How Daredevil: Born Again Could Bring Back David Tennant’s Kilgrave

In a recent spotlight panel at FAN EXPO Boston, David Tennant said it’d be rather difficult for his character to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a comment that makes perfect sense given his beloved villain—Kilgrave, a.k.a. the Purple Man—had his neck snapped during the closing moments of Jessica Jones Season One. If we know one thing about the MCU, however, it’s that anything is possible, even if that means Kilgrave returning to the franchise during the events of Daredevil: Born Again.

While the character is best known for being the primary villain of Jessica Jones, he has a lengthy stint within the Daredevil mythos. In fact, the character first debuted in Daredevil #4 nearly 60 years ago. Better yet, the character has had recent run-ins with the Man Without Fear and Kingpin, the two leads of Born Again.

There has been increasing speculation that Daredevil (Charlie Cox) will appear in Echo in some form. Depending on which rumors you believe, there’s an idea circulating that the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante could be on the lookout for another members from Netflix’s DefendersVerse: Jessica Jones. Here’s where things could start to come together.

Should Matt Murdock be seeking out Jones for whatever reason, it’s likely an incredibly small plot point given it’s not even a Daredevil show. Like other Marvel properties, the story would likely carry over into the live-action Born Again series currently in development.

If the series adapt that comic run accurately, that means Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) will reveal Daredevil’s secret identity and effectively destroying Murdock’s life. The idea of a secret identity also happened to be central to the plot in Marvel’s recent Devil’s Reign event, where Kingpin tried his damnedest to uncover the hero’s true name once again, even teaming up with the Purple Man to do so.

For giggles, let’s say Matt’s seeking out Jessica Jones because he knows she’s already dealt with the villain before. After all, even if the Netflix shows are a multiversal tale and not in the “Prime MCU,” it still stands to reason the two characters have a history somewhere across the multiverse. Perhaps Matt’s seeking out Jessica to help him ward off the Purple Man and save his secret identity. Or maybe after he finds Jessica, the Purple Man comes out of hiding to wreck havoc once again on behalf of Wilson Fisk.

Either way, there’s room to bring back the Purple Man, that much is for certain.

Daredevil: Born Again is expected to drop Spring 2024. The first three seasons of Daredevil and The Defenders limited series can now be seen on Disney+.

What other characters do you hope to see join Marvel’s new Daredevil series? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!