10 Years Ago Today, The MCU’s Most Iconic Villain Made His Debut (And He’s Still More Terrifying Than Thanos)

by

Ten years ago, in 2015, Marvel introduced a truly frightening villain in the first season of its Jessica Jones series on Netflix. While the main Marvel movies were focusing on large-scale, universe-spanning stories, the Netflix shows—like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher—told smaller, more grounded stories set in New York City. Though each hero faced tough opponents, Jessica Jones battled one of the most terrifying villains in the entire Marvel universe.

The Marvel series began with Daredevil in April 2015, followed by Jessica Jones in November of the same year. Jessica Jones season 1 introduced the main character (played by Krysten Ritter) after she’d broken free from a deeply damaging relationship. This experience led her to become a private investigator, using her incredible strength, jumping ability, and resilience to help people. However, she soon had to confront her former abuser, a truly terrifying villain in the Marvel universe.

David Tennant’s Terrifying Kilgrave Debuted in Jessica Jones Season 1

David Tennant is famous for playing the Tenth Doctor on the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who, but he also joined the Marvel universe in 2015 as the villain Kevin “Kilgrave” Thompson. Kilgrave gained the ability to control others’ minds due to childhood experiments. He emits a virus that forces complete obedience in anyone nearby. Though he could use this power for good, Kilgrave is driven by hatred and selfishness, so he instead uses it to satisfy his own desires and inflict pain on those who have offended him.

Kilgrave began controlling Jessica Jones after recognizing the power he’d gain with someone possessing her abilities. He subjected her to months of horrific abuse, forcing her to be his lover, and ultimately manipulated her into killing Reva Connors, the wife of Luke Cage. This traumatic act unexpectedly severed Kilgrave’s control over Jessica, making her immune to his influence. This freedom allowed her to finally confront and kill him in the season 1 finale of Jessica Jones, titled “AKA Smile.”

The Kilgrave character in Jessica Jones differed significantly from the original Purple Man, Zebediah Kilgrave, who first appeared in Daredevil #4 back in 1964. Both versions share the ability to control people through a special pheromone, but the show gave Kilgrave a much more tragic and relatable backstory. While the comic book Purple Man has battled heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man, his connection to Jessica Jones remains his most famous storyline. Despite being a villain with a damaged psyche, he’s a compelling character, and many fans are disappointed he’s no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Kilgrave Could Still Return in the MCU’s Future Despite His Defenders Saga Death

Although Kilgrave’s death in the first season of Jessica Jones was a relief, no other villain has been quite as memorable. David Tennant’s performance was outstanding – he made Kilgrave a compelling, charismatic, and complex character, even though he was irredeemable. Fans are eager to see Tennant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite his character’s death. With the Defenders Saga now officially part of the MCU timeline – allowing actors like Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio to reprise their roles – a return for Tennant is definitely possible.

Okay, so I was thrilled to hear Krysten Ritter is coming back as Jessica Jones for Daredevil: Born Again season 2! And it sounds like Marvel is hinting at even bigger things for her down the line. What’s really got me thinking is that whole Kilgrave situation. We know he’s still messing with Jessica’s head – she’s been seeing and hearing him since season 2 of her own show. That opens the door for David Tennant to potentially return, which would be amazing! Plus, Marvel’s been playing fast and loose with the old Defenders timeline, so they could even bring Kilgrave back to life. If that happened, it would totally shake things up for Jessica and be a huge deal for the MCU.

As a huge MCU fan, I’m hearing things are heading for a big shake-up after Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027 – basically a soft reboot, which opens the door for characters we thought were gone forever to reappear. We’ve already seen hints about Iron Man and Captain America possibly coming back, but honestly, I’d be thrilled to see Kilgrave return too. Marvel has a lot of options for bringing him back, and considering how important he is as a villain, especially with Jessica Jones’ story continuing, I’m really hoping they do it!

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/revisiting-jessica-jones-alias-marvel-comics-mcu/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-20 16:10