David Tennant to star as super villain in Marvel TV series

David Tennant is set to star as a villainous Marvel character with superpowers in a new Netflix series.

The former Doctor Who star will play Zebediah Killgrave, otherwise known as the Purple Man, in the series A.K.A. Jessica Jones, which Marvel is creating for the streaming service.

His character has mind control powers through the pheromones he emits, which force lead character Jessica to work for him.

(Ian West/PA)

Jessica is played by Krysten Ritter who starred in Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23 and Breaking Bad, while Mike Colter will play her husband, Luke Cage, who is superhumanly strong.

The 13-episode show is closely linked to Marvel’s Netflix series Daredevil, based on the comics, which launches in April and A.K.A Jessica Jones will run after it finishes.

A synopsis of the show from Netflix reads: “After a tragic ending to her short-lived superhero 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.

Krysten stars as Jessica Jones (Ian West/PA)

“An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past, Killgrave’s reappearance will send shockwaves through the former superhero’s world.”

Executive producer and Marvel’s head of television Jeph Loeb said: “Anyone familiar with David’s work knows he brings an incredible level of dedication to any role he inhabits, a level we knew we would need from the man playing Killgrave.

“While most know him for his roles as a hero, we can’t wait to unleash a whole new side of this talented actor.”

(Anthony Devlin/PA)

David can currently be seen in ITV murder mystery Broadchurch, and his Marvel character is first mentioned in the Daredevil comics.

Daredevil and A.K.A Jessica Jones are two of four new Marvel series, including Iron Fist and Luke Cage, which will see Mike’s character take centre stage.