We’re not far from the debut of Netflix’s superhero team up extravaganza, The Defenders.

Everything you need to know about The Defenders, the Marvel Netflix show that unites Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist

It’s set to unite Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, bringing each one together from their own shows to fight a new evil that threatens New York.

It looks set to be television’s answer to The Avengers – an eight-part epic on a whole new scale.

We know a lot about the different characters, of course – we’ve seen their respective shows.


But what about Sigourney Weaver’s new villain?

Who’s she going to play?

Here’s a look at some of the theories, ideas, and persistent rumours surrounding the role…



Someone entirely new

Let’s be honest: this is actually the most likely one.

Occam’s razor suggests that Sigourney Weaver really is playing who Marvel says she is – a new character by the name of Alexandra Reid.

But then… well, there’s still more than enough mystery associated with the character that there’s room for her to be someone significant.

If nothing else, speculating is way more fun…

Mephisto

One oddly persistent rumour, ever since Weaver’s casting was first announced, was that she’d be playing Mephisto – the Marvel equivalent of Satan.

As in, the literal Devil.

Seems a little too large in scale for the mostly street-level Defenders – the sort of character Marvel might want to save for a film.

Really, there’s no reason why Sigourney Weaver would be playing this character, even if she’d be very good at it; they’re just baseless rumours.

Alexander Bont

An obscure character from the comics could be the perfect basis for a new antagonist – a fun Easter egg for the established fans, but one that gives a lot of creative potential for reimagining.

Alexander Bont was a character who briefly appeared in the Daredevil comics as Wilson Fisk’s predecessor – the previous Kingpin of crime.

Maybe there’s going to be a loose adaptation of that idea, with Weaver’s Alexandra being a similar figure?

The Beast

The Hand worship a demon called the Beast; as demons often do, the Beast tends to possess different leaders of the group.

Perhaps Sigourney Weaver is playing this character’s latest vessel?

It’s possible that might see a combination of the different characters – Sigourney Weaver could be playing a crime boss who allies with the Hand in an attempt to regain lost power, and gets more than she was expecting in the bargain.

Is she even a villain at all, though?

Sigourney will star alongside Krysten Ritter, Finn Jones, Charlie Cox and Mike Colter in The Defenders (Picture: Sarah Shatz/Netflix)

Something worth considering, though, is that Weaver might not be as villainous a character as we’ve been lead to believe.

Sigourney herself said she considers her character more of an “adversary” than a villain, even calling her “admirable”, while one Deadline advance review described the character as “a villain who is only as bad as your perspective – which is an interesting notion in these times”.

It sounds like Sigourney Weaver’s character might be a little more complicated than an evil demon or a crime boss.



Alex Moreland is a freelance writer and student based in London. You can read more of his work here.

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