Jerry Cornelius

J. Corneilius [sic] was a “known associate” of Jenny Everywhere in at least one incarnation, according to a wanted poster jointly put up for Jenny by a number of organisations who wished to bring her in for questioning. (PROSE: Wanted for Questioning)

Behind the scenes

Cornelius as illustrated by Mark Reeve for The Final Programme.

Jerry Cornelius is a multiversal character used by Michael Moorcock in his writings. An incarnation of the wider multiversal entity dubbed “the Eternal Champion” by Moorcock, Cornelius is characterised as an adventurous, energetic figure embodying playful anarchy, a kind of modern, heroic Harlequin. Though principally characterised as a masculine character, Cornelius's gender is sometimes suggested to be fluid.

Jerry Cornelius has sometimes been named as a predecessor to Jenny Everywhere as an “open-source character”, particularly given that he shares of her conceit of existing in infinite variations across the Multiverse. However, despite this popular belief, Moorcock never formally released Cornelius in the public domain; though looking kindly on authors performing “homages” to the character that grew into distinct works of art, albeit referencing the original Cornelius explicitly, he notably took great issue with Grant Morrison reskinning the core features of the character (without altering or broadening the core concept) under the name of Gideon Stargrave.

Nevertheless, the character has been an influence on Jenny Everywhere media. Jeanne Morningstar cited reading Moorcock's original Cornelius Quartet as having spurred them to write The Hermetic Garbage of Jenny Everywhere, whose title is a reference to Le Garage Hermétique de Jerry Cornelius, a graphic novel featuring a version of Cornelius as a secondary character. Michael Moorcock himself is referenced in The Hermetic Garbage of Jenny Everywhere.