Jessica Jones David Tennant IS... the Purple Man

[fixxxer]

So is David Tennant going to use a Scottish accent or an American accent for Purple Man? Or maybe Yugoslavian?

And what kind of hairstyle should he have? Should it be flopping down like Tennant's normal hair, or gelled up like Purple Man's?

I'd have no problem if he retained his native Scottish accent. Purple Man can be Scottish instead of being of Yugoslavian descent and it would make zero difference to me.

 

[The Overlord]

So is David Tennant going to use a Scottish accent or an American accent for Purple Man? Or maybe Yugoslavian?

And what kind of hairstyle should he have? Should it be flopping down like Tennant's normal hair, or gelled up like Purple Man's?

Well Yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore, so Purple Man would have a Croatian accent. I doubt Tennant could do a good Croatian accent (I don't how many English speaking actors could do a good Croatian accent), so really having Tennant do a Croatian accent would likely undermine the character's menace. I say just let Tennant use his natural voice, that would work bet rather having try to put an accent on. Heck in Hollywood movies, everyone in Europe seems to have a British accent, so I don't have any problems with Purple Man being Croatian, but having a British accent.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well Yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore, so Purple Man would have a Croatian accent. I doubt Tennant could do a good Croatian accent (I don't how many English speaking actors could do a good Croatian accent), so really having Tennant do a Croatian accent would likely undermine the character's menace. I say just let Tennant use his natural voice, that would work bet rather having try to put an accent on. Heck in Hollywood movies, everyone in Europe seems to have a British accent, so I don't have any problems with Purple Man being Croatian, but having a British accent.

The thing is that a Scottish accent is hardly menacing at all. Many companies like to employ Scottish people to answer their phones, because apparently it's the most friendly and pleasant sounding accent on the other end of the line, more so even than an Irish or upper class English accent.

Tennant with his Scottish accent could potentially sound more comical and not very serious or threatening. It's not like all British accents are the same or have the same kind of gravitas.

 

[Keyser Soze]

The thing is that a Scottish accent is hardly menacing at all. Many companies like to employ Scottish people to answer their phones, because apparently it's the most friendly and pleasant sounding accent on the other end of the line, more so even than an Irish or upper class English accent.

Tennant with his Scottish accent could potentially sound more comical and not very serious or threatening. It's not like all British accents are the same or have the same kind of gravitas.

As someone born and raised in Scotland, I can assure you there are plenty of ways a Scottish accent can sound threatening.

For anyone wanting to check out more quality stuff from David Tennant, I highly recommend seeking out a BBC TV series called The Escape Artist. A tense battle of wills between David Tennant and our new Dr. Doom Toby Kebbell, with Tennant cast as the slick lawyer tasked with defending the monstrous, clearly guilty killer Kebbell, and the impact it has on his life.

 

[The Question]

So, I just looked it up, and Killgrave isn't a Croatian name. It's originally from Cornwall. And a Cornish family name popping up in Scotland is well within the realm of plausibility, so Purple Man could very easily be Scottish.

 

[Dark Raven]

The more suitable explanation would be that Kilgrave is the name he took up as part of his cover, but he has a different Croatian name. That way they can keep his origin as in the comics.

 

[The Overlord]

The thing is that a Scottish accent is hardly menacing at all. Many companies like to employ Scottish people to answer their phones, because apparently it's the most friendly and pleasant sounding accent on the other end of the line, more so even than an Irish or upper class English accent.

Tennant with his Scottish accent could potentially sound more comical and not very serious or threatening. It's not like all British accents are the same or have the same kind of gravitas.

I'm pretty sure Scottish accents can be menacing, it all depends on it used. Plus can't Tennant do an English accent? That could work too. I think the problem with Tennant doing a Croatian accent, is that Purple Man would sound like Boris Badenov and that would make him lose any sort of menace he should have. Also I don't think there is any point in giving Purple Man an American accent.

The more suitable explanation would be that Kilgrave is the name he took up as part of his cover, but he has a different Croatian name. That way they can keep his origin as in the comics.

The comic book origin is a bit dated, its based on the Cold War, when Yugoslavia existed and was at odds with America. Yugoslavia no longer exists and I don't think modern day Croatia is really at odds with America. Killgrave could have simply gotten his powers while performing corporate espionage, its just an excuse for him to get his powers in the first place. Really Purple Man's ethnic origins have never really been important to the character, when adapted to animation, they usually gave him an American accent and they almost never seem to mention Purple Man's nationality in the comics.

 

[Dark Raven]

Tennant can just do the generic Eastern European accent which is used indistinguishably for Russians, Romanians, Serbians etc. That can easily sound menacing. Robert Carlyle's character was meant to be Serbian in The World is Not Enough, and he's Scottish in real life. Serbians are close enough to Croatians.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Perfect casting this.

 

[chamber-music]

The thing is that a Scottish accent is hardly menacing at all. Many companies like to employ Scottish people to answer their phones, because apparently it's the most friendly and pleasant sounding accent on the other end of the line, more so even than an Irish or upper class English accent.

Tennant with his Scottish accent could potentially sound more comical and not very serious or threatening. It's not like all British accents are the same or have the same kind of gravitas.

Plenty of Scottish accents can be menacing depending on the person. The Glaswegian accent is well known for sounding menacing on some people.

Actor David O'Hara (The Departed, Wanted, Cowboys & Aliens) plays a lot of villains and has a gravely intimidating Scottish accent.

 

[Dark Raven]

Plenty of Scottish accents can be menacing depending on the person. The Glaswegian accent is well known for sounding menacing on some people.

Actor David O'Hara (The Departed, Wanted, Cowboys & Aliens) plays a lot of villains and has a gravely intimidating Scottish accent.

Granted, that may very well be true that some Scottish people can sound menacing, but we're talking here about David Tennant. On him personally, his Scottish accent doesn't sound very intimidating and is definitely towards the friendlier end of the scale.

 

[The Question]

The more suitable explanation would be that Kilgrave is the name he took up as part of his cover, but he has a different Croatian name. That way they can keep his origin as in the comics.

Or they could just make him Scottish. Marvel comics is overflowing with Eastern European villains and anti-heroes. Let's throw the Scots a bone. Plus, Tennant always works best when he's not forced to do a non-British accent. He always sounds a little drunk when he tries to put on an American accent, and I'd hate to see how he'd handle a Croatian accent.


As for menacing, Purple Man isn't a character who sounds menacing, he's a character who is menacing. He talks like a normal person, but does terrible things. He doesn't need to put on airs.

 

[zebkillgrave]

Yeah, it might work better to have him seem charming instead of threatening. That could really heighten the creepiness factor.

 

[The Overlord]

Or they could just make him Scottish. Marvel comics is overflowing with Eastern European villains and anti-heroes. Let's throw the Scots a bone. Plus, Tennant always works best when he's not forced to do a non-British accent. He always sounds a little drunk when he tries to put on an American accent, and I'd hate to see how he'd handle a Croatian accent.


As for menacing, Purple Man isn't a character who sounds menacing, he's a character who is menacing. He talks like a normal person, but does terrible things. He doesn't need to put on airs.

That's true, not a whole lot of Scots in comics besides a select few (Mirror Master II, Proteus, Moira MacTaggert and Wolfsbane). All these Eastern European villains and anti heroes are the result of comics that were written during the height of the Cold War. I mean Purple Man isn't even a communist villain the way other villains like Red Ghost and Crimson Dynamo are, as soon as he got his powers, he became a petty criminal and eventually devolved into a serial killer rapist. Purple Man's background as a Soviet spy was just an excuse to have him get exposed to experiential chemicals and get mind control powers, it really doesn't inform his character at all. You can easily have Killgrave be exposed to these chemicals through a different manner and it wouldn't even the character that much. Purple Man being from Croatia is not important as say Black Widow being from Russia.

So I would agree with you, there is no real purpose in having Tennant doing a Croatian accent, because Purple Man's Croatian back ground, never really informed his character in any real way. Loyalty to source material can be a good thing, but sometimes its better to do something slightly different for an adaption, making Purple Man be from the UK is likely just easier then trying to still have him be a spy from the former Yugoslavia. They made Abomination into a Brit, so I have no problem with doing the same Purple Man.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

That's true, not a whole lot of Scots in comics besides a select few (Mirror Master II, Proteus, Moira MacTaggert and Wolfsbane). All these Eastern European villains and anti heroes are the result of comics that were written during the height of the Cold War. I mean Purple Man isn't even a communist villain the way other villains like Red Ghost and Crimson Dynamo are, as soon as he got his powers, he became a petty criminal and eventually devolved into a serial killer rapist. Purple Man's background as a Soviet spy was just an excuse to have him get exposed to experiential chemicals and get mind control powers, it really doesn't inform his character at all. You can easily have Killgrave be exposed to these chemicals through a different manner and it wouldn't even the character that much. Purple Man being from Croatia is not important as say Black Widow being from Russia.

So I would agree with you, there is no real purpose in having Tennant doing a Croatian accent, because Purple Man's Croatian back ground, never really informed his character in any real way. Loyalty to source material can be a good thing, but sometimes its better to do something slightly different for an adaption, making Purple Man be from the UK is likely just easier then trying to still have him be a spy from the former Yugoslavia. They made Abomination into a Brit, so I have no problem with doing the same Purple Man.

I have to agree. Purple Man's nationality is pretty irrelevant in 616, outdated origin story aside. And, yes, I too would prefer Tennant to play him as a Scot.

OTOH, there are not many Croatian characters in the MU and I know how I would feel if the only explicit Austrian 616 character, Ringmaster, would be changed to be from somewhere else in the MCU, so I can understand Croatian Marvel fans not being okay with Purple Man being Scot

 

[Loki882]

Has he had any overtly sadistic roles other than the Harry Potter one?

He played an obsessive, psychotic, murdering rapist in Secret Smile (a UK TV show).

 

[BatsDC]

Just made this.

 

[Mike Murdock]

I was thinking more of an ashen gray-purple, but that works surprisingly well. It makes him look flushed rather than sickly, though.

 

[Dark Raven]

Why can't we get the name of this thread changed? David Tennant has already been confirmed by Marvel in the role.

 

[The Question]

Just made this.

I think it's a little too subtle.

 

[kaijunexus]

I think it's a little too subtle.

I like this one personally...

I know it's kind of ostentatious, but his name is PURPLE MAN for god's sake. lol

 

[Six]

I think it's a little too subtle.

I did a quick photoshop of what I think he should look like

 

[Zarex]

How about he turns a bit purply when he uses his mind control powers? Sort of like how Storm's eyes cloud over in the X-Men films.

 

[Dark Raven]

How about he turns a bit purply when he uses his mind control powers? Sort of like how Storm's eyes cloud over in the X-Men films.

Nah. I don't want him to appear normal the rest of the time. Either he is fully purple or not purple at all, but not something half hearted.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

I liked his look in Emperor Doom.