My Views on Captain Jack Harkness.
AS A FIXED POINT IN TIME
Jack can die. Let me quickly explain his ability. Yes, he can die. But the thing is - he does come back from it. He “wakes up”, as if he’s been removed from that death-like state. Jack can not change, technically - in that he just has to always exist. He’s a universal fact - something that no humans are supposed to be.
He does not regenerate, at least not in the way that cellular regeneration works. He’ll recover, yes, and likely more quickly than others. And it is also much harder to hurt him, but I’m of the opinion that if you were to chop off a finger of his, it probably wouldn’t grow back. If he were to die, then he’d come back in one piece completely. His existence is the important part.
Jack doesn’t age. At one point with the Doctor it’s mentioned that he’ll probably age very slowly - but I don’t think this is entirely true. RTD just sucks and likes to confuse everyone with his ability to ret-con stuff, and change his mind. Jack was buried underground for 1800 years, and I’m under the impression that if that didn’t make him age at all, then he probably won’t.
In this respect, Jack is not the Face of Boe. Or at least, I do not acknowledge him as such. This would imply that he not only drastically changed, but he dies. Also, I got the impression that Boe’s probably been along longer than Jack would have been at the time of his death - and is a bit ~wiser~ than Jack. All in all, though, the “Face of Boe” is a nickname that Jack was given pertaining to his looks.
HIS NAME
Jack’s name remains unknown canonly. Sorry! This was a teaser, and filler for when we do eventually find this out.
“Captain Jack Harkness” is one that he stole from a man who died in 1941 the day after the Cardiff Blitz. When he meets the real Jack Harkness - he introduces himself as James Harper. He has a very easy time just changing his name. That’s the joy of psychic paper. Who actually knows his real name~ hmm?
SECRETS
Jack did travel back in time initially to regain the memories, and he’s nearly successful at being a conman. I think part of his appeal is the amount of mystery that surrounds him. Jack is not apt to reveal information about himself, and depending on the verse - he isn’t too keen on sharing what he is like. Since the incidents in Children of Earth, Jack is far less inclined to hide everything because so many government figures know that he can’t die now. So he will probably tell friends. And people end up figuring it out anyway due to his reckless attitude.
Another thing to note is that Jack wants to die. Permanently. He describes coming back as being dragged over nails.
Jack also has never revealed his name. Nor has he revealed to many where he is from or when he is from. And I don’t think he’ll really ever share it. He’s okay with people knowing bits and pieces of his life, though.
He once told Tosh that he knows too much.
Sure, Jack feels guilty about keeping secrets, since they do hurt people, but he’s afraid of what people may think as a result of the secrets.
HIS SEXUALILTY
Jack is what one would call “flexible” with his dancing~ or so the Doctor says that there’s a whole universe - Jack is someone who doesn’t limit himself to certain species, genders, sexualities, anything. He’s what we’d call omnisexual, as long as he finds it attractive, he’ll at least flirt with it. He’s not above feelings of love and jealousy like any other humans are. However, I don’t play Jack as someone who shags everything ever, but someone who would. Yes, he does like sex, and yes - he does feel free to express his sexuality. He finds the 21st century up tight on their views on what people should and should not do.
In my opinion Jack enjoys wooing someone, the game of flirting. And he enjoys it probably as much as sex itself. He enjoys the romancing aspect of a relationship. Though he comes off as someone who doesn’t really care about the relationship part of sex, he does. This is why I don’t play him as someone who sleeps with - well, anyone. He would, but he doesn’t. Jack has a lot of self control! Saying hello is just him being friendly, after all.
Oh, and he doesn’t believe in labels. So he says!
RELATIONSHIPS
Jack says that he dislikes relationships, HOWEVER - he seems to value them greatly. I don’t think he’d EVER cheat on someone while in a relationship (flirting =/= cheating, he’ll always flirt). He was married, before. And in what we assume is a semi-committed relationship with Lucia. And while he tells Ianto that he hates the word “couple”, he often times mentions relationships that he has - so I think this was bogus information he gave to make Ianto not become attached. I believe, fully, that all the heartbreaks that he’s given people and he has suffered himself made him really start to push people away. He just doesn’t want to do it anymore.
Relationships are not limited to romantic ones. Jack values family, even with his broken one. He finds it important to let them into your lives, even if he’s been separated from his own. It also spans into friendships - which to me are what he values above romantic ones, and family. Of course, I think that Jack views his friends as his family, and he really dislikes when those friends hate him. It’s why he struggles so much when someone is angry with the way he behaves, that he seeks forgiveness so much.
Um, I guess I’ll touch on some of his relationships briefly. Mostly primary canon ones!
The Doctor - The Doctor is Jack’s best friend. He inspired Jack, when they met and he was the Ninth, to stop being a coward. Jack says that is the reason for his love for him. I fully believe that the Doctor is responsible for making Jack who he is. (No - not the unkillable thing!) But the heroic side of him was trying to keep the Doctor living on while he was on Earth. Jack is absolutely infatuated with the Doctor, as well. To the point where I’d almost say he is in love with him. Jack talks about him often in Torchwood canon, and mentions that he loves him in Doctor Who. And I think the main thing that keeps Jack away is the immeasurable respect that he has for the man. This alone has proven to me that Jack knows how to maintain the lines that he’s drawn for himself. The Doctor is an aspiration for him - someone that he desires to be and know he can’t. He wishes he could make some of the choices that the Doctor makes, and that he knew what was best.
Rose - Rose is a person he enjoys flirting with. He shares a lot of compassion for her, and has no bitterness in her taking in the Time Vortex and making him immortal. Nothing but love for her, and he does miss her when he thinks of her on that other Earth. He thinks that the two of them had some companionship and mutual understanding on things as humans who traveled with the Doctor.
Martha - Jack had a lot of sympathy for Martha when he found out she loved the Doctor, too. And I think that was probably, initially, why they got along. They bonded on this initially, and then the end of the world and owing her his life (the world) didn’t hurt, either. Then when she came and worked with Torchwood they bonded even more, and it is assumed that the two of them kept contact through things, so I assume that Jack sees her as a close friend, almost as trusted as the Doctor himself, simply because of the things that they went through together.
Gwen - Jack loves Gwen, and he probably always will. I think there’s a lot to be said with his behavior with her. He loves her, but understands that he can’t have her. He knows from his experience though that they can’t really, really be together. But it doesn’t stop him from being jealous towards Rhys, despite supporting their relationship on the outside (though I think by the end of latest season he’s already shown that his jealousy has dissolved into a respect for the relationship). He trusts her with a lot; she was the first person who joined Torchwood that found out that he can’t die of his group in-series. He thinks that she’s amazing and brilliant. And he has come to greatly respect her. Jack is totally a Rhys/Gwen shipper, btw. He thinks that they go well together, and he comes to really like Rhys.
Ianto - I’m of the firm belief that Jack was finally starting to be genuine in his feelings for Ianto. I also believe that Jack did love him. And it may not have been a totally romantic thing by the end, but I think it was heading there. He really did push Ianto away mostly because I think part of him knew what would happen if it persisted, and guess what - it did happen? I think Ianto’s death affected him greatly, because Jack knew that if Ianto hadn’t followed him there, then he wouldn’t have died. He’s really a great source of guilt, and if he could go back in time and change it, Jack would have kept Ianto from going to his death (and for selfish reasons, too, to avoid his guilt). I think Jack, for awhile, took advantage of the fact that no matter what happened, Ianto would be there. Not going to lie, he did put Ianto through a lot of things, ad Ianto never verbally complained, not only that but he put complete trust in Jack. Jack regrets lying to him, or keeping secrets. And he’d probably change that, too. But the most important things to take away from it are - yes, I view Jack as to having loved Ianto. I see Jack as having pushed him away, and I see a lot of regret.
Anyway - I know there’s some that I skipped over that I may get to at a later time (primarily Owen, Tosh, Suzie). But…none from his past (since they are not displayed in canon), nor am I going to delve into the complications with Alice and Stephen. Unless you want ten more pages…which…yeah, no. Maybe at another time.
And there’s probably tons of other things I can type up and include. But my fingers hurt.