The latest details on the identity of Alexandra, The Defenders villain played by Sigourney Weaver, came from the most unlikely of sources: the costume designer. Stephanie Maslansky spoke with our sister site, International Business Times, and teased, “[There is] a lot of depth to her wardrobe. A lot of life or lives to her wardrobe, I wanna say,”
“I think that she’s clearly a baddie, and she’s the head of an ancient organization which is grounded in the comics,” Maslansky continued. “I hope that her wardrobe reflects that kind of ancientness.”
While Maslansky said she hopes she didn’t say too much, there is a running theory I wrote about a few weeks back that seems to fit Alexandra’s description even more now. This is just a theory, but you never know, potential spoilers ahead!
There’s a possibility Weaver is playing an evil demon known as The Beast. The Hand, and an inner circle of the organization known as Snakeroot in the “Shadowland” comics, has worshipped the Beast since founding. This demon, who lives in the extradimensional realm of hell (a hole in the ground at Midland Circle?) could be where The Hand gets their mystical powers, including resurrection.
Mike Colter, who plays Luke Cage, also gave a huge hint this theory could be true last week..
“The villains that we are dealing with are a combination of several entities and they all have something to do with our separate stories that have been played out in each of our own individual series,” Colter told TV Guide. “So this has been going on for a while. It wasn’t obvious in each individual series, but in this series you will find out that the things that happened to all of us basically was all because of one entity, and that’s what's going to kind of tie things together and then we’ll see that and understand that and before you know it eventually we will fight together or not.”
In the comics, The Beast is tied to pretty much every character in The Defenders. This could be why Colter says the villain ties everything together. The word choice of “entity” is also peculiar, and suggests this villain is not entirely human.
The Elektra comics (via The Other Murdock Papers) describe The Beast as follows: “The Beast is power. The Beast is magic. The Beast will make you clean, Elektra. The Beast is not born of man or woman, yet with each passing year he grows more human in appearance. In time he will take his place in the world above and bring it to ashes. We are his Hand, clawing at the foundation of man’s great lie, clearing the path.”
The Beast being in The Defenders would explain why The Hand is willing to make so many human sacrifices and go to such irrational measures; namely, because they are worshipping a higher power. Maslanksy also alludes to during the interview, when she says, “there are a lot of life or lives to her wardrobe.”
The Beast also explains why Gao isn’t at odds with -- but also isn’t aligned with -- the larger Hand group. She could be Snakeroot, the more mystical inner circle of The Hand with more knowledge of its ancient origins. It’s unclear where Black Sky fits into all this, but Elektra’s resurrected self could end up being The Hand’s messenger to The Beast, or the demon’s most deadly weapon.
What do you think of this theory? Let us know in the comments below and check out more Defenders coverage.
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