Helga Jace

Dr. Helga Jace is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She is a supporting character of the Outsiders and was the scientist responsible for giving Princess Tara/Terra and her elder brother Prince Brion/Geo-Force their earth-controlling powers.

Helga Jace has appeared in the animated TV series Young Justice, voiced by Grey DeLisle, and the live-action TV series Black Lightning, portrayed by Jennifer Riker.

Publication history
Created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, Helga Jace first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders #1 (1983) as an ally of the Outsiders.

In the Millennium storyline, written by Steve Englehart, Jace was revealed to be a villain with her own agenda.

Fictional character biography
Dr. Helga Jace was a scientist and geneticist from Markovia who worked directly for the Royal Family. After the death of King Viktor, a revolutionary movement broke out. She used her scientific ability to activate Prince Brion Markov and Princess Terra's Meta-genes to give them powers.

After the process was complete she was kidnapped by invading forces. The forces were led by Baron Bedlam. She was later rescued by Metamorpho of the Outsiders, who hoped she could help with his cure. Jace agreed after learning Brion was not dead.

She also helped Metamorpho reunite with his lost love, Sapphire Stagg. However, her father Simon Stagg attacked and killed Metamorpho.

She traveled to Egypt with the Outsiders where revived Metamorpho with the meteor which first transformed him. The second exposure left Rex permanently transformed into Metamorpho, with Jace no longer having the means to cure him.

Jace later helped Halo recover her lost memory using equipment from the destroyed Justice League Satellite.

During the "Millennium" storyline, it was revealed that Jace was working for the Manhunters. Using a psychic chip in Metamorpho's brain, Jace took control of him and had him attack the Outsiders before bringing them to her laboratory. After escaping from the laboratory, Looker tricked Metamorpho into attacking Jace. When Jace used a weapon on Metamorpho, it caused a surge that killed them both.

In the rebooted "DC Rebirth", Helga Jace is an astrophysicist from Markovia who is working for the Kobra organization under duress. Katana came to Markovia rescue her from Lady Eve. King Kobra interrogates Jace as Katana plans to rescue her. King Kobra later shows Jace the powers of the comatose girl that she was watching. King Kobra reveals that he caught an Aurakle as he plans to weaponize it. Before returning to the ship's command center, King Kobra leaves this task to Jace. During the Suicide Squad's fight with King Kobra's forces, Katana and Enchantress find that King Kobra had Jace fuse Violet Harper with the Aurakle as King Kobra activates the implant in Violet's neck only for Violet to tear it out as the Aurakle gains control of Violet's body. As King Kobra, Katana, and Enchantress fight Violet who is now a vessel for the Aurakles under the name of Halo, Jace flees from the battle and runs into Harley Quinn and the other Suicide Squad members as they head into the direction of the engine room. When on the ground, Jace and Prince Brion Markov witness Katana escaping with Halo.

In the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, Helga Jace is among the people who reveal the Superman Theory.

In other media

 * Helga Jace appears in Black Lightning, portrayed by Jennifer Riker. This version is a mad scientist who created Tobias Whale's anti-aging serum and was previously incarcerated for her illegal experiments. In the present, during the second season, she is forced to help Lynn Stewart and the A.S.A. treat metahuman children placed in stasis pods before Todd Green frees her on Whale's behalf to help him steal the pods as well as those containing the Masters of Disaster. Jace is eventually captured by Deputy Chief Henderson and placed in the Freeland Police Department's custody, though she is rescued by a teleporting bounty hunter called Instant and taken to Markovia. Throughout the third season, Jace works to stabilize Markovia's metahumans until she is extracted by a team led by Black Lightning and later killed by Commander Carson Williams.
 * Helga Jace appears in Young Justice, voiced by Grey DeLisle. This version is a protégé of the Ultra-Humanite, member of the Light, and personal physician to Markovia's royal family. While taking part in Baron Bedlam's metahuman trafficking ring, she contributed to Tara and Brion Markov's transformation into metahumans, the former's disappearance, and euthanized Gabrielle Daou, who would go on to become Violet Harper / Halo. Using her bond with Brion, Jace travels to the United States with him to infiltrate Nightwing's team under the cover of watching over him, and later Victor Stone and the rescued Tara while secretly reporting back to the Ultra-Humanite. To further her goals, she enters a relationship with Black Lightning, contributes to Halo being captured by Granny Goodness, and eventually becomes Brion's advisor after he overthrows his brother Gregor Markov as king of Markovia.