Sigourney Weaver cast as the villain in ‘The Defenders’, maybe the Viper
The cast of The Defenders made an unannounced visit to Marvel TV’s Iron Fist panel today at the New York Comic-Con. Marvel TV introduced Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and Finn Jones before dropping some big news: Sigourney Weaver has been cast as the villain for the upcoming series.
Fans erupted and were excited when Cox, Ritter, and Colter came out onstage to join Jones. Weaver’s surprise appearance adds a big name fan favorite.
In addition to her iconic role as Ridley in the Alien franchise, Weaver in Avatar proved to be a high point in the science fiction blockbuster.
“Marvel is honored to have an actress of her caliber and status join what is already our biggest show ever! She is by definition a class act,” said Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer and Head of Marvel Television, via a press release issued this evening. “Sigourney Weaver, what more is there to say,”added Cindy Holland, Vice President of original content at Netflix. “She’s a formidable actress and we are thrilled to have her join our remarkable cast alongside Charlie, Krysten, Mike and Finn.”
CBN theorized some roles Weaver may be playing, beginning with the Beast of the Hand, a cyborg villain variation of Silvermane, the demon Mephisto, and the re-imagined version of Viper:
“It’s definitely possible that this character could be re-imagined as the leader of The Hand – even if it’s just in America – and it’s not remotely hard to picture Weaver making for a brilliant mastermind type. The character has ties to the villainous ninja clan in the comic books, and if The Defenders takes place before the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, perhaps even The Hand could factor into the series somehow! ”