Dead Marvel Villain Returning in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 Would Be a Mistake

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Charlie Cox has thought about which deceased Marvel villain he’d like to see reappear in the upcoming season of Daredevil: Born Again, but he believes bringing that character back would be a bad idea. The new season is shaping up to be a reunion for the old Defenders team, with Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones all returning. Vincent D’Onofrio will also reprise his role as Kingpin, but now as a former mayor of New York.

Charlie Cox is hoping to bring a deceased Marvel Cinematic Universe villain back into the fold. In an interview with Empire, Cox discussed a storyline from the Daredevil comics where Daredevil’s secret identity was revealed and then restored. “The children of the Purple Man essentially help Daredevil by erasing the memories of New York,” he explained. While he doesn’t necessarily want to repeat that plot exactly, he’s a big fan of David Tennant, who played the Purple Man (Kilgrave), and would love to work with him again. Kilgrave was the primary antagonist in Jessica Jones and was ultimately killed by Jessica when she determined he was too dangerous.

Kilgrave Needs to Return, But There Needs to Be A Point

It’s understandable why people think characters might return from the dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Death isn’t permanent in the comics, and the current ‘Multiverse Saga’ makes it even easier to bring characters back. Many fans expect Avengers: Secret Wars to reset the universe, similar to the comics, which would allow Marvel to change the past and revive fallen heroes. David Tennant’s Kilgrave is a particularly popular choice for a return, as both the character and Tennant’s performance were incredibly well-received.

There are other potential ways to bring Kilgrave back to life. Daredevil often battles a ninja organization called the Hand, who are appearing in a more comic-accurate form in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Hand are known for using resurrection spells, and they’ve raised people from the dead before, turning them into brainwashed servants. Considering how evil they are, the Hand would likely see Kilgrave as someone they could control and bring back.

While these seem like the most likely possibilities, bringing Kilgrave back presents a problem. His story had a truly great ending, and reviving him could ruin that – or even erase it from history. Right now, it feels like he’d only be returning for the sake of excitement, as part of the planned Defenders team-up, and not because there’s a genuinely interesting new story to tell. We’ve already seen other Marvel Netflix villains overstay their welcome, even ones as good as Kingpin, and it would be a shame if Kilgrave ended up in the same situation.

Kilgrave Doesn’t Really Matter to Daredevil

This leads to a second question: what would motivate Kilgrave to appear in Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again? The characters don’t share any history or connection. It would feel forced, like introducing the Green Goblin as the villain in Black Panther 3 – completely unexpected and lacking emotional weight. If Marvel wants to revive Kilgrave, the logical place to do it is in a continuation of Jessica Jones.

Marvel’s plan to bring back the Defenders team could be risky. It might turn Daredevil into the main focus, overshadowing other heroes who deserve their own independent series. Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, is a particularly strong character with a fantastic show – even though later seasons weren’t quite as good as the first, the whole series holds up well. She deserves more than just a supporting role in someone else’s story.

It seems like that’s the direction Marvel is heading, and that’s good news. They have a lot of potential with characters beyond Daredevil, and a third season of Daredevil: Born Again could be a great way to introduce spin-off shows focusing on heroes like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and even Iron Fist. It would be a smarter move to hold off on bringing Kilgrave into Born Again and instead use him as a focus for a potential Jessica Jones revival. Hopefully, plans for that are already underway.

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2026-06-06 19:41