Marvel’s ‘AKA Jessica Jones’: First Look at David Tennant’s Purple Man

Now that Marvel’s Netflix Daredevil has come and gone, kicking off the first of our Defenders toward an inevitable teamup, focus shifts to the second installment in AKA Jessica Jones. We’ve seen Krysten Ritter milling about on set as the titular super-heroine, but take a look at Doctor Who favorite David Tennant in the villainous role of Marvel’s “Purple Man”!

Courtesy of Instagram, our first look at Tennant filming New York scenes for AKA Jessica Jones confirms what many had expected about the live-action incarnation of Zebediah Kilgrave, namely that the “Purple Man” moniker wouldn’t prove as literal as in comics. Granted, Tennant still dresses to the nines in the character’s titular color, and the mind-controlling abilities might well be represented with some kind of purple skin effect.

So reads Marvel’s AKA Jessica Jones official synopsis:

After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.

In addition to Krysten Ritter in the title role, Marvel’s AKA Jessica Jones also features among its cast Mike Colter as Luke Cage (subsequently to headline his own series), Carrie-Anne Moss as “Harper” and Transformers star Rachael Taylor as Patsy “Hellcat” Walker. Featured in recurring roles are Eka Darville as Jessica’s neighbor, Erin Moriarty as a client, and Wil Traval as a police officer.

You can check out the purple-suited David Tennant below, but will we still see a true “Purple Man” when Marvel’s AKA Jessica Jones premieres on Netflix later this year?