Even Jessica Jones’ Kilgrave Doesn’t Know How His Powers Work
Spoilers for "Purple Craze," appearing in Deadpool: Black, White and Blood #2 ahead!
Kilgrave made life a living hell for Jessica Jones, but these days, not even he is sure how his powers work. In “Purple Craze,” appearing in Deadpool: Black, White and Blood #2, the Merc with a Mouth runs afoul of Kilgrave and falls under his sinister influence—but long-time readers may notice Kilgrave seems less powerful than before. The issue is on sale now in print and digital.
Zebediah Kilgrave, AKA the Purple Man, is one of Daredevil’s oldest foes, first appearing in 1964’s Daredevil #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando. Thanks to exposure to special chemicals that turned his skin and hair purple, Kilgrave gained the ability to control people’s minds, as long as they are in his presence. While Kilgrave has been a thorn in the side of Daredevil and others, it is his treatment of Jessica Jones that is the most horrifying. Kilgrave took control of Jones, who at the time was going by the alias of Jewel, and forced her to do his bidding, psychologically torturing her in the process. Jones was so traumatized by the incident that she gave up her superhero career and became a private investigator—a story that played out in the first season of Jessica Jones on Netflix, where Kilgrave was played by David Tennant. In “Purple Craze,” written by David and Maria Lapham, with art by Pete Woods and letters by Joe Sabino, Kilgrave’s powers are in flux—leading to a darkly hilarious encounter with Deadpool.
Kilgrave has escaped from the SHIELD facility where he was being held for the past six months. He has taken control of a bowling alley, turning it into a chamber of horrors; Kilgrave has also taken control of Deadpool. He wants Deadpool’s assistance in helping him avoid capture by Daredevil. However, Kilgrave may have bitten off more than he chew with Deadpool. The Merc with a Mouth does Kilgrave’s bidding, but still gets under his skin. Kilgrave tells Deadpool that if Daredevil kills him, then Deadpool is to kill his ladyfriend, Inez, and eat her piece by piece. Later, when Daredevil takes Kilgrave down, a nervous Deadpool asks if he is still alive, while looking at a picture of Inez.
As depicted here, Kilgrave seems far less powerful than previous appearances. Kilgrave traumatized Jessica Jones in both body and mind and forced his way into being President for Life in 1602. Yet here, he seems a shell of his former self, allowing Deadpool to unnerve him like he does. The Kilgrave of old would have simply told Deadpool to shut up and stop being annoying, yet here he does not, begging the question: what happened? Did his time in a SHIELD prison cause his powers to atrophy? Or did his multiple fights with his children, who have similar powers, cause Kilgrave’s mind control powers to falter?
Kilgrave is one of the scariest villains in the Marvel Universe, and traumatized Jessica Jones to the point of leaving a heroic career, but now the villain seems to have been depowered, and not even he knows why.