Written by Edwin Francisco
A Dakota North character debuted on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She-Hulk’s fashion designer Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews) is not just a random figure. He has Marvel Comics roots. The question remains: Dakota who?
Jacobson debuted in Dakota North No. 1 in 1986. On February 26, Geekosity founder Mikey Sutton scooped that North will make her MCU debut in the Jessica Jones reboot. However, Sutton has been leaking North’s MCU inclusion years before. In fact, it became a running gag on the Lords of the Longbox YouTube channel.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Adds Dakota North Character
Writer Martha Thomases and artist Tony Salmons co-created North. They didn’t intend for North to mix with the Marvel Universe. But Marvel Comics cancelled the Dakota North series after only five issues. There is very little information why Marvel Comics cut it short. Moreover, Thomases never worked on another comic-book series again. It was her first and only comic.
In the series, Dakota North is a private investigator who specializes in the fashion industry. And her first client is Jacobson. Jacobson hired North to protect him and his latest designs. She was successful in protecting her client. Thomases modeled Jacobson after her friend, fashion designer David Freelander. Freelander died from AIDS in 1987.
Thomases explained:
I had wanted the character to also be gay and HIV+, but [Marvel editor Larry Hama] said that wasn’t why people read comics. I suspect that, if the series had continued, we would have gone there.
Years later, North became part of the Marvel Universe. She was able to get involved protecting Peter Parker’s girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. She was also able to help Luke Cage regarding his father and brother. Daredevil even hired North to help look for Jessica Jones.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Adds Dakota North Character
Image: Marvel Comics Group
When we watch any project from the MCU, we always keep an eye out for any comic-book references and Easter eggs. Jacobson remains among the most obscure. Perhaps the most.
With so many characters Marvel has to offer, they went with someone unknown to many. In She-Hulk, Jacobson makes the suits for several heroes.
It’s no secret that one of the things he was packing is Daredevil’s headpiece. That’s basically a teaser for Daredevil’s appearance in the show. So, it also proves that he is telling the truth that he does clothes for superheroes.
Without a doubt, Jacobson’s place in the MCU doesn’t end with She-Hulk. After all, crime-fighters need their costumes. They’ll search for Jacobson. Don’t be surprised if he introduces North in the future. Maybe soon.