David Tennant is making a surprising return for ‘Jessica Jones’ season 2

Tennant appeared in the first season as Kilgrave, Jones’ mind-controlling archenemy, receiving widespread praise for his performance as the demented villain. The news comes as a surprise because — spoiler alert — the first season ends with Jones (Krysten Ritter) developing an immunity to Kilgrave’s powers and subsequently killing him via a neck-snap.

It is unclear what role Kilgrave will play in the series’ second season. Given his conspicuous lack of a pulse (or a functional spinal cord), we are putting our money on some sort of flashback sequences. With The Defenders inbound, the announcement’s timing should come as no surprise, even if Tennant’s involvement does. We would not be shocked if the Scottish actor’s role in season 2 is limited — even to a few minutes in a single episode.

LINDA KÄLLÉRUS/NETFLIX

EW also shared a photo of Tennant and Ritter together on-set, clad in their characters’ trademark purple suit and leather jacket, respectively. The second season of Jessica Jones will hit Netflix in early 2018.

The Defenders sees Jones teaming up with fellow Marvel heroes (and fellow Netflix series stars) Iron Fist (Finn Jones), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) to take on a villain known as Alexandra and played by Sigourney Weaver. These characters have not yet appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but references are made to the Avengers in the shows, so it is not out of the question, which would likely make for some very crowded casts.

To learn more about The Defenders, check out our roundup of all related news and rumors. If you do not mind minor spoilers, we have a review for the first four episodes as well. There are more Marvel-Netflix collabs on the way, too; Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) is set to star as Frank Castle in a new Punisher series that has not received an official release date, though it could be coming out in November.