- "I ain't lost my wits, Frank. Although lord knows I got every right to. But you know better'n anyone I was raised to repay hurt for hurt, kindness for kindness, and t'honor my debts. An' I owe these yankees my life."
- ―Jesse James to his brother (from Predator: Hell Come a Walkin')
Jesse James was a young bushwhacker who served as a pro-Confederate militiaman during the American Civil War. During a patrol within the Ozark mountains, he, alongside his two comrades Standing Bear and Nebediah were forced to ally themselves with Union troops in order to combat a far greater threat that was stalking them - a Predator.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "Don't cry ma -- them yankees will pay for what they done. I'll see t'that m'self"
- ―James to his mother (from Predator: Hell Come a Walkin')
Jesse refuses to give up his brother.
In the year 1863, prior to his enrolment, James was approached on his family ranch by several Union militiamen. The leader demanded his brother Frank's whereabouts. After refusing to talk, he was beaten close to death by the soldiers. Jesse returned to his home after an indeterminate amount of time, only to be met with his family trying to get his father down from a tree after being hanged there by the militiamen. Jesse helped them rescue his father and subsequently swore revenge on the Union - he would go on to join a group of pro-Confederate guerrillas to combat the Union.
Encounter with the hunter[]
- "I can't blame you for thinking that. Hell, I woulda said the same thing an hour ago. But I know what I saw -- and it weren't no made-up story. Believe you me, I wouldn't be standin' here jawin' with th' enemy if'n I didn't know that there was something a hell of a lot worse 'n yankees walkin' these woods."
- ―James to Lieutenant Hendricks (from Predator: Hell Come a Walkin')
Jesse's encounter with the Predator.
James, alongside grizzled Native American Standing Bear and eccentric redneck Nebediah traversed across the Ozark mountains, hoping to unite with a nearby unit of Confederates. Following their arrival, they were met with a ghastly a scene - a brutal massacre that Jesse assumed was the work of the "damn yankees". They thereafter encountered a small platoon of Union soldiers transporting a stationary cannon. Neb opened fire and killed the squad's Captain, Riggs. James and the two subsequently set up camp and discussed what could have killed their comrades. Standing Bear told stories of a Cannibal Spirit that leaves its cave deep within the Ozarks and feasts on human flesh. Though Jesse was sceptical, Neb partly agrees with him and tells a story of how the Devil himself had allowed a mountaineer to invite him into his solitary log-cabin, slaughtering and cannibalizing him, his family and burning the cabin to the ground. Hearing enough of their ghost stories, Jesse departed from the two to check on the canon, only to notice a distant silhouette of a creature, causing him to return in distress and notify the others.
Jesse, Neb and Bear approached the Union troops, with Jesse tensely proposing a truce to them, after claiming to have seen "the devil hisself". Suddenly, a hole was blown through Bear's chest from the shot of a Plasmacaster, killing him. After the assailant retreated from the gunfire, the two sides subsequently joined forces to oppose their new threat.
Final battle[]
- "Damn yankees."
"Who you callin' a yankee?" - ―The Predator and James just before he finishes him off (from Predator: Hell Come a Walkin')
James impales the Predator.
Jesse, Neb and Union Soldier Spartacus explored the forestry, intent on flushing the creature out whilst the others readied the canon. Neb was subsequently killed by the creature, and Spartacus and Jesse fended the hunter off with gunfire, before retreating. The two lured the Predator into the direction of the cannon and the plan was ultimately a success. However, the Predator, unfazed from the shot, was left standing and approached the group. As German Union soldier Brubaker prepared to stand off against it, Jesse suddenly impaled it from behind with the Union flag. As the others looked over the dying creature, Jesse finished it off with a shot to the head with his revolver.
After burying the dead, the three survivors, Jesse, Spartacus and Brubaker, were met with Confederate reinforcements led by Jesse's older brother Frank. However, after hearing that he was to take Dutch prisoner and shoot Spartacus, he held his brother at gunpoint and allows the two to take a mule and return to their unit. After a mutual thanks, Spartacus and James assure each other that they will remain enemies, before both parting ways.
Personality and Traits[]
James was a truculent and precocious young bushwhacker, easy to anger. However, underneath his brash exterior was a quick-thinking and honorable Southerner. Despite his hatred for the Union Army, he was willing to set aside his contempt for them when facing a greater threat, allying himself with Hendricks, Spartacus and Brubaker. While he had some racist tendencies, as shown with his use of slurs on Spartacus, they were less than Neb's and he quickly put them aside. He also went as far as to allow the latter two to escape without taking them as Confederate prisoners for their help in defeating the Predator.
Behind the Scenes[]
Photograph of Jesse James.
The character of James is based on the real life outlaw of the same name who served in a pro-Confederate militia known as 'Quantrill's Raiders', alongside his brother. Following the war, James later established himself as an infamous outlaw and highwayman. He was ultimately killed at age 34 after fellow gang member Robert Ford shot him the back of the head for a reward of ten thousand dollars. James' backstory in the comic does actually have some historical factuality to it, as his father was briefly hung from a tree by a group of Union militiamen, whilst James was reportedly lashed.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
