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The Purple Man (Zebediah Killgrave) is a
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by writer
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
and artist
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
, he first appeared in '' Daredevil'' #4 (October 1964). His body produces pheromones which allow him to verbally control the actions of others, and occasionally break the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
for sinister effect. His stories typically involve him
brainwashing Brainwashing is the controversial idea that the human mind can be altered or controlled against a person's will by manipulative psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject's ability to think critically or independently ...
other characters. Initially a recurring enemy of Daredevil, he later became the
archenemy In literature, an archenemy, (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) or nemesis is the main enemy of the protagonist — or sometimes, one of the other main characters — appearing as the most prominent and most-known enemy of the hero. Etymolog ...
of
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
. A modified version of the character named Kevin Thompson/Kilgrave was portrayed by
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
in the
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
'' set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), for which Tennant received critical praise, and for which the character was included in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''s list of the "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time" while
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
ranked him #79 of the "Top 100 Villains".


Publication history

Purple Man first appeared in '' Daredevil'' #4 (November 1964) and was created by writer
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
and artist
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
.


Fictional character biography

Zebediah Killgrave is born in
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
,
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. A physician turned international
spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...
, he is sent to infiltrate a chemical refinery and is accidentally doused with a chemical that turns his hair and skin purple. Despite being caught and questioned, he is released after offering a weak alibi. Several more incidents like this demonstrate that the nerve gas gave Killgrave the ability to command the wills of other people. Calling himself the Purple Man, Killgrave embarks on a criminal career, where he is largely a Daredevil villain, fighting him early in his career and being imprisoned in a cell designed to dampen his powers, until he escapes and moves to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, building a small criminal enterprise over two years, only for Daredevil to topple it when he and Black Widow move to the city. Early in his criminal career, he uses his mind-control powers to force a woman to become his wife. Before recovering and leaving him, she becomes pregnant with his daughter, Kara Killgrave. Kara inherits his discoloration and powers and becomes the
Alpha Flight Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolv ...
-affiliated superhero called the Purple Girl, and later
Persuasion Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviours. Persuasion is studied in many disciplines. Rhetoric studies modes of persuasi ...
in ''Alpha Flight'' issue #41. The character largely disappears from comic books during the 1980s although he does face Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Daredevil, Power Man, and Iron Fist in ''Marvel Team-Up'' Annual #4. He also appears in the
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
''Emperor Doom'' in which
Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...
uses him to power the "psycho-prism", a machine that allows Doom to control the minds of everyone on Earth. During the process, Purple Man finds out that he cannot control Doctor Doom's mind even at close range, as Doom's mental fortitude is too great. He reappears in the pages of ''X-Men'', as the mastermind behind
Nate Grey Nathaniel "Nate" Grey (X-Man) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Steve Skroce, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' #1 ...
's rise to celebrity status as a miracle worker in New York. He has been subtly manipulating both the population of Manhattan and Nate himself into accepting and embracing the young exile from the ''
Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
'' storyline as a modern messianic figure, who would then become so psychologically empowered by hero worship that he could change reality, using the full potential of his
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...
power. The plan fails when Nate learns the truth and loses his confidence, thus reducing his power. Killgrave goes once more into hiding. As detailed in the series '' Alias'', during
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
's time as the superhero Jewel, Killgrave uses his mind-control powers to subdue her, forcing her to live with him while psychologically torturing her for several months. He ultimately sends her off to kill Daredevil. The incident with Purple Man leaves her so traumatized that she leaves her life as a superhero behind and becomes a private investigator. Later, the Purple Man escapes again and tries controlling Jessica to kill the Avengers, but she manages to resist and knocks him out. Daredevil later has the Purple Man imprisoned in the Raft, a jail designed for super-powered criminals. He escapes briefly when Electro creates a riot at the Raft during the first issues of ''
New Avengers The New Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The title has been used for four American comic book series. The first two were written by Brian Michael Bendis and depicted a version of Ma ...
''. Purple Man attempts to use the opportunity to mind control
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
into killing the then soon-to-be-Avengers and threatens Jones, who is pregnant with Cage's child. Unknown to the Purple Man, drugs had been put into his food to negate his powers during his imprisonment, so he is unable to control Cage, who beats him to a pulp in response to his demands. Later, the Purple Man returns shortly before (and during) the ''
House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...
'' storyline and manipulates the Thunderbolts, while being manipulated himself by
Baron Zemo Baron Zemo () is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Heinrich Zemo and his son Helmut Zemo have both been depicted as a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, as well as the l ...
, who uses the moonstones he recently acquired to free Killgrave from prison, leaving an illusion in his place so that the authorities would not be aware of his escape. With his pheromones distributed through New York's water system and Zemo's moonstones used to project his voice wherever necessary, the Purple Man enslaves the entire city. Under Zemo's direction, he uses the city's superhumans as his personal army to attack the Thunderbolts, whom he worked to turn against each other. Eventually, he is defeated by the Thunderbolts member
Genis-Vell Genis-Vell is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Ron Marz and Ron Lim, the character first appeared in ''Silver Surfer'' vol. 3 Annual #6 (1993). Genis-Vell is the son of superhero Mar-Vell and t ...
, after which Zemo teleports the Purple Man back and tortures him for his failure before sending him back to prison once more. During the ''Scared Straight'' crossover between ''Thunderbolts'' and ''Avengers Academy'', Purple Man is revealed to be incarcerated in the Raft Maximum Security Penitentiary, as
Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
warns her Academy students not to look at his face or read his lips. During a subsequent
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
caused by Academy member Hazmat, Killgrave, at the head of a small gang of mind-controlled inmates, again crosses paths with Luke Cage, now supervisor of a Thunderbolts team composed of Raft prisoners. Cage makes short work of Killgrave and his "recruits", revealing that the
nanites Molecular machines are a class of molecules typically described as an assembly of a discrete number of molecular components intended to produce mechanical movements in response to specific stimuli, mimicking macromolecular devices such as switche ...
that maintain control over his Thunderbolts also shield him from Purple Man's influence. During the '' Fear Itself'' storyline, Purple Man and a majority of inmates are freed after the Raft is severely damaged by the transformation of the
Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...
into Kuurth: Breaker of Stone and the subsequent damage caused by Kuurth's escape.''Fear Itself: The Home Front'' #1. Marvel Comics Before escaping the Raft, Purple Man attempts to kill a comatose Puppet Master in the prison infirmary, and makes statements indicating that he was behind the Puppet Master's manipulation of
Misty Knight Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jenny Blake Isabella and Arvell Jones, the character was first mentioned in '' Marvel Premiere'' #20 (January 1975) and first appear ...
's
Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...
organization, using them to establish a criminal organization by proxy while incarcerated. He is prevented from killing the Puppet Master by Heroes for Hire operatives Elektra and the
Shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the Jewish '' ...
, who Killgrave attacks with a mob of mind-controlled inmates driven into a frenzy. When the heroes hold their own against the assault, Purple Man changes tactics and turns them against each other. He subsequently escapes the Raft via the Hudson River. Purple Man later begins to form a new criminal empire with the help of
Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
, Headhunter, Shocker, a new Death-Stalker, and a new Scourge. During Daredevil's time in San Francisco after the exposure of his secret identity, he encounters Purple Man's children, who inherited their father's powers. After Matt saves the children from their father, they use a machine their father created to enhance his powers to boost their own and erase the world's knowledge of Matt's identity as Daredevil. Eventually, after tracking down Jessica Jones and taking control of
Carol Danvers Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleagu ...
, Purple Man kills himself by force of will and Captain Marvel throws his body into the sun. They later discover that Danvers was being mind controlled and threw no one into the sun; his son Benjamin, who has similar powers, rescued and revived his body. While Killgrave is killed by Fisk in his crusades on banning superheroes in attempt to expand his criminal empires during ''
Devil's Reign "Devil's Reign" is an American comic book event written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, published from December 2021 to May 2022 by Marvel Comics. Premise In a ploy to increase his power, Mayor Kingpin (character), Wilson Fisk has ...
'', the Purple Children are on the run from Fisk to ensure he never forcefully use their mind powers, and eventually being saved by a passing by
May Parker Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
.


Powers and abilities

The Purple Man's body produces chemical pheromones which, when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, allow Killgrave to control others' actions as long as he is physically present. These abilities can overwhelm most, but sufficiently strong-willed people, such as
Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...
and Kingpin, have been able to resist its influence, and Daredevil has been able to resist Killgrave as the powers rely on full sensory manipulation, Daredevil's blindness hindering the amount of input he receives and making it easier for him to resist what he picks up.
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
defeated the Purple Man by wearing earplugs that prevented him from hearing the villain's commands; he, Daredevil, and other heroes gagged the Purple Man before giving him to the police to prevent him from commanding others.


Other versions

* An alternate timeline variant of Killgrave appears in ''
Marvel 1602 ''Marvel 1602'', or simply ''1602'', is an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2003 by Marvel Comics. The limited series was written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Andy Kubert, and digitally painted by Richard Isanove; Scott McKowe ...
'' #3. This version became president for life of the United States and accidentally sent Captain America back in time while trying to kill him. * An alternate universe variant of Zebediah "Zeb" Killgrave appears in ''
House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...
''. This version lacks powers and is a member of a human resistance movement who works undercover as a lobbyist for a mutant government.


In other media


Television

* Zebediah Killgrave appears in the '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' episode "No Mutant Is an Island", voiced by Colin Fox. This version is a
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...
telepath. * The Purple Man appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', voiced by
Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (19871994), four subsequent films (19942002), and '' Star Trek: Picard'' ( ...
. This version was previously imprisoned in the
Raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...
. * A character based on the Purple Man named Kevin Thompson / Kilgrave appears in ''
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
'', portrayed by
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
as an adult and James Freedson-Jackson as a child. This version gained his powers after being experimented on by his scientist parents, Louise and Albert Thompson. Before and during the first season, Kilgrave manipulates
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
into killing Reva Connors and becomes obsessed with the former. Jones spends months believing that Kilgrave was run over by a bus, but later learns he survived, having used his abilities to force another man to give him both of his kidneys. As part of his obsession with Jones, Kilgrave tries to prove his love to her by creating chaos for her to solve. Jones eventually overcomes Kilgrave's abilities and kills him before
Jeri Hogarth Jeryn "Jeri" Hogarth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a friend of Iron Fist (character), Iron Fist's father Wendell and an attorney for the Heroes for Hire, a team of heroes of which I ...
has her exonerated for the murder by convincing the jury that a guilt-ridden Kilgrave controlled her into doing it. Following this, Kilgrave returns as hallucinations in the
second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
and third seasons.


Video games

* The Purple Man appears in '' Marvel Avengers Alliance''. * The Purple Man appears in ''
Marvel Avengers Academy ''Marvel Avengers Academy'' was a freemium mobile game for iOS and Android, based on the characters featured in Marvel Comics. It was released on February 4, 2016. The game was shut down three years later. Despite the name, the game was not re ...
''.


References


External links


"Purple Man"
Marvel.com
Purple Man
at Marvel Wiki * *

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