Since its inception, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced dozens of compelling or terrifying villains. However, it’s safe to say that not every villain was as successful as their comic book counterpart. Fans weren’t thrilled with the MCU’s Dormammu but fell head over heels for Killmonger, Zemo, and Obadiah Stane. Realistically, the CGI villains just don’t hit as well, which explains why Marvel has recently been refocusing away from animated villains. Interestingly, the most terrifying Marvel villain seen on screen hasn’t even appeared in a single MCU movie. Instead, their story unfolded through one of the Netflix series, and it left quite a mark.
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Kevin Thompson, better known as Kilgrave or the Purple Man, was a terrifying force that tore through Jessica Jones Season 1. Portrayed by David Tennant, this villain radiated malice, much in the same way purple seeped through scenes teasing his arrival. This villain has posed a significant threat, both in Jessica’s Netflix series and in Marvel Comics. Like a roach, he seemingly keeps finding ways to crawl out of the darkness to torment those around him.
The Terrifying Power of The Purple Man
Kilgrave is the primary antagonist of Jessica Jones Season 1, and boy, does David Tennant hit the mark. When done wrong, Kilgrave easily has the potential to be a cheesy villain. When done right, even the mention of his name can send shivers down our spines — Tennant went for the latter. Kilgrave is a monster wearing a human suit, and Tennant knew when to let that shine through to the surface and when to hold it close.
The Purple Man is a terrifying character who famously takes his ability and turns it into a weapon. Kilgrave can control those around him, giving orders on a whim. Could he have become a hero with this ability? My Hero Academia‘s Hitoshi Shinso certainly has us wanting to think so. Kilgrave didn’t go that route and instead enjoyed using people as puppets and worse. He took what he wanted and left nothing but destruction in his wake.
The only person to ever get free of Kilgrave’s ability is Jessica Jones, triggering an obsession within the villain. He became determined, both in the comics and in the show, to get more powerful and take her back. It was more to prove a point than anything because he’s a true villain. While his quest puts many of Jessica’s friends and allies in harm’s way, Kilgrave’s threat is put to an end with the season one finale.
Kilgrave’s Potential Roles in Jessica Jones and the MCU
Fans have long been pointing out that Marvel has a villain problem, and it’s not the one you might think: the MCU is too quick to kill its villains. Ronan the Accuser, Ultron, Killmonger, Iron Monger — the list goes on. Each of these villains died in the story that brought them into the MCU. The same could be said for Kilgrave, though he at least appeared as a hallucination in later seasons. That’s the sort of mark this villain left.
Here’s the thing: even in death, Kilgrave has the potential to impact the future of the MCU. We’re not just talking about Jessica Jones and her trauma, though that certainly is a factor. First, there’s the obvious option of letting him come back for round two. The Purple Man has seemingly died and survived in Marvel Comics, so why not the live-action version? While we’re not advocating for the revolving door of death to begin for the MCU, there are some villains we’d like to see return.
However, Kilgrave can remain cold in his grave and find ways to terrorize the MCU. In the comics, Kilgrave has several children, many of whom inherited his powers. Some are simply trying to survive what their father and siblings kicked into motion, while others inherited their father’s more malicious nature. There are at least five named children of Kilgrave: Kara (dubbed Persuasion), Joe, Connor, Jamie, and Shallah. In the comics, Kilgrave was alive to assemble his little group of Purple minions, but there’s no rule saying things could be different in the MCU.
Jessica Jones already opened the door to this possibility, with Kilgrave’s power boost coming from a fetus sharing his DNA. It stands to reason that there might be more children out there, with some of them old enough to cause problems for Marvel heroes. Notably, Kara could be the right age to cause plenty of problems for the next generation of heroes, the Young Avengers. Is this likely to happen? Probably not, but it seems appropriate that Kilgrave would find new ways to traumatize the audience.
Jessica Jones is available to stream on Disney+.
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Image courtesy of Warner
