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Hank & Jennifer Starkey

Writer: Jessie Desmond
Jessie Desmond
Jun 14
8 min read

The most recent pseudo-pairing for Hank is with Jen Starkey (aka Animalia). I really DISLIKE this pairing. It just seems way too off-kilter for me, so I want to look at Jen Starkey and profile her, while also giving everyone the run-down on these two.


Jennifer Starkey first showed up in X-Men #4 (2024) as one of two new people with adult-onset mutation (Ben Liu being the other).

The X-Men came to Jen's rescue in Detroit and brought her back to Alaska with them.

In issue #6, we get a better understanding of Hank's interest in Ben and Jen. Is something science related? Sure as hell is.

What else goes on in issue #6? Jen obviously likes Hank, at least a little. Is it because she was lonely in Detroit or has a visible mutation (like Hank) or is at the receiving end of Hank being a nice guy? I just want to point out that Hank hasn't given any of the new people any special treatment.

In issues #7-9, Hank is kidnapped and sent to Graymalkin Prison in NY. Jubilee is there. He gets the shit beat out of him by some guards for standing up for Jubes and some other female prisoners. He's back in Alaska in issue #10.


One thing that bothers me is that by issue #10, Jennifer hasn't even bothered trying to figure out her powers. Most new mutants at least try to figure themselves out a little. Jen's not even trying. That's frustrating.


I think what is VERY telling about Jennifer comes in issue #11. We learn that Jen was about to jump off a bridge in Detroit when her powers initially kicked in. Jumping into a river brought on aquatic metamorphosis. Hank asks her to think about flying and she is able to morph into a bird form.


The trauma-bonding for Jen has started. She suddenly had mutant powers (adult onset mutation) which is virtually unknown and is the reason why Hank is working closely with her and Ben. For Jen, this was traumatic. Suddenly she looked weird, had a group of mutants chasing after her, the X-Men showed up to save her, and she was whisked away to Alaska. None of the X-Men are judging her. In fact, the super awesome doctor (Hank) is spending some extra time with her; of course, she doesn't seem to realize that it's because he's studying her. Jen was worried about returning to Detroit, based on her looks. She is clumsy and seems a little prone to dependency on others to the point where she likes to be coddled (to a certain degree).


Jen seems to prefer her bird form. She can fly and she seems to have natural abilities of whatever form she is in. By her reaction, this could be one of the first times she's really had some sense of absolute freedom.

X-Men #14
X-Men #14

In issue #15, Scott asks Jen to do a flyby to assess a situation. Jen's reaction is "I can't fight". She's not even listening to what he's asking her to do. Scott is like "No, just do a quick flyby, no fighting". Even Psylocke is pretty much over her bumbling ways and tells Hank that he's coddled her too much.

X-Men #15
X-Men #15

On the relationship side note: There isn't actually much interaction outside of what I'm actually showing you here between Jen and Hank. They don't really seem to have much in common other than visible mutations. This is going to become more apparent later on.


X-Men #18


Jen isn't the most intelligent person. Here she is defending Hank against someone she perceives to be a bad guy. He was giving Hank an invite to join 3K. Also, before anyone says "look, he's worried about her" - I've seen Hank do more for other female teammates (Jean, Psylocke, Dazzler, Jubilee, Lorna, etc).


In 2025's X-Men: Hellfire Vigil (one-shot), Hank went to the Hellfire Gala with Jennifer. It was her first big "public outing" since her mutations started. They seem to have a good time. They even hold hands and share some romantic looks, but that's as far it goes by the end of the comic. Below are some clippings from the comic.

Above are some clippings from X-Men: Hellfire Vigil.


Picking back up with X-Men #20, we get the aftermath of Hank's 3K invite. Hank is upset about it. He's upset that his quinjet is fucking destroyed. Understandably, he's working through some shit. He even says "I'm poor company today" and says he wants some alone time. That's understandable...unless you're Jen, who appears to take it as "I don't want to be around you" (specifically). This is Jen showing signs of a dependency issue called "emotional volatility", where one’s happiness and self-worth is based entirely on the partner’s mood or approval.


We immediately open on issue #21 with Jen moping and talking to Quentin. I'm going to post the 4 page sequence. Later on in issue #21, Jen is with Magik, Quentin, and Juggernaut to deal with The Upstarts (the guys who were initially after her). She takes on a reptilian form. From the dialogue, we can infer that Jen has never been a strong person, but she's finding strength as a mutant.


Yes, Jen was lonely and a little depressed before the X-Men. She almost let herself be killed by The Upstarts. She wasn't making an impact around her. She mentions that no one would even really notice if she disappeared. THEN, she literally tells Quentin that she latched onto "him" (meaning Hank) because he paid attention to her, was nice, and has a visible mutation as well. She definitely has fear of abandonment issues going on.


After the fight with The Upstarts, Hank and Juggernaut get into an argument because Juggernaut ripped the head off of Ocelot. Hank thought that was inappropriate. Here's the thing: I could easily see him saying this same exact thing if we replaced Jen with Jubilee or any other younger female mutant. So far, aside from the Hellfire Gala, I haven't seen Hank do anything he wouldn't do with any other female teammate.

Panels taken from various pages of the argument, X-men #22
Panels taken from various pages of the argument, X-men #22

Taking a look at a panel with Jen and Ben, we can start to assess her job and educational background. First off, she's still in mopey mode. Secondly, we learn that she did corporate data entry in Detroit. This is like a $19-25/hour job that is pretty entry level, no bachelor degree required. The fact that, before, Jen stated she wasn't making an impact sounds like something you'd hear from a college student.


My best guess here is that Jen managed, possibly, 2 years of college and dropped out to work. Perhaps she had a boyfriend (seems very likely since she was "so lonely") who needed help paying for law school or med school or grad school, then dropped her like a hot potato once he accomplished that. Jen, on the other hand, was basically stuck in a dead end job with bills up to her ears or earning just enough to skim by. That would leave her feeling depressed and lonely for sure.

X-Men #22
X-Men #22

NOTE: I'm not going to really get into the short-term time travel thing with 3K or explain that Hank is the Chairmen of 3K (and white furred). I'm hoping that Marvel turns that shit around. Make it a possible future, not THE future. You can read about it in Amazing X-Men (2025). In the future, Animalia admits to loving Hank - but that's the future, not current.


Hank and Jen don't really interact until...X-Men #25. This takes place after Amazing X-Men. Hank is catching up since he had a brain-swap with himself. Jen remembers it. She likes that she was "strong, cool, tough, and no longer a perpetual victim". It kind of confirms what I previously thought: very codependent, very much a victim.

X-Men #25


No interaction between Hank and Jen for a few issues....


X-Men #29
X-Men #29

In issue #29, Hank is waking up alone. I know that this is actually a mental trap set by a baby space creature, but its supposed to mimic what is normal. Hank is waking up alone. That's his normal.


We get a slight hint of some interaction in X-Men #30. Honestly, it looks like Hank is working and Jen is poking around, to linger around him. I believe this is referred to as "breadcrumbing". Leaving little emotional breadcrumbs to warrant attention from the other person. Who does such a thing? People who are seeking attention, do not want to be alone, and/or have low self-esteem (Khatter et al, 2023). Jen has already admitted to all three of these things. She has a very insecure attachment thing going on.


Question: Why isn't Emma poking around? She's a relationship/sex therapist, so this would be right up her alley. Also, she's good friends with Hank.


At this point, we're going to break between issues 30 and 31. Let's talk about X-Men United issues 1-3. This is focused around "Greymatter Lane" which is a psychic school that Emma Frost has set up to basically do distance learning for new mutants. Instructors are Emma, Hank, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Cyclops, Magneto, Glob, Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, X-23 Wolverine, and Prodigy. Student mentors are: Axo, Bronze, Melee, Rift, and Sophie Cuckoo. Students are: Dryad, Flourish, Wolf Cub, Galura, Animalia, Woofer, Loolo, and Ben Liu.

X-Men Unlimited #1
X-Men Unlimited #1

The best part about this new series is that Hank and Jen aren't doing a lot of interacting. That means we can see how she interacts with others...and it's not great.

X-Men Unlimited #1


So she was acting bitchy and got a little cut because of it. Then she is basically like "how dare you?!" when Wolf Cub goes after her...literally points a finger at him. This danger room training is her only bit in issue #1. What about danger room training sounds like you might not get hurt? I mean, c'mon, you have 2 Wolverines leading the training session.


She isn't in issue #2.


They don't include her in issue #3.



X-Men #31. Is it really a science team if Hank is the only scientist? At least Kid Omega is good at science?
X-Men #31. Is it really a science team if Hank is the only scientist? At least Kid Omega is good at science?

In X-Men #31, the team is checking out some gravitational anomalies. Jen's a dumb-dumb, Magneto might be able to sense something through his powers, Quentin is pretty smart but not a PhD in anything, Ben and Xorn don't have science or engineering backgrounds. FUCK! Can't someone lend Hank a physicist for a few issues?!


This looks like a friendly touch, but if Jen is "breadcrumbing" then it's just to remind him that she's there.


Three non-consecutive pages from X-Men #31. Jen turns into a tiger form. Apparently being in bird form doesn't lend itself to climbing (DUH). Magneto mentions that Hank's attention is "elsewhere", but I don't think it's on Jen. I think it's on 3K.



On a serious note, I see Hank as potential victim here. When he laid down a boundary before (asking for a little space in X-Men #20), Jen flipped out. Not on him, but she had an emotional meltdown. Hank needs to lay down MORE boundaries and actually notice how Jen reacts. He also needs someone like Jean or Emma to step in and be like "Don't you see what's going on?" I think Emma would be excellent for this due to her no-bullshit attitude.


What do they have in common? A visible mutation. They both had a good time at the Hellfire Gala.


That's it. They don't talk about anything that they might have in common. Do they even converse? It really doesn't seem like it. There's no small talk between them. There's no intellectual kinship. Jen doesn't even appear to be trying with her powers; she gets by with the bare minimum. Jen has a very high value on Hank and how she perceives their relationship, while Hank does not seem to value it in the same way. He seems to like her as a teammate and she's subject for a genetic study.


I'm going with the Jen having the issue of: Codependent relationship. This is an actual problem that people should seek counseling for.


If you see a lot of yourself in the character Jen Starkey, please consider counseling.


Is this off-kilter to you? I think it is. Tell me your thoughts in the comments.


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