According to Deadline, David Tennant has signed on to play the baddie in Marvel’s upcoming Netflix series, A.K.A. Jessica Jones. Best known for his heroic turn as the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who, Tennant will slip into the villainous shoes and purple skin of Zebediah Kilgrave (spelled “Killgrave” in the comics and “Kilgrave” in Marvel’s press release), a.k.a. Purple Man, a lavender-colored supervillain with mind control powers. It remains to be seen whether Kilgrave will be purple in this incarnation (the press release doesn’t actually refer to him as Purple Man), as well as if Tennant will use his real-life Scottish accent, his excellent English accent, his not-that-great American accent, or something else entirely to play the Russian-born international spy-turned-criminal.
Tennant will star opposite Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, a former low-level superhero who gives up crusading and launches a new career as a private detective. In the comics, Kilgrave kidnapped Jones and held her captive for months, forcing her to follow his will, and eventually sending her off on a mission to assassinate Daredevil that left her in a coma for several more months. The traumatic experience inspired Jones’ career shift in the first place, so Kilgrave’s return will likely allow Ritter to try out the kind of dramatic acting she’s not usually associated with.
Jessica Jones will be the second of four Marvel series to debut on Netflix, following Daredevil and preceding Iron Fist and Luke Cage. The four 13-episode series will culminate in a “miniseries event” called The Defenders. Considering Kilgrave is also an enemy of Daredevil and Luke Cage, Tennant could potentially be a big bad for the final miniseries as well. Both Daredevil and A.K.A. Jessica Jones are set to premiere in 2015.