Jesse Custer

A preacher armed with the Word of God on a quest to find the missing Almighty.

Jesse Custer is the fictional protagonist of the comic book series Preacher, created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon (with a large percentage of the original cover art painted by Glenn Fabry), and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. He was ranked the 11th Greatest Comic Book Character by Empire. In 2011, IGN ranked Jesse Custer 34th in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. Dominic Cooper portrayed the live action version of the character in the television series Preacher.

Quick Facts

Series

Preacher

Gender

Male

Full name

Jesse L'Angelle Custer

Species

Human (magically mutated)

Origin

Annville, Texas

Partner

Tulip O'Hare
Lorie Bobbs
Cindy

Spouse

Tulip O'Hare (television series)

Children

Lucy O'Hare-Custer (daughter; television series)

Lore & Background

Jesse Custer was born on January 17, 1975, son of John Custer, a U.S. Marine from Texas, and Christina L'Angelle, a troubled runaway. The couple met in 1973 when Christina, encouraged by the Vietnam War-protesting group she was traveling with, spat in the eye of the first soldier she saw returning from overseas. Despite the assault, the two recognized a sense of displacement in each other, and a relationship formed. Quickly, John and Christina fell deeply in love and later gave birth to a son, Jesse.

Merging with Genesis has given Jesse 'the Word of God', a power which forces the listener to obediently follow his commands, so long as the listener can hear and comprehend what is said. This power is signified by Jesse's eyes glowing an eerie red. Genesis is the result of a sexual union between an angel and a demon, something not defined by good or evil, and potentially as powerful as God Himself. It escaped its confinement in Heaven and fled to Earth, finding Jesse.

When Genesis was born, God left Heaven, and no one knows where He went or why. Jesse's quest for God takes the form of an unconventional road trip. He visits many American landmarks, including New York City, Texas, and New Orleans.

Reader's Guide

Jesse Custer's journey begins with his birth on January 17, 1975, to John Custer and Christina L'Angelle. After his father's death and his mother's disappearance, Jesse is raised in Angelville by his grandmother and Jody, learning to fight, hunt, shoot, and maintain machinery. He eventually escapes and returns to Annville, Texas, to find Tulip O'Hare. The two fall back into a life of crime, but after a robbery goes bad and Tulip miscarries their child, they separate.

Jesse becomes a reverend in Annville. His life changes when Genesis merges with his soul, giving him the Word of God and destroying the church and town. Jesse sets out on a road trip to find God, accompanied by the vampire Cassidy. Along the way, he encounters the Saint of Killers, the Grail organization led by Allfather D'Aronique and Herr Starr, and is captured by Jody and T.C. again.

God visits Tulip's corpse and returns her to life, commanding her to persuade Jesse to give up his quest. Eventually Jesse and Tulip reunite. A hermit finds Jesse in the desert with no memory of his encounter with God; after a month of recovery he tracks down Tulip and Cassidy, sees them embracing, and drifts to Salvation, a small town abused by the meat industrialist Odin Quincannon. Jesse eventually discovers Cassidy had kept Tulip dependent on drugs and alcohol.

Cassidy dies in flames, and Jesse is shot by a sniper under Herr Starr's order. Tulip kills Starr, but Jesse dies. Jesse is resurrected, his lost eye restored, and he tracks down Tulip on horseback, asking her to take him back, which she does.