The Purple man more commonly known as Zebediah Killgrave is a marvel comic villain. He was introduced as a Croatian spy who later turned into a supervillain. The purple hue to his skin is due to exposure to some unnamed chemicals. The accident also gave him the ability to control the minds of others and use them as he pleases.
Killgrave has now been adapted live-action series of Jessica Jones and appears as the main antagonist, with an ‘l’ dropped from the spelling. Purple man with his ability to control minds and a nonchalant attitude is one of the best Marvel villains. Though his motive is personal so causes less damage, the damage done by him is far greater than his predecessors. And here are the reasons why he is the most terrifying villain of Marvel.
The Purple Man can kill to prove his point
In the Jessica Jones series, the first few episodes are just to set the background of the character, before making an entry. The pilot episode seems to bring a happy ending for Hope Shlottman. When she reunites with her parents, we feel happy for the private investigator. But then she ends up shooting them with a gun in the elevator of the building in which Jessica Jones. The poor girl after being held captive by Kilgrave is made to kill her parents under his control. Just to prove that it was a mistake to escape from his captivity, he makes her do the worst. It shows how bad he really can get. Later, Hope kills herself.
He can make anyone his spy
With the ability to control minds and make people do whatever he pleases, Killgrave can make anyone his spy. He can control almost anyone he pleases to keep an eye on his adversary, watching their every move, without them even realizing. Jessica Jones is an interesting story with a number of plot twists and surprises. But one of the biggest game-changing moments of the series has to be when Jessica realizes The Purple Man has been keeping an eye on him. He does that by controlling the mind of anyone, even a little girl. It is impossible to pinpoint who he is using as a minion to watch over her.
He made his own mother kill herself
Most villains have someone or something they care for and are ready to destroy the world for that one thing or person. But for Killgrave there is no such thing. The man is evil and enjoys his superpowers so much that he does not even care who he might hurt it with. He plays with his mind-controlling powers like an amusement. The Purple Man has committed some heinous crimes like making Hope kill her parents but still, it is a lot less bad than making his own mother kill herself in front of him. He controls her mind and makes her stab herself with a pair of scissors while he stands there and enjoys the show. Undoubtedly, he is terrifying.
Killgrave thinks torture is a way to show love
You think controlling minds and making people kill others and themselves is bad enough, then think again. Killgrave is way worse. Not only does he simply enjoy people he hates or wants revenge against suffering. But also tortures the people he loves as he believes that it is a way to show love and affection. In the series, the time when Jessica and Killgrave were together is mostly not shown. But in one of the moments that is included, he is shown making Jessica cut her ear off because she would not listen to him. And what makes it worse is that he thinks of it as a romantic moment. He does not realize the difference between torture and romance.
He considers himself a hero
Not unlike most villains, Killgrave thinks that whatever he is doing is right. All the evil things mentioned in the list that he has done, he does not consider them wrong at all. He believes that he is not the bad guy at all, instead, he likes to think he is a hero. He even reveals that every bad thing that he has done, he did it out of love. And we cannot even begin to imagine the havoc he would cause if he ever gets angry. He is childish and cruel in the worst ways, he enjoys what he does and has no reason to be the way he is. He is just using his powers for his personal gains and to make Jessica’s life harder.
Related: Nastiest TV Villains That Got Under Our Skin, Ranked
