Marvel's Jessica Jones has a well-earned success and stands out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the best superhero TV series. Based on the story of Jessica Jones, a private investigator with superpowers, the series bursts with drama, action, suspense and unpredictability.
Each episode brings something new, something unexpected and it keeps you breathless. At episode nine you might find out something you've never thought about. Almost every surprising and terrifying action happens because of Kilgrave.
The other characters have their rightful contribution, as without them there would be no story, but what animates the dread? It's Kilgrave, probably the most complex villain that Marvel has ever put on TV.
It's no secret that MCU lacks compelling supervillains, except Tom Hiddleston's Loki, who, at some point becomes predictable. Otherwise, most of MCU's villains usually rely on physical force to bring destruction, or other abilities that include weapons and force. Not in the case of Kilgrave, who has a single ability, that of controlling people.
But what makes Kilgrave the best villain that Marvel has put on TV until now? Find out on the following 4 pages!!!
Kilgrave embodies the human evilness
He is neither a monster, nor an alien, nor a sentient robot. Kilgrave is a human, he is vulnerable to anything a human is, except he can prevent being affected by controlling others. His main purpose is to get to Jessica, but a lot of his cruel actions have nothing to do with his purpose. He told a stranger to throw hot coffee on his face for almost no reason,and he made a man stand in front of a fence forever, making a habit out of torturing incidental characters just because they stood in his way.
However, he never looks and feels like anything else than a human, a horrible human being: selfish, manipulating, remorseless, sadistic, and obsessed. He is obsessed with Jessica Jones, claiming that he loves her. And when Jessica rejects him, he wants to get revenge. He orders a young girl to kill her parents, so he can reach Jessica.
A lot of incidental characters end up killing themselves by his order. He usually demands people to kill themselves because this is Jessica's vulnerability. He is a psychopath with the power to make people do what he says.
Kilgrave is more like an evil tyrant, rather than a supervillain from comic books (make no mistake, the original source is honored!).
What more could add up to this villainous human with superpowers? Go see on the next page!
So unpredictable
Kilgrave looms over the show very subtle. He doesn't even show up in the first episodes, but he makes a girl kill her parents as a message for Jessica. He is a threat even when he is not around.
For a while, you'd think that he wants to kill Jessica, but it takes some time to realize that he actually wants to torture her. Even when he claims to love Jessica, he cannot stop from tormenting her.
Malcom, Jessica's neighbor has never shown any sign that he would be Kilgraved, and when we learn that he is under Kilgrave's control we are shocked. We cannot anticipate if a character is Kilgraved or not. At some point you become suspicious of everybody being Kilgraved, except for those who really are.
His origin story is unique and creepy, just like he is. What transformed him into this monster?
His origin story taps into his humanity and leads to abomination
Kilgrave's introduction to the show is anything else but ordinary. Even before learning that he is alive and somewhere around, his ghost is chasing Jessica. The memories of the times when she was under his control disturb Jessica, creating an image of a perilous character even before meeting him.
Throughout the show Jessica's origins are partially revealed, and only at episode nine we learn that Kilgrave is not the result of a lab accident, or of a failed mutation. Actually, when he was a kid, he had a deadly disease and his parents tried to save him through an experiment. The attempt to cure little Kilgrave transformed him into this evil human being with a paranormal ability, who has remains of a human soul, and uses this as a weapon too.
With his new powers, Kilgrave grows into an evil child, making his parents hurt themselves. They will not face the weirdo they have created and abandon him. Again, the show has the tendency of presenting Kilgrave as a victim.
In episode nine Kilgrave is captured in a soundproof cell where he meets his parents. We tend to repeatedly look at Kilgrave as a victim to the point where we pity him. He switches from being a murderous villain to appearing as a misunderstood victim, relying on his ability to manipulate even when he cannot give orders.
How is Kilgrave different from other villains? Go on the next page!!!
Kilgrave's endgame is clear and personal
Marvel villains are usually driven to revenge and destruction by complex reasons, and they create complicated plans to achieve their goals. Kilgrave has one sole purpose: to make Jessica love him, and as he knows he won't, he wishes to be able to control her again.
From the beginning to the end, he leaves behind unimaginable acts of terror, acts that he plans as the story unfolds. The show seems like it has no script, it just happens, and everything interconnects through Kilgrave.
The biggest motifs in the show are Jessica Jones and Kilgrave, but I couldn't say which one weights more. However, Kilgrave is the one that brings the unpredictability, strikes terror into everyone and makes more than a dozen people commit horrific crimes.
