History Characters / Neverwhere

* UndyingLoyalty: {{Implied}}. As mentioned above, [[spoiler: when Croup was dragged off into ''Hell'', Vandemar--despite having the chance to save himself--didn't even hesitate in simply joining his partner. Richard notes that his nonchalance made sense since they were, after all, a team.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: {{Implied}}. As mentioned above, [[spoiler: when Croup was dragged off into ''Hell'', Vandemar--despite having the chance to save himself--didn't even hesitate in simply joining his partner. Richard notes that his nonchalance made sense since they were, after all, a team.]] For all their irredeemable monstrosity, they ''are'' a pair.

* UndyingLoyalty: {{Implied}}. As mentioned above, [[spoiler: when Croup was dragged off into ''Hell'', Vandemar--despite having the chance to save himself--didn't even hesitate in simply joining his partner. Richard notes that his nonchalance made sense since they were, after all, a team.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: {{Implied}}. As mentioned above, [[spoiler: when Croup was dragged off into **Hell**, Vandemar--despite having the chance to save himself--didn't even hesitate in simply joining his partner. Richard notes that his nonchalance made sense since they were, after all, a team.]]

* DoctorWhomage: Gaiman says in the commentary that the concept behind his character was a Black ''Franchise/DoctorWho''. Interestingly, his actor was considered a likely candidate to replace Creator/DavidTennant as The Doctor, and played Rodrick in the episodes ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E12BadWolf Bad Wolf]]'' and ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of The Ways]]''. His name isn't really the Marquis, he's a DeadpanSnarker trickster who is the smartest in the room and he does regenerate... in a way.

* Sadist: They live for seemingly no other purpose than killing and torturing and enjoy every single moment of it.

* TheChampion: Lady Serpentine identifies him as such, claiming he's "Door's hero." When Door argues otherwise, Serpentine says she's learned to recognize the type over the years. Sure enough, Richard is willing to rush headlong into danger to save Door, [[spoiler:to point where he faces down and slays the Beast of London]].
* DistractedByTheSexy: Richard's a bit too distracted by Lamia's looks to realize the ominous undertones to her flirtation. It almost costs him his life when [[KissOfDeath she tries draining his life-force with a kiss.]]

* TheHerosJourney: Richard leaves the familiar world (London Above) thanks to the {{Herald}} (Door). He learns to navigate the unfamiliar world of adventure (London Below). He grows, and finds he's stronger than he thought he was [[spoiler:(he goes through an ordeal, and slays a great monster).]] At the end, he returns to his normal world,[[spoiler: then changes his mind.]]

* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: At the end of the book, when Richard finally managed to make it back to London Above, he finds it hard to fit into a normal life again. [[spoiler:Unable to stand this, he finds a way back]].

* UnfazedEveryman: After a day or so, he stops protesting impossible things and just starts accepting them, though he still doesn't really understand what's going on..

* DeadpanSnarker: '''''AND HOW!'''''. Lampshaded in the follow up short story, when the Elephant says that everything he says is sarcastic.
* DebtDetester: He loves it when people owe him favors, but he hates it when he's the one who owes someone else. He's slightly distressed when he realizes he's become indebted to Old Bailey, and [[spoiler:the real reason he's helping Door is because her father saved his life and de Carabas never got to pay him back.]]
* DoctorWhomage: Gaiman says in the commentary that the concept behind his character was a Black ''Franchise/DoctorWho''. Interestingly, his actor was considered a likely candidate to replace Creator/DavidTennant as The Doctor, and played Rodrick in the episodes, ''[[Recap.DoctorWhoNSS1E12BadWolf Bad Wolf]]'' and ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of The Ways]]''. His name isn't really the Marquis, he's a DeadpanSnarker trickster who is the smartest in the room and he does regenerate... in a way.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Evil may be a bit of a stretch, but he's certainly self-interested and sketchy, and, in the words of Portico, "might even be a bit of a monster." However, despite his bad qualities, he has an older brother that he both resents and cares about.

A living legend in London Below, Hunter is a stoic warrior and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin hunter]] who earned her reputation through slaying the deadliest monsters to inhabit the underground. When Door is hunted by Croup and Vandemar, Hunter is hired on as her bodyguard.

* HellBentForLeather: As seen in her photo above, she wears a leather top in the miniseries, and in the book she is described as wearing only leather.

* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:It's implied the reason it had Door's ''entire'' family murdered is because Portico laughed at it when it suggested Portico use his powers to send it back home. Then there's its sinking of Atlantis over some unspecified offence.]]

* FallenAngel: [[spoiler:Islington was charged with watching over Atlantis. It sank the city instead, and was punished by exile from Heaven. It's meant to watch over London Below as penance, but it plans on breaking back into Heaven instead. As the Marquis de Carabas notes, when angels go bad, they go ''really'' bad.]]

* TautologicalTemplar: [[spoiler:Its reaction to being called out on drowning millions of men, women and children when it sank Atlantis is a self-righteous, "They deserved it!" Even centuries of exile has not caused it to reconsider, and it still sees itself as justified in all its crimes.]]

* BrokenBird: Despite her young age, Anaesthesia explains the facts of life of London Below with the worldweary cynicism of someone who's already been beaten down by life and expects the worst.

A feared noblewoman in London Below. She's one of Hunter's former employers, and is the second eldest of the mysterious Seven Sisters.

* NeverMessWithGranny: She's over a hundred years oldm and her hair is starting to gray, but she is not someone to trifle with.

* OddCouple: One is foxy, clever and loves big words. The one is wolfish, brutish and loves eating. They're also both pure evil.

* TheComicallySerious: A lot of Vandemar's comedy comes from a combination of his literal mindedness, disturbed thought processes and his sheer earnestness.

* FauxAffablyEvil: He'll occasionally pipe up with a comment every now and then, acting like it's insightful and helpful to whomever he's speaking to. The actual content of these comments tends to be macabre and horrifying, and the person he's speaking to is usually someone he's either about to kill, or wants to kill.

'''Mr. Vandemar:''' ... No.

* ControlFreak: The narration makes it clear tha t-- despite Richard and Jessica ''believing'' they love each other -- Jessica really views him as a "matrimonial accessory", and she's constantly trying to change him into the more ambitious, cultured person that she believes she's entitled to.
* DisposableFiancee: Richard is engaged to Jessica in the beginning of the novel, but she breaks off the engagement after he blows off their dinner plans with her boss to save Door instead. Richard spends the rest of the novel trying to get back his old life, including her, [[spoiler:only to reject her in the end after he realizes he's changed.]]
* IceQueen: Jessica isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. She doesn't even let Richard call her "Jess", since she hates pet names. [[spoiler:Her final scene with Richard where they don't get back together has her show a softer side, and she says she wishes people would call her Jess sometimes]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Villain is stretching it, but she displays classist attitudes towards homeless people, and says her assistant was only hired for being black and gay, despite the fact she admits he’s the best assistant she’s had.

[[/folder]]

* DarkSkinnedRedhead: Not on the show, but in the book she is described as such.

* DoctorWhomage: Gaiman says in the commentary that the concept behind his character was a Black ''Franchise/DoctorWho''. Interestingly, his actor was considered a likely candidate to replace Creator/DavidTennant as The Doctor, and played Rodrick in the episodes, ''[[Recap.DoctorWhoNSS1E12BadWolf Bad Wolf]]'' and ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of The Ways]]''.

->'''Played by:''' Gary Bakewell (Television), Creator/JamesMcAvoy (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Laura Fraser (Television), Creator/NatalieDormer (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Creator/PatersonJoseph (Television), Creator/DavidHarewood (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Tanya Moodie (Television), Creator/SophieOkonedo (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Creator/PeterCapaldi (Television), Creator/BenedictCumberbatch (Radio)

->'''Played by:''' Trevor Peacock (Television), Creator/BernardCribbins (Radio)

->'''Played by:''' Amy Marston (Television), Creator/YasminPaige (Radio)

->'''Played by:''' Julie T. Wallace (Television)

-> '''Played by:''' Hywel Bennett (Television), Creator/AnthonyHead (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Clive Russell (Television), David Schofield (Radio)

-> '''Played by:''' Elizabeth Marmur (Television), Romola Garai (Radio)

* VagueAge: It's unclear exactly how old Door is throughout the book, mostly because Gaiman hadn't nailed down her exact age while writing. There are times Richard shifts from seeing her as a kid to a young woman.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His skin is literally jet black in the ComicBookAdaptation.

Richard is the perennial everyman. He's a good person but one who lives a life of exceeding normalcy, including an unsatisfying job and a fiancée who seems to view him more as an accessory than an actual person. However, even this humdrum life is taken from him when he decides to be a good Samaritan one night, inadvertently leads him into the terrifying world of London Below.

* AllTakeAndNoGive: The nature of his relationship with Jessica. Richard puts in all the effort to change himself and do things that will make her happy while Jessica never returns the favor. [[spoiler:After his experiences in London Below, he turns down the opportunity to get back together with her because he's changed.]]

* CantStayNormal: At the end of the book, [[spoiler: Richard finally manages to regain his normal life back. However, he really can't get accustomed to it anymore, so he decides to return.]]
* CaptainObvious: Briefly becomes this during his initial confusion about the events going on around him.
* TheChampion: Lady Serpentine identifies him as such, claiming he's "Door's hero." When Door argues otherwise, Serpentine says she's learned to recognize the type over the years. Sure enough, Richard is willing to rush headlong into danger to save Door, [[spoiler:to point where he faces and slays the Beast of London]].

* GenreBlindness: It takes him a few days to catch on, protesting that all these things are just ''Tube Stations''!
* GoodSamaritan: He's eager to help people. This is the reason why he was drawn into the events of London Below.
* TheHerosJourney: Richard leaves the familiar world (London Above) thanks to the {{Herald}} (Door). He learns to navigate the unfamiliar world of adventure (London Below). He grows, and finds he's stronger than he thought he was [[spoiler:(he goes through an ordeal, slays a monster).]] At the end, he returns to his normal world[[spoiler: then changes his mind.]]
* HomeSweetHome: [[ZigZaggingTrope Triple subversion]]--[[spoiler:at the end, when Richard asks about going home, the Marquis says they can't do that--[[LampshadeHanging this isn't the Wizard of Oz]]. But then it turns out they ''can'' send him home, and he goes. After being home for a day, he changes his mind and decides to return to London Below.]]
* IChooseToStay: {{Double subversion}}--[[spoiler:for a minute it seems like Richard might decide to stay, but then he goes home. After being back for a day, he changes his mind and returns.]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Richard saves Door from dying on the street. And his reward? Being turned into an {{Unperson}}.
* RedBaron: By the end, he's known as [[spoiler:The Warrior, for killing The Beast of London]].
* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: At the end of the book, when Richard finally managed to return back to the London Above, he finds it hard to fit in to a normal life again. [[spoiler:Being unable to stand this, he manages to find a way back]].
* SupportingProtagonist: Richard is the main character; Door is TheHero.
* UnfazedEveryman: After a day or so, he stops protesting impossible things and just starts accepting them, though he still doesn't really understand.
* UnkemptBeauty: He has MessyHair, and in the book he's described as having "a rumpled, just woken up look to him, which just made him more attractive"
* {{Unperson}}: After he had helped Door, no one could remember him. They also could barely notice him, unless Richard really tried to gain their attention. And even then it's really minimal.

The daughter of a noble family in London Below who're famous for their power to "open" anything, not just doors. Door finds herself the sole surviving member of her family after their slaughter at the hands of Croup and Vandemar. Her attempt to open a door to someplace "safe" leads her to Richard Mayhew.

* HealingFactor: Her entire family has one to some degree. Not instant, but she recovers from a bad knife wound almost overnight.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: How useful would it be to open a door anywhere? Maybe [[spoiler:inside your assassin's chest, critically wounding him]] or [[spoiler:making the villains be DraggedOffToHell]].
* TheHero: Though Serpentine would disagree.

* KaleidoscopeEyes: Her multicolored eyes are mentioned almost every time she's described. What color they actually are isn't really mentioned, as they seem to constantly be changing.
* LethalHarmlessPowers: She can open a door anywhere, like in your chest. Or ''to'' anywhere, like Hell.

* MessyHair: As a result of her travels through the sewer, it's unkempt to the point that Richard wasn't sure of her hair color.
* MysteriousWaif: Perhaps the ultimate example; an unnamed, oddly dressed girl appears from nowhere, bleeding and begging for help, which kicks off the adventure.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Door fills the role of the MagicalGirlfriend, but she and Richard don't get together in the scope of the story. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d near the end, when Jess asks Richard if he met someone else. He [[ShipTease hesitates, thinks about it for a moment]], then says earnestly, "No." He's not leaving Jess because of Door, but because of ''himself''.

* SoleSurvivor: She's the last living member of her family after Croup and Vandemar killed them all. [[spoiler:Or so she thinks, they spared her little sister, Ingress, because their employer initially wanted to use her for his plans.]]
* ThemeNaming: Her family--Portico, Portia, Ingress, Arch, and Door.
* VagueAge: It's unclear exactly how old Door is throughout the book, mostly because Gaiman hadn't nailed down her exact age while writing. There are times Richard shifts from seeing her as a kid and a young woman.
* YouKilledMyFather: In addition to protection from her family's killers, she's also out for vengeance against them. [[spoiler:She gets it when she sends Croup, Vandemar and their employer, Islington, through a door to either Hell, or somewhere just as unpleasant.]]

A roguish trickster that Door seeks out for help. Though he's been recruited to help Door survive and avenge her family's death, he doesn't work for free and trades in "favors." Very intelligent and helpful, his outright admission to be out for his own self-interest makes it difficult for him to be trusted.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His skin is jet black in the ComicBookAdaptation.

* BackFromTheDead: About halfway through, he's [[spoiler:tortured to death by Croup and Vandemar]], but by the end [[spoiler:he's been brought back thanks to his SoulJar]].
* BadassLongcoat: An iconic item on the Marquis. There's an entire story devoted to him getting it [[spoiler:after it was taken from his dead body]].

* ChessmasterSidekick: Casually snags what turns out to be an important trinket from [[spoiler:Portico's study; it's a totem of the Beast Islington gave him]], pulls an impressive [[spoiler:ThanatosGambit]] on Croup and Vandemar, and is generally awesome.

* CrazyPrepared: Everything from a [[spoiler:SoulJar]] to a convenient bit of fruitcake.
* DebtDetester: He loves it when people owe him favors, but he hates it when he's the one who owes someone else. He's slightly distressed when he realizes he's become indebted to Old Bailey and [[spoiler:the real reason he's helping Door is because her father saved his life and de Carabas never got to pay him back.]]
* DoctorWhomage: Gaiman says in the commentary that the concept behind this character was a black ''Franchise/DoctorWho''. Interestingly, his actor was considered a likely candidate to replace Creator/DavidTennant as The Doctor and played Rodrick in the episodes, ''[[Recap.DoctorWhoNSS1E12BadWolf Bad Wolf]]'' and ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of The Ways]]''.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Evil may be a bit of a stretch, but he's certainly self-interested and sketchy and, in the words of Portico, "might even be a bit of a monster." However, despite his bad qualities, he has an older brother that he both resents and cares about.
* EvilChancellor: Richard explicitly compares him to a grand vizier.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's ''very'' well hidden but it's there [[spoiler: such as when he comes to Richard's rescue when Lamia's feeding on him]] or [[spoiler: admits he's helping Door because he owed her father with a debt he couldn't repay.]]

* TheLancer: Door is noble, Richard is good (though helpless), the Marquis is just kind of a selfish prick.
* LovableTraitor: Played with. Is he? Isn't he? He's a WildCard.
* LoveableRogue: Played with. Is he? Isn't he? He's a WildCard.
* MeaningfulName: He's named for a character in Literature/PussInBoots, which name he chose and styled himself after.

* RaceLift: A bit of a weird example. On the show, and in the book, he was portrayed as a black man, and a black man voiced him on the radio. But in the comic adaptation, his hair and lips seemed those of a white person, while the rest of his face was actually the colour black.

* TheSmartGuy: He's the first one to figure out the plot, thanks to some clever gambits and some little bits and pieces the audience won't notice the first time around.

* WildCard: Given his self-interested nature, it's hard to pin down whose side de Carabas is on other than his own. [[spoiler:Despite being out for himself, Door was right to trust him.]]

A living legend in London Below, Hunter is stoic warrior and hunter who earned her reputation through slaying the deadliest monsters to inhabit the underground. When Door is hunted by Croup and Vandemar, Hunter is hired on as her bodyguard.

* ActionGirl: She's the deadliest fighter on the heroes' side, able to effortlessly beat down a towering PsychoForHire. That's not even mentioning her career choice of hunting the worst monsters prowling London Below.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: [[spoiler:Though mortally wounded, her reaction to realizing the one to slay the infamous Beast of London is [[NonActionGuy Richard Mayhew]] causes her to burst out laughing before she dies.]]
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Neil Gaiman was disappointed in the choice of actress, saying he wanted Hunter to be the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen and write her as such in the novelization.

* AmbiguouslyGay[=/=]WordOfGay: Her dealings with Serpentine in the past, along with the memory of her giving a pelt to a girl "who caught her eye" who is then described as being "appropriately grateful" (ie, probably slept with her). Gaiman has said two of the characters in the story are gay, and she seems like a likely bet, but this isn't confirmed in the story.
* AnimalStereotypes: She's associated with a lioness.
* BigEater: Best shown when the group is having dinner at Serpentine's and Hunter demolishes all the food in front of her.

* DarkSkinnedRedhead: Not on the show, though.
* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler:After betraying Door to Islington in exchange for the spear that can kill the Beast of London, Hunter ends up mortally wounded by the Beast. She admits what she did was wrong and willingly sacrifices herself to give Richard a chance to slay the monster and save Door.]]

* FauxActionGirl: For a supposedly great hunter, her strategy in hunting the beast was basically just to stand there, let it charge her, and stab it. [[spoiler:The plan fails, but, to her credit, her narration reveals similar strategies worked before, and she is able to tell Richard the exact moment to strike when the Beast charges again.]]
%% * HellBentForLeather

* LivingLegend: Tales of Hunter's exploits make her a legend in London Below. At one point, a jester is horrified when he finds out her identity because he ''almost'' made a joke at her expense.
* MistakenForProstitute: Richard thinks she's a hooker. Of course, it helps that she told him that she "rents her body".
* MysteriousPast: Relatively little is known about Hunter's life other than the legends of her hunting exploits. All that's known for sure is that she's OlderThanSheLooks and she once worked for Lady Serpentine and the rest of the Seven Sisters, doing who knows what.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Revealed in the labyrinth. She was working for Islington the entire time and only wanted a magic spear so she could go after the Beast. She does regret her actions and willingly gives her life to atone.]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: Hunter is implied to be much older than she looks if some of the legends about her are anything to go by, with Serpentine saying Hunter aged much more gracefully than herself. When Door finds out Hunter worked for all the Seven Sisters thirty years ago, she finally asks how old she is, only for Hunter to dodge the question.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:As we learn about two-thirds of the way through, he's Croup and Vandemar's employer, and his entire scheme revolves around manipulating Door into letting him back into heaven.]]
* DissonantSerenity: It always speaks in tones of calm civility [[spoiler:even while ordering torture and executions.]] Though it loses that serenity a few times.

* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:It's implied the reason it had Door's ''entire'' family murdered is because Portico laughed at it when it suggested Portico use his powers to send it back home. Then there's its sinking of Atlantis over some offence.]]

* FallenAngel: [[spoiler:Islington was charged with watching over Atlantis. It sank the city instead and was punished by exile from Heaven. It's meant to watch over London Below as penance, but it plans on breaking back into Heaven instead. As the Marquis de Carabas notes, when angels go bad, they go really bad.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:It's fairly polite, puts on a show of being unable to stomach violence, and it always speaks in a tone that ''sound'' compassionate and loving. In reality, it has no regard for human life or remorse for his atrocities.]]
* GodhoodSeeker: [[spoiler:It plans on overthrowing God and ruling Heaven as the new deity worshipped by creation. This definitely speaks to Islington's ego given that it somehow plans on doing this singlehandedly.]]
* LightIsNotGood: It wears pure white and can even lights up candles just by walking by them. [[spoiler:It also sank Atlantis, had Door's family murdered, and is planning on taking over heaven.]]

* OurAngelsAreDifferent: To begin with, most don't live in subway stations. Or Islington.
* PsychopathicManChild: At the end, it seems childishly confused when Door [[spoiler: accuses it of killing her father, replying uncertainly "I didn't kill your father. I had him killed." Its temper tantrums also fit this trope. It's essentially a spoiled brat from the dawn of creation who's pissed off he was exiled after committing genocide.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:It starts when the Marquis implies Islington sank Atlantis causing the angel's benevolent facade to finally crack and show the madness beneath as it shrieks, "''They deserved it!''" The mask is gone completely when Door tricks him by opening a door to hell and it goes from pure rage to impotent pleading before its death.]]

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:He orders Croup and Vandemar to kill Door, Richard and the Marquis as soon as he's back in Heaven.]]
* YourHeartsDesire: It agrees to help Door find who killed her parents, and get Richard home. [[spoiler:And get Hunter that spear. And it ''does'' tell Door who killed her parents, and why. As for Richard, finding the way home was kind of incidental to its own goals, so, ''technically''...]]

* CannotTellAJoke: The narration tells the reader that Old Bailey is not, intrinsically, one of those people put in the world to tell jokes. In spite of that, he does it anyway. He specializes in shaggy dog stories and explaining the joke to his birds, who seemingly do find them amusing.
* CoolOldGuy: He's a pretty nice old man, and one of the few people who treat Richard well even when he's just a lost nobody.

* KnowledgeBroker: In addition to bird meat, he also sells information at the Floating Market. He ends up being knowledgable enough that the Marquis de Carabas visits him to find out more about the Beast of London.
* LetsMeetTheMeat: Just because he can understand what birds are saying that doesn't mean he won't sell and eat rook meat himself.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He can understand exactly what his birds are saying. Rats too but a lot of people in London Below seem to have that gift.

* YouOweMe: He owes the Marquis de Carabas a favor, so he ends up holding onto a silver box for him which Bailey is keen to be rid of. [[spoiler:It turns out the box contains the Marquis's SoulJar, which Bailey uses to resurrect him following his murder.]]

A girl who once lived in London Above before a life of suffering drove her underground where she became a member of the rat-speakers.

* BrokenBird: Despite her young age, she explains the facts of life of London Below with the worldweary cynicism of someone who's already been beaten down by life and expects the worse.
* ChekhovsGun: Her necklace, specifically the bead that Richard picks up [[spoiler:after Anaesthesia was taken by the darkness]].
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Her mother went insane and she was taken away from her and separated from her twin brothers. Her aunt took her in only for her boyfriend to physically and sexually abuse her. When she told her aunt what he was doing, she called her a liar and beat her as well. She ran away when she was eleven. It was her birthday.

* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler:She gets a little characterization and reveals her backstory only to seemingly die shortly after being introduced. Her death illustrates to Richard just how dangerous London Below is.]]
* TragicKeepsake: Richard keeps one of the quartz beads that makes up her necklace [[spoiler:after her possible death. Richard holding it during his ordeal for the key helps save his life. He even hears her voice telling him to hold on.]]

A feared noblewoman in London Below. She's one of Hunter's former employers and is the second eldest of the mysterious Seven Sisters.

* AmazonBrigade: Seems to employ women exclusively.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Door is utterly terrified when she finds out they're in Serpentine's territory. Later she says that parents in London Below tell their children stories about her like she's a monster. Despite her fearsome reputation, Serpentine never gets up to anything sinister in the book.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Her staff is all female and her previous relationship with Hunter is highly suggestive.
* AristocratsAreEvil: Her reputation is certainly sinister, but how much is true is unclear.
* TheDreaded: Door's initial reaction to being in Serpentine's territory--even after finding out Hunter is old friends with her--is utter terror. She later says, when parents in the Underside want their children to behave, they warn them Serpentine will take them away otherwise.

* GenreSavvy: She's lived long enough to be able to recognize "heroes" when she sees them--something about their eyes--and claims that Richard is Door's.

* NeverMessWithGranny: She's over a hundred years old and her hair is starting to gray, but she is not someone to trifle with.

A horrifying pair of assassins infamous for the atrocities they've committed across time and creation. Though opposites in terms of personality, they possess a shared love of death, destruction and all things macabre. Their most recent job was the total slaughter of Door's family.

* BadBoss: They hire Ross just to use him as canon fodder and when Varney fails the task they assign him, they literally rip him apart.
* BanteringBaddieBuddies: One is never seen without the other and they have the standard back-and-forth dialogue where they refer to each other as "Mr. Croup" and "Mr. Vandemar".

* CoDragons: They're partners so they're of equal rank while working for their employers.
* TheDividual: Syndividual type. They're polar opposites in terms of looks and demeanor, but they both possess the same sadism and each makes up for the others deficiencies. They seem like two halves of the same monster.

* HistoricalRapSheet: According to Croup, the pair of them burned down the city of Troy, brought the Black Plague to Flanders, assassinated a dozen kings, five popes, half a hundred heroes and two accredited gods.

* ImAHumanitarian: They eat a lot of things, most people wouldn't. It's also implied they're not above eating most people. Best not to think about what happened to Varney.

* PsychoForHire: Both of them are mercenaries and they take exceptional pride in the violence and bloodshed their work entails. In fact, they get angry when their employer starts putting limitations on their work so that they can't torture and kill as much as they like.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: They may do as their employer instructs, but that doesn't mean they like him. They both grouse behind his back at the restrictions he places on their work, to the point Vandemar suggests torturing him once they've finished their work. [[spoiler:When Islington tries to bail on them without paying their fee, the only reason they don't attack him is because Door ends up killing all of them before they get the chance.]]

* AnimalStereotypes: Foxes. He's the shorter and smarter half of his partnership but not as clever as he thinks.

* EvilRedhead: In keeping with his fox motif, he's a psychopath with lank, red hair.

* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness[=/=]DelusionsOfEloquence: He really loves to talk, regardless if the word applies or not, or if he has to make a word up to get his point across.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: Vandemar's the big one and Croup's depicted as smarter than him.

* FauxAffablyEvil: He'll occasionally pipe up with a comment every now and then, and act like it's insightful and helpful to whomever he's speaking to. The actual content of these comments tend to be macabre and horrifying, and the person he's speaking to is usually someone he's either about to kill, or wants to kill.

* VoiceChangeling: He's able to make a perfect impression of [[spoiler:Portico's voice that fools even his daughter]].

* ControlFreak: The narration makes it clear that--despite Richard and Jessica ''believing'' they love each other--Jessica really views him as a "matrimonial accessory" and she's constantly trying to change him into a more ambitious, cultured person that she believes she's entitled to.
* DisposableFiancee: Richard is engaged to Jessica in the beginning of the novel but she breaks off the engagement after he blows off their dinner plans with her boss to save Door instead. Richard spends the rest of the novel trying to get back his old life, including her, [[spoiler:only to reject her in the end after he realizes he's changed.]]
* IceQueen: Jessica isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. She doesn't even let Richard call her "Jess" since she hates pet names. [[spoiler:Her final scene with Richard where they don't get back together, has her show a softer side]].

* NotSoAboveItAll: At one point, while Richard is still an {{Unperson}} but Jessica is able to detect him without remembering him, he trolls her by mentioning her habit of singing "I'm a Believer" while in the throes of passionate lovemaking.

* RichBitch: She comes from a wealthy family, has a high paying job, and loves shopping, but she's also pretty callous and self-centered.

* IceQueen: Jessica isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. She doesn't even let Richard call her "Jess" since she hates pet names. [[spoiler:Her final scene with Richard where they don't get back together, has her show a softer side.]]

* ObnoxiousInLaws: Though the marriage never takes places, Jessica's parents drop pretty strong hints that they don't think Richard is good enough for their daughter. For example, flat-out telling him that to his face.

%% * BanteringBaddieBuddies: One is never seen without the other and they have the standard back-and-forth dialogue where they refer to each other as "Mr. Croup" and "Mr. Vandemar".

%% * BanteringBaddieBuddies: One is never seen without the other and they have the standard back-and-forth dialogue where they refer to each other as MisterXAndMisterY.

* MisterXAndMisterY: They're only ever referred to as Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. They don't seem to have first names.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: One is never seen without the other and they have the standard back-and-forth dialogue where they refer to each other as MisterXAndMisterY.

* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:It's implied the reason it had Door's ''entire'' family murdered is because Portico laughed at it when it suggested Portico use his powers to send it back home.]]