J.J. Williams is the companion of Yz, the Thunderbolt that previously followed Johnny Thunder.
History
Origin
Born and raised in Keystone City, Jakeem's mother left his father, Phil Williams, while pregnant with him for unknown reasons and did not disclose her pregnancy, making Phil unaware of his birth and eventually starting a family of his own. At a young age, his mother later dies of cancer and is taken in by his aunt and mother's sister Lashawn.[1] He also had a older half-brother, Jimmy. whom he was unaware of whom passed away alongside their grandmother during a house fire caused by Jimmy accidentally. Because his other aunt, Jenny, blamed Jimmy for the incident, she hid knowledge of Jimmy from Jakeem.[2] Jakeem became a self-reliant latchkey kid who grew up on the streets and adopted a tough, foul-mouthed attitude in the process.
Eventually, Jakeem came into possession of Johnny Thunder's genie called Thunderbolt. He received the genie from a pen given to him by Jay Garrick.
When the world was threatened by an evil Thunderbolt from the same dimension as his Thunderbolt, Jakeem assists the Justice Society of America in defeating it and returning it to the Fifth Dimension.
To combat the threat, Jakeem's thunderbolt Yz combined with another genie named Lkz to form Ylzkz. Controlled by the phrase "So Cûl" (pronounced "so cool"), the new purple genie gained enough power to defeat the rogue Thunderbolt and banish it back to it's dimension.
Justice Society
Jakeem soon, and somewhat reluctantly, joins the Justice Society as a part-time member. Jakeem is welcomed by the fellow young hero, Stargirl, who becomes a friend, and positive influence on him. He also benefits from the guidance of Johnny Thunder himself. He and Hourman (Rick Tyler) also build a brotherly friendship. Like Johnny before him, he often caused trouble by wishing for things without meaning to due to poorly-worded commands.
Last Laugh
When villains were affected by Joker's Laughing Gas they began to attack with reckless abandon. Solomon Grundy was one of these villains and he attacked the JSA headquarters, knocking out the then-caretaker of the museum Alexander Montez. Jakeem and Stargirl were the only two at the headquarters at the time to fight against Grundy, who soon retreated after taking Jakeem's pen which contained the Thunderbolt. Jakeem told Stargirl he wanted to get the pen back not because he saw the Thunderbolt as his power, but because the Thunderbolt was his friend.
During the fight with Grundy, Jakeem is nearly knocked out by the behemoth. He realizes Stargirl is in grave peril and in desperation, stretches to reach his pen, just out of reach. A purplish-pink wave of energy appears in his eyes and around the pen, which levitates into his grasp. Jakeem briefly wonders how this has happened, but decides to figure it out later. The fight serves as a bonding experience between the two young heroes.
Johnny Thunderbolt
During his fight with Grundy, Jakeem unwittingly cures his predecessor, Johnny Thunder of his Alzheimer's disease. However, at the same time; Ultra-Humanite took control of his body to take control of the Thunderbolt.[3]
Increasing his powers to incredible levels, Humanite controlled most of the Justice Society. Eventually Jakeem wrests control of the Thunderbolt back from Ultra, but Johnny Thunder loses his life. Jakeem then wishes that the Thunderbolt could save Johnny somehow, so the genie chooses to merge with Johnny, creating a new being with the memories of both.[4] He later assumes the name Johnny Thunderbolt. Johnny Thunderbolt bears Johnny's likeness, though it is not clear how the personalities of Johnny and the two genies interact, and whether any one personality is dominant. Johnny's family was informed of his death and a funeral was held at Valhalla. The family does not know that he lives on as the Thunderbolt.
With Johnny's help, Jakeem meets his biological father, Phil, who is now an engineering student. Jakeem does not reveal his true identity, but he also meets Phil's wife, Jennifer, and his younger half-brother. He is torn by his longing to reconnect with his biological father, but fears he will upset Phil's life.[1]
Infinite Crisis
At the dawn of the Infinite Crisis, the Spectre shunts Jakeem into his pen — into the Fifth Dimension — where he succumbs to the machinations of Qwsp and becomes a mad tyrant. The Thunderbolt amasses an army to fight him, including his son, Shocko and his wife Peachy Pet. Dubbed the "Thunderbolt family" and with the help of the JSA, Jakeem was freed of Qwsp's evil influence.
Upon the JSA's return from the Fifth Dimension, they find the evil Mordru battling with Nabu. Jakeem jumps the gun and takes action against the wizard (who had previously slit Jakeem's throat). Jakeem returns the favor by stabbing Mordru in the throat with his pen, then summons the Thunderbolt, electrocuting Mordru. Jakeem then asked the Thunderbolt to remove Mordru from their sight (followed for the first time by a "please").
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Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Thunderbolt Pen: Jakeem is now in complete control of the powerful djinn named Yz, otherwise known as the Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is incredibly powerful and performs Jakeem's every request. However, Jakeem must phrase his requests carefully as the Thunderbolt will often perform tasks as literally as they were said. Thunderbolt comes from the 5th dimension, the same place as Superman's nemesis, Mister Mxyzptlk and Aquaman's foe, Qwsp. These genies have near-limitless power, but are bound by the commands of their masters. They can project energy, teleport, create hard-light constructs, and affect third dimensional matter in ways that appear "magical".
Notes
- Jakeem is the New Earth counterpart and directly based on Thunder, a character who debuted in Kingdom Come.
- Jakeem first appeared in a cameo in The Flash (Volume 2) #134. He was first named in JLA #28.
Trivia
- Jakeem was born in July 7th at the 7th hour. This is similar to Johnny Thunder's own origin and the legend that one born on the seventh day of the seventh month on a year that ends in 7 wields great power.[5]
Related
- 98 Appearances of Jakeem Williams (New Earth)
- 41 Images featuring Jakeem Williams (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Jakeem Williams (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Jakeem Williams (New Earth)
Footnotes
  Justice Society of America member |
 This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or simply the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
 Young Justice member |