexistent) wounds remembering the incident at the church. She seems to be oblivious too her surroundings, and the others avoid her because of her unpredictable behaviour. She has the ability to control blood on her, being able to pressurize the blood within her body and can control the blood of other when they have an open wound.
• Bubble: Bubble spawned as a coping mechanism, but is now just a frantic persona wandering around the Underground. She speaks gibberish, casts illusions on others and is aware when she is in an illusion. Not much else is known about her except she is visible on the Underground map next to Rain Brain and Lucy Fugue.
• Butterfly Baby: Constantly suffers pain on a Hellraiser-like level in the deepest part of the mind. She is able to unleash sonic screams that can roam across the Underground due to the pain.
• Crazy Jane: The dominant alter or "host". No apparent powers. Her name is derived from that of a character in several poems by William Butler Yeats, as well as the eponymous painting by Richard Dadd.
• Daddy: An introject of Jane's father as a giant monster made of insects, excrement, and puzzle pieces. Daddy talks with Jane's voice. It was destroyed. It resided in a mental representation of the Well where Kay was sexually assaulted by him. Has the power to shapeshift.
• Daisy: She appeared in the crowd of Kay Challis' alter egos to interfere with Cliff and Driver 8's entry. She appears as a woman with dark-blue hair, her face is covered in shadows with no visible facial features. Whoever looks at her countenance is killed instantly.
• Dr. Harrison: Has a white streak of hair and blue eyes. Able to telepathically find out the childhood traumas of others. She has the power to influence anyone who hears her voice. Described by Mr. Nobody as "insane". In the Underground, she's portrayed as a middle-age woman in a business suit.
• De La Muerte: A woman with a face painted skull with flower petals on her head, she can control and enter the dreams of others and herself.
• Driller Bill: A dark-skinned woman in a worker's jumpsuit with a black and yellow beanie. Arguably as aggressive as Hammerhead, yet also fond of Baby Doll and her antics. Driller Bill can generate drills from her body and use them for a variety of purposes. In the Underground she uses them to make the tunnels.
• Driver 8: Conductor of the Underground subway, named after the R.E.M. song. The Driver's hat has an infinity symbol (a sideways "8") on it. Driver 8 was created to maintain order in the underground subway system. In The Mind, she rarely shows emotions and immune to any harm. She is always on the train, never leaving it and never goes too the surface.
• Empty Emily: A red-headed school girl with a brilliant mind, her powers of telepathy caused her mind to be corrupt and depressed due to people's thoughts in her head.
• Flaming Katy: One of the "protector" alters, protecting Jane whenever she feels threatened. Very antisocial, someone who does not like to be interrogated. She is a pyrokinetic and can fly. Also usually emerges at Baby Doll's request.
• Flit: She can teleport anywhere. Dresses in late '80s fashion. Flit has some kind of ADHD, she is constantly using her power to travel around and doesn't like standing still.
• Gladiator: Gladiator appeared when Jane was being bullied at school and she stood up to the bullies who were bothering her. In the Underground, she appears as a woman with black hair in a masculine style with a medieval style gladiator's outfit. She is a master of every weapon and can use it in eases.
• Grimm Reaper: She is a necromancer, who can control the dead and uses this power to help Bizzie Lizzie Borden hunt Daddy. In the Underground she appears in a torn black outfit with a long dark cape with a hood, her face is shaped like a skull and she carries a sharp, pointed scythe.
• Hammerhead: Another protector like Flaming Katy. She is very aggressive towards everyone and possesses super-strength and durability. In the Underground, she is bald, a scar on her lip and wears a leather jacket with a winged skull on her chest.
• Hillbilly: A masculine and autistic personality, which causes his emotional weaknesses. His name is visible on the "map", next to Sylvia and Stigmata. He has the power of photokinesis and he can stun and blind enemies.
• Innocence: An unknown personality, her station is seen next to Babydoll. She stuffers alone in the Underground due to her being a trama holder. Her power allow her to paralysis anything she touches which causes her to believe she didn't do it giving her the name Innocence.
• Jack Straw: A living but mute scarecrow who watched Kay get abused. He can control chaff, an agricultural byproduct consisting of dried stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed and invoke the roots of the grains of straw, through the commutative means of nature.
• Jeann: Another worker at the Underground, with a black cloth on his neck revealing his suicidal thoughts, and is constantly over looking everyone who comes across her. He can fire off lasers from his eyes, which can cause damage to their intended targets. His station could be seen as Cliff was falling into Jane's mind.
• Jill-in-Irons: She is wrapped in large chains. A reference to Jack-In-Irons. She can create/summon chains and chain-like weapons, including flails,shaping and combining them as needed, or even moving them telekinetically.
• Kaleidoscope: This alter is from the live action-series where all the alters fused into one. She is the strongest of the personas able to wrap reality to her will and has the powers of the others.
• Karen: A perky but unstable alter with the power to cast "love spells" or anyone with eyes glowing a baby blue color when activated. She loves '90's rom-coms and her boyfriend, Doug. She comes out when Jane is severely depressed and her is blonde when in control.
• K-5: The original host, Kay Challis, who vanished at age 5. She is "sleeping", or otherwise known as "dormant", in one of the lower stations of the Underground. She is able to make psychic constructs making the Underground and the personas.
• Kit W'the Canstick: An old woman who carries a burned-out candle and always hang out with strong personas like Hammerhead or Innocence. This candle has the ability to make wishes, whether her own or those of others, come true.
• Lady Purple: She is a mysterious but useful personality. In the Underground, she is wearing a purple cloak and her faced covered in shadows while on the surface her hair is longer with purple tips. Lady Purple can see all future timelines, she is able too adapt and prepare for what’s to come, and possess absolute knowledge and brilliant insight of the future.
• Liza Radley: A stable, more "normal" appearing alter, awakened as a result of a loving environment, who pushes Jane to recovery. Liza is a vitakinetic able to heal others when in pain and knows every single organ in the body. With all this power the other alters are unsure of how to react to Liza and feel threatened by her. She is named after a song by The Jam, the B-side of their single "Start!".
• Lucy Fugue: She has radioactive bones and see-through skin. She can also generate harmonic vibrations, a power she used to defeat the Antigod. In the live-action series, this alter has electrical powers. In the Underground, this alter is portrayed as an Asian woman with electric-blue streaks in her black beehive hairdo.
• Mama Pentecost: An expert enigma and cryptogram solver who can also translate any language, this alter manifests as an Asian woman in a black kimono with white linguistic glyphs.
• Merry Andrew: Dresses as a Harlequin and carries toys. She can secrete pheromones that make others burst into pure laughter. She can increase or decrease the power, making people lay on the ground helpless with uncontrollable laughter.
• Miranda: The former host who took over after Kay went dormant, she destroys herself after the church incident. Her "station" is now occupied by some indescribable horror, visible from a distance only as a weird light. Only Driver 8 can see the station without being destroyed by the vision (she covers Cliff's eyes as they pass through this area, in comic canon). Per the TV show's canon, Miranda's station is populated by noose-hung bodies and tortured souls. She miraculously returned after the Candlemaker killed Katy and Baby Doll in the Underground, and took over as primary to better ensue Kay's needs. This is later revealed to be the manifestation of depression in disguise as the real Miranda was still deceased, and her mission is to lead all personas to desperation and feeling of hopelessness, with her true goal being suicide by hanging. She is defeated by Jane who, with the help of Kay and the other personas still remaining, goes up in a plane (the first way to go up before the construction of the Underground) and take control again in the exact moment Cliff stops Jane from hanging herself. She has no powers since she threw herself in the well before receiving them but is a skilled cooking master.
• Mr. Brownstone:He has androphobic feelings of Jane, with him always in the dark places of the Underground, staying away from the other personalities. His manifesting herself as a man with dark green hair, he has a green left eye and a brown right eye, obviously heterochromia, he wears gothic clothing with various accessories. He has geokinesis where he can control and manipulate all forms of rock and earthly substances and materials which is the reason he carries a big boulder on his back.His name was taken from the title of the song "Mr. Brownstone" by the band Guns N' Roses.
• Normal Nancy: She is a manifested herself in the Underground when Jane developed depression during her adolescence. In The New Tunnel, she is an obese woman with deep depression, she brings comfort to other Personalities who help her deal with her depression and anguish due to feeling too obese. Normal Nancy can increase her body mass as well as body fat, in this she can make her body grow at outrageous angles, manifest or shrink as she wished, when she rose to the surface Jane used it to save her friends against Mr. Nobody and defeated him with this ability.
• No One: An aggressive persona and was made after Kay was told she wasn't good enough. In the Underground, she walks down the abandoned tunnels and when spotted she usually runs away not wanting to talk to anyone. No One can turn Invisible, making her unseen by everyone or choose to let certain people see her, while staying invisible to others.
• Penny Farthing: She speaks with a stutter when on the surface, but speaks without one in the Underground. Penny can run much faster than a normal human, by going at least over 40-120 MPH making her easily escape from pending danger. A penny farthing is the English name for the early bicycles that had different-sized wheels. In the Underground, this alter is portrayed as young British woman dressed in 19th century working-class English clothes.
• Pepper's Ghost: He is a mysterious and aesthetic personality. Like a ghost, Pepper is intangible so he can ignore most physical effects in his way and he levitate so his body can prevent making contact to the ground below.
• Pretty Polly: Named after the folksong, she wears a black Victorian dress and has X's carved into her eyes with an unremarkable personality. Her ability is contract perception where read the aura/powers of anyone she looks at giving the personas an advantage in fights.
• Rain Brain: He speaks in a stream of consciousness and can take on an immaterial astral projection.
• Rockstar: A British metalhead woman who looks the same as the band Kiss (band), with her electronic guitar she can channel vertical waves of winds which cause mass destruction to the users environment. She is a little temperamental but decently chill persona.
• Rowdy Ronda: A red headed woman with a beauty mark in a red dress she is known for having an irresistible and charming beauty but her spit is acidic.
• Sarah Furness: Aisle from Secretary and Teacher's Pet she is an
• Scarlet Harlot: A nymphomaniac with the power to create ectoplasm projections and absorb stray psychosexual energy.
• Secret Sally: A young girl made out of glass, she has the power to control glass and she has superhuman strength.
• Sex Bomb: She explodes when sexually aroused.
• Shy: A cyclops woman who has visual memory reading, the power to look into a person's mind and read their memory. She always hid her face in her hands because of her scary looks.
• Siggy: Just like Babydoll he thinks everything is wonderful and he can create, shape and manipulate flowers, they can cause flowers and part of the flowers, including petals, stems and pollen to grow and bloom.
• Silver Tongue: Her vocalizations are materialised in silver font, and can then be used as bladed weapons.
• Spinning Jenny: Prone to panic attacks. Her panic attacks can cause sonic screams which make her targets ears bleed.
• Stigmata: She bleeds from her hands and feet and relives the church incident endlessly. Stigmata can see or sense entities, such as spirits/ghosts that are normally invisible to humans.
• Sun Daddy: A gigantic figure with a sun for a head with the power to throw fireballs.
• Sylvia: She bears Jane's feelings of claustrophobia. She is locked inside of a small room, reciting poem fragments. She believes if she can put the fragments together she can use them as a key out of the room. Speaks in poetic dark rhythm with a spooky voice when surfaced.
• Tag: He knows the answer to a question or problem he faces and formulates how to overcome any obstacle. Since he has no mouth, he uses his telepathy to communicate.
• Teacher's Pet: This alter is a literal pet and can communicate with animals.
• Tina The T-Rex: She has a different personality than the others, she has the physiology of a Tyrannosaurus, she has the same abilities as the dinosaur; strength, durability, resistance, dermal armor, etc.
• The Balladeer: After the apparent deaths of Baby Doll and Flaming Katy, she becomes a mourner to sing the ballad and led a funeral procession to the well. Her station is located in the deepest parts of the Underground that none of the other alters have ever interacted, met, or seen her before the funeral procession.
• The Boss: He is Kay in a suit and tie, smoking a massive cigar and he can eject acidic venom from the inside of his mouth.
• The Burden Bearer: She is a woman who is carrying a large boulder on her back and can induce chaos in addition to conflicts, storms, anarchy, and more.
• The Chief: The mysterious new alter who led the Unstoppable Doom Patrol, taking after and replacing Niles Caulder.
• The Engineer: He assists Driver 8 in maintaining the Underground.The Engineer is a master in engineering with his knowledge of science and creativity to create various objects, structures, and machines or to make projects functional.
• The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter: An artist capable of bringing the images in her painting to life, allowing the characters that she painted to come out of the painting into the real world. Her name is taken from the title of an album by the Incredible String Band. She has a Frida Kahlo-esque unibrow. In the Underground, she was dressed like Frida Kahlo.
• The Nun: A Catholic nun with both of her arms, replaced with chainsaws.
• The Orphan: This young blonde boy has the ability to alter or transform matter, energy, elements, objects, and people.
• The Pointman: He assists Driver 8 in maintaining the Underground. The Pointman has improved abilities to perform maintenance, whatever the problem he can fix it faster than a normal human being.
• The Secretary: A neat and orderly pessimist who rarely shows emotion. Her job is to perform tasks (such as filling, sorting, fixing, building and assemble, cleaning, etc) much faster than others are capable of doing.
• The Shapeless Children: Constantly repeat "Daddy don' do it". They are made to constantly relive the trauma of Kay in the deepest part of the Underground. The Shapeless Children can change their shape, size, color, density, voice, texture and cellular composition if they choose to.
• The Signal-Man: Another railroad-themed alter that helps maintain the Underground order. He can disconnect himself and others from reality.
• The Sin-Eater: She believes she must suffer for her sins. Jane brings her out as a defense when being tortured.
• The-Skeleton-in-the-Closet: A naked lesbian skeleton, with bones glowing from radiation. Skeleton can release her radiation over a specific target area,causing great damage and/or delivering great shockwaves of pure force.
• The Snow Queen: She has the power to create and shape ice.
• The Wall Crawler: Able to scale walls and ceilings,no matter how rough or smooth they are. She has only been seen in one of the videotapes of Dr. Caulder's interviews.
• The Weird Sisters: A three-in-one alter similar to Three Witches. Shown as a Three-Headed Lady.
• White Dahlia: She can control an manipulate water. Dresses in 1940s actress attire.
• 666: This scary persona has the power to possess and control there enemies at will. When surfaced, she has 666 tattoo on her arm.

In other media

• Kay Challis / Jane appears in Doom Patrol, portrayed by Diane Guerrero (who also portrays Driver 8, Karen, and whichever alter is taking front at any given point), Skye Roberts as a child, and Leela Owen as a teenager. In the Underground, "Black Annis" is performed by Helen Abell, Hammerhead is portrayed by Stephanie Czajkowski, Lucy Fugue is portrayed by Tara Lee, Penny Farthing is portrayed by Anna Lore, Pretty Polly is portrayed by Hannah Alline, Silver Tongue is portrayed by Chelsea Alana Rivera, the Secretary is portrayed by Jackie Goldston, Driller Bill is portrayed by Shay Mack, Baby Doll is portrayed by Sara Borne, the Weird Sisters are voiced and motion-captured by Monica Louwerens, Daddy is portrayed by David A. MacDonald, Balladeer is portrayed by Ana Aguilar, Miranda is portrayed by Samantha Marie Ware, and Mama Pentecost is portrayed by Va Liu. This version of Jane is the "designated driver" alter out of the 64 other alters, who prefer if she stays in control while they keep to themselves. In the second season, Daddy impersonates Miranda in a failed attempt to gain control of the body. In the third season, Jane looks after Kay when her body starts to mature. In the fourth season, the alters integrate to become Kaleidoscope, help the Doom Patrol defeat Immortus, leave for outer space, and enter a relationship with Space Case.
  • Jane makes a cameo appearance in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" via archive footage of a deleted scene from the first season.

See also

• Legion, a Marvel Comics character with superpowers and dissociative identity disorder.
• Stephanie Maas / Critical Mass, a character from the comic book series Rising Stars with superpowers and two "personalities".
• Moon Knight, another Marvel Comics character with supernatural superpowers and dissociative identity disorder, among other mental illnesses, who operates as a vigilante.
• Typhoid Mary, another Marvel Comics character with dissociative identity disorder, who operates as a supervillain / antihero.
• Kevin Wendell Crumb, of the 2016 film, Split, who possesses 23 "personalities" and powers.
• Two-Face (Harvey Dent), a DC Comics character with dissociative identity disorder.

External links

• Richard Dadd painting Archived August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine