Two of the biggest, current franchises are about to collide – again. David Tennant aka the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who has been cast in Marvel’s upcoming Netflix series Jessica Jones.
This is not the first time a Whovian finds their place in the Marvel Universe. Christopher Eccleston, a.k.a. the Ninth Doctor, played the villain in Thor: The Dark World. Karen Gillan, a.k.a. companion Amy Pond, played Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Tennant follows Eccleston’s footsteps with a role as a Marvel villain. He will be taking on the mantle of Zebediah Killgrave, a.k.a. the Purple Man.
“An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past,” reads the official character description for the series, “Kilgrave’s reappearance will send shockwaves through the former super hero’s world.”
Killgrave, the Yugoslavian spy, was accidentally exposed to a chemical that turned his skin permanently purple and also gave him the ability to control others at will. He first appeared as a villain to Daredevil but his history with Jessica Jones is much darker and far more controversial. He kidnapped her while she was the superhero Jewel and forced her to do terrible things.
Her life as a superhero meets a tragic end, so the series will explore Jones while she rebuilds her life as a detective. This hopefully means any references to Killgrave and Jones’ past will be just that – references. Perhaps Killgrave will resurface and become a villain again but either way the writers will have to handle this with care, given the controversial realities of Killgrave in the comics.
It definitely won’t be the David Tennant characters you’re used to and hopefully that will be a good thing.
Melissa Rosenberg, Executive Producer and Showrunner have nothing but praise for Tennant in the official announcement: “He can deliver the most heart-wrenching moment to the driest of lines, and all points in between. He’ll make Killgrave a truly original villain.”
Jessica Jones will air sometimes this year with a 13-episode run on Netflix, following Daredevil It’s set to star Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter.
What do you think of this casting? Can you see David Tennant as a villain? Do you think Matt Smith will take on a role as the next Marvel villain?
