Jiaying is a unique case in the Marvel Universe, as her most prominent version was created for television first, with a comic book counterpart developed later. Her definitive and most well-known incarnation debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically in the second season of the television series `Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.`. She was first seen in a flashback in the episode “The Things We Bury” (Season 2, Episode 8), which aired on November 18, 2014. Portrayed by actress Dichen Lachman, Jiaying was developed by the show's creators, including Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell, as a key figure to unlock the season's central mysteries surrounding the Inhumans and Skye's (later Daisy Johnson's) parentage. Her creation was integral to adapting the Inhuman mythology for the MCU before the planned (and later cancelled) Inhumans film, serving as a more grounded, personal entry point into their society. Her Earth-616 comic book debut came shortly after, first appearing in Inhuman #4, published in August 2014, although her character was not fully explored until later issues. Created by writer Charles Soule and artist Ryan Stegman, this version was introduced in the wake of the Infinity event, where a Terrigen Bomb detonated over Earth, activating latent Inhuman genes across the globe. This comic version was clearly influenced by the television character's role as a mentor but, to date, lacks the tragic backstory and villainous turn that defines her MCU counterpart.
The origins of Jiaying are fundamentally different between the two primary Marvel continuities, with her MCU backstory being vastly more detailed and central to major storylines.
In the prime comic universe, Jiaying's history is far less extensive. She was a resident of a small village in China. Her life was unremarkable until the global detonation of the Terrigen Bomb by the Inhuman King Black Bolt. The resulting Terrigen Cloud swept across the planet, triggering Terrigenesis in any human carrying latent Inhuman DNA. Jiaying was one of these individuals, later dubbed “Nuhumans.” After undergoing the transformative process, she was discovered by the Inhuman known as the Reader. Reader, whose power is to make anything he reads manifest as reality, has a mission to find and help newly emerged Inhumans navigate their confusing and often terrifying new existence. He brought Jiaying to the city of Orollan, a remote Inhuman settlement. There, she found a new purpose. Possessing a calm demeanor and a deep sense of empathy, Jiaying became an elder and guide for other Nuhumans brought to the city. She helped them understand their new powers and find their place in a world that was not ready for them. Her story in the comics is one of community, healing, and guidance, standing in stark contrast to the trauma and violence that shaped her MCU self.
Jiaying's origin in the MCU is a sprawling, century-spanning tragedy that directly fuels her later actions. She was born in a village in the Hunan province of China with the Inhuman gene. Following her Terrigenesis, she was granted the power of an exceptionally long life, sustained by draining the life force of others. Despite the grim nature of her power, she used it sparingly and judiciously, and was revered by her village as an elder wise beyond her years. During World War II, in 1945, Jiaying's village was invaded by the HYDRA general Werner Reinhardt, who would later be known as Daniel Whitehall (Kraken). Whitehall was searching for the Obelisk, a Kree artifact of immense power that was actually a Diviner, a key to a hidden Kree city and a device for Terrigenesis. Jiaying, being an Inhuman, was immune to the Diviner's lethal touch. Whitehall, fascinated by her apparent agelessness, had her captured and taken to his secret base in Austria. There, he subjected her to horrific vivisection, dissecting her piece by piece to harvest her organs and DNA, which he used to reverse his own aging process. He then discarded her mutilated remains in a nearby forest. Her body was discovered by her husband, a human doctor named Calvin Johnson (known in the comics as Calvin Zabo (Mister Hyde)). Devastated and enraged, Cal painstakingly stitched her back together. Jiaying's healing powers, though immense, were not enough to resurrect her from such catastrophic damage. However, her own life-draining ability activated, absorbing the life force from Cal and allowing her to fully regenerate. The experience left her irrevocably broken. The physical agony and the psychological trauma of being treated as a specimen by Whitehall shattered her benevolent worldview, replacing it with a deep-seated fear and hatred of outsiders, particularly those in positions of power like HYDRA and, by extension, S.H.I.E.L.D. Driven by this trauma, Jiaying and Cal dedicated themselves to creating a safe haven for their people. They established a hidden community called Afterlife, located in the mountains of China. It served as a sanctuary where Inhumans could be found, protected, and safely guided through Terrigenesis. Jiaying became their unquestioned leader, a stern but seemingly caring matriarch. Years later, she and Cal had a daughter, Daisy. Their happiness was short-lived, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tracked them to their village. In the ensuing chaos, Jiaying was believed to have been killed, and Daisy was taken by S.H.I.E.L.D. to be placed in the foster system for her own protection. This event further cemented Jiaying's belief that S.H.I.E.L.D. was a threat, a conviction that would fester for decades and ultimately lead to all-out war.
The comic book version of Jiaying has a limited set of established abilities, primarily focused on her role as a guide rather than a combatant.
The MCU's Jiaying is a powerful and formidable figure, with abilities and a complex personality honed over decades of suffering and leadership.
After Daisy Johnson undergoes Terrigenesis and gains her vibration-manipulating powers, she is ostracized and feared. Gordon retrieves her and brings her to Afterlife. There, she is reunited with her mother, Jiaying, who reveals her true identity. This storyline focuses on Jiaying teaching Daisy to control her powers, not by suppressing them, but by understanding and mastering them as a part of herself. For a time, Jiaying appears to be the benevolent, loving mother Daisy always wanted, helping her embrace her Inhuman heritage. This period is critical as it establishes the deep emotional bond that makes Jiaying's eventual betrayal so devastating.
This is Jiaying's defining arc. Believing that a peaceful coexistence with S.H.I.E.L.D. is impossible, she orchestrates a conflict. After a diplomatic meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Robert Gonzales, she steals a Quinjet, murders him with a Terrigen Crystal, and then shoots herself non-fatally, framing him for an unprovoked attack. The deception works perfectly, galvanizing the residents of Afterlife and turning them against S.H.I.E.L.D. She leads her forces to capture the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier, the Iliad, taking the crew hostage. Her actions reveal the depths of her paranoia and ruthlessness, showing she is willing to sacrifice truth, peace, and innocent lives for her cause.
Jiaying's endgame is revealed to be far more horrific than a simple war for independence. Her true goal is genocide. She plans to use the captured Quinjet to release weaponized Terrigen Crystals over the populated world. This act would trigger Terrigenesis in the small percentage of the population with Inhuman DNA, while lethally poisoning every other human on the planet. She believes this is the only way to ensure the long-term survival and supremacy of the Inhuman race. When Daisy discovers the plot and confronts her, Jiaying doesn't hesitate to try and kill her own daughter. The plan is only thwarted by the combined efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D. and, ultimately, Calvin Johnson, who, in a moment of clarity, kills Jiaying to save Daisy from having to do it herself. Her death marks the end of Afterlife and scatters the Inhumans, setting the stage for future conflicts.
In Season 4 of `Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.`, several characters are trapped within the Framework, a hyper-realistic virtual reality where their greatest regrets have been undone. In this reality, Daisy Johnson's digital avatar discovers that her mother, Jiaying, is still alive. Because the event with Daniel Whitehall never happened in this timeline's altered history, this version of Jiaying never experienced the trauma that twisted her. She is portrayed as a kind, gentle, and truly benevolent leader of Afterlife. She welcomes Daisy warmly, embodying the ideal mother that the real Daisy had briefly thought she'd found. This version serves as a powerful and heartbreaking glimpse into the person Jiaying could have been, highlighting how completely Whitehall's monstrous actions had corrupted her. It reinforces the idea that she was not born a villain, but was made one through immense suffering.
As detailed earlier, the primary comic book version of Jiaying serves as the most significant “alternate version” to her MCU self. Living in the post-Infinity era, this Jiaying is a Nuhuman who helps other newly-powered individuals in the city of Orollan. She is a mentor figure without the dark past, the manipulative tendencies, or the genocidal ambitions of her television counterpart. Her existence is a direct result of the MCU's popularity, created to introduce a similar character into the comics, but her personality and history remain fundamentally different, presenting a purely heroic incarnation.