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Edwin Jarvis
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Edwin Jarvis is a supporting character in the Marvel Comics titles Iron Man, The Avengers and Spider-Man. He is the loyal household butler of Tony Stark. Since the 1990s, the character has appeared heavily in media adaptations of Iron Man and Avengers stories, and is commonly reimagined as J.A.R.V.I.S., an artificial intelligence which assists the superhero Iron Man. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, J.A.R.V.I.S. is voiced by Paul Bettany in the live-action films while Edwin Jarvis is portrayed by James D'Arcy in the 2014 television series Agent Carter.
In 2012, Edwin Jarvis was ranked 25th in IGN's list of "The Top 50 Avengers".
Biography
Born of modest origins, Edwin Jarvis served in the British RAF during World War II and was its champion boxer three years running. He later moved to the United States where he became manservant to Howard Stark and Maria Stark and watched over the Starks' mansion even after their deaths.When Iron Man (Tony Stark) called the Avengers' first meeting and donated the Stark house as the Avengers Mansion headquarters. Jarvis grew accustomed to the guests and served the Avengers for many years thereafter, acting as a father figure to some of the newcomers. Jarvis was there for the first guest, the time-lost Captain America (Steve Rogers), to be a member of the Avengers. He was the only one to stay with the Avengers for their entire existence, a distinction not even Captain America can claim. As a result, Captain America has stated that Jarvis should be regarded just as much of an Avenger as he is.
Jarvis spent some time as the primary babysitter for Franklin Richards, the super-powered son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, when they were residing at the mansion. He also served as the sponsor to future Avengers member Silverclaw while she was growing up, and she has come to regard him as an uncle.
Being a manservant to the Avengers meant that Jarvis has had to deal with their enemies on several occasions. In Avengers #59 and #60 (December 1969, January 1970) he was assaulted by intruders in the mansion and bound and gagged. Jarvis has also been personally involved in many adventures, including leading the evacuation of a stalled subway train during a city-wide disaster and battling a demonically possessed car. Jarvis defended the floating Hydrobase against a horde of robots built by Doctor Doom during the Acts of Vengeance crisis. He was present when one of the many incarnations of the Masters of Evil attacked the mansion. He was brutally beaten by Mr. Hyde while Captain America was forced to watch. It took some time for Jarvis to recover from his injuries. He even wore an eyepatch for some time. Jarvis personally confronted Loki, risking great danger, after realizing the villain had tricked his way inside the mansion in Avengers #400. He tendered his resignation during Iron Man's battle with alcoholism, but returned the following issue.
In his duties as the Avengers' manservant, he was entrusted with items of great power, including the Casket of Ancient Winters.
When the New Avengers were formed, Jarvis was called back after taking a holiday "for the first time in years", having been informed that his 'special' services were once again needed. Jarvis often confronts Wolverine over the man's poor kitchen etiquette, a battle only new member Spider-Man's Aunt May was able to win. Jarvis seemingly struck up a relationship with May, who had moved into Stark Tower with Peter and Mary Jane Watson after her house burnt down. When Spider-Man switched sides during the Civil War, however, Aunt May and Mary Jane fled Stark Tower to live in hiding.
In a New Avengers Civil War story, Jarvis was shot by an employee who was opposed to Tony Stark using technology he invented to enforce the Superhuman Registration Act. However, it appears Jarvis recovers from this wound, as in Civil War: The Initiative, he is shown to be working again. He also humorously mentions that if Stark allowed "that Tigra %^#$" in the new incarnation of the Avengers, Tony would need to find someone else to do the laundry. Tigra had worked for Stark's side throughout the entirety of the Civil War incident.
In the 2008 storyline One More Day, Jarvis is given over $2,000,000 by Stark to pay for Aunt May's hospital bills following an assassination attempt in the aftermath of Spider-Man's decision to publicly reveal his true identity. Jarvis visibly breaks down upon seeing her in the hospital bed, confessing his deep love to the Parkers. As a consequence of the "One More Day" storyline, however, Spider-Man's timeline has undergone a major continuity overhaul, including Jarvis's relationship with the Parkers.
Later that year, in the Secret Invasion storyline, it is revealed that Jarvis has been replaced by a Skrull agent (though the exact time is unclear, it was revealed in a summary of "Secret Invasion", when describing the Jarvis Skrull, that it was before Jarvis started his relationship with May). Using a computer virus, he disables a number of Stark Enterprises facilities, as well as Iron Man's armor. This agent also obtained access to Tony Stark's records on the Sentry (Robert Reynolds) in order to discover weaknesses, as the Skrulls were unable to duplicate Sentry's powers because its limits were unknown even to Stark. He later approaches Maria Hill on the destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier in the middle of the ocean and tells her to surrender along with her crew. She uses a Life Model Decoy in that spot as the real one escaped and detonated the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. During the fight between Veranke and Criti Noll's forces against the heroes and villains, The Skrull-Jarvis (who somehow survived the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier explosion) watches from Avengers Tower as the energy washes over hero, villain and Skrull alike. While holding Jessica Jones and Luke Cage's child, he comments that it doesn't matter if the Skrulls win or lose, so long as "God's" will is done.
After the final battle, the real Edwin Jarvis is discovered alive, prompting Jessica Jones to discover that her baby had been taken by the Skrull impostor.
During the Dark Reign storyline, Jarvis is later shown in a support group meeting with the others that had been replaced by Skrulls. The Skrull Jarvis was eventually found in a hideout and was shot by Bullseye after returning the baby. Having refused to serve under Norman Osborn's personal Avengers, Jarvis is sought out by Hercules and Amadeus Cho to be a part of the new Mighty Avengers team, Amadeus having determined that Jarvis is the one constant of the Avengers.
During the AXIS storyline, when key members of the Avengers and the X-Men underwent a moral inversion, Jarvis and the Hulk tried to stop the Avengers when they planned to kill the Red Skull, but were ignored and attacked, Jarvis being knocked aside while the Hulk's anger triggered his own inverted transformation into 'Kluh'. However, Jarvis had anticipated a problem based on the Avengers' actions since their return from the island, and had already hidden the Red Skull away until he could explain the situation to Steve Rogers, who was then able to retrieve the Red Skull and return the heroes and villains to normal.
Best films
Played by the actors
Filmography of Edwin Jarvis (5 films)
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 2012 | The Avengers |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 |
| 2008 | Iron Man |
| 2006 | Ultimate Avengers: The Movie |
| 2006 | Ultimate Avengers 2 |