If you thought that Will Simpson on Jessica Jones looked suspiciously like a lowkey everyday Steve Rogers cosplayer, you weren't wrong. Later episodes of the Netflix series reveal that Trish's cop friend shares more in common with the super soldier than a military past and aesthetic goals. Is Will Simpson on Jessica Jones the Marvel character Nuke? While this has not been confirmed by Marvel or Netflix, the similarities are awfully similar, as Twitter user TheRolling20s pointed out. Not to sound like Dr. Koslov (or Morpheus from The Matrix), but don't take the blue pill and read on if you haven't finished Season 1 — there are spoilers for Episodes 9-13 ahead.
In Marvel comics, Frank Simpson is a Daredevil, Captain America, and X-Men villain who was abducted by a controlled and weaponized Wolverine. He was put in the super soldier program called Weapon Plus. You may remember them from Project Rebirth, which created Captain America. Simpson was put in the then latest version, Project Homegrown, during the Vietnam and ended up with the American flag tattooed onto his face and a second heart that he regulates with three different colored pills that give and help him control both super strength and aggression. These sound an awfully lot like the red, white, and blue pills that Koslov gave Will on Jessica Jones. In the comics, he also becomes a little bit of a robot, which could explain why Will Simpson mechanically repeated phrases in the later episodes. So, these two characters have a lot in common and share a last name. Can we call this canon already?
In fact, at New York Comic Con, actor Will Traval hinted at playing this particular Marvel character in an interview with IGN, though nothing was confirmed at the time. "People may recognize him from the comics," Traval said. "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's psycho super soldiers. So... that's his origin point, but we're reinventing it it."
Okay, that's basically spelling it out without spelling it out. I'm officially on Team Nuke, as much as I would hate to see Will become a real villain. Part of this reinvention is the timeline, which has been adjusted for other characters in the MCU from page to screen — Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, included. He also seems to have a slightly different origin story, with a slight hero potential. Why the name change? If this character is indeed Nuke on Jessica Jones, my guess is that Simpson's name changed from Frank to Will because Daredevil Season 2 will feature Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher. Since these two shows exist in the same universe and crossover, it's best to avoid any confusion.
I definitely don't think that he is dead, that's for sure. That Doctor can work miracles. Part of me hopes that Simpson is able to redeem himself and use the pills for good. I actually enjoyed his relationship with Trish while it lasted. The only thing missing, honestly, is the Patriotism. Not once do we hear Will talking about his love for America and/or her values. Perhaps, if and when Jessica Jones is renewed for a Season 2, we'll learn more about Will Simpson and this his loyalty for the red, white, and blue.
Images: Myles Aronowitz/Netflix (2)
