‘Jessica Jones’ E.P. Teases ‘A Very Different Kind’ Of Villain

Jessica Jones is on its break between seasons and, while most shows rarely give insights into the forthcoming season so far off from the actual premiere, Jessica Jones creator and executive producer Melissa Rosenberg recently spoke about Season 2. The freshman season of the Marvel series introduced a villain of such charisma and ferociousness in David Tennant’s Kilgrave that it seems impossible to outdo that first success. Rosenberg opens up on her new approach for Season 2 in creating a new threat to thrill Jessica Jones fans. Melissa also opens up about the bond between Jessica and Trish (Rachael Taylor), which has become another big draw for viewers of the highly watched Marvel series.

Jessica Jones Season 2 Will Be All About The Villain… Or Villains

While losing Kilgrave was a necessary plot point for Jessica Jones, it comes at a cost. Screen Crush shares fans’ feelings in expressing the great difficulty in following up the David Tennant villain, but the show’s executive producer is on top of the problem, mulling over some ideas to fill the void left by Kilgrave’s defeat. While Ms. Rosenberg openly admits there may be no topping Tennant’s performances in Season 1 of Jessica Jones, she reveals that a more compelling story arc might involve several villains.

“How do you top a villain like Kilgrave? What can you say of figuring out who will be the new antagonist? Or antagonists, plural,” suggests the Jessica Jones creator. “No one is ever going to beat David Tennant as Kilgrave, so you don’t do that. The biggest mistake would be to try to repeat that. You just go, ‘OK, we’re not doing that, so we have this open to us.'”

Rosenberg hasn’t said much else about her plans for villains in Season 2 of Jessica Jones, which leaves us wondering how these villains might be introduced. A villain of the week may be one possibility, but it seems more likely that Jones will find herself facing multiple villains simultaneously. If that is the case, there’s still the question of whether or not these new baddies will be working in tandem, or just happen to become a threat all at once.

Jessica Jones Is About Feminism And Sisterhood

Melissa Rosenberg told Entertainment Weekly that Jessica Jones is foremost a feminist show, but rather than tackling tough issues in obvious ways, the series takes a more subtle approach. By that, Melissa says she takes an issue like rape and shows how the characters deal with the aftermath of that, without using it as an opportunity to get preachy. Even so, the Jessica Jones showrunner says she was amazed and pleased to see that such story arcs were sending out positive messages and inadvertently making commentary on social issues.

“We’re just trying to find some resonance for her character and a new place to push her, to give Krysten something new to play and really push the boundaries of the character.”

One big aspect of Jessica Jones Rosenberg wants to spend more time exploring in Season 2 is the friendship between Jessica and Trish. Melissa says she’s enjoying the process of developing that friendship and anticipates their bond becoming more sisterly as Season 2 moves forward, especially because the showrunner is fascinated by the way Krysten Ritter and Rachael Taylor “ping” off one another.

There are some Jessica Jones fans eager to see that relationship evolve even further, hoping that romance will blossom between Jessica and Trish. While Rosenberg is happy that fans are having fun with the characters, she says she doesn’t see that as a development on the show.

“Honestly, I love that people are seeing that. I’m fine with that,” Melissa says of the Jessica Jones/Trish Walker shippers. “It’s not what interests me about their relationship. To me, it’s about their history, and their trust and connection.”

There is no premiere date for Season 2 of Jessica Jones, but the series is expected to return sometime in 2017 on ABC.

[Image by ABC/Netflix]