Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg reveals Nazi hate site took aim at show for interracial relationship

'It didn't really occur to me that that was going to be the thing'

After its first season, Jessica Jones was unanimously praised by critics for tackling many controversial issues with care, including abortion and rape, while featuring Marvel’s first leading female superhero.

During the series, Krysten Ritter’s character has a relationship with Luke Cage, played by Mike Colter. It’s one of the show’s many highlights, the pair sharing a natural chemistry on screen, Colter’s appearance nicely setting up his very own Netflix series.

Unfortunately, while showrunner Melissa Rosenberg admitted she was nervous about the reaction the show’s abortion storyline would get, she had no idea the superheroes’ relationship would cause outrage.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she revealed that a picture of her alongside Brian Michael Bendis - who wrote the original Jessica Jones comic books - appeared on a Nazi hate website.

"I was dealing with a lot of different issues on Jessica Jones: rape, abortion, interracial relationships, feminism — all this stuff,” she told the magazine while attending a roundtable alongside Mr. Robot's Sam Esmail and American Crime's John Ridley.

“What made me nervous was whether the audience was going to [react]. The one I thought was really going to get the most flak was the abortion story.

“The one that actually got the most, much to my horror and disappointment, was the interracial relationship between Jessica Jones and Mike Colter's Luke Cage.”

The showrunner added that image that appeared on the hate website featured Rosenberg and Bendis beneath a Jewish star.

“It didn't really occur to me that that was going to be the thing,” she continued. “And it was scary."

Thankfully, the backlash has done nothing deter the show runner from moving forward with Jessica Jones series two, which Ritter recently revealed will begin filming straight off the back of The Defenders; the Netflix miniseries that will see Jones, Cage, Daredevil and Iron First team up to fight crime in Hell’s Kitchen.