Kara Kilgrave is the daughter of Zebediah Kilgrave, a.k.a. the notorious criminal Purple Man, who commanded the affections of her mother Melanie with his hypnotic ability, but was rejected and left behind when he released her. Kilgrave grew up in her mother's custody in Canada. At her thirteenth birthday, her genetic mutation manifested, which led her mother to tell her the truth about her father and about the circumstances of her conception. Appalled by these revelations, Kilgrave ran away. Eventually, Kilgrave joined the Beta Flight training division of the Canadian super-group Alpha Flight, remaining a member until the team was disbanded after which Kilgrave was incarcerated in "Neverland," a mutant detention site established by the Canadian Weapon X Program.