Will David Tennant reprise his role as Kilgrave in the MCU? Possibilities explored

In the MCU, David Tennant’s Kilgrave is dead. Neck snapped. Blood pooling beneath him. Jessica Jones walking away, haunted but free. That was 2015. For a while, it felt like that was it. Kilgrave’s reign of terror was over. His hold on Jessica finally broken. But in the years since, David Tennant’s performance has only grown more haunting, more unnervingly charismatic in the collective memory of the Marvel fandom.

Now, as Marvel Studios brings its once-forgotten Netflix characters into the Disney+ fold, the question of Kilgrave’s return feels almost inevitable. Daredevil is back. Kingpin is back. Jessica Jones will be back. But Kilgrave? He’s dead, and not in the comic book sense, where death is just another door to kick open.

But this is David Tennant we’re talking about. The man who took a B-list villain from the comics and turned him into one of the most psychologically disturbing antagonists the Marvel universe has ever seen. The same man who slipped back into the TARDIS as the Fourteenth Doctor, defying the laws of time and narrative to reclaim a role everyone thought was done. If he can come back as the Doctor more than a decade after his last run, after an entire regeneration cycle, then why not Kilgrave?

In this article, we’re not just speculating. We’re examining every angle. From Tennant’s own cryptic comments to the potential narrative threads Marvel could pull to resurrect the most terrifying mind controller Hell’s Kitchen has ever known.

The impact of Kilgrave in Jessica Jones

Kilgrave wasn’t supposed to be this memorable. In the comics, Zebediah Killgrave was a minor Daredevil villain. A B-list criminal with purple skin and mind-control powers, who spent decades as a footnote in Marvel history.

However, in Jessica Jones, David Tennant’s version of Kilgrave became something else entirely. He was charming, sophisticated, terrifying. A predator who didn’t need to lift a finger to destroy lives. Just open his mouth.

Across the first season, David Tennant took Kilgrave from a simple sadist to one of the most complex and psychologically devastating villains the Marvel universe had ever seen. He was more than a mind controller. He was a narcissist, a man-child, someone who genuinely believed he was the victim even as he violated Jessica’s body and mind. And Tennant played him with such unnerving sincerity that he blurred the line between villain and victim.

Critics noticed. All reflected by Kilgrave's frightening presence, the show was praised for its harsh portrayal of suffering, consent, and the psychological effects of abuse. Tennant won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor among his many nominations. Rolling Stone placed Kilgrave among the "40 greatest TV villains of all time," among icons like the Joker and Hannibal Lecter.

Tennant's performance was hardly the only thing that stood out. Kilgrave’s death in the first season's finale was one of the most shocking moments in Marvel’s television history.

Jessica, after spending the entire season terrified of his control, finally breaks free. In a single, visceral moment, she snaps his neck. And just like that, Kilgrave is gone. It was a definitive ending. Brutal. Final. But if there’s one thing the MCU has proven, it’s that final doesn’t always mean forever.

From Netflix to Disney+: how Jessica Jones became canon

For years, the Marvel Netflix shows existed in a gray area. They mentioned the Avengers, the Battle of New York, the MCU, but the link was at best weak. More grounded than anything the MCU was doing at the time, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and the rest of the Defenders were gritty and violent. They felt like they belonged to a different universe. And then, in 2022, Disney+ changed everything.

When Marvel Studios absorbed Marvel Television and brought the Defenders Saga to its streaming platform, it was more than just a content acquisition. It was a statement. Suddenly, the Netflix shows were officially part of the MCU timeline. Characters who once felt like outliers were now potential players in the broader cinematic landscape.

Daredevil was the first to take the jump. Charlie Cox came back as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Months later, more terrifying than ever, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin resurfaced in Hawkeye. By the time Marvel announced the full return of Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again, it was clear: the Netflix era was being canonized.

However, where does that leave Kilgrave?

Jessica Jones is confirmed to return, with Krysten Ritter officially announced as part of the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 cast. Her presence alone raises questions about how much of her Netflix backstory will carry over. Will the traumatic events of the first season still haunt her? Will the shadow of Kilgrave still loom?

Rumors and speculation: what has David Tennant said?

David Tennant isn’t exactly shy about revisiting old roles. After all, he just came back as the Fourteenth Doctor ind Doctor Who, a move that shattered expectations and reignited interest in the character. But when it comes to Kilgrave, Tennant has been more reserved.

In a 2024 interview to Radio Times, Tennant was asked directly if he’d consider reprising Kilgrave in the MCU. His response was cryptic but telling:

"I’d love to play Kilgrave again. But, you know, he’s very dead. I don’t know how they’d bring him back, but then again, this is Marvel. Anything can happen.”

Marvel Studios, for its part, has remained tight-lipped. Kevin Feige has consistently played coy when asked about specific Netflix characters returning.

How could Kilgrave return to the MCU? Exploring potential scenarios

The multiverse opens up one possibility. A variant Kilgrave who never met Jessica, one without the emotional baggage of their twisted history. Also, flashbacks and hallucinations could bring him back as a haunting presence, reminding Jessica that trauma doesn’t vanish just because the abuser is gone.

Then there’s the possibility of Kilgrave’s legacy. In the comics, Kilgrave fathered children who inherited variations of his mind-control powers. Imagine Jessica uncovering a group of people displaying Kilgrave’s abilities, only to discover they’re his offspring. It’s a chilling concept. Kilgrave’s influence surviving through blood, his children carrying on his twisted legacy.

Lastly, there’s the Kingpin connection. In the comics, Kilgrave and Wilson Fisk have a complicated relationship. With the Kingpin now a central player in the MCU, he could easily orchestrate Kilgrave’s return, perhaps using experimental tech or dark magic to resurrect the mind-controller.

Fan theories: what the fans want to see

Fans have proposed everything from a multiverse variant to a haunting presence in Jessica’s mind. Some suggest that Kilgrave could return as a psychological ghost, a voice in Jessica’s head. Others imagine a new generation of mind controllers, descendants of Kilgrave, emerging to terrorize Hell’s Kitchen.

Another theory involves Kingpin using someone with Kilgrave’s abilities to manipulate Jessica or Matt Murdock. With the rise of street-level crime stories in the MCU, the stage is set for a new wave of psychological warfare.

Will Kilgrave ever return?

In sum? David Tennant’s Kilgrave was a game changer for Marvel Television. He wasn’t a world-ending villain. He was something far worse. A man who could strip you of your will and make you believe it was your idea all along.

Now that Marvel Studios has brought the Defenders Saga into Disney+ and confirmed Krysten Ritter’s return to the MCU, the timing feels right. If Marvel wants to dive into Jessica’s darkest chapter, the man who made her a victim is the perfect ghost to haunt her.

And if Tennant can come back as the Doctor over a decade later, who’s to say he can’t do the same as Kilgrave?