Marvel Cinematic Universe

Kilgrave

Kilgrave

Kevin Thompson, aka Kilgrave, was experimented on by his scientist parents to treat a degenerative brain condition, granting him mind control abilities. He became a psychopath, using his powers to take whatever he wanted, amassing money, power, and status. He encountered superpowered private investigator Jessica Jones, kidnapped her, and kept her as an enforcer and sex slave for months until he was hit by a bus. He survived by harvesting organs from an unwilling donor and later sought to reclaim Jessica, manipulating New Yorkers as attackers, messengers, or spies.

Physicals

  • Undergoes a ten-hour organ transplant surgery without anesthetic. (source) (S1E2)
  • Gets smacked around by Jessica Jones while imprisoned, though she holds back. (source) (S1E9)
  • Gets shot in the arm but remains standing and commands the shooter to be dispatched. (source) (S1E9)

Mind Control - General Mechanics

  • Emits microparticles through the air that infect others, making them susceptible to verbal commands. (source) (S1E10)
  • A single command lasts up to twelve hours before needing refresh. (source) (S1E4)
  • Control makes victims genuinely want to perform tasks. (source) (S1E1)
  • Victims remain aware but have their desires suppressed while Kilgrave’s are prioritized. (source) (S1E3)
  • Commands are followed literally, not by intent, requiring careful wording. (source) (S1E8)
  • ‘Put a bullet in your head’ is satisfied by placing a spent bullet in the mouth briefly. (source) (S1E10)
  • Commands Luke Cage to blow up his bar with him inside, unaware of his unbreakable skin. (source) (S1E12)
  • Luke Cage’s will is insufficient to resist Kilgrave’s control. (source) (S1E12)

Mind Control - Power Uses - Halfway Decent

  • Convinces Kilgrave to stop a gunman with hostages by freezing, disarming, and turning him over to police. (source) (S1E8)

Mind Control - Power Uses - Evil

  • Communicates to Jessica via an eight-year-old delivering a message. (source) (S1E4)
  • Silences an entire crowded restaurant by yelling ‘quiet’. (source) (S1E6)
  • Forces poker opponents to go all in then fold, winning a million dollars with a junk hand. (source) (S1E6)
  • Effortlessly extracts truth from people. (source) (S1E7)
  • Makes a room full of people forget the last few minutes. (source) (S1E7)
  • Turns an enemy into a getaway driver. (source) (S1E10)

Mind Control - Power Uses - Considerably Evil

  • Commands a girl not to move, causing her to remain still in bed for five hours until removed by Jessica. (source) (S1E1)
  • Forces a girl to jump continuously for hours. (source) (S1E2)
  • Invites himself into a stranger’s home indefinitely. (source) (S1E2)
  • Makes a man throw hot coffee in his own face. (source) (S1E5)
  • Holds an entire police station at gunpoint, forcing cops to aim guns at themselves or colleagues. (source) (S1E7)
  • Commands people to keep eyes open until Jessica returns hours later. (source) (S1E8)
  • Tells a handcuffed man to follow him, causing the man to break his thumb to escape cuffs. (source) (S1E9)
  • Commands Luke Cage to fight Jessica Jones, enabling Kilgrave’s escape. (source) (S1E12)

Mind Control - Power Uses - Really Evil

  • Sends a cop to break into Trish’s apartment and kill her; the cop leaves upon believing Trish dead after being drugged. (source) (S1E3)
  • After bus accident damages kidneys, forces an unrelated man to donate both organs for surgery. (source) (S1E2)
  • Instructs a cop to leap off a tall building after use; survives because Jessica convinces him he jumped. (source) (S1E3)
  • Forces a father to abandon his child and drive away. (source) (S1E4)
  • Makes a man give himself a concussion by headbutting a wooden post. (source) (S1E6)

Mind Control - Power Uses - Insanely Deranged Evil

  • Forces a girl to shoot both her parents. (source) (S1E1)
  • Commands a neighbor to cut his own throat in Jessica’s bed to frighten her. (source) (S1E7)
  • Instructs staff to kill themselves if Jessica becomes violent, refreshing the command daily. (source) (S1E8)
  • Commands a woman to blow herself up to kill police officers. (source) (S1E8)
  • Forces a group to stand on a table with nooses as a bargaining chip. (source) (S1E10)

Limits

  • Control diminishes over time and distance from Kilgrave. (source) (S1E1)
  • Medical-grade anesthesia dampens powers, releasing control, but timed commands persist. (source) (S1E2)
  • Powers do not function over the phone. (source) (S1E5)
  • In an airtight, soundproof room, powers cannot affect victims via microphones as virus cannot spread. (source) (S1E9)
  • After killing a stranger under command, Jessica breaks free and resists; emotional response emphasized as key, maintaining resistance even after upgrades. (source) (S1E3)

Upgrades

  • Injects experimental serums from stem cells, extending control to twenty-four hours and range to 100 meters. (source) (S1E12)
  • Commands a man to face a wall for the full twenty-four hours. (source) (S1E12)
  • Forces a courier to kill himself by falling mouth-first onto garden shears. (source) (S1E12)
  • Uses microphone to silence a club of 600 people. (source) (S1E12)
  • Commands entire hospital via intercom to find and kill Jessica. (source) (S1E13)
  • Jessica remains immune post-upgrade. (source) (S1E12)
  • After maximum injection, commands doctors to cut off and destroy his father’s arms. (source) (S1E13)
  • Takes cops as personal armed hit squad. (source) (S1E13)
  • Commands citizens to kill each other to delay Jessica. (source) (S1E13)
  • Jessica remains immune at peak power. (source) (S1E13)

Miscellaneous

  • Has never paid taxes. (source) (S1E8)
  • Employs paid, non-controlled guards in case of power loss. (source) (S1E5)
  • Cure from Jessica’s blood in spray form proves ineffective. (source) (S1E10)
  • Post-death, Jessica hallucinates Kilgrave, possibly due to PTSD or residual mental influence. (source) (S2E11)