Jean Boynton

Jean Boynton is Dr. Boynton's late ex-wife in the 1987 NOW! Comics series. She is Astor's biological mother, and passed away before construction on Astro could begin.

Story
Jean was created by Michael Dimpsey as a foil for Dr. Boynton, and to flesh out Astro's biological family. The comic was primarily based on the 1963 anime, where Dr. Boynton's wife is never shown, which makes Jean an original character for the comic series. However, it has been speculated that her design was inspired by Ms. Honda from the 1980 series.

Jean's past with Dr. Boynton is only hinted at throughout the comic series. She appears in two issues, #4 and #8. It is revealed through flashbacks that Jean and Dr. Boynton split up, with Boynton leaving the family house. Boynton allowed their son Astor to drive home in an automated car, which led to him being killed in a truck accident, which devastated Jean. Dr. Boynton attempted to rebuild Astor out of desperation, but before he started, Jean committed suicide.

In the comic's present, Dr. Boynton has sudden, vivid hallucinations of seeing Jean, at one point seeing her in place of Institute of Science employee Rebecca. The scientist I.Q. Plenty had a crush on Jean, and in issue #8, taunts Dr. Boynton with the idea that Jean left Boynton for Plenty. This prompts Boynton to attempt to strangle him.

Personality
Very little is known about Jean Boynton as a person. From what is shown in the comic, she was a realist, and tried to encourage Astor to think creatively. She was very devoted to being his mother, and seemed to be aware that Dr. Boynton was not a safe influence on Astor.