Why can't Jessica Jones fly?

Question

Has there ever been an explanation by writers or producers of the Jessica Jones-related comics as to why they designed her without the ability (usually) to fly?

I've wondered if it was to distance her from being a copy cat of the numerous flying super girls in comics (ahem, like Supergirl), or because that power limited what situations she could be put in, or they changed their minds, etc.

I'm looking for quotes from people affiliated with the direction of the comic book character, rather than the recent Netflix show.

Specifically, I'm looking for some insight that backs up (or refutes) these claims on Wikipedia, but I've also seen on other comic sites:

Jessica later discovered that her radiation exposure granted her super strength, limited invulnerability, and flight (which she never fully mastered during her superhero career).

...

Jessica is also able to fly, and while she was able to fly quite well during her early years as a heroine, she has admitted that her flying ability degenerated while she was no longer an active hero.

Of course, if this quotes aren't accurate at all, or any longer, please feel free to cite the most recent comics where she's able to fly, as that would make my question moot.

Answer 1

The show runner, Melissa Rosenberg, had this to say on the subject in an interview:

"She doesn't fly but she can jump many stories, and she lands really badly, which is why she doesn't do it too often," Rosenberg says. "And the less you see it, the more believable it is. There will be flights in every episode and they'll get bigger and bigger and bigger but that's not my priority. That's not the nature of the story. This show is more character driven than anything like a scene in that universe."

_{EOnline Interview}

Ultimately, it is not that she can't fly, it is that she is bad at it, and especially bad at landings and so avoids it.

Answer 2

She can fly, but like most of her superhero powers, she doesn't like to.

In Alias she is clearly shown, in her Jewel form, flying repeatedly. Flight was the first power she discovered and one she seemed to use routinely pre-Kilgrave. The critical scene where she fights the Avengers on Kilgrave's orders also shows her flying. She doesn't even seem to be all that terrible at it -- other than her first flight and subsequent crash into the Hudson, I don't remember many scenes of her crashing and burning.

However, her flight is probably the single most obvious and overt of the super powers she obtained from her accident. Her healing and strength could be explained away, to a large extent, and even her superhuman leaps are just an exaggeration of something normal people can do.

But flying is an openly and unquestionably superhuman skill. There's no way for her to use it and not consider herself a superhero, which is something she doesn't really like doing. She can be seen flying on rare occasions after this (e.g. at one point when she's with the New Avengers, she flies off to rescure her daughter) but she mostly prefers to lean on her strength and durability to get things done.

(Also, I'm not sure how canon it is, but the Marvel Fact Files claims that flying makes her airsick so she avoids doing it.)

Answer 3

In the comics (I read "Alias" and "The Pulse"), she's shown flying only in flashbacks, when she was a super hero. The rest of the time she just jumps, like in the series (landing badly).

I don't know the reason for that, and I actually asked myself the reason why she didn't fly anymore. I guess this "she forgot how to fly due to the lack of practice" explanation works.