Origin

Jessan was working at her family's company, Hoan International Bank in Singapore, when the Reavers robbed the bank, traveling from their base in Australia with the help of Gateway. The Reavers kidnapped Jessan and killed several members of her family at the bank. Taken back to Australia and held as a prisoner at the Reavers' base, the Reaver named Pretty Boy tries to alter Jessan's mind so that she would join their criminal band as their financial expert. The X-Men interrupted the process as they arrived in Australia following the events of the Fall of the Mutants in Dallas.They freed Jessan, and defeated the Reavers. The supernatural being Roma teleported Jessan back to her family's bank.

Now rejected by her family and community, Jessan later discovers that the Reavers had been hired to attack Hoan International bank by Roche, a crimelord from Madripoor. Moving to the island of Madripoor, she battles with the criminal element in her quest to take down Roche and adopts the alias Tyger Tiger. Although the mind alteration process hadn't fully been completed, her sense of morals was changed from before. She also gained enhanced computer hacking skills and expertise in hand-to-hand combat as a side effect.

Creation

Jessan Hoan first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #229 in March 1988 and was created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri.

Major Story Arcs

Wolverine

Wolverine later joins Jessan's efforts against Roche when he travels to Madripoor under his 'Patch' alias. When Wolverine is thrown into a waterfall in a fight with Roche's thug Razorfist, Tyger nurses him back to health. With Wolverine's help, Jessan kills Roche and takes over as the new crimelord of Madripoor. The two make a deal that as long as she stays out of drugs and slavery, Wolverine would allow Tyger Tiger to operate, but he would take her down the moment she becomes like Roche.

Tyger quickly comes into conflict with rival criminals, and Wolverine returns to help her out when Karma's uncle General Coy tries to muscle in on her turf with a drug trafficking racket. During this time, Tyger briefly wears an armor suit made for Psylocke to protect her. When things come to a head, the ruler of Madripoor, Prince Baran steps in to call things to a halt and forces Tyger and Coy to settle for a divided share of crime in Madripoor, since she already avoids dealing in drugs and slaves.

Wolverine continues to step in to help Tyger steer clear of the drug trade, firstly when Dai-Kumo tries to tempt her into the trade of ZAP, and later when Cyber offers her a new hallucinogen that can help in assassination missions. The Cyber deal turns out to be a ruse by him to get Coy and Tyger to kill one another at the docks. Cyber kills all their men, but the two crimelords escape and call a truce.

Tyger's uneasy balance with Coy and Baran comes to an end when the two stage a massacre at the Princess Bar to frame Wolverine for murder. Archie Corrigan, Rose Wu and the bar owner Mr. O'Donnell are all killed in the incident. Tyger helps Wolvie escape jail, just in time to face Coy and Baran who are there to finish him off, having bribed Police Chief Tai to get into the prison. Wolvie takes down their gang and chases the two down. Cowardly, Coy shoots Baran in the head to appease Wolvie. Just then, Tyger shows up and shoots Coy, having just run down Tai with her car.

Iron Man

With Madripoor now a leaderless nation, Viper shows up to seize power, in part through a marriage to Wolverine, who owed her from a promise made to Seraph. Iron Man manages to overthrow Viper's rule by soliciting the help of Tyger Tiger, believing he can trust her to be independent from the many corrupting influences around the area. Tyger becomes the new Princess of Madripoor.

Daken and X-23

Tyger remains honest in her dealings, but realizes that the corrupt banks hold the real power behind the scenes of Madripoor.

Dressed in his new costume, Daken travels to Madripoor and approaches Tyger Tiger, proposing a partnership to help her expose the shady dealings of the banks. After a brief scuffle in which she shoots him twice, she agrees to work with him, although she is extremely distrustful. Daken tells her about the secret ledgers of the Madripoor bankers that finance the criminal gangs who run the city. The bankers gather once every year and the two plan a stake out to get a hold of the ledgers that could help bring down the gangs. Using briefcase bombs, they kill the bankers, but Daken betrays Tyger - he struck a deal with her right hand man, and Tyger and the chief of police are knocked out and Daken leaves with the briefcases and ledgers and all of the money. Using an EMP that he acquired from the Fantastic Four, Daken shuts off the electricity to the entire island, causing total chaos and wiping the financial records of the country. Tyger goes to meet him on a rooftop where he tells her that Madripoor belongs to him, now he has all of the money and her men. He offers her the job of her being his figurehead while he remains hidden in the shadows. He'll supply her with men to work for her while she works for him. Tyger reluctantly accepts and a brutal fight breaks out between the remaining crime lords to determine who will work for her.

Daken then finds Malcolm Colcord (The Director) and discusses the work he's been doing in recreating a healing factor. Colcord wants test subjects to be shipped to continue his studies, but instead, X-23 and Gambit arrive. Laura (X-23) is there to track down Daken, get to Colcord and then learn about the Weapon X program. She and Gambit use Tyger to trick Daken into listening to their heated conversation that piques his interest in Laura's origins, given their shared connection to Wolverine. After a fight between Daken and X-23, Tyger confronts Daken about his new responsibilities in charge of Madripoor but he throws it back on her and threatens her family and friends. Then Daken and Colcord kidnap Laura. Tyger arrives on the scene to find an unconscious Gambit and nurses him back to health while they discuss how they're going to rescue Laura. Gambit is not entirely comfortable with Tyger's involvement in this conflict because he fears for her safety, but she assures him that she can take care of herself.

Tyger learns from some of her sources where Laura is being held captive. Unbeknownst to them, Laura has already escaped her confinement with the help of Daken after he learns of Colcord's ulterior motives. Tyger and Gambit arrive just as the building explodes due to a bomb planted by Colcord as a fail-safe. Laura and Daken survive the explosion because of their healing factors. Sometime later, Gambit asks Tyger to leave Madripoor and accompany him and Laura to Paris. She declines his offer, stating that Madripoor still belongs to her and that she won't allow Daken to defeat her. She then passionately kisses Gambit and they part ways.

When Daken later dies, Tyger regains control of Madripoor. Gambit returns with the X-Men when Susan Hatchi forces them to shut down Madripoor's ports and airports, threatening to kill everyone in New York City. Tyger is furious with Gambit for complying with the demand, but she and the X-Men outwit Hatchi and Tyger remains as leader of her nation.