Jennifer Murphy (comics)

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caption= Cover to Savage Dragon #45, Thor, Hercules and The Dragon also pictured. Art by Erik Larsen.
comic_color=background:#80ff80
character_name=Jennifer Dragon
real_name=
publisher=Image Comics
debut=" #1
creators=Erik Larsen
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
status=Missing
alliances= Liberty League
previous_alliances=Special Operations Strikeforce (S.O.S)
aliases=Smasher
relatives= Angel Murphy (Daughter), The Dragon (husband)
powers=currently depowered, formally super strong and invulnerable.|

Jennifer Murphy, currently Jennifer Dragon and sometimes using the codename Smasher, is a recurring character in Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon comic book series. She officially debuted in the first issue of mini-series, though she had a one-panel cameo prior to that in Savage Dragon issue 40, which was set after the mini-series but published before due to various reasons.fact|date=August 2008

Fictional character biography

Before "The Savage Dragon"

It is of note that although the Savage Dragon characters appeared in two series prior to Image Comics' founding, neither are canon to the current "Savage Dragon" series. In "Graphic Fantasy", a self-published title by Larsen and two friends, The Dragon was a widower, but his wife Liz was shown in flashback in both issues and looked almost identical to Jennifer; she was even killed in the same way. A similar character appeared again in "Megaton", another independent series which the Savage Dragon guest starred in; she was again identical in looks and this time powers to Jennifer and had a baby girl just the same. It the letter column of "Savage Dragon" #37 Erik Larsen confirmed Jennifer as the same person as these girls, only with a new name, in response to a rumor about a new love interest appearing in an upcoming "Savage Dragon" annual. (The annual became the "Sex and Violence" mini-series.)

Original Jennifer Murphy

Up until issue 75 of the Savage Dragon the stories were set on a different Earth to the ones they are now and with few exceptions all of the characters featured in the series today are not those that appeared in the series prior to that issue, Jennifer Murphy is one such character.

Jennifer had married her high school sweetheart Kevin Murphy after they graduated and had a baby girl called Angel but Kevin was abusive and their marriage was unhappy. One night Jennifer strikes Kevin to defend her baby and his head explodes because Jennifer had developed natural mutant powers (i.e. Marvel Comics' X-Men characters). The Dragon responded to the domestic violence call and this is how the two met. At the time a spree of vicious murders were taking place and Jennifer found herself framed for them The Dragon eventually clears her name by apprehending the real killer, a disgruntled stripper and Jennifer is cleared of all charges (Savage Dragon: Sex and Violence 1-2).

Behind the scenes Rob Liefeld departed Image Comics and the Mars Attacks Image and Shattered Image events were used to phase out his characters from the collective 'Image Universe' including Youngblood. In the Savage Dragon Erik Larsen has the US Government proposition him about making a replacement team for Youngblood which he eventually forms from most of the series' super-powered/costumed support cast and calls Special Operations Strikeforce (S.O.S). Jennifer is one of the characters who accepts, is given the codename 'Smasher' and quickly ascends the ranks of the team to Level One (and gets her own personalized costume).

Jennifer is one of the S.O.S members sent to Darkworld to stop it's despot ruler Darklord from swapping his dying planet (later revealed as another Earth) with the S.O.S's she was separated from the group along with Dragon after attacking Darklord and the two did not take place in the dictator's defeat. Stuck on a dying planet they were able to escape using a Martian space ship that was at the bottom of that world's Lake Michigan and the two spent months lost in space along with the Darkworld version of The Dragon's old girlfriend Debbie Harris eventually crashing on Godworld, where the offspring of the various Gods and Deities of mythology had been banished. There Thor wanted to take Jennifer for his own, during the ensuing battle between Thor, The Dragon and Hercules Jennifer was knocked unconscious, eventually All-God (an all powerful 'god of gods') intervenes and sends Jennifer and Dragon home and Jennifer is reunited with her daughter. Shortly after The Dragon appears to die in battle and Jennifer mourned him

Dragon had in fact been bonded with a former colleague Detective William Johnson and Jennifer is present when Dragon is fully resurrected during a battle with the sorcerer Abnver Cadavar and the two finally begin to date eventually moving in together in Chicago (where much of the Savage Dragon series is set). Though Dragon is unhappy with her decision to join the Chicago branch of the S.O.S he proposes and Jennifer accepts however before the wedding, an underground organization The Covenant of the Sword kidnap Jennifer and reoccurring villain Imposter takes her place only to be killed at the wedding ceremony by the new Overlord, a villain who is totally unaware of the switch as is The Dragon who believes Jennifer dead.

While in the Covenant's possession Jennifer is brainwashed by them and by the time The Dragon and Dart who is now Mighty Man attack the organization she is totally under their thrall and defeats her former lover as part of the lead up to the issue 75 and the switch in Earths. She was freed from the Covenant's control at the story's climax and when readers get to see the what has become of the original earth years later she is still working for the S.O.S and is in a relationship with Hercules who had become stranded on Earth and was now also on the team. This Jennifer is killed when Universo (a pastiche of Marvel villain Galactus) destroyed the Earth from the first 75 issues but her daughter Angel survived and has recently been rescued by She-Dragon from Dimension X, where she fell into shortly before the Earth was destroyed.

econd Jennifer Murphy

When Dragon killed the time traveler Damian Darklord he created a parallel Earth where the Darklord's meddling had never happened and became stuck there. This is the current setting for the Savage Dragon series.

Here Jennifer's life had been much the same as it had on the previous Earth, as before she had been in a solid relationship with The Dragon of that Earth but instead of being replaced by the Covenant of The Sword (who never existed as they were formed by Damian Darklord) she left the Dragon and Chicago after constant attacks on him by Super Villains and old enemies made her fear for her child Angel's safety. Finding their house to be a nothing but a large crater shortly after he arrived in the new Earth Dragon believed Jennifer to be dead when in fact she wasn't and issues later after The Dragon overthrows Sebastian Khan, a villain he had known on the previous Earth as Cyberface who was now ruler of the world Jennifer returns.

The Dragon tells Jennifer the truth that he is not her Dragon but from another world but the two overcome this and marry, this time without Jennifer being replaced or murdered and settle down together in Chicago once more while both being active members of The Liberty League, Larsen's current Superhero team that also includes Superpatriot and Mighty Man. The two adventure together for many of the issues often with Angel tagging along usually without permission.

When the Dragon accidentally brings back the Alien criminal Ba-Goom from Dimension X Jennifer is instantly skeptical and weary the alien. Now her daughter's 'pet' and named Mr. Glum. Glum is constantly trying to kill The Dragon and/or take over the world though his plans always come to naught often with comical results as so The Dragon thinks he's harmless and mischievous and dismisses his wife's worries about him. Jennifer is eventually proved right when Ba-Goom comes into possession of the God Gun and takes over the planet with Angel at his side.

Jennifer is currently powerless after a battle with re-occurring villain Negate and is currently missing. She was badly injured and hospitalized after an experiment of Glum's caused Angel to grow to gigantic proportions and destroy Jennifer and Dragon's house and was furious at the Dragon for not listening to her about Mr. Glum. She disappeared from hospital during the months Dragon and Vanguard spent trying to overthrow Glum.

Powers

Jennifer is currently a normal human in peak physical condition.

Prior to losing her powers she had incredible super strength, enough to cause a man's head to explode on impact with the force of the punch. She was also very durable, though not totally invulnerable as she has been seen to bleed occasionally, however these were with incredibly powerful adversaries such as Thor.