Netflix
Simpson Was Primed to Be ‘Jessica Jones’ Season 2’s Big Bad, but the Writers Had Other Ideas
In the first season of Netflix's Jessica Jones, Will Simpson went from hitman to love interest, and fans thought he'd go from love interest to super-villain in Season 2. But the writers of the Marvel drama veered from the comic book plot and ended Simpson's storyline with a major twist. So what happened to Simpson? Read on, fans, but consider this your final spoiler warning!
We first meet Simpson when he tries to kill Jessica's friend Trish Walker. Turns out, the mind-controlling baddie Kilgrave didn't care for what Trish was saying about him on the radio, so he ordered Simpson to eliminate her. Jessica saves the day, of course… And then she saves the day again when Kilgrave orders Simpson to kill himself.
One romance with Trish and one failed plot against Kilgrave later, Simpson encounters a figure from his past, one Dr. Kozlov, the guy who first gave Simpson performance-enhancing drugs under the supervision of evil organization IGH. Simpson starts taking the pills again, and he becomes maniacally hellbent on taking Kilgrave down, no matter the cost.
In Season 2, Simpson resurfaces to protect Trish — his mark-turned-lover — from a serial killer taking out IGH's enemies. Unfortunately, the killer wasn't targeting Trish or even Jessica; she was targeting Simpson. She snaps his neck, killing him instantly. (We told you his story ended with a "twist!")
It was a shocking and abrupt end to Simpson's storyline, especially because his analog in the comic books, Frank Simpson, has a much meatier storyline. In the books, Frank Simpson undergoes the same Weapon Plus program that created Captain America, but he becomes a super-villain named Nuke. This nasty fella has bulletproof skin, boasts two hearts, and regulates his strength and adrenaline with color-coded pills. Oh, and he rocks an American flag tattoo that covers his face.
Despite their different first names, Will is definitely based on Frank. Actor Wil Traval even confirmed as much at the 2015 New York Comic Con, telling IGN, "People may recognize him from the comics. His last name is Simpson. That might give you an indication. He comes from that period in the '70s that's post-Vietnam War, and there [are] psycho super soldiers. So…that's his origin point, but we're reinventing it."
Unfortunately, Marvel's "reinvention" meant curtains for this character. But is anyone really dead in the Marvelverse?
