The Purple Man (Zebediah Killgrave) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Joe Orlando, 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 for sinister effect. His stories typically involve him brainwashing other characters. Initially a recurring enemy of Daredevil, he later became the archenemy of Jessica Jones. A modified version of the character named Kevin Thompson/Kilgrave was portrayed by David Tennant in the Netflix television series Jessica Jones set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), for which Tennant received critical praise, and for which the character was included in Rolling Stones list of the "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time" while IGN 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 and artist Joe Orlando. Fictional character biography Zebediah Killgrave was born in Rijeka, Croatia. A physician turned international spy, he was sent to infiltrate a chemical refinery and was accidentally doused with a chemical that turned his hair and skin purple. Though he was caught and questioned, offering a weak alibi, he was released. Several more incidents like this demonstrated that the nerve gas had given Killgrave the ability to command the wills of other people. Calling himself the Purple Man, Killgrave embarked on a criminal career, where he was largely a Daredevil villain, fighting the Man Without Fear early in his career and being imprisoned in a special cell designed to dampen his powers, until he escaped and moved to San Francisco, building a small criminal enterprise over two years, only for Daredevil to topple it when he and Black Widow moved to the city. Early in his criminal career, he used his mind-control powers to force a woman to become his wife. Before she recovered and left him, she became pregnant with his daughter, Kara Killgrave. Kara inherited his discoloration and powers and became the Alpha Flight-affiliated superhero called the Purple Girl, and later Persuasion in Alpha Flight issue #41. The character largely disappeared from comic books during the 1980s although he did face Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Daredevil, Power Man, and Iron Fist in Marvel Team-Up Annual #4. He also appeared in the graphic novel Emperor Doom