History Characters / TheBlacklist

* NervesOfSteel: Considerably. During "Anslo Garrick Part 1", he may have initially panicked as the attack on the Post Office commenced but when Agent Ressler is hit, he calmly outfits himself with some weapons and conducts a almost orderly tactical retreat with the wounded agent to the bullet proof holding cell. However,[[spoiler:It breaks when Luli and Dembe are threatened with death.]]

* NervesOfSteel: [[spoiler:It breaks when Luli and Dembe are threatened with death.]]

* BadAss: Despite favoring a more cerebral approach to dealing with his enemies or letting the FBI do the heavy lifting, Red can take care of himself when the chips are down. He's surprisingly strong for his build and is a dab hand with most firearms.

----* AmbiguouslyEvil: While she definitely isn't who she claims to be, it's not clear on whose side she is on. [[spoiler:It's looking increasingly like the bad guys, though.]]* BitchInSheepsClothing: It's clear from the start that her intentions towards Tom and Liz are far from benign. [[spoiler:Turns out, she was sent to be his ''handler''.]]* ChekhovsGunman: We have actually seen her way before her debut; [[spoiler:she was the girl whose body the Stewmaker supposedly got rid of, the one whose photo Red stole at the end of that episode]].* ConsummateLiar: The audience knows from the start that she isn't who she claims to be, but she puts on a good act.* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:According to Red, her real name is Lucy Brooks and she faked her death to elude him.]]%%* [[spoiler:HiddenAgendaVillain]]%%* ManipulativeBitch* PunnyName: A CoverVersion of the Music/DollyParton song "Jolene" plays over her and Tom at one point; since it's established that Jolene is a fake name, she might well have chosen it for that very reason.[[/folder]]----

* BadAss: Despite favoring a more cerebral approach to dealing with his enemies or letting the FBI do the heavy lifting, Red can take care of himself when the chips are down. He's surprisingly strong for his build and is a surprisingly fast shot.

%%* {{Badass}}:

* WaistcoatOfStyle: He's rocking one throughout the pilot and much of the series.

%%* {{Badass}}

----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While she definitely isn't who she claims to be, it's not clear on whose side she is on. [[spoiler:It's looking increasingly like the bad guys, though.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: It's clear from the start that her intentions towards Tom and Liz are far from benign. [[spoiler:Turns out, she was sent to be his ''handler''.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: We have actually seen her way before her debut; [[spoiler:she was the girl whose body the Stewmaker supposedly got rid of, the one whose photo Red stole at the end of that episode]].
* ConsummateLiar: The audience knows from the start that she isn't who she claims to be, but she puts on a good act.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:According to Red, her real name is Lucy Brooks and she faked her death to elude him.]]
%%* [[spoiler:HiddenAgendaVillain]]
%%* ManipulativeBitch
* PunnyName: A CoverVersion of the Music/DollyParton song "Jolene" plays over her and Tom at one point; since it's established that Jolene is a fake name, she might well have chosen it for that very reason.
[[/folder]]
----

->'''Played by:''' Creator/JamesSpader

->''"You know the problem with drawing lines in the sand? With a breath of air, they disappear. You may not like me. You may not understand how or why I do what I do. But I'm here because you want answers to questions you haven't even thought of yet."''

* {{Badass}}
* BaldOfEvil

* TheChessmaster

* TheDreaded

** Reddington makes a point of adhering to his promises (which is why he doesn't make very many), partly for his reputation, partly because it's good business.

** In terms of his role as the "Concierge of Crime" he better evokes a more {{Badass}}, modern-day [[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: Reddington was a decorated intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy before becoming a world class master criminal.

** This becomes a habit with him. Random examples: a rival - female- intelligence broker tried to strangle him in Paris after they spent a night together, and Blacklister Madeline Pratt feels he betrayed her by abandoning a job they were planning to carry out in Florence. His history with Anslo Garrick seems to compromise more than one murderous NoodleIncident.

** Red is usually a sarcastic unhelpful JerkAss to everyone, but when Luli, Dembe, and Elizabeth's lives are threatened in "Anslo Garrick," he cracks pretty quickly
** Reddington promises [[spoiler: to take care of Grey's family, before he executes Grey for betraying him.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: What he occupies himself with during "The Good Samaritan Killer". [[OocIsSeriousBusiness No slick suits, charm, or suaveness]]. Just him, a gun, and a desire for revenge.

* SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains: Red is Type III, as he knows no bounds to achieve his goals, but his goals are noble. It's {{lampshaded}} by Cooper at the end of "The Cyprus Agency", who remarks about how vile and ammoral Red is- but without Red's help, the FBI wouldn't have saved all the women and children the Cyprus Agency was taking advantage of.
* StepfordSnarker: He nearly always acts mocking, but it's noticeable the sarcasm is a facade for ''something'', be it manipulation, sadness, guilt, anger, or whatever. Lampshaded by Anslo Garrick.
* TranquilFury: His reaction upon coming face to face with the Stewmaker. His demeanour during "The Good Samaritan Killer". Red is awfully (outwardly) calm while killing several people.

** Take note of his RoaringRampageOfRevenge in "The Good Samaritan Killer." [[spoiler: While he's no less affable, every single person who had a direct involvement in his kidnapping - the man running the surveillance outpost, the paramedic who removed his chip, the doctor who provided the interrogation drugs, and Grey, who betrayed him - ends up dead by his hands.]]

* YanksWithTanks: Former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, and was being groomed for Admiral before he become a master criminal.

->'''Played by:''' Megan Boone

A rookie [[FBIAgent FBI agent]], having just graduated Quantico a month ago (apart from several years working for the Bureau in other capacities). She's been trying to start a family with her husband (through adoption).

* ActionGirl: After one episode as a psychological profiler (see ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything), Liz took this role. Although noticeably a rookie in the early entries, she leveled up rapidly to {{badass}} by "Anslo Garrick".
* BrainyBrunette

* MathematiciansAnswer: On the question of whether she doesn't have a criminal record because she wasn't a career criminal, or because she just hadn't been ''caught'', she answers "Yes".
* MeaningfulName: "[[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keen Keen]]" means eager/enthusiastic, interested, intelligent, insightful. All terms that apply to our agent.

* MysteriousPast: She claims her foster father Sam was a criminal, which shocks her employers because that never came up when she was being recruited (it could have been a serious obstacle). It seems like Sam didn't have a record simply because he was never ''caught''...and it seems that Liz might ''also'' not have a record for precisely the same reason with hints that Sam passed on some skills to her and that she spent some time as a ConArtist before joining law enforcement.

* ParentalAbandonment
* TheProfiler: Part of her formal skill set. She trained and was about to become an ''official'' FBI profiler, but after Reddingotn dragged her into his game she's now more of an ActionGirl. Her profiling skills still come up occasionally, though.

->'''Played by:''' Diego Klattenhoff

* FieryRedhead[=/=]HeroicRedhead

* MadeOfIron: It became a {{running gag}} to have him suffer a preposterous amount of physical damage and then shrug it off with a minor thought. At least until [[spoiler:"Anslo Garrick," where a merc shoots him in the leg with a shotgun. He would have bled to death if Reddington hadn't performed emergency treatment, and even then he needed surgery in a proper hospital.]]

->'''Played by:''' Ryan Eggold

* AmbiguouslyEvil: He may or may not be a ruthless international assassin. Reddington insists that he is, but no evidence has yet to emerge that can't be explained as a set up.[[spoiler: Turns out, Reddington was right.]]
* {{Badass}}: At the end of the day, whatever else he may be, he was brutally tortured in the pilot but recovered without serious mental trauma. That's pretty badass.
* [[spoiler: ConsummateLiar]]
* DarkSecret: Neither Liz nor the audience knows what it is yet (or even if it's real), but Reddington might.[[spoiler: As of "The Judge", it's confirmed to be real.]]
* [[spoiler: EvilAllAlong]]
* {{Frameup}}: This is his excuse, and all evidence points in this direction. [[spoiler: Until "The Judge", when it turns out he really is a villain.]]
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide[=/=]NiceGuy: He's patient and understanding, especially when Liz's job keeps them separated (at least until he realizes that she's found his stash). This may or may not be part of his cover. [[spoiler: It looks like it is.]]
* [[spoiler: InLoveWithTheMark: Possibly. He claims that he only loves her because "that's my job". He was definitely told to get hitched to her, though.]]
* LivingADoubleLife: At least, that's how it looks. When the FBI questions Tom, he claims he's innocent and that somebody is setting him up.[[spoiler: He isn't innocent.]]

* UnholyMatrimony: According to Reddington, "Tom" was in a relationship with corporate terrorist Gina Zanetakos, a.k.a. Blacklister number 152, and served as her partner in crime. Both he and Zanetakos deny knowing each other.

--> [[spoiler: '''Jolene''': Elizabeth Keen is not your wife; she is your target.]]

->'''Played by:''' Harry Lennix

* GenreSavvy: Cooper might not be on Reddington's level, but the minute Liz submitted a ballistic report that was suppose to be classified, he asked for a profile on her and had her flagged subsequently.
* GoodIsNotNice: [[spoiler: While it was a SadisticChoice (either risking Reddington's death or someone else's), his utter callousness towards Garrick murdering of one of Reddington's associates in cold blood can be quite jarring.]]

->'''Played by:''' Parminder Nagra

A CIA agent who's part of Reddington's security detail after being activated from retirement, though she tends to spend more time working with Ressler and the other [=FBI=] agents than Dembe or Luli. Prior to her retirement, Meera was stationed overseas for most of her professional career and [[AllThereInTheManual has worked with the DOJ in 2006 in a multilateral operation energy and non-proliferation.]]

* ActionGirl: Very handy with a shotgun.
* {{Badass}}

* BrainyBrunette

* {{CIA}}: [[AllThereInTheManual Prior to the start of the series]], Meera has spent most of her career stationed in India (which also includes northern India and eastern Pakistan in the Punjab region) and in Brazil under [=NOC=].

* [[spoiler:TheMole: Seemingly so in "The Alchemist". Averted ultimately in "The Cyprus Agency".]]

* TheStoic: The woman does not display many emotions.
* TortureTechnician: Disturbingly so. In "The Good Samaritan Killer", she actually turns the tables on her FBI interrogator, contemptuously telling her that if she's the mole, a simple chat isn't going to out her.

->'''Played By:''' Deborah S. Craig

* DarkChick

* TheStoic: She does not display many emotions. [[spoiler:Until the time of her death.]]

* [[spoiler: WeHardlyKnewYe]]

->'''Played By:''' Hisham Tawfiq

* [[spoiler: SacrificialLion: Subverted. He lives.]]

->'''Played By:''' Charles Baker

* [[spoiler: FaceDeathWithDignity]]: [[spoiler: Knows that Reddington will kill him for his betrayal, and is sadly resigned to it, and pleads only that it be made to look like an accident for his wife's sake.]]

* [[spoiler: TheMole]]: [[spoiler: He's the mole in Reddington's organization. Fitch flipped him by threatening his family.]]
* MysteriousPast: While the show has told us Dembe's and Zeng's backstories, Grey remains a complete mystery. [[spoiler:Helps that he is still alive... well, until "The Good Samaritan Killer", where Reddington personally executes him for betraying him.]]

->'''Played By:''' Susan Blommaert

* CleanUpCrew: Her role for Reddington,
* [[spoiler:CoolOldLady]]

->'''Played by''': Lance Reddick

* AllThereInTheManual: So far, press releases for "The Judge (No. 57)" credit him with the name "The Cowboy".

->'''Played By:''' Ritchie Coster

* {{Badass}}: Pretty much destroys the [=FBI=]'s [=SWAT=] units assigned to protect the black ops compound.

-->"''Red, did you really think there was a distance you could cover, or a hole deep enough that you could hide in? There is nowhere in this world that I cannot reach you, Red. Fortification be damned!''"

* TheBrute: To quote Reddington himself, "Garrick is not a precision instrument, he's a blunt force object."
* [[spoiler: CharacterDeath: Stabbed in the neck by Reddington.]]
* CrazyPrepared: Not only does Garrick have an infiltration and exfiltration out of the Post Office, his team also manages to secure a few decommissioned black sites in Virginia to serve as covert bases and observation posts.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: He knows quite well how Reddington operates, and tries to plan accordingly. [[spoiler: It still doesn't save him.]]
* DoubleAgent[=/=]TheMole: He's the one responsible for [[spoiler:setting up Reddington for the assassination attempt in Britain years before the series started]].
* TheDreaded: When his name is mentioned, Reddington makes something of an OhCrap face, and goes on a lengthy lecture as to ''why'' (which is proven correct as he speaks).
* DumbMuscle: He thinks with his gun, since he doesn't have Reddington's smarts. He is, however, a fairly good military tactician.

* EvilBrit
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Blitzkrieging through the Task Force's defenses and delivering the aforementioned BadassBoast.

* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords: "You're not actually feeling something, are you, Red?" to which Red answers: [[BondOneLiner "Regret."]]]]

* {{Foil}}: To Reddington. Reddington is AffablyEvil, refined, intellectual and cares for his associates. Garrick is FauxAffablyEvil, all brute force, a blunt instrument as Reddington calls him and he cares nothing for his team. This is made painfully obvious when Reddington and Garrick are talking through the holding cell.
* GreenEyedMonster: It's quite clear he envies Reddington to a great extent.
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Murdered Luli with his own hands.]]

* KnightOfCerebus: Oh hell yes. He is the highest-ranking blacklist name of Season 1 and he does more damage than all the previous ones put together. [[spoiler:In particular, he murders Luli in cold blood.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Garrick" means "One who rules by the spear", a fancy way of saying "[[TheBrute someone who murders to get what he wants]]".

* RedRightHand: His horrible facial scars.

* StupidEvil: All of Garrick's tactical brilliance goes right out the window when he finds out that Red has locked himself and Ressler in the cell, and he becomes entirely too focused on trying to force them out. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out he's actually been ''hired'' to kidnap Red so forcing them out really is his only option.]]
* TwoFaced: The right half of his face is scarred and disfigured (and one side of his mouth is seemingly stiched open).
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Inverted. Multiple times he considers or gets very close to actually killing Reddington, but keeps reminding himself that Reddington is worth more alive than dead. [[spoiler: That's because he's been hired to extract Reddington, and his employers won't let him kill Red.]]

->'''Played By:''' Robert Sean Leonard

->'''Reddington:''' ''"Barnes has always operated with a certain level of... detachment - always the designer, the seller. Never the delivery agent of his own weapons. But if Barnes is now willing to use his work to kill indiscriminately, then he is, quite literally, the most dangerous man in the world."''

Former military scientist and known genius who worked in creating and developing [=WMDs=] for the U.S. military under [=DARPA=], now chemical weapons killer for hire.

* AntiVillain: Barnes is motivated by love for [[spoiler:his son]] and takes no pleasure in his acts - acts which are nevertheless monstrous.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes

* IDidWhatIHadToDo
* MadScientist

* PapaWolf: Willing to kill thousands, even millions, to [[spoiler:save his son, Ethan.]]

->'''Played By:''' Dianne Wiest

* AntiVillain: The Judge genuinely believes that her cause is righteous and takes great pains to study every case, going after people she honestly think deserve it.
* AmoralAttorney: The Judge could be considered a subversion, only taking cases if she's absolutely sure that the client has been wrongfully convicted, and refusing to hand down a sentence that exceeds what the client received. She also doesn't take payment. That being said, she is still taking the law into their own hands, [[spoiler: and in at least one case, turn out to have been dead wrong.]]
* EvilMatriarch: Her followers and even her prisoners refer to her as "mother".

* HangingJudge: Though The Judge carefully considers each and every case, "defendants" aren't given much chance to defend themselves and sentencing is swift and brutal.
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler: She let one of her victims go because the man he wrongly put away had been released and didn't want her victim to serve an unfair longer sentence. She did this knowing that it would likely lead to her arrest, as it does, simply because she felt it was justice. Likewise, she backs down once she discovers that her latest case really was guilty.]]
* KnightTemplar
* MilkmanConspiracy: [[spoiler: She is the co-founder of The Amnesty Collective, a prison rights group that protests the death penalty and offers support to the imprisoned. It is through this that she makes contact with the convicts who are pleading their cases. The organization itself seems to be legit and does real work, but a handful of its members at least are involved in her Judge activities.]]

* ShroudedInMyth: Red only knows The Judge as an urban legend and the FBI have never even heard of her. Its not known if most prisoners believe in The Judge either, given that only a handful of cases are taken.
* SinisterMinister: [[spoiler: She is a "spiritual advisor" as part of her day job. When she attempts to execute Harold, she reads him his last rites.]]
* StockholmSyndrome: Her prisoners refer to her as "mother".

->'''Played By:''' Campbell Scott

An evil "Adoption Agency" for the wealthy. Kidnapping ideal women and knocking them up to produce the perfect child.

* [[spoiler:TheBadGuyWins: While he is stopped at the end, he still managed to obtain his goal: To spread his DNA across several different children in the country, "ensuring his legacy". Owen himself makes clear being arrested means nothing to him: He already won.]]
* BigScrewedUpFamily: [[spoiler: Mallory is the father (via artificial insemination) of every single child, several dozen at least. The mothers are all abducted woman kept comatose for years, at least one of whom was murdered, likely more, and many of whom gave birth to more than one child- falling pregnant, giving birth and falling pregnant again, all while comatose. Hard to get more screwed up than that.]]
* ConArtist: [[spoiler:Michael Shaw]] has a record as one of these.
* ConsummateLiar: Mallory.
* FreudianExcuse: Owen Mallory([[spoiler:aka Michael Shaw]]) was a victim of the adoption system. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] since he had a troubled child even before this, but he believes his foster parents rejected him for not being perfect, and the parents themselves admit they had marital problems at the time.
* HollywoodPersonalityDisorders: Mallory had an "Attachment Disorder", the details of which are left ambiguous, [[spoiler: but getting dozens of woman pregnant, repeatedly, mainly because he wants to leave a legacy, seems pretty attached.]]
* MadDoctor: The Galatea fertility clinic, where the woman are held, is run by these.

* MilkmanConspiracy
* TheSociopath: While Mallory's exact disorder is left vague, he displays strong symptoms of sociopathy.

A high-powered socialite, an accomplished thief, and an old acquaintance of Red's. She bears a grudge against him for disappearing from a job they were supposed to pull together in Florence.

* AntiVillain: Unlike most names on the list, there is no indication that she has ever killed anyone. [[spoiler: She sells a priceless statue to the Russian mob, but ''doesn't'' sell them the location of the suitcase nukes hidden ''inside'' said statue.]] Theft, doublecrossing, and reckless endangerment are all fair game, though.
* ClassyCatBurglar
* ConArtist
* DatingCatwoman: Anti-villainous example, since its her and Red that are an item, and Red is an even bigger criminal than she is.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: To date, the only blacklister not in custody or the morgue by the end of her episode(s). Red let her go, and she cheekily steals an expensive painting from him afterwards.]]
* ManipulativeBitch

->'''Played By:''' Chin Han

A master of espionage working as a blacks ops contractor for the Chinese Ministry of State Security. His job is to hunt down and eliminate foreign spies operating in Chinese territory and their local collaborators. Wujing is posted in America, operating a [=MSS=] spy ring through a covert post in a local radio station.

* [[RenegadeRussian Renegade Chinese]]

->'''Played By:''' Robert Knepper

->'''Reddington:''' ''"The next target on the Blacklist is the physical embodiment of both. He's known as the Courier, and his involvement in a transaction virtually guarantees its success. Once he's hired to make a delivery, he can't be bribed, he can't be stopped. If either party attempts to double cross the other, he kills them both. The perfect middleman for an imperfect world."''

a.k.a. [[spoiler:Tommy Phelps]]. The perfect middle-man, he's a OneManArmy for hire. He's used by the bad guys and government alike operating in a black ops capacity to ensure that an operation is successful. [[{{Determinator}} Just don't get in his way or he'll go out of his way to hunt you down and make you pay.]]

* AbusiveParents: His father would strike him and his brother, but since Tommy felt no pain, his father didn't feel like he had sufficient control over him. So he entered him ''into dogfights.''

* {{Badass}}
* CrazyPrepared: He takes advantage of his FeelNoPain power to [[spoiler: carry an escape kit ''inside his own skin''.]]

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His brother.
** However, the brother warns the [=FBI=] that The Courier is so AxCrazy that if they try and use this trope against him, they will fail.

* ImplacableMan

* [[spoiler:RealityEnsues: After seeing so much badassery, when he's shot repeatedly, you expect him to just shrug it off. And he actually does for a while, but then his wounds overwhelm him, and he finally succumbs.]]

->'''Played by:''' Ryan O'Nan

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Ultimately averted. He has more concern for himself then his family, who he is possessive of.

->'''Played by:''' Frank Whaley

* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:His mother abused him as a child, which is why he targets abusers in return.]]
* LaserGuidedKarma[=/=]PayEvilUntoEvil: His M.O. [[spoiler:He finds abusive people, and inflicts the wounds they inflicted on the innocent.]]
* MotiveRant: A big one towards the end.
* NonIndicativeName: Nearly all of his victims survive, though not exactly in one piece. The episode opens with his first (and only) actual (and possibly unintentional) kill, yet the media had dubbed him "The Good Samaritan Killer" before this.
** Nothing in the episode, apart from the number in the title, suggests that he is a Blacklister. In fact Liz has to persuade Cooper to let her take the case because the Good Samaritan Killer was part of her old job (homicide), not her new one. He has zero connections to international terrorism or organized crime and while he is certainly dangerous, he isn't really on the same level as everybody else on the list (some people below him are ''terrorists''). Reddington admits he doesn't know anything about him either and can only make suggestions. The only possible reason Reddington would have added him to the list is that he knew ''Liz'' was interested in catching him, but he makes no allusion to that either.

->'''Played By:''' Justin Kirk (Nathaniel Wolff)

General Ludd is not an individual, but an organization. Devoted to bringing down the One-Percenters of the world. Sort of a cross between Anonymous, the Symbionese Liberation Army and the Unabomber. They are led by Nathaniel Wolff.

* FreudianExcuse: Not them as a whole, but their founder, Nathaniel Wolff: His father lost his job (and subsequently [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]]) due the actions of the big companies doing as they pleased.

->'''Played By:''' Daniel Sauli

* MasterPoisoner
* NoNameGiven: Only ever known as "The Freelancer". We never even find out his name in his episode, since the focus shifts to [[spoiler:the real villain of the week.]]
* ProfessionalKiller: He's an assassin who covers up his hits in larger tragedies.
* PsychoForHire

->'''Played By:''' Margarita Levieva

->'''Red''': ''"Gina Zanetakos is a corporate terrorist. And frankly, she's the best of the bunch. "''

A corporate terrorist for hire specialized in corporate espionage. She was hired by an unknown corporation to conduct a terror attack in the southern United States.

* MsFanservice

* UnholyMatrimony: According to Reddington, she was in a relationship with Tom Keen (or whoever he allegedly is), and the two were partners in crime. She claims to have never seen him before, which is good enough for Liz...for now.

->'''Played By:''' Tom Noonan

->'''Red''': ''"See Lizzie, now I'm interested. The Stewmaker's in town. You're gonna need a plumber."''

* AntiVillain

* EvilOldFolks

* LeanAndMean

-> '''Played by:''' Jaime Jackson

* BaldOfEvil

* [[spoiler:SuicideByCop]]

* [[spoiler:YourDaysAreNumbered]]: [[spoiler: Is dying of a terminal illness, which is why he's launching his attack.]]

-> '''Played by:''' [[spoiler:Isabella Rossellini]]

The leader of the Everhardt Cartel who masquerades [[spoiler:as a human rights activist.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing
* BrokenPedestal: For [[spoiler:Liz, who wrote her thesis on her.]]
* ManipulativeBitch: By using [[spoiler:her charity as a front, she's able to wipe out her criminal competition by directing law enforcement where to go.]]
* [[spoiler:MoleInCharge]]

* WouldHurtAChild: She's in the business of child sex trafficking.

->'''Played by:''' Amir Arison

* AscendedExtra: Initially he was just a tech guy who got a few lines in a couple of episodes. Then ''Anslo Garrick'' happened and he had to [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]] and help fight some mercenaries.

* FakeGuestStar: Like Dembe, he has appeared in almost every episode after the pilot. He usually gets more to do as well.

* NiceGuy: He does seem to be one of most easy-going of the group.

->'''Played By:''' Jane Alexander

* [[spoiler: BitchInSheepsClothing]]

* [[spoiler: EvilAllAlong]]
* {{Jerkass}}: While her reasons for being a ObstructiveBureaucrat are more or less justified, she could at least ''try'' to be less abrasive and disrespectful about it. [[spoiler: {{Justified}} because she's actually a ''villain''.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Became this after being informed that [[spoiler:Fitch's party was covertly doing surveillance on her.]] Later on, [[spoiler: it turns out she and Fitch were working together from the start.]]

->'''Played By''': Alan Alda

A mysterious individual from Reddington's past, apparently connected to a larger organization of some kind. [[spoiler: He is on a Senate committee investigating the task force in the aftermath of the Garrick attack- which he was ultimately behind-, and Fowler secretly reports to him.]]

* BiggerBad: He's the one who hired Garrick.
* EvilOldFolks
* FriendlyEnemy: Fitch says himself he actually likes Reddington, despite everything.
* GenreSavvy: He's quite knowledgeable regarding Reddington's M.O.

* [[spoiler: MoleInCharge: Fowler answers to him, both in public and as part of their criminal conspiracy.]]
* NebulousEvilOrganization: Represents one.
* SharpDressedMan: Impeccably dressed.

->'''Played By:''' William Sadler

* TheAtoner: According to him, he must make up for some mistake he comitted by telling the truth. ''What'' mistake is still unknown. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for him, Reddington disagrees.]]
* [[spoiler: CharacterDeath: Reddington gives him a MercyKill combined with HeKnowsTooMuch.]]
* CoolOldGuy

->'''Played By:''' Rachel Brosnahan

A mysterious woman who claims to be a substitute teacher and has been attempting to seduce Tom, but definitely has an ulterior agenda. [[spoiler: Her real name is Lucy Brooks, and she has been spying on Red. She works for whoever Tom does, and was sent to make sure he remembers he only married Elizabeth because she is his target.]]

* AmbiguouslyEvil: While she definitely isn't who she claims to be, its not clear on whose side she is on. [[spoiler: Its looking increasingly like the bad guys, though.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Its clear from the start that her intentions towards Tom and Liz are far from benign. [[spoiler: Turns out, she was sent to be his ''handler''.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: We have actually seen her way before her debut- [[spoiler: she was the girl whose body the Stewmaker supposedly got rid of, the one whose photo Red stole at the end of that episode.]]
* ConsummateLiar: The audience knows from the start that she isn't who she claims to be, but she puts on a good act.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: According to Red, her real name is Lucy Brooks and she faked her death to elude him.]]
* [[spoiler: HiddenAgendaVillain]]
* ManipulativeBitch
* PunnyName: A CoverVersion of the Music/DollyParton song "Jolene" plays over her and Tom at one point; since it's established that Jolene is a fake name, she might well have chosen it for that very reason.

* AntiVillain: The Judge genuinely believes that their cause is righteous and takes great pains to study every case, going after people they honestly think deserve it.
* AmoralAttorney: The Judge could be considered a subversion, only taking cases if they're absolutely sure that the client has been wrongfully convicted, and refusing to hand down a sentence that exceeds what the client received. They also don't take payment. That being said, they are still taking the law into their own hands, [[spoiler: and in at least one case, turn out to have been dead wrong.]]
* [[spoiler: EvilMatriarch: Her followers and even her prisoners refer to her as "mother".]]
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: She says that her father was the victim of a miscarriage and that this set her on the path she took.]]

* ShroudedInMyth: Red only knows The Judge as an urban legend and the FBI have never even heard of them. Its not known if most prisoners believe in The Judge either, given that only a handful of cases are taken.

* StockholmSyndrome: [[spoiler: Her prisoners refer to her as "mother".]]
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Blames their victims for their punishing them. If they had done their job properly, The Judge wouldn't be going after them.

* ChekovsGunman: We have actually seen her way before her debut- [[spoiler: she was the girl whose body the Stewmaker supposedly got rid of, the one whose photo Red stole at the end of that episode.]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: --> '''Jolene''': Elizabeth Keen is not your wife; she is your target.]]

* FramingTheGuiltyParty: What Fitch's party tries to do with Aram as a decoy in the aftermath of the black ops compound raid. Luckily, Reddington saw through this and saved him before the FBI can falsely arrest him for being a double agent.

* ConsumateLiar: The audience knows from the start that she isn't who she claims to be, but she puts on a good act.

* PunnyName: The Dolly Parton song Jolene plays over her and Tom at one point (well, a cover of it); since its established that Jolene is a fake name, she might well have chosen it for that very reason.

* PunnyName: The Dolly Parton song Jolene plays over her and Tom at one point; since its established that Jolene is a fake name, she might well have chosen it for that very reason.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: He may or may not be a ruthless international assassin. Reddington insists that he is, but no evidence has yet to emerge that can't be explained as a set up.[[spoiler: Turns out, Red ain't lyin.]]

* DarkSecret: Neither Liz nor the audience knows what it is yet (or even if it's real), but Reddington might.[[spoiler: As of "The Judge", its confirmed to be real.]]
* {{Frameup}}: This is his excuse, and all evidence points in this direction.[[spoiler: Until "The Judge", when it turns out he really is a villain.]]

* UnholyMatrimony: According to Red, "Tom" was in a relationship with corporate terrorist Gina Zanetakos, aka Blacklister number 152, and served as her partner in crime. Both he and Zanetakos deny knowing each other.

* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:His mother abused him as a child, which is why targets abusers in return.]]

* DarkSecret: Neither Liz nor the audience knows what it is yet (or even if it's real), but Reddington might.[[spoiler: As of ''The Judge'', its confirmed to be real.]]
* {{Frameup}}: This is his excuse, and all evidence points in this direction.[[spoiler: Until ''The Judge'', when it turns out he really is a villain.]]

a.k.a. [[spoiler:Ruth Suzanne Kipling.]]A mysterious appeal hearer for the condemned. If a prisoner feels they were wrongly convicted, they can submit their case. And if The Judge deems them innocent, the people who put them away are made to pay.

Liz's husband, a grade school teacher who at first appears to be warm, loving and sensitive. However, he's been hiding something from his wife; he has an EmergencyStash of guns, money and passports secreted inside their house, and he's somehow involved with the murder of a Russian defector in Boston. Or is it all a FrameUp? With Reddington's help- or perhaps, in spite of it-, Liz searches for the truth...

* AmbiguouslyBrown: His name and skin complexion suggests that he has Middle Eastern heritage.

* AmoralAttorney: The Judge could be considered a subversion, only taking cases if they're absolutely sure that the client has been wrongfully convicted, and refusing to hand down a sentence that exceeds what the client received. They also don't take payment. On the other hand, they are ''still'' taking the law into their own hands, [[spoiler: and in at least one case, turn out to have been dead wrong.]]