Sigourney Weaver may play a villain in The Defenders, but despite her character's dark tendencies, she's apparently quite cultured, too. Details about Weaver's turn as the nefarious Alexandra have been slowly trickling out since January, but even as the release date of Marvel's biggest TV team-up draws closer, it still remains a largely enigmatic role.

She has no history in the original comics, and showrunner Marco Ramirez has kept her narrative tightly under wraps, offering only that she’s “a very powerful force in New York City” and “sophisticated, intellectual, [and] dangerous.” What is known is that she's a ruthless, almighty criminal menacing enough to force Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones to work together.

But in an interview with Nerdist, Weaver said Alexandra is more complex than her limited description suggests. The Alien veteran noted that she's played villains in the past, but that her parts always have something deeper to them, and the same applies to The Defenders. As she told the outlet:

"To them, it always comes out of something. They can’t see things the way the normal person sees them, they’re still trying to complete something for themselves."

Alexandra, in particular, is set apart by her apparent love for life and art. Weaver continued:

“I do think she’s a renaissance woman. I think yes, she has to do these things but she really… she loves life, she loves culture. It’s one of the most interesting women characters I’ve ever read.”

With so little to go off of, it's difficult to connect that to her storyline. The best analysis can be made with an interview Defenders costume designer Stephanie Maslansky gave earlier this month, in which she hinted that Alexandra may be The Hand's leader. She explained that the character's wardrobe had "a lot of life or lives" to it, which set off speculation that she could have been revived from the dead, since The Hand possesses the power to do so. And if you've led a lot of lives, it makes sense that you'd gain an appreciation for many cultures.

However, theories have also been floated around that Alexandra may turn out to be a gender-flipped version of Alexander Bont, a rival Kingpin to Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who clashes with the Hand and Madame Gao. That wouldn't jive with Alexandra's lack of comic book ties, though that could be an intentional misdirection. Alas, it doesn't seem like further details will be made available anytime soon, so until The Defenders lands later this summer, who Alexandra really is is anyone's guess.

Next: Who Is Sigourney Weaver’s Villain Character?

The Defenders arrives on August 18th, with The Punisher coming later this year. Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are now available on Netflix. Premiere dates for the next seasons of Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage have not yet been revealed.

Source: Nerdist