| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | !Protagonists |
| 4 | |
| 5 | !!Alex |
| 6 | [[folder:Alex Rider]] |
| 7 | !!Alexander John Rider |
| 8 | !!!'''Played by:''' Alex Pettyfer (2006 film), Otto Farrant (2020 TV series) |
| 9 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Eagle Strike'' | ''Scorpia'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' | ''Russian Roulette'' | ''Never Say Die'' | ''Secret Weapon'' | ''Nightshade'' |
| 10 | [[quoteright:119:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alex_gn.PNG]] |
| 11 | [[caption-width-right:119: ''Alex as he appears in the graphic novels'']] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ->'''Alex Rider''': "I'm too young to die." |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Alex is a young agent for [=MI6=], the British international intelligence service. At no more than fourteen years of age, Alex was forced into this occupation after [=MI6=] noticed Alex's many talents. He has not only worked for [=MI6=], but also the CIA, Scorpia (in Scorpia), and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (in Snakehead). |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | * AdaptationDyeJob: Alex has "fair" hair in the books, later described as light brown in ''Crocodile Tears''. The film and graphic novels (which came out before ''Crocodile Tears'') have it as blond. |
| 19 | %%* AntiHero: [[ClassicalAntiHero Type I]] [[CharacterDevelopment -->]] [[MrViceGuy Type II]] or [[PragmaticHero III]]. |
| 20 | * BullyHunter: Alex befriended Tom by going after his bullies. |
| 21 | * ButtMonkey: Poor Alex can hardly take a breath of fresh air without being whisked away on another life-threatening, trauma-inducing mission. |
| 22 | * CasualDangerDialogue: Alex is quite nonchalant sometimes about the various death traps and problems he faces.... |
| 23 | * ChildSoldier: To put it bluntly he entered his business in a similar manner to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]]. |
| 24 | * CombatPragmatist: Has been known to use whatever resources are available to him to win in a fight. |
| 25 | * ColdBloodedTorture: Faces the possibility and escapes this, in Point Blanc, Dr. Grief wants to perform an anaesthetized vivisection on Alex. In layman's terms, he wants to harvest organs from Alex while he's still awake. You may now vomit and shudder. Eventually in Scorpia Rising. Alex is water-boarded by the [[spoiler:CIA]]. Thankfully, [[spoiler: Joe Byrne intervenes.]] Later [[BigBad Razim]] pulls out his own brand. |
| 26 | * CoveredInScars: Alex is covered in injuries and "souvenirs" from his missions, including a bullet wound just beneath his heart, the scars across his back from being set on fire by an exploding petrol drum, touching a poisonous spider's web, being repeatedly punched in the head by Damian Cray, the aftereffects of being dangled out of a coach window and using a float from a seaplane as a makeshift kayak. |
| 27 | * DeadpanSnarker: Even -- maybe especially -- in the face of terrible events. Possibly becomes [[StepfordSnarker something of a coping mechanism]]. |
| 28 | * DespairEventHorizon: Pushed over it [[spoiler: by Razim]]. |
| 29 | * DrinkBasedCharacterization: His usual drink of choice is a Coke or an orange juice. |
| 30 | * {{Expy}}: The author wrote him as a teenage Franchise/JamesBond. He even gets unfavourably compared to him a few times by his detractors InUniverse. Case in point his nickname during training: Double O-Nothing. |
| 31 | ** On the other hand, he can also be the end result of imagining [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] as a spy. |
| 32 | * {{Fauxreigner}}: In ''Skeleton Key'', he poses as the child of an American family from {{Hollywood|California}}. Unfortunately, the BigBad already knows who they really are. |
| 33 | * GainingTheWillToKill: Played with. While the BigBad of the book usually ends up dead, and mostly because of Alex, he rationalizes them away as accidents (in that he didn't intend any of them to die or directly have a hand in their deaths). Alex's willingness to kill is treated by the series as a strict code he has no intentions of breaking--when [[spoiler:SCORPIA manipulates him into trying to kill Ms. Jones by showing her ordering his father's death]], Alex still has trouble shooting. Eventually, [[spoiler:he does shoot, but later is told that his shot would have missed despite being at point-blank range, meaning he really can't kill]]. In the last two books, [[spoiler:Alex begins to lose this innocence, doing things that would definitely kill the recipients--in ''Crocodile Tears'', he cuts open a {{mook}}'s protective suit while in a toxic biodome and attaches an explosive to a fuel barrel before rolling it over to the main villain. Finally, in ''Scorpia Rising'', the last book he shoots Julius Grief point-blank in the head while the former was at his mercy, but scrambling for a gun]]. Unusually, this is treated as a good thing, kind of. [[spoiler:Ms. Jones states later that due to Julius' personality and appearance, Alex also symbolically killed off the part of his mind that [=MI6=] created--in other words, the part that killed Julius in the first place]]. |
| 34 | * GallowsHumor: ''All the time''. It would be easier to count the times where he ''hasn't'' cracked a joke in the face of terrible events. |
| 35 | %%* GoodIsNotSoft |
| 36 | * GoodWithNumbers: In Stormbreaker, Alex shows he is adept in mathematics as he solves a problem on the board just after glancing at it. |
| 37 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He defects to Scorpia in the novel of the same name, but eventually stays a "Face" after learning the truth about what they really have planned. |
| 38 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: It started out with [[BullyHunter taking out Tom's bullies]] then taking out Skoda, and later, Damian Cray. |
| 39 | * IJustWantToBeNormal: Described as a spy wanting to be a schoolboy. |
| 40 | ** ChronicHeroSyndrome[=/=]InHarmsWay: Who can't seem to keep himself out of high-risk situations even when Blunt isn't blackmailing him (even though he truly hates his "job") and refuses to quit before it's over...once it's started, anyway. (Also an unusual case in that he's usually not truly motivated by the greater good, although that's certainly a factor, instead being at least partially motivated by the well-being of people he cares about. Both tropes are {{downplayed|trope}}.) |
| 41 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: Being a CombatPragmatist, Alex has used unlikely objects to take down his foes. Such as a [[ItMakesSenseInContext snowmobile.]] |
| 42 | * HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath: Suffers one at the end of ''Scorpia Rising'' and [[spoiler:when Jack is killed]]. |
| 43 | * InTheBlood: His father, his uncle, and his godfather were all spies before him. |
| 44 | * IronicName: Rider, if it is in the context of horseback riding, the one sport he hates. |
| 45 | * KnightInSourArmour: He hates being a spy, but conscience ultimately forces him to go into it. Well, that and Blunt often making it [[{{Blackmail}} impossible]] [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse to say no]]. |
| 46 | * KungFuKid: One of his ways of getting by with his black belt in karate, since he almost never has a gun. |
| 47 | * LeeroyJenkins: Alex sometimes veers into this, especially in between missions. It's lampshaded in book two when he causes a lot of damage with a crane. Albeit because he didn't finish what he planned and things gust [[{{Pun}} fell out of shape.]] |
| 48 | * MagicalDefibrillator: Subverted. Alex attacks a character with a defibrillator. Given the misuse in other works, and the whole thing being preceded with something along the lines of "he knew what they did, he'd seen a lot of television", those must have been some [[ShownTheirWork pretty accurate]] television shows. |
| 49 | * MasterOfDisguise: One reason he blends in so well to backgrounds. |
| 50 | * MrFanservice: Discounting ''Stormbreaker'' and it's graphic novel, Alex has appeared shirtless at least once in every novel and graphic novel, and is often described as good-looking and very fit. |
| 51 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A possible interpretation of his HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath at the end of ''Skeleton Key''. |
| 52 | ** And in Scorpia Rising. |
| 53 | * NarrativeProfanityFilter: Filters explicit stuff, until ''Scorpia Rising'', where we are basically just told that Alex tells the CIA to go fuck themselves. |
| 54 | * NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine : This happens frequently with Alex. He's dined with every one of the BigBad's in each book. |
| 55 | ** Taken to its logical extreme in ''Skeleton Key'' where the villain more or less tries to ''adopt'' him and treats him like his now-dead biological son, after Alex ends up getting captured. Much of the book is the BigBad letting (or rather, forcing) Alex to live with him in his luxury home, getting him to take part in various activities (like horse riding) and telling Alex WeCanRuleTogether. And dining with him, of course. He even forbids his {{Mooks}} and TheDragon from harming him (the latter [[RevengeBeforeReason gleefully disobeys)]] When Alex finally foils his EvilPlan and puts himself at his mercy, [[spoiler: he chooses to shoot himself rather than kill him.]] |
| 56 | %%* NotQuiteDead: At the beginning of the sixth book. |
| 57 | * ObfuscatingDisability: Alex has been kidnapped and several agencies are looking for him. The bad guys need to get him through an airport without arousing suspicion. How do they do it? [[spoiler: They drug him to make him look like a disabled person, they note that no one looks twice at a disabled person, working this to their advantage.]] |
| 58 | * {{Omniglot}}: Can fluently speak French, Spanish as well as some German. It is mentioned [[AllThereInTheManual on the wiki that he speaks basic Latin and Japanese.]] He appears to be more fluent in Japanese in the film and graphic novels. |
| 59 | * OurHeroIsDead: The ending of the penultimate chapter and beginning of the final chapter of ''Skeleton Key'' imply that Alex is dead before it turns out that [[spoiler:Sarov killed himself, not Alex.]] |
| 60 | ** The end of ''Scorpia'' was ''not'' intended to be this as Horowitz believed the audience would assume Alex would be fine. |
| 61 | ** There's a bit of this in Point Blanc too, with [=MI6=] organising a sham funeral to trick Stellenbosch and Dr Grief into thinking Alex was really dead. |
| 62 | * OvertOperative: This isn't a perfect example of this, in that the whole reason for using Alex Rider as a spy is that bad guys are supposed to think that he is {{Just A Kid}}. However, somehow the bad guys almost always find out who is really is and who he is working for, often by looking up his file in their {{Magical Database}}. Given how many times that his cover has been blown, it is amazing that he is still considered useful for covert operations. |
| 63 | ** He remains useful due to his unique psychology - though he's an experienced and blooded agent, he doesn't act like one consistently. His enemies are used to ChildSoldiers, but they aren't used to one being so stable. Alex's lifestyle and worldview (a schoolboy who keeps getting blackmailed into covert operations rather than a covert operative who takes time off to go to school) keep him psychologically healthy enough for people to keep seeing the "schoolboy" and forget that they're looking at a fighter capable of disabling men three times his size with his bare hands and [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard causing millions in property damage with the contents of the average closet]]. |
| 64 | ** Ironically enough, the fact that Alex is forbidden from ever carrying or using a gun is also a factor that probably contributes to his success. Without the recourse of direct violence to fall back on, Alex is constantly forced to think outside the box and resort to ideas and tactics that villains are unlikely to expect. |
| 65 | * PayEvilUntoEvil: In ''Scorpia Rising'', [[spoiler:he gets his revenge on Razim for torturing him and killing Jack.]] |
| 66 | * PercussivePickpocket: In Prague in the Czech Republic, Alex learned pickpocketing from his uncle. Alex uses it to swipe matches from the man in charge of SAS training. |
| 67 | ** In ''Eagle Strike'', he uses a similar technique to procure a ticket for Damian Cray's party. |
| 68 | * PostClimaxConfrontation: Alex's fight with [[spoiler:his doppelganger]] at the end of ''Point Blanc''. |
| 69 | ** It happens again in [[spoiler:''Scorpia Rising'']]. |
| 70 | * PrecisionFStrike: Tells the CIA to go fuck themselves. |
| 71 | * PrettyBoy: Thanks to the manga aesthetic of the graphic novels. Not that he's any different in the novels. |
| 72 | * PunchClockHero: He admits as such in ''Scorpia'', but this had been clear from ''Stormbreaker''. |
| 73 | * RealNameAsAnAlias: A lot of his covers retain the first name “Alex” |
| 74 | * ReversePsychology: Alex falls for this near the end of ''Point Blanc''. After nearly killing himself at least three different ways to get out of the school, he refuses to help out in the attack...until Wolf comes in and tells him he's JustAKid. Alex immediately demands to go with them, and realises what he's done five seconds too late. |
| 75 | * RightUnderTheirNoses: During Snakehead, Alex is trapped on the villain's ship and, with nowhere else to hide from the guards, spends a few nerve-wracking hours hiding under [[spoiler: the villain's bed.]] |
| 76 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In ''Eagle Strike''. |
| 77 | * ShellShockedVeteran: [[spoiler:Losing every member of his family and then having the only real adult he can trust killed]] really takes his toll on him by the end. |
| 78 | * ShirtlessScene: In all novels and graphic novels except ''Stormbreaker''. |
| 79 | * ShoutOut: The "Rider" part of his name comes from [[Franchise/JamesBond Honey Ryder.]] |
| 80 | * TechnicalPacifist: He doesn't enjoy fighting. Doesn't mean he isn't really good at it. |
| 81 | * TeenSuperSpy: A deconstruction. |
| 82 | * ThouShaltNotKill: Averted. He is often responsible in some way for the deaths of a BigBad or [[TheDragon their lieutenants]] at least once in each novel. |
| 83 | * TortureAlwaysWorks: Torture isn't even used much in the novel, and is usually avoided or interrupted. |
| 84 | ** In ''Skeleton Key'' when [[spoiler:Conrad]] places [[spoiler:Alex]] on a Sugar Grinder conveyor belt and threatens to grind him up if he doesn't talk. At first [[spoiler: Alex]] attempts to lie but once that fails he spills everything. [[spoiler:Conrad]] [[ObviouslyEvil being the guy that he is]], decides to... [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness grind him him up anyways.]] [[spoiler: Alex is only saved when Sarov interrupts]]. |
| 85 | ** In ''Ark Angel'' when [[spoiler: Alex tells Kaspar that he's not Paul Drevin when one of the [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep nameless]] {{Mooks}} attempts to cut off one of his fingers.]] [[spoiler: Kaspar threatens to kill Alex if it turns out he's not really Paul Drevin but they purposely allow him to escape the death trap they built for him as it is all part of [[TheChessmaster Nikolei Drevin's master plan]]]]. |
| 86 | ** And the time in ''Crocodile Tears'' where [[spoiler: Alex]] was dangling over a pool of crocodiles and told [[spoiler:[[BigBad Desmond McCain]]]] '''EVERYTHING''' rather quickly. [[spoiler: Alex is only saved when Rahim interrupts.]] |
| 87 | ** And then there was the time [[spoiler: Alex]] spilled his guts to a few CIA agents in ''Scorpia Rising'' to prevent this. They torture him anyway. [[spoiler: He is only saved when their superior Joe Bryne (who knows Alex) intervenes.]] |
| 88 | * TraumaCongaLine: This is his life in a nutshell. |
| 89 | * UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Some of Alex's escapes. In ''Scorpia Rising'', he escapes [[spoiler: because he had a scorpion hidden in a cigarette packet which he'd captured whilst in his cell, which he then placed in the van and tricked Erik Gunter into opening. The ''only'' thing the reader knows about this before it happens is that there is a nest of scorpions in Alex's cell.]] |
| 90 | * ViewersAreGeniuses: Anthony Horowitz didn't expect anyone to believe Alex was really dead at the end of ''Scorpia'' because the gun used by the assassin is completely unsuited to assassination attempts. |
| 91 | * VillainKiller: As noted by Julia Rothman in ''Scorpia'', almost every villain Alex has gone up against has ended up dead due to his actions, though he doesn't see himself as a murderer by that point, seeing as he's usually acting in self-defense and/or without the intent to kill. |
| 92 | * WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. Alex misses most of his schooling due to his missions. It's gotten to the point that everyone, both student and faculty, somehow knows that there's something wrong with him and that there's more to him than just "illnesses". |
| 93 | * WiseBeyondTheirYears: Alex has been described as this by other characters due to the [[ShellShockedVeteran psychological damage he has taken from his missions, enduring horrors that nobody should have to go through and watching people die]]. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | !!Alex's Allies |
| 97 | [[folder:Jack Starbright]] |
| 98 | !!Jack Starbright |
| 99 | !!!'''Played by:''' Alicia Silverstone (2006 film), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (2020 TV series) |
| 100 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Eagle Strike'' | ''Scorpia'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' | ''Russian Roulette'' | ''Never Say Die'' | ''Secret Weapon'' | ''Nightshade'' |
| 101 | [[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_comic_version.jpg]] |
| 102 | [[caption-width-right:100: ''Jack's appearance in the graphic novels'']] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | Eight years before the start of Stormbreaker, she came to Britain. She struggled to receive a visa (mentioned by the [=MI6=] director Alan Blunt), before Ian Rider employed her to look after Alex. After Ian died she became Alex's legal guardian. |
| 105 | ---- |
| 106 | * AdaptationDyeJob: In the novels she has red hair. In the film and graphic novels, she is blonde. |
| 107 | * AscendedExtra: Plays a considerably more active role in ''Eagle Strike'', only to be DemotedToExtra in ''Scorpia''. |
| 108 | ** And then she ascends back up in ''Scorpia Rising''. |
| 109 | * {{Blackmail}}: Blunt blackmailed Alex into being a spy by threatening to use information relating to Jack's visa and have her deported and by making sure Alex would be put into an undoubtedly bad institution. |
| 110 | * CollateralAngst: [[spoiler:Invoked by Razim. Jack is blown up by a landmine just to make Alex cross the DespairEventHorizon because Razim wished to see how much emotional pain it would cause Alex. But it's actually just an empty car; Jack was extracted and the car detonated later.]] |
| 111 | * CoolBigSis: Jack is actually Alex's housekeeper, but he appears to think of her more as one of these. |
| 112 | * FieryRedhead: Gets rather heated up whenever Blunt gets involved. |
| 113 | * InnocentBlueEyes |
| 114 | * [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: Averted. Razim alters footage of her escape to make it seem as though her escape vehicle was detonated, and the Grimaldi brothers enlist her services as a nurse. It is clear, however, that her death was absolutely intended to be real at the time, and Horowitz retconned her survival in when he decided to write another book.]] |
| 115 | * KindlyHousekeeper: Jack is a bit younger than most examples of this trope, but she still fits as she cares for Alex even though she technically finished her course long ago. |
| 116 | * NiceGirl: As much as the setting allows. |
| 117 | [[/folder]] |
| 118 | |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:[=MI6=]]] |
| 121 | !Alan Blunt |
| 122 | !!!'''Played by:''' Bill Nighy (2006 film), Creator/StephenDillane (2020 TV series) |
| 123 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Eagle Strike'' | ''Scorpia'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' | ''Secret Weapon'' |
| 124 | ---- |
| 125 | |
| 126 | * {{Blackmail}}: Blunt blackmailed Alex into being a spy by threatening to use information relating to Jack's visa and have her deported and by making sure Alex would be put into an undoubtedly bad institution. |
| 127 | * CharacterDevelopment: While his overall attitude never really changes, he ''does'' start taking Alex a tad more seriously as an agent, going from merely considering him as an asset in ''Skeleton Key'' to one of his people by the time of ''Crocodile Tears''. Screwing up the Damian Cray incident in ''Eagle Strike'' might have had something to do with it. His SympatheticPOV in ''Scorpia Rising'' even reveals that he's actually quite pleased with Alex's work as an agent, and believes that Alex has surpassed his uncle and father. |
| 128 | * CompromisingMemoirs: Discussed briefly after [[spoiler:he's forced to retire in ''Scorpia Rising'']]. He chooses not to do so. |
| 129 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler:One of the most contrived and tragic examples to date. In ''Scorpia'', [=MI6=] knew about Scorpia's rise in recent years so they had one of their agents named ''John Rider'', Alex's father to act as an prospective asset to Scorpia, becoming TheMole to subvert their operations. After some backstory faking, Scorpia scouted and recruited him as planned and he rose among their ranks to be one of their best agents and teachers of future agents. This includes one ''Yassen Gregorovich'', who would wind up being the killer of Ian Rider and the one who sets Alex Rider down the path of the spy]]. |
| 130 | * DeliberatelyMonochrome: Always wears grey. Heck, his whole appearance looks monochrome, and he does the same with his office, making sure that it says absolutely nothing about him. |
| 131 | * DemotedToExtra: Only makes a fleeting appearance in ''Ark Angel'' during the VillainOpeningScene. |
| 132 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Shows off GoodIsNotNice through the said {{Blackmail}} above. |
| 133 | * GoodIsNotNice: He is made of this trope. He starts by [[{{Blackmail}} blackmailing]] Alex by threatening to arrange for Jack's expulsion from the country, and later entries have him find multiple underhanded methods to get Alex to continue working for him, such as: |
| 134 | ** ''Point Blank'', where he sends Alex over to stop Dr. Grief so that Alex won't get in trouble regarding a drug-trafficking ring that he was trying to stop. |
| 135 | ** ''Crocodile Tears'', when Alex is simply asking him to stop Harry Bulman from divulging his research into Alex's life, Blunt sends him on a mission to spy on Leonard Straik in exchange...a mission that involves a biological research facility filled with toxic fauna and flora that Alex ends up in. |
| 136 | ** ''Scorpia Rising'', when it's revealed at the end that [[spoiler:Alan Blunt arranged for the sniper to attack Alex at his school solely for the purpose of getting an excuse to put Alex on another assignment. That's right, he ''arranged a school shooting'' in order to coerce a fifteen-year-old boy into working as a spy again]]. |
| 137 | ** Even in the books where he's not directly recruiting Alex, he's not a very pleasant person to be around, outright dismissing Alex's potential trauma in ''Skeleton Key'' (and not showing a high amount of sympathy for an even worse trauma in ''Scorpia Rising'') and dismissing his warnings about Damian Cray in ''Eagle Strike''. At the same time though, he's also up against lunatics and psychopaths whose goals would destroy the balance of power in the world and/or kill thousands to millions of innocent people. Blunt simply sees no need to sugarcoat his actions, and acknowledges that the work of a secret agent is a dirty business. |
| 138 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: Uses this trope as an excuse for his general stoic attitude and his actions in ''Scorpia Rising''. He even quotes the [[TropeNamer trope naming]] line itself, showing that he is fully aware of this, having to live with such decisions. |
| 139 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: The agent who he spent quite some time preparing to use as an asset (Alex), ultimately is the reason why he's forced to retire. The Prime Minister was furious that Blunt essentially recruited a ChildSoldier who was lucky to come back alive from each of his missions. |
| 140 | * HiddenDepths: While thinking over Scorpia's latest plot in ''Scorpia Rising'', he's revealed to be genuinely fond of several agents, regretting their deaths, and being quite pleased with Alex's success rate. Part of him is also shown to be relieved that the Prime Minister has forbidden him to use Alex again because of the prospect of Alex getting killed. |
| 141 | * {{Jerkass}}: Rather rude, needless to say. |
| 142 | * KarmaHoudini: ''And how.'' [[spoiler:For arranging a school shooting and taking Alex to Egypt for another mission, he gets a knighthood and to retire and take a vacation with his wife. Granted, he wasn't exactly ''desiring'' retirement, but he still gets off fairly light.]] |
| 143 | * KnightTemplar: The actions he takes for his plans to come to fruition scream this. |
| 144 | %%* ManipulativeBastard: Goes to great lengths to keep Alex 'employed.' |
| 145 | * MeaningfulName: Alan ''Blunt'', to match his abrasive attitude. |
| 146 | * OutGambitted: Despite believing himself to be one step ahead of Scorpia in ''Scorpia Rising'', he is in fact walking into their trap. |
| 147 | * PetTheDog: He shows a surprising amount of concern for Alex in the meeting with the Prime Minister in ''Crocodile Tears''. Then again, he could be doing this to act like he cares, as the government isn't too fond of [=MI6=]. |
| 148 | * TheSpymaster: Head of [=MI6=]. |
| 149 | * TheStoic: He's often described as seeming completely emotionless. |
| 150 | ** NotSoStoic: On the rare occasions he ''does'' show emotion, you know it's serious. In ''Scorpia'', he is clearly genuinely afraid of the titular organisation's threat to kill tens of thousands of schoolchildren, and when he's telling Alex the truth about how his parents really died, there's "a little pain" in his voice. |
| 151 | * TokenEvilTeammate: "Evil" might be a strong word, but he's certainly got a meaner streak and is more willing to use manipulation compared to the other members of [=MI6=]. |
| 152 | * WhatTheHellHero: On the receiving end of this from Mrs. Jones several times whenever he crosses a line. By ''Scorpia Rising'', she really lets him have it [[spoiler:for arranging a school shooting just to hire Alex again, especially since it turned out that he walked right into Scorpia's trap.]] |
| 153 | * WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:Arranges a school shooting to force Alex to work for him again.]] |
| 154 | |
| 155 | !Mrs. Jones |
| 156 | !!!'''Played by:''' Sophie Okonodeo (2006 film), Vicky [=McClure=] (TV series)) |
| 157 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Eagle Strike'' | ''Scorpia'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' | ''Never Say Die'' | ''Secret Weapon'' | ''Nightshade'' |
| 158 | ---- |
| 159 | |
| 160 | * AdaptationalAttractiveness: It is outright stated in ''Snakehead'' that Mrs Jones is "not attractive". Compare her appearance in the movie, show, and graphic novels. Even in earlier novels she was described as "a head shaped like a potato". |
| 161 | * TheChessmaster: Conducts an epic operation using John Rider to humiliate Scorpia and rescue an VIP hostage |
| 162 | * DefrostingIceQueen: As time goes on, she becomes more warm. |
| 163 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: [[spoiler:It's revealed to be "Tulip."]] To quote Alex's inner monologue: "It made sense. He wouldn't have used that name either." |
| 164 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's slightly abrasive but genuinely wants the best for Britain, and eventually for Alex too. |
| 165 | * LastNameBasis: [[EmbarrassingFirstName For understandable reasons]], she's almost always referred to as "Mrs. Jones" without any mention of her first name. |
| 166 | * NumberTwo: Is Alan Blunt's second-in-command. |
| 167 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Shares this with Smithers. Both want the best for Alex and by the end of the series are strongly advocating for him to be let free from [=MI6=]'s employment. [[spoiler:After Blunt's retirement, Mrs. Jones takes over as head of [=MI6=], and probably makes sure that [=MI6=] will never contact Alex again.]] |
| 168 | * SheWhoFightsMonsters: Mrs. Jones [[DefiedTrope defies the trope]] in ''Scorpia''. Although she had the chance to correct Alex [[spoiler: about how his father died]] she didn't because she didn't want to use him [[spoiler: the way Julia Rothman did]]. |
| 169 | * TheUnreveal: What did happen to her husband and children? This would never have been answered at all had Horowitz not decided to bring the series back, but ''Nightshade'' [[SubvertedTrope finally fills us in]], some nineteen years after the first mention that she "used to have children". |
| 170 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Always has a peppermint. |
| 171 | * YouKilledMyFather: Alex is informed by Scorpia about the circumstances of his father's death. [[spoiler: Subverted by ''Scorpia'' with Mrs. Jones for John Rider.]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | !Derek Smithers |
| 174 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/Stephen Fry (2006 film), Nyasha Hatendi (2020 TV series)) |
| 175 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Scorpia'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' | ''Secret Weapon'' |
| 176 | ---- |
| 177 | |
| 178 | * BadassBookworm: As the gadget guy of [=MI6=], he fits this trope well. |
| 179 | * BigFun: He's slightly fat, but he's a very enjoyable guy. |
| 180 | * ChekhovsGun: WordOfGod stated that Smithers has had a gadget that has appeared, unknown to the reader, in every book to up to the 8th book, ''Crocodile Tears''. This was finally revealed in ''Scorpia Rising'', book 9. And that gadget is [[spoiler:[[FatSuit Smithers' own fat]]. In fact, he's very thin and fit but has been wearing a special suit that has made him look fat all along]]. |
| 181 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: You think his weight problems hinder him? You'd be right, but [[spoiler:he's surprisingly effective at getting rid of the Scorpia team that come his way]]. And then he's revealed to [[spoiler:not even be fat]]. |
| 182 | * DarkSecret: To be revealed in ''Scorpia Rising'' as per WordOfGod, it's that [[spoiler:Smithers is actually a thin man wearing a special suit that only makes him look fat]]. |
| 183 | * {{Fauxreigner}}: [[spoiler: After removing his FatSuit it turns out the "real" Smithers is Irish, rather than the "public school" British accent he affects.]] |
| 184 | * DeadlyDelivery: Fails miserably in ''Scorpia Rising'' [[spoiler: when Smithers uses an X-Ray scanner to prove that the delivery man was carrying a gun and the package was empty. He then gets rid of him with a trapdoor under a welcome mat.]] |
| 185 | * DemotedToExtra: He doesn't physically appear in ''Eagle Strike'', but sends Alex his gadget-filled bike with a letter attached. |
| 186 | * GadgeteerGenius: His job. |
| 187 | * GadgetWatch: He gives Alex one in ''Snakehead'' that can send out a distress signal. |
| 188 | * HiddenDepths: ''Scorpia Rising'' reveals that he's always hated the idea of Alex being a spy, but follows the orders of his superiors regardless. He even tells Alex to forget about them all, considering the business to be dirty and not an adventure, and most certainly not a place for a young teenager to be. Alex mentally [[LampshadeHanging comments on this]], wondering if he was getting a look at the real Smithers for the first time. |
| 189 | * LiteralSurveillanceBug: ''Scorpia Rising'', when [[spoiler: Smithers disguises an electronic bug as a dead cockroach.]] |
| 190 | * NiceGuy: Extremely caring for Alex and often holds reservations about putting him in danger, so for that reason he does his best to make sure he's well protected. In ''Scorpia Rising'', he even agrees to go along with Alex's plan. |
| 191 | * {{Pun}}: A lot of his gadget names, including the 'fan club' and the 'Chamber of Secrets'. This therefore makes him a PungeonMaster. |
| 192 | * PutOnABus: He's left [=MI6=] by the time of "Never Say Die", making it the first book in the series he's completely absent from. |
| 193 | * SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Subverted. He's set up to die, but manages to dispose of most of the Scorpia agents sent after him and escapes.]] |
| 194 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: shares this with Mrs Jones in [=MI6=], by the end of the series he's arguing with Alan Blunt on letting Alex go from employment with [=MI6=]. |
| 195 | ** [[spoiler: He makes sure Alex is backed up when he goes rogue in Eagle Strike.]] |
| 196 | * ShoePhone: Every single one of his gadgets. He never actually invented a shoe that works as a phone, though (at least in the books, anyway). |
| 197 | * StuffBlowingUp: Several of Alex's gadgets; Smithers notes when giving him the exploding pens in ''Crocodile Tears'' that he "likes his explosions". |
| 198 | |
| 199 | !John Crawley |
| 200 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JimmyCarr (2006 film), Ace Bhatti (2020 TV series) |
| 201 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' | ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Crocodile Tears'' | ''Never Say Die'' | ''Secret Weapon'' | ''Nightshade'' |
| 202 | ---- |
| 203 | |
| 204 | * AdaptationNameChange: His surname was changed from "Crawley" to "Crawford" in the film and graphic novels by request from the actual [=MI6=]. |
| 205 | * BoringButPractical: His attire looks like it came from the 'boring businessman' section. Probably deliberately too, as he is supposed to appear as a banker. |
| 206 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome / DemotedToExtra: He disappears after ''Skeleton Key''. He shows up very briefly in ''Ark Angel'' and ''Crocodile Tears'', but in both cases he does very little (his involvement in the latter is about half a page that could have been served by another generic [=MI6=] character). [[spoiler: He makes something of a higher-profile return in ''Never Say Die'', though.]] |
| 207 | * TheGenericGuy: His main distinguishing feature is that he has the kind of face one can forget while looking at it. |
| 208 | * HeroesLoveDogs: He is shown walking his dog in ''Skeleton Key'' and seems to be rather fond of it. |
| 209 | * InformedAttribute: He says that he is skilled in Martial Arts and is a proficient marksman. |
| 210 | * MasterOfDisguise: It is known that he can blend in just about anywhere, including the Wimbledon committee. |
| 211 | * NoodleIncident: Crawley has gone up against Scorpia, and does not have positive memories of that time. |
| 212 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Like Smithers, he is more of a decent human being towards Alex. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | !Fox/Ben Daniels |
| 215 | !!!'''Played by:''' Jamie Kenna (2006 film), Ben Peel (2020 TV series) |
| 216 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Snakehead'' | ''Never Say Die'' |
| 217 | ---- |
| 218 | |
| 219 | * AnimalMotifs: His codename was 'Fox'. |
| 220 | * AscendedExtra: He was a background character in ''Stormbreaker'' but then played a much larger role in ''Snakehead'', as he is promoted to Special Operations. |
| 221 | %%** ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: ...and immediately after that novel he pretty much vanishes. |
| 222 | %%** TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: He's back in "Never Say Die".]] |
| 223 | * BigDamnHeroes: He saves Alex's life by killing Anan Sukit who was attempting to shoot Alex after he had beaten Sukit's fighter "Sunthorn" in an arena fight. |
| 224 | * DyeOrDie: It is implied that he is trained to disguise himself. In each of the novels, Ben is said to have black hair cut short, though the extra chapter in "Resistance to Interrogation" describes how "his fair hair was damp and untidy". |
| 225 | * OopNorth: He's from Liverpool. |
| 226 | * SelectiveObliviousness: During the SAS training in Stormbreaker, instead of bullying Alex like Wolf him and the rest of the trainee group ignore Alex. However he interacts with him in the extra chapter "Resistance to Interrogation" Ben explains what is happening before helping lift the lid off a drain for Alex to crawl through to get out of the place where they are being held. |
| 227 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Assists Alex in Snakehead when he is needed. In Snakehead, he follows Alex whilst he prepares and goes on a mission to infiltrate the Snakehead with his godfather, Ash. He later rescues him in a helicopter. |
| 228 | * SeriesContinuityError: Horowitz inadvertently refers to him as "Wolf" in ''Never Say Die'', having conflated the two characters. (This was corrected when the book was reprinted.) |
| 229 | * TookALevelInKindness: Initially rather frosty towards Alex in ''Stormbreaker'', but warms up to him considerably in ''Snakehead''. |
| 230 | |
| 231 | !Wolf |
| 232 | !!!'''Played by:''' Ashley Walters (2006 film), Howard Charles (2020 TV series) |
| 233 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Stormbreaker'' | ''Point Blanc'' |
| 234 | ---- |
| 235 | |
| 236 | * BigDamnHeroes: Saves Alex from being killed by Eva Stellenbosch. |
| 237 | * TheBully: To Alex while in SAS training, going out of his way to make his life even more miserable. Its only after the end of their training that he starts to respect Alex. |
| 238 | * TheCaptain: Now the leader of an SAS rescue unit. |
| 239 | * JerkassRealization: After Alex [[ItMakesSenseInContext kicks him out of a plane to prevent him from being "binned"]], he decides to turn over a new leaf and give Alex the respect he deserves. |
| 240 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Unlike Fox, his real name is never revealed. |
| 241 | * PutOnABus: He's wounded in the raid in ''Point Blanc'', and never heard from again apart from a line confirming he survived. It is mentioned in ''Ark Angel'' that Alex, in the hospital, receives a card from him, mailed from Baghdad, but he doesn't re-appear after that (ignoring his return in ''Never Say Die'' which was corrected to being Fox instead). |
| 242 | * ReversePsychology: Used this with Mrs. Jones in "Point Blanc" when Alex refuses to take part in a [[spoiler: raid on Point Blanc]]. Wolf comes in and tells him he's JustAKid. Alex immediately demands to go with them, and [[OhCrap realises what he's done five seconds too late.]] |
| 243 | * TookALevelInKindness: After the above JerkassRealization, he's much nicer to Alex. |
| 244 | * TrainingFromHell: Subjects Alex to this, to a degree. |
| 245 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: An otherwise competent and formidable soldier whose fear of heights almost gets him "binned" in training. |
| 246 | |
| 247 | !Ian Rider |
| 248 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/EwanMcGregor (2006 film), Andrew Buchan (2020 TV series) |
| 249 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Secret Weapon''[[note]]He has dialogue in flashback scenes in ''Ark Angel'' and ''Snakehead'', but ''Secret Weapon'' contains his only actual appearance, in the pre-''Stormbreaker'' story ''Christmas at Gunpoint''[[/note]] |
| 250 | |
| 251 | * TheAce: Shown he was one as he taught Alex everything he knew prior to his death. |
| 252 | * MeaningfulName: Likely named after Creator/IanFleming, the creator of Franchise/JamesBond. "Ian" is also the Scottish Gaelic variant of "John" (his brother's name), marking the brothers as [[SiblingYinYang dark mirrors of each other]]. |
| 253 | * PlotTriggeringDeath: His death kickstarts Alex's (reluctant) spy career. |
| 254 | * PosthumousCharacter: Is killed right before the start of the series |
| 255 | * WideEyedIdealist: Smithers implies this in ''Scorpia Rising''. |
| 256 | -->[[spoiler: People think that being a spy is fun and exciting. Your uncle was a bit like that. It was all a big adventure as far as he was concerned - and look what happened to him.]] |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:CIA]] |
| 260 | !!Joe Byrne |
| 261 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Skeleton Key'' | ''Ark Angel'' | ''Scorpia Rising'' |
| 262 | |
| 263 | The head of the CIA throughout the series. |
| 264 | ---- |
| 265 | * AFatherToHisMen: He appears genuinely upset when his employees die, and is quite upfront and honest to Alex. |
| 266 | * BigGood: For the CIA. |
| 267 | * GoodIsNotSoft: Does not object to torturing enemies for information, even if he's unhappy about doing it. |
| 268 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike many of the other Americans, Byrne is willing to give Alex a chance and is much more cautious about his well-being than Blunt is. |
| 269 | |
| 270 | !!Tom Turner and Belinda Troy |
| 271 | !!!'''Appear in:''' ''Skeleton Key'' |
| 272 | |
| 273 | Two CIA members that Alex is assigned to work with throughout ''Skeleton Key''. |
| 274 | ---- |
| 275 | |
| 276 | * AdaptationalHeroism: In the American version, Turner/[[AdaptationNameChange Carver]] is very friendly to Alex and even speaks up for him against his partner, Troy. All of his {{Jerkass}} moments are given to her instead. Despite this, Troy is also treated more sympathetically in the narrative. |
| 277 | * AdaptationNameChange: Tom Turner is changed to "Glen Carver" in the American version. |
| 278 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Turner wanted to die for his country. He gets his wish. |
| 279 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:[[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice Skewered repeatedly]] by a trap and then had their remains disposed of.]] |
| 280 | * DistressedDude: Turner was briefly held hostage by the [[DiscOneFinalBoss Salesman]]. |
| 281 | * FailureHero: They completely bungle every one of their objectives, with Alex having to pick up their slack and complete their mission. |
| 282 | * GoodIsNotNice: While undoubtedly on the side of good, they're rather abrasive. |
| 283 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Zigzagged. While abrasive towards Alex, they show some concern when he gets himself in trouble, and are undoubtedly committed to the job. They're good friends with each other and Agent Troy is worried when the Salesman abducts Turner. |
| 284 | * KilledOffScreen: [[spoiler:Alex deduces that the both of them are killed in an underwater cave while trying to infiltrate Sarov's island. Sarov later confirms their deaths to Alex]]. |
| 285 | * OvertOperative: They're too hard-bitten and emotionless to reliably hold down a cover. Every antagonist in the book recognises them as spies. |
| 286 | ** The worst instance has to be when a security guard searches their luggage and finds a receipt from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langley,_Virginia Langley]] (where the CIA is headquartered). But because Alex is with them, the guard lets them pass to avoid the bad publicity of arresting a child. |
| 287 | * TheResenter: Their Cuban associate suggests they dislike Alex because he's a more successful spy despite being a teenager and British. |
| 288 | * SuicidalOverconfidence: What almost gets Turner killed on the Salesman's boat and later gets them both KilledOffscreen. |
| 289 | * UndercoverAsLovers: And to fully secure their cover, Alex is added as their child. |
| 290 | * UngratefulBastard: Alex saves Turner from the Salesman. Turner snaps at him for almost getting them both killed. Averted in the American edition. |
| 291 | |
| 292 | !!Blake Lewinsky |
| 293 | ---- |
| 294 | |
| 295 | * InspectorJavert: His antagonistic role comes from him recognising Alex as an [=MI6=] agent, but not recognising ''why'' he's in Cairo... and being very forceful when trying to get information out of him. |
| 296 | * KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Takes a bullet during the final battle]]. |
| 297 | * TortureTechnician: He waterboards Alex to try and get information from him. |
| 298 | * TortureAlwaysWorks: In this case, it actually does, and Alex breaks and spills everything. [[CassandraTruth Lewinsky still doesn't believe him]], though thankfully, Byrne does when he interrupts the interrogation. |
| 299 | * WouldHurtAChild: He's not at all hesitant to waterboard Alex while interrogating him. Byrne is not pleased upon finding out. |
| 300 | |
| 301 | !!Tamara Knight |
| 302 | !!!'''Appear in:''' ''Ark Angel'' |
| 303 | A CIA agent working undercover as Nikolai Drevin's secretary. |
| 304 | ---- |
| 305 | |
| 306 | * GoodAllAlong: Initially cold towards Alex, she turns out to be his ally helping him several times before revealing herself. |
| 307 | * TheMole: As Drevin's personal assistant. |
| 308 | * SoleSurvivor: The only CIA agent partnered with Alex to live to tell the tale. |
| 309 | [[/folder]] |
| 310 | |
| 311 | [[folder:ASIS]] |
| 312 | !!Ethan Brooke |
| 313 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Snakehead'' |
| 314 | |
| 315 | The head of ASIS. |
| 316 | ---- |
| 317 | * EvilIsPetty: One anecdote discusses how, after a defense minister called his jeans “casual”, he got the man demoted such that he was stuck working as a porter at a hotel. While he is theoretically on the side of good, even [[KnightTemplar Alan Blunt]] thinks he’s devious. |
| 318 | * TokenEvilTeammate: Even more so than Blunt, Ethan Brooke theoretically works for good, but is extremely callous with Alex’s life and extremely petty. |
| 319 | * WouldHurtAChild: Not only employs, Alex, a fourteen-year-old, in deadly intelligence work, but is extremely callous with Alex’s safety. He also knew [[spoiler:Ash was a traitor, but sent Alex on a mission with Ash anyway.]] |
| 320 | |
| 321 | !!Anthony Sean Howell (Ash) |
| 322 | !!!'''Appears in:''' ''Snakehead'' |
| 323 | |
| 324 | Alex’s godfather. He was the best friend of Alex’s father. He and Alex work on a mission together to take down Winston Yu’s organization. |
| 325 | ---- |
| 326 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Ash resented how Blunt and [=MI6=] always saw him as second rate to John, Alex’s father. |
| 327 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: He’s described as having tan skin and black hair. In Alex’s narration, he says Ash could pass as Afghan (which they’re going undercover as) and didn’t look to be of European descent. However, Ash is English, and has a very English-sounding last name, so it’s unclear what Ash’s ethnicity is or if he’s just a very tan person of English descent. |
| 328 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler: Blunt humiliated Ash by demoting him and blaming him for the failure at Medina. This lead to Ash betraying him, killing John, and working for SCORPIA.]] |
| 329 | * CurbStompBattle: Nineteen-year-old Yassen completely eviscerated Ash and his men in Ash’s backstory. |
| 330 | * EvilFormerFriend: [[spoiler:He was John’s best friend, the best man at his wedding, and Alex’s godfather. After getting injured and being demoted, he murdered John and joined SCORPIA.]] |
| 331 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Ash’s first scene has him undercover, playing along with a dangerous drill just so Ethan Brooke can test Alex. [[spoiler: It shows that while reluctant, Ash will endanger Alex if it furthers his career. In the next scene, he is completely dismissive of Alex’s concerns that the drill could’ve gotten Alex killed.]] |
| 332 | * {{Foil}}: To Yassen Gregorovitch. They were the two people closest to John, and both [[spoiler: worked for SCORPIA. Yassen killed Ian. Ash murdered Alex’s mom and dad.]] |
| 333 | ** [[spoiler: Ash acts remorseful about murdering Alex’s parents, but his remorse is ultimately pointless, as it doesn’t stop him from trying to kill Alex if it benefits Ash’s career.]] Yassen appears to be remorseless about killing Ian. However, he disobeys orders to protect Alex, and ultimately [[spoiler:gave his life to save Alex.]] |
| 334 | ** Ash didn’t object to Alex working in the business, and will get Alex more involved if it benefits him. Yassen repeatedly tries to convince Alex to stay out of the spy business for Alex’s safety. |
| 335 | ** Ash worked for the good side. Ash was trusted with the info that John was a double agent, and John also chose him as his best man. Despite John’s faith in him, Ash [[spoiler: betrayed him, murdered him, and, 14 years later, nearly got Alex killed.]] Yassen was John’s assassin trainee and worked for the villains. John never trusted him with the truth. Despite discovering John’s lies, Yassen never revealed John to the [=MI6=], and later, [[spoiler: died saving his son.]] |
| 336 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: A couple of examples: |
| 337 | ** Jack tells Alex that when Ash was in London, he visited a few times, and that he was eager to check up on Alex, his godson. However, despite visiting to see Alex, Jack notes he didn’t talk to Alex much. However, instead, it sounds like he was more interested in dating Jack instead. [[spoiler: He probably felt guilty for murdering Alex’s parents. However, it also shows how shallow Ash’s remorse is and how disinterested Ash is in Alex’s well-being.]] |
| 338 | ** Ash is repeatedly uncomfortable about talking about John and Helen, in his first scenes. [[spoiler: Which makes sense, considering he murdered them.]] |
| 339 | * HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Murdered John and Helen to prove himself to SCORPIA.]] |
| 340 | * OvershadowedByAwesome: From what Alex can see, Ash is a good, knowledgeable agent. However, he didn’t compare to [[TheAce John]] and he got completely wrecked by nineteen-year-old prodigy Yassen. In a similar vein, fourteen-year-old Alex, despite being in Ash’s territory, [[spoiler:figured out Ash was a double agent and defeated him and his boss.]] |
| 341 | * TheResenter: Ash reveals [[spoiler:he joined SCORPIA and murdered John because Blunt always saw him as second best to John.]] |
| 342 | * UnknownRival: Ash devotes a decent amount of time discussing Yassen, and seems to see Yassen as his greatest enemy, particularly for his injury and his failed mission in Malta. Yassen, in his narration, doesn’t seem to spare much thought to Ash. |
| 343 | [[/folder]] |
| 344 | |
| 345 | !Villains |
| 346 | |
| 347 | !!Sayle Industries |
| 348 | [[folder:Herod Sayle]] |
| 349 | !!Herod Sayle / Darrius Sayle |
| 350 | !!!'''Played by:''' Mickey Rourke (2006 film) |
| 351 | |
| 352 | An evil billionaire who wants to kill all of Britain's children via a computer virus he has placed in free computers he's given out. |
| 353 | ---- |
| 354 | * AdaptationalNationality: |
| 355 | ** A variation, Sayle is Lebanese in the original release, but in the American releases he's changed to Egyptian. |
| 356 | ** In the movie and graphic novel, he is changed from Lebanese to American and renamed Darrius Sayle. |
| 357 | * BadGuysPlayPool: He plays snooker with Alex Rider. |
| 358 | * BigBad: Of Stormbreaker. |
| 359 | * BondVillainStupidity: Downplayed. He dumps Alex in a Portuguese man of war tank; while it seems pretty elaborate, it's a trap he's 99% guaranteed to not survive, and Alex probably wouldn't have if he hadn't smuggled one of Smithers's gadgets into the tank with him. He also sends Nadia to make sure he dies (although all that ends up accomplishing is getting her killed, again thanks to the gadget Alex smuggled in). |
| 360 | * EvilIsPetty: Wants to kill thousands of children because the British PM bullied him in when they were classmates as children. |
| 361 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Acts kindly to Alex but when Alex's true identity is revealed is far less pleasant. |
| 362 | * FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Wants to manipulate the Prime Minister into killing thousands of children because he got bullied by him when they were children. But of course, it's a completely weak excuse, which Alex calls him out for. |
| 363 | -->'''Alex''': Lots of kids get bullied and they don't turn into nutcases. You're really sad, Mr. Sayle. |
| 364 | * MeaningfulName: A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents Biblical one]] at that, sharing his name with the king who (allegedly) ordered the mass murder of children around the time of Jesus's birth. |
| 365 | ** It's also a pun on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods Harrods']] Sale. |
| 366 | * MisplacedRetribution: Wants to kill all of Britain's children via manipulating the Prime Minister since he bullied him as a child. Said children are however innocent. |
| 367 | * RagsToRiches: Grew up poor as one of fourteen siblings in Egypt, until he saved a very rich English couple on holiday who then adopted him. Suffice to say he made very good use of the money he inherited. |
| 368 | * TheSociopath: He shows no regard for anyone but himself and doesn't care about the grief his plan would inflict on the parents of his targets. |
| 369 | * TragicBigot: Deconstructed. He hates English school children for bullying him as a child but the targets of his revenge had nothing to do with the bullying he went through. |
| 370 | * WouldHurtAChild: His main plan is to kill all of Britain's children because he was bullied by his English classmates as a child. |
| 371 | |
| 372 | [[/folder]] |
| 373 | |
| 374 | [[folder:Nadia Vole]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | Sayle's henchwoman. |
| 377 | ---- |
| 378 | * DarkActionGirl: She definitely fits this trope. |
| 379 | * DeathByIrony: She [[spoiler:tries to kill Alex by plunging him into a tank with Sayle's pet Man-O'-War, expecting him to either drown or get stung to death. Instead, Alex blows up the tank from the inside and the Man-O'-War stings her to death in the chaos that follows]]. |
| 380 | * TheDragon: She helps Sayle with everything and is his top enforcer. |
| 381 | [[/folder]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | [[folder:Mr. Grin]] |
| 384 | |
| 385 | Sayle's Pilot. |
| 386 | ---- |
| 387 | * AcePilot: Apparently so, as he helps Sayle fly his planes. |
| 388 | * GlasgowGrin: Ever since he got sliced in the mouth with a knife. |
| 389 | * KnifeThrowingAct: He was a circus performer who specialised in catching throwing knives between his teeth before being hired by Sayle. |
| 390 | * NamedAfterTheInjury: His name isn't quite Mr. GlasgowGrin, but close enough. |
| 391 | %%* PsychoKnifeNut: Definitely. He used to catch knives at a circus for a living, after all. |
| 392 | * TongueTrauma: A large part of his tongue was cut out during the accident that ended his career as a knife-thrower, and he has difficulty speaking as a result. |
| 393 | * UncertainDoom: His plane crashes but we don't know where he goes. |
| 394 | [[/folder]] |
| 395 | |
| 396 | !!Point Blanc Institute |
| 397 | |
| 398 | [[folder:Dr. Hugo Grief]] |
| 399 | A psychotic white supremacist who uses clones to replace children in rich families to slowly take over the world. Also slightly insane. |
| 400 | ---- |
| 401 | * AmoralAfrikaner: Was South Africa's former minister of science. He's also an unrepentant MadScientist and Apartheid supporter. |
| 402 | * DeadlyDoctor: Is a psychotic doctor who plans to take over the world. |
| 403 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler:The book has him going down with his helicopter when Alex shoots a snowmobile at it, while in the TV series, he survives the Point Blanc raid and is taken into custody only to be assassinated by Yassen.]] |
| 404 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Pretends to be kind but is actually a sadistic asshole, as shown by his completely polite demeanor while detailing [[ToThePain his plans to dissect Alex alive]]. |
| 405 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It's hard to find a name more blatantly evil-sounding than ''"Dr. Grief"''. |
| 406 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: An unrepentant xenophobe, and one of his goals is to re-institute Apartheid worldwide. He also dislikes British schoolchildren, considering them lazy and ignorant. |
| 407 | * TakeOverTheWorld: The ''only'' BigBad of any ''Alex Rider'' book to play the trope straight, intending on taking over the whole world through his clones. |
| 408 | [[/folder]] |
| 409 | |
| 410 | [[folder:Eva Stellenbosch]] |
| 411 | * AdaptationalAttractiveness: Suffice it to say, her TV series actress Ana Ularu is much easier on the eyes than what the books suggest. |
| 412 | * AdaptationDyeJob: Ginger in the books, which make it one of her defining features, but brunette in the series. |
| 413 | * AmoralAfrikaner: Formerly an interrogator for the South African Secret Police and was fervently supportive of the Apartheid regime. |
| 414 | * BioAugmentation: The ''[[AllthereInTheManual Mission Files]]'' suggest that her immense strength and grotesque appearance are partially a result of Grief experimenting on her. |
| 415 | * BrawnHilda: Has huge muscles and a facial structure that "[isn't] quite human". She was also Miss South Africa in weight-lifting for five years in a row and her strength bowls over Alex in every encounter. |
| 416 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler:In the book, she gets shot multiple times by Wolf and goes out a window; in the TV series, she dies in a gas explosion.]] |
| 417 | * TheDragon: To Dr. Grief, as the vice-principal of Point Blanc. |
| 418 | * GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Regularly smokes cigars. |
| 419 | * {{Gonk}}: Every time she appears, the book gives her an unflattering description. |
| 420 | * LadyLooksLikeADude: The book describes the results of her putting on make-up as looking like "a man in drag". The graphic novels likewise depict her with a very masculine appearance. |
| 421 | |
| 422 | [[/folder]] |
| 423 | |
| 424 | [[folder:Baxter]] |
| 425 | * BullyingADragon: He tries to blackmail Dr. Grief into giving him more payment for his job. Grief kills him. (His [=MI6=] file, seen in the ''Mission Files'' tie-in book, notes that it is likely Grief would have killed him anyway; Baxter was not a reliable man.) |
| 426 | * ComicBookFantasyCasting: He looks a lot like Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the comic book version. |
| 427 | * MagicPlasticSurgery: His job is to modify Grief's clones with plastic surgery so they can impersonate the children of super-rich families. |
| 428 | * TrappedByGamblingDebts: He signed up to work for Dr. Grief because he had gambling debts. |
| 429 | [[/folder]] |
| 430 | |
| 431 | !!Skeleton Key |
| 432 | [[folder:Alexei Sarov]] |
| 433 | A Russian General who wants to restore Communism in Russia with a nuclear bomb. |
| 434 | ---- |
| 435 | * AffablyEvil: The only villain that shows Alex genuine kindness, and he honestly believes he's doing what's best for Russia, though his methods are questionable at best. |
| 436 | * AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Is so distraught that his plans were ruined combined with Alex telling him that he'd never want a father like him that he [[DrivenToSuicide kills himself]].]] |
| 437 | * BulletHolesAndRevelations: The penultimate chapter ends with the statement that Sarov, face to face with Alex, "raised his gun and fired a single shot". [[spoiler: A few pages into the next chapter, it's revealed that Sarov [[DrivenToSuicide shot himself]] after Alex rejected him as a father figure.]] |
| 438 | * ChildhoodFriends: He grew up with the Russian president, Boris Kiriyenko. Despite this, he only views him as a pawn in his scheme. |
| 439 | * EvilIsPetty: One of his goals after restoring Communism in Russia is to rebuild the Berlin Wall, even though he plans to eventually TakeOverTheWorld and make Communism the ideology of the world. |
| 440 | * EvilReactionary: He misses the Cold War era communist Russian regime, and his goal is to see Russia returned to what he considers a much better time in its history. |
| 441 | * {{Expy}}: As noted on Website/TheOtherWiki, Sarov is very similar to General Zaroff from ''Literature/TheMostDangerousGame'', being an Ex-Military General from Russia who is nostalgic for a past era of Russian History, lives on a Caribbean island and has a HandicappedBadass [[TheDragon Dragon]]. |
| 442 | * GenreSavvy: [[spoiler:Sarov knows there is an underwater cavern beneath his island and deliberately set a trap to kill anyone who ventures there.]] |
| 443 | * GildedCage: Sarov keeps Alex in a very nice place during his captivity. Sarov even comments on this. |
| 444 | * GloriousMotherRussia: A disillusioned former Soviet general who wants his country back to the way it used to be. |
| 445 | * KingpinInHisGym: Runs 24 miles around his plantation every morning. |
| 446 | * KnightOfCerebus: Unlike the villains of the previous two books, there's nothing even remotely comical either about him or his [[TheDragon Dragon]]. |
| 447 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: [[spoiler: Sarov intends to portray his nuking of Murmansk as an accident caused by a defective submarine, which he will then blame on the Russian government being run by idiots.]] |
| 448 | * ManipulativeEditing: In order to destroy the Russian people's faith in their president (and seize the leadership for himself), he plans to release a taped interview of the president drunkenly responding "This is my holiday, I'm too busy to deal with that." The question, originally about a train strike in Moscow, would be changed to [[spoiler: the nuclear disaster in Murmansk.]] |
| 449 | * MustHaveCaffeine: Downplayed. Caffeine is mentioned as his only vice, and he allows himself a small amount of coffee every day. |
| 450 | * NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: Taken to its logical extreme in ''Skeleton Key'' where the villain more or less tries to ''adopt'' him and treats him like his now-dead biological son, after Alex ends up getting captured. Much of the book is the BigBad letting (or rather, forcing) Alex to live with him in his luxury home, getting him to take part in [[GoKartingWithBowser various activities]] (like horse riding) and telling Alex WeCanRuleTogether. And dining with him, of course. He even forbids his {{Mooks}} and TheDragon from harming him. |
| 451 | * NukeEm: [[spoiler: Sarov intends to kill millions of people by nuking a nuclear submarine repair shipyard and blaming it on the Russian government's incompetence.]] |
| 452 | * OutlivingOnesOffspring: His son was killed in the Soviet-Afghan War. |
| 453 | * RedOniBlueOni: The calm, rational Blue to Conrad's Red. |
| 454 | * RedScare: Russian and evil. |
| 455 | * RenegadeRussian: He's not working for the Russian government, and in fact [[spoiler:seeks to overthrow it]]. |
| 456 | * ReplacementGoldfish: Wants to adopt Alex after the death of his son. |
| 457 | * TheStoic: Stonefaced and humourless by default. |
| 458 | * StraightEdgeEvil: Sarov is noted as living a healthy lifestyle with no vices aside from a small amount of caffeine every day. |
| 459 | * TheTeetotaler: He never drinks alcohol, which is why he excuses himself from drinking during a toast after [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink spiking the Russian president's vodka]]. |
| 460 | * VillainTakesAnInterest: Wanted Alex to join him and become his adopted son. |
| 461 | * WeCanRuleTogether: He promises to make Alex one of the most powerful people in the world after his plan succeeds. |
| 462 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Believes Russia was better off under Communism and is prepared to kill [[AMillionIsAStatistic millions]] (many Russians included). |
| 463 | * WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell: PlayedForDrama; he was a general in the Soviet Union and plans to restore Communism to power in Russia, [[WellIntentionedExtremist by any means necessary]]. |
| 464 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Was driven to villainy via the death of his son, combined with the fall of the Soviet Union. |
| 465 | [[/folder]] |
| 466 | |
| 467 | [[folder:Conrad]] |
| 468 | * AdaptationalAttractiveness: The graphic novel has Conrad appear as a hunchback with difficulty speaking, but his appearance is ''considerably'' less extreme than his description in the original book (possibly because the illustrators couldn't replicate it.) |
| 469 | %%* AxCrazy |
| 470 | * BloodKnight: Smiling when he finally gets the chance to beat Alex to a pulp. |
| 471 | * BodyHorror: The paragraph describing his appearance is ''not'' flattering. You don't survive ''getting blown up by a bomb in your hands'' without picking up some nasty injuries to go along with it. |
| 472 | * ColdBloodedTorture: Interrogates Alex when he's tied to a slow-moving grinding mill and threatens to grind him up if he doesn't talk. Decides to go through with it anyway once Alex coughs up the information but Sarov stops him. |
| 473 | * TheDragon: Sarov's personal assistant and assassin. |
| 474 | * HandicappedBadass: His badly damaged body is good for throwing people off and making them assume he's not a capable combatant. They're very wrong. |
| 475 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: Was blown up by his own bomb in his backstory. He miraculously survived. Though [[spoiler:the metal plates holding him together prove to be his undoing.]] |
| 476 | * MadBomber: Used to be one before his... accident. |
| 477 | * MadeOfIron: Almost literally: He has at least thirty metal pins in his body and easily shrugs off Alex's blows. |
| 478 | * NoOneShouldSurviveThat: He was blown up by a bomb. ''Whilst he was carrying it.'' Horowitz seems to have later decided this was a little extreme, as the ''Mission Files'' tie-in book {{Retcon}}ned it to a bomb in the boot of his car detonating whilst he was driving it to an army base he was planning to plant it in. |
| 479 | * PsychoSupporter: Sarov at least has a noble goal from his mindset. Conrad just wants to kill things. |
| 480 | * PunnyName: Conrad sounds like 'comrade', appropriately enough for the lackey of an ex-Soviet general. |
| 481 | * RedOniBlueOni: The unhinged, bloodthirsty Red to Sarov's Blue. |
| 482 | * RedRightHand: Probably the most extreme example in the series. He was blown up by one of his own bombs and then surgically put back together with metal parts added. The operation was not completely successful, resulting in his mismatched body. |
| 483 | * TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: When he was nine, he blew up his school with a bomb made in chemistry class [[DisproportionateRetribution after he was given a detention.]] |
| 484 | * TwoFaced: As a result of his accident. Only half his facial muscles are active. |
| 485 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: Long colourless hair on half his head. |
| 486 | |
| 487 | [[/folder]] |
| 488 | |
| 489 | [[folder:The Salesman]] |
| 490 | A Mexican black-market dealer being investigated by the CIA. He sells uranium to Sarov in the intro to ''Skeleton Key''. |
| 491 | ---- |
| 492 | * AGlassOfChianti: Enjoys a glass of Cabarnet Savignon while interrogating Turner. |
| 493 | * BullyingADragon: The men sent to deliver uranium to Sarov tried to blackmail him for more money. Sarov kills them instead, then sends Conrad to kill the Salesman [[HeKnowsTooMuch to keep him from possibly alerting the authorities]]. |
| 494 | * NoNonsenseNemesis: Abducts Turner after finding out he's working for the CIA. The Salesman plans to kill him after sailing to international waters but is foiled by Alex's [[IndyPloy last-minute]] rescue. |
| 495 | * VenturousSmuggler: If there's anything illegal that people need, he'll sell it. This includes false identities, drugs and weapons-grade uranium. |
| 496 | * WealthyYachtOwner: Sails on an old-fashioned boat called the Mayfair Lady. |
| 497 | [[/folder]] |
| 498 | |
| 499 | !!Cray Industries |
| 500 | [[folder:Damian Cray]] |
| 501 | * AntiVillain: He did a great deal of charity work. Though this is subverted as the book goes on, as he is willing to go to horrifically extreme lengths to achieve what he thinks is a better world. He has people who oppose him assassinated and his ultimate plan is to [[NukeEm nuke drug supplying locations from around the world]], which, as Alex points out, would kill thousands of innocent people ''not'' associated with drugs and wreak havoc on the environment, which means that for all his talk of being a philanthropist, Cray [[{{Hypocrite}} is literally willing to create what he advocates against]] if it means what ''he'' thinks is right. |
| 502 | * BeautyEqualsGoodness: Subverted. In addition to being a seemingly-respectable philanthropist who's actually a dangerous maniac, Cray looks handsome and dashing at a distance, but up close the text notes that [[PlasticBitch his appearance is actually unappealing and artificial; clearly the result of plastic surgery]]. |
| 503 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Even ''Alan Blunt'' of all people describes Cray as "just about the closest thing we have to a living saint," to the point of finding it hard to believe Alex's report of him being a murderous madman. |
| 504 | * BlofeldPloy: In "Eagle Strike", Damian Cray orders Yassen to kill Alex and Sabina. Yassen refuses, saying he "does not kill children". [[spoiler: Flustered, Damian snatches his gun, and instead of shooting Alex and Sabina, turns the gun on Yassen.]] |
| 505 | %%* ConspicuousConsumption: The book repeatedly draws attention to his immense wealth |
| 506 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:[[ItMakesSenseInContext He goes off his trolley and is vaporized]] by a jet engine.]] |
| 507 | ** He also had several people killed in such way, including [[KillItWithIce deep-freezing illegal whalers]] [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard in their own freezer]]. |
| 508 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: His Gameslayer console seemed to feature very advanced hardware and could have easily taken the videogame world by storm. |
| 509 | ** The method he used for the "pain synthesis", however, is horrifying: it's implied that he [[SnuffFilm filmed the injuries and deaths of real people]] in [[DeathCourse real-life versions of his game levels]] and based the "pain synthesis" textures on those people's facial expressions. |
| 510 | * DeathByMaterialism: Literally played straight in ''Eagle Strike'' when Charlie Roper is trapped inside a bottle-shaped room and then killed when Cray fills the room with two million dollars’ worth of quarters (the two million dollars Roper was due to be [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves paid for betraying his country]]). In other words, ''8,000,000 quarters.'' |
| 511 | ** ''[[{{Pun}} "Blood Money!"]]'' |
| 512 | * DisproportionateRetribution: He arranged the death of a journalist who objected to the violence in his video games, and later told Alex he planned to kill him before he found out he was a spy, on the basis that Alex had done too well at what was supposed to be an extremely difficult game. |
| 513 | ** Aboard Air Force One, Cray flips out at Sabina when she insults him and orders Yassen to kill her and Alex. |
| 514 | * DrugsAreBad: Considers drugs to be the greatest evil on the planet. So much he plans to nuke the world's biggest drug suppliers. |
| 515 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: He seems genuinely disgusted by Roper for being a traitor, even though he's the one who benefits from this. |
| 516 | * EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: He attended the Royal Academy of Music in London and used to sing there with another boy who turned out to be Elton John. |
| 517 | * EvilVegetarian: Does not eat meat and values animal lives over other people. [[{{Hypocrite}} Though this doesn't keep him from launching a lot of nukes, which would implicitly kill a lot of animals and majorly mess up the environment.]] |
| 518 | * {{Expy}}: |
| 519 | ** Horowitz has said that he envisaged Cray as "an evil Music/EltonJohn". He also debuted as part of a band in the 1970s called [[Music/{{WHAM}} Slam!]] before moving on to a solo career, and organized the in-universe version of UsefulNotes/LiveAid in mid-1980s. |
| 520 | ** He also has quite a few similarities to [[Film/DieAnotherDay Gustav Graves]], both being seemingly-philanthropic wealthy men with heavy plastic surgery who actually are using their tech for a world-spanning EvilPlan, have PsychopathicManchild tendencies, and are massively hypocritical in their behavior. [[spoiler:They even die the same way, with the hero booting them out a plane to be sucked into a jet engine.]] Bonus points for being played by Creator/TobyStephens, who also played Graves, in the TV series. |
| 521 | * FauxAffablyEvil: While he can be calm and civil, it usually doesn't last very long. |
| 522 | * FantasyForbiddingFather: Despite having a spot-on singing voice and wanting to become a pop star, his parents forced him to learn classical music. Fortunately for him, [[PianoDrop a car fell on top of them]], leaving him free to pursue his dreams. |
| 523 | * ForTheEvulz: Built [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame a life-sized mock-up]] of the ''Feathered Serpent'' video game and subjected {{Disposable Vagrant}}s to it in order to develop "pain synthesis" technology that rendered on-screen injury and death as realistically as possible. This doesn't fit with his other WellIntentionedExtremist murders, and was seemingly all for his own twisted entertainment. |
| 524 | * {{Hypocrite}}: An ''extremely'' delusional one at that. He, a philanthropist who hates any animal abuse, plans to [[NukeEm nuke]] locations contributing to drug trade. As Alex points out, that will kill thousands of innocent people, kill just as many animals, and majorly mess up the environment. |
| 525 | * IHaveYourWife: Or girlfriend |
| 526 | * ItsPersonal: One reason Alex is after him is that he nearly killed Sabina's father. |
| 527 | * JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: He wants to stop drugs, animal abuse, and arms sales, but crossed the line by murdering thousands of people in horrible ways and going as far as to try and cause a ''nuclear holocaust'' at the end of the book. |
| 528 | * {{Knighting}}: He was knighted by the Queen for his charity work. |
| 529 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: How he disposed of a journalist who asked uncomfortable questions at the launch party. Cray later told Alex that he was going to kill him in a similar way. |
| 530 | * MeaningfulName: "Cray-cray" is a slang term for "crazy", and [[AxCrazy he certainly lives up to the label]]. |
| 531 | * NukeEm: His plan involves him launching nuclear missiles at various areas of the world to end the drug trade. |
| 532 | * PayEvilUntoEvil: He only arranged assassinations of {{Asshole Victim}}s. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope At first]]. |
| 533 | * PinkMist: [[spoiler: This is ''all'' that is left of him after he gets sucked into a TurbineBlender.]] |
| 534 | * PsychopathicManchild: Has a tendency to fly into violent tantrums whenever things don't go his way. |
| 535 | %%* RightHandCat: It's a white poodle named Bubbles |
| 536 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: {{Invoked}} by Blunt and Ms. Jones when they explain another reason why they can't just go and investigate Cray's activities. |
| 537 | --> "Rich people have connections and extremely rich people have very good connections indeed... If it was discovered that we were investigating him, and merely on your say-so, there would be a tremendous scandal." |
| 538 | * StageNames: His real name is Harold Eric Lunt. |
| 539 | %%* StraightEdgeEvil |
| 540 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: He's a popular singer and considered to be a kind and generous philanthropist worldwide. When Alex tried to convince [=MI6=] that Cray was planning something evil, they didn't believe him. |
| 541 | * VillainousBreakdown: Throws an absolute hissy fit when Alex steals the {{Macguffin}} required for his plan. His composure never fully recovers from it, to the point that Yassen contemplates just shooting the now clearly off-his-rocker Cray. |
| 542 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: He actually did have good intentions, he simply went about them in terrible ways. He has animal testers, illegal whalers, and landmine sellers killed, and launches a nuclear strike on several countries to stop productions of illegal drugs. He justifies the later action by saying he will kill thousands to save millions. |
| 543 | * WouldHurtAChild: Has no problem ordering Yassen to harm a hair on Alex and Sabina. Yassen, however, refuses. |
| 544 | [[/folder]] |
| 545 | |
| 546 | !!Drevin Industries |
| 547 | [[folder:Nikolei Drevin]] |
| 548 | * AbusiveParents: Arranges for his son to get kidnapped and have one of his fingers cut off as a publicity stunt for his fake terrorist group and also to toughen the kid up. That said, he genuinely loves his son, as shown when he went berserk after [[spoiler:accidently shooting him with a Micro Uzi]]. But still, he's a terrible father and thankfully, [[spoiler:his son is sent back to live with his mother after Drevin dies]]. |
| 549 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:He is accidently killed after Alex sabotages his seaplane by tying it to a dock and some boats; Drevin takes off anyways, but the bottom of the plane is ripped out during take off and he goes down screaming as the plane crashes. Afterwards, Alex finds out that the CIA needed to capture him in order to make him stop Ark Angel from destroying Washington]]. |
| 550 | * ColonyDrop: He plans on [[spoiler:blowing up Ark Angel and having it collide with Washington D.C., destroying the Pentagon's evidence regarding his illegal activities.]] |
| 551 | ** InsuranceFraud: Ark Angel was going massively over budget, so Drevin also planned on [[spoiler:destroying it to get the insurance.]] |
| 552 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: He runs a major corporation which has significant ties to organized crime. Not to mention his plan to [[spoiler:blow up Ark Angel over Washington, D.C. and [[ColonyDrop destroy the city]], in order to both commit InsuranceFraud and get rid of the CIA's evidence of his criminal activity]]. |
| 553 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He does seem to love his son. While he does resort to [[spoiler:having one of his fingers cut off after he is forced to take drastic measures]], but he suffers a VillainousBreakdown when he [[spoiler:accidentally shoots him.]] |
| 554 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Tries to be polite but cracks of his true personality show over time. |
| 555 | * Fiction500: {{Subverted|Trope}}. He's established as a multi-billionaire who details how he can buy ''anything'' and is helping to fund the first space hotel, [[spoiler:but it turns out even his wallet has limits. Ark Angel is starting to bankrupt even him, and his EvilPlan is to destroy it to commit InsuranceFraud.]] |
| 556 | * ManBehindTheMan: For the first half of Ark Angel, Kaspar is made out to be the Big Bad. Guess who it really is? |
| 557 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: This Russian oligarch who happens to own a Premier League side is certainly not Roman Abramovich. |
| 558 | * SoreLoser: Tries to bump Alex off the track during go-karting. Then, when Alex wins by bypassing a corner, refuses to accept the win and calls it a draw. |
| 559 | * VillainousBreakdown: After his son is shot (he lives, though). |
| 560 | * WouldHurtAChild: He arranged for his own son to be kidnapped as a Force Three stunt, and even arranged for them to cut his finger off just so the threat would seem credible. He shoots him later, but that's an accident (he was aiming for Alex). Still doesn't change anything, though. |
| 561 | * YouHaveFailedMe: After Stratford East's star striker, Adam Wright, misses a penalty against Chelsea, Drevin has him killed by Force Three. |
| 562 | [[/folder]] |
| 563 | |
| 564 | [[folder:Kaspar/Magnus Payne]] |
| 565 | * BaldOfEvil: He is bald and very evil. |
| 566 | * BodyHorror: The Earth tattoo on his face is... well, not pretty. |
| 567 | * DragonInChief: He acts as TheHeavy to Drevin's BigBad. He proves more of a threat than Drevin and ends up being fought in the climax after Drevin is killed. |
| 568 | * EcoTerrorist: Averted, as it turns out. He pretends to lead an eco-terrorist organization called Force Three, which was actually fabricated by Drevin to take the fall for [[spoiler:destroying Ark Angel and Washington, D.C.]]. |
| 569 | * InTheBack: [[spoiler:He gets kicked in the chest and falls on his own knife.]] |
| 570 | * WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Alex can't tell where he's from, though works out that he's definitely not English. |
| 571 | [[/folder]] |
| 572 | |
| 573 | !!Crocodile Tears |
| 574 | |
| 575 | [[folder:Desmond [=McCain=]]] |
| 576 | * AxCrazy: When he was still boxing, his greatest joy was knocking out his opponents and imagining he had killed them. Later, he revels in describing various ways to cause pain to Alex. |
| 577 | * AsTheGoodBookSays: Often quotes the Bible as part of his GoodShepherd act. Though his usage of verses tends to be self-serving and out of context. |
| 578 | * BaldOfEvil: His baldness is described as very notable. |
| 579 | * BondOneLiner: Gives one when he kills Harold Bulman and has an excavator bury the corpse in a construction site: |
| 580 | --> "Mr. Bulman finally got what every journalist wants: A scoop." |
| 581 | * CareerEndingInjury: A former middleweight boxing champion until he was knocked out with a dislocated jaw and had to go into surgery. By the time he recovered, his manager and the press no longer cared about him. |
| 582 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: He preaches that "do-gooders need victims", celebrities are worshipped for their money, and people donate heavily to charities for publicity and to one-up each other. |
| 583 | * {{Foil}}: To Damian Cray, in that both are British celebrities heavily involved in charity work. But while Cray wanted to make a positive difference in the world, Desmond only cares about his own wealth. |
| 584 | * FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: He claims to have been a victim of racism, bullying and growing up without parents. Alex thinks to himself that it's just a convenient excuse. |
| 585 | * {{Greed}}: Everything he does is in the pursuit of making more money. In his words: "Money is the god of the twenty-first century [''...''] Why have one house when you can have ten?" |
| 586 | * HeelFaithTurn: Became a Reverend because "Everyone likes a sinner who repents" and it helped him get an early release from prison. But it was all a ruse. |
| 587 | * ICouldaBeenAContender: Twice in his backstory. First as a rising middleweight boxing champion until his CareerEndingInjury. Then as a successful real estate developer and politician until he was sent to prison for InsuranceFraud. |
| 588 | * InsultBackfire: Alex calls him a "common thief". He [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne only objects to]] being "common" and retorts he'll become the greatest thief who ever lived. |
| 589 | * LineOfSightName: His name comes from the bag of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCain_Foods McCain]] frozen oven chips he was found wrapped in as an abandoned baby. |
| 590 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: |
| 591 | ** He hired an assassin known as the Gentleman to kill the boxer that ended his career and the surgeon who botched his operation. Said assassin specializes in arranging "accidents" to keep suspicion away from his clients. |
| 592 | ** After the party in Kilmore Castle, [=McCain=] tries this with Alex, Sabina and Edward Pleasure while they're driving home, having sniper shoot out their tires. They barely survive the "car accident". |
| 593 | * ManOnFire: [[spoiler: Alex kills him by rolling an oil drum towards him with an exploding pen attached.]] |
| 594 | * RedRightHand: His jaw was dislocated in his final boxing match and the bungled surgery afterwards only made it worse. He is only able to eat soft foods or liquids since he can't chew anymore. |
| 595 | * ScaryBlackMan: When he drops the act of politeness, what you're left with is an imposing, black ex-boxer lunatic. |
| 596 | * SinisterMinister: Despite holding the title of Reverend, [=McCain=] is pretty much the opposite of a good shepherd, being fully willing to cause widespread suffering to raise funds that end up lining his own pockets. |
| 597 | * SpottingTheThread: He realizes Alex is still alive [[spoiler:and Myra is dead after finding her bloody shoe and Alex's bloodless torn-up shirt.]] |
| 598 | * SyntheticPlague: The key to his latest charity scheme. [[spoiler: He plans to activate wheat fields all across East Africa which have been genetically-engineered to produce ricin. And after publicizing the disaster, his charity will bring in more donation money than ever before. Though this time, he intends to abscond with the funds as the poison spreads.]] |
| 599 | * UnholyMatrimony: Planning to marry Myra after his scheme succeeds and is genuinely devastated [[spoiler:by her death.]] |
| 600 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: Like Damian Cray, he is worshipped by the public for his charity work, and even [=MI6=] has trouble finding any dirt on him aside from his past criminal record. |
| 601 | * WeCare: His charity, First Aid, exists purely to gain whatever profit it can from the disasters by keeping as much of the donation money as it can. Perhaps taken to its extreme when he starts engineering disasters to get people to donate. |
| 602 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: He shoots Bulman after getting the information he needs about Alex Rider and [[spoiler: kills Leonard Straik, the scientist who created his SyntheticPlague. Attempts to repeat this with Alex after interrogating him.]] |
| 603 | [[/folder]] |
| 604 | |
| 605 | [[folder:Myra Bennett]] |
| 606 | * AdaptationNameChange: Her surname became "Beckett" in the US version. |
| 607 | * AwesomenessByAnalysis: She taught herself to fly an aeroplane using her knowledge of physics. |
| 608 | * ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: Forces Alex to hold onto pull-up handles suspended over a river full of crocodiles]] |
| 609 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Eaten alive by crocodiles. [[KarmicDeath The same ones she was planning to feed Alex to.]]]] |
| 610 | * TheDragon: To [=McCain=]. |
| 611 | %%* EvilIsPetty: Tricks Alex into poisoning a wheat field. |
| 612 | * FourEyesZeroSoul: She wears glasses and is rotten to the core. Flipping between TheStoic and just plain AxCrazy. |
| 613 | * UnholyMatrimony: Intends to marry [=McCain=]. |
| 614 | [[/folder]] |
| 615 | |
| 616 | [[folder:Ravi Chandra]] |
| 617 | A plant operator at the Jowada nuclear power station in Chennai. He was offered a fantastic sum of money in return for sabotaging the power plant. |
| 618 | ---- |
| 619 | * IntroOnlyPointOfView: In ''Crocodile Tears'' |
| 620 | * OneDegreeOfSeparation: Exploited by the two men who approached him for the job, one of whom knows Ravi's cousin. |
| 621 | * PunchClockVillain: He just wanted a better life for his family. |
| 622 | * UnwittingPawn: To [=McCain=] and First Aid. He was told the bomb he was carrying would have a 10-minute delay, more than enough time for him to escape the explosion. [[ILied They lied.]] |
| 623 | [[/folder]] |
| 624 | |
| 625 | [[folder:Harry Bulman]] |
| 626 | A freelance journalist who happened upon some gossip on Alex Rider and seeks to make a profitable story from the information. |
| 627 | ---- |
| 628 | * AssholeVictim: He gets disposed of by [=McCain=] after telling him what he dug up on Alex. Given his immoral behavior, it's clear the story doesn't intend for him to be missed. |
| 629 | * BullyingADragon: Thought he could get away with exploiting Alex when [=MI6=] has a vested interest in keeping him (and their secrets) safe. [[TooDumbToLive Then he tries to blackmail McCain]]. |
| 630 | * DirtyCoward: Used to be in the commandos, but he was found hiding during an ambush and received a dishonourable discharge for cowardice. |
| 631 | * EngineeredPublicConfession: Has several men pretend to be Winston's Yu's lackeys and attack Alex presumably for revenge. Bulman takes pictures of the encounter and records Alex's responses. |
| 632 | * IntrepidReporter: Has been tracking down bits and pieces of Alex's spy work since ''Stormbreaker''. |
| 633 | * ImmoralJournalist: The majority of his articles are tabloid smut. He's also willing to use threats and blackmail to get any information on Alex Rider. |
| 634 | * ItsAllAboutMe: His POV chapter shows his selfishness, LackOfEmpathy and [[NeverMyFault tendency to blame everyone else]]. |
| 635 | * JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Bulman proposes publishing Alex's story as exposing [=MI6=] injustices, not caring that this would ruin Alex's life too. |
| 636 | * ShaggyDogStory: All his efforts to (personally) make use of Alex's information come to a grinding halt thanks to [=MI6=]. |
| 637 | * SmugSnake: He thought no one could stop him from profiting at Alex's expense. He was proven wrong. |
| 638 | * {{Unperson}}: To get him off Alex's back, [=MI6=] erases his identity overnight, framing him as an escaped inmate from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadmoor_Hospital Broadmoor Hospital]]. They let him go after warning him not to try anything with Alex Rider. |
| 639 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Serves to give [=McCain=] information about Alex Rider. Afterwards, he's shot and buried. |
| 640 | [[/folder]] |
| 641 | |
| 642 | !!Sharkovsky |
| 643 | |
| 644 | [[folder:Vladimir Sharkovsky]] |
| 645 | * BadBoss: To Yassen, and he happily admits it. He forces the kid to taste his meals for poison, treats him like a slave and happily lets his son abuse him. |
| 646 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: An immensely wealthy businessman who has contacts with the mafia, politicians and the police, and has apparently killed who knows how many people to get to his current position. He also cuts corners at a certain pesticide factory, indirectly causing the events of Russian Roulette. |
| 647 | * EvilCripple: Becomes one after surviving an attempt on his life, suffering a broken neck in the process. |
| 648 | * GetItOverWith: [[spoiler:After seeing Yassen apparently preparing to force him to play russian roulette, Sharkovsky flat out refuses to co-operate, telling Yassen that he can kill him if he wants, but he won't play along with him.]] |
| 649 | * KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Gets shot by the kid he kept as a slave for three years, who also happens to be the last survivor of the town that was ultimately destroyed thanks to Sharkovsky's earlier actions.]] |
| 650 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Judging by his tattoos, he's a neo-Nazi, "politically incorrect" is part of the territory. |
| 651 | * ProperlyParanoid: Will only drink water from a glass bottle he himself opened, has a food taster like the Roman emperors, and outright admits the closest thing to people he trusts is his family and even then believes they can be bribed to turn against him. However, considering many of his colleagues have been assassinated, his food taster before Yassen was painfully poisoned, and SCORPIA sends an assassin after him, this mindset is actually justified. |
| 652 | * ThoseWackyNazis: Is implied to be a Nazi or at the very least a sympathizer, having both a nazi tattoo and an anti-jewish one. |
| 653 | * WouldHurtAChild: Specifically, would hit a child, throw him off a bridge and into a river, make him play russian roulette, use him as a food taster if he survives, and have him beaten up by his henchmen when he tries to escape. |
| 654 | [[/folder]] |
| 655 | |
| 656 | !!SCORPIA |
| 657 | |
| 658 | [[folder:SCORPIA As A Whole]] |
| 659 | ->'''Julia Rothman''': "They could have added kidnapping, blackmail, terrorism, drug trafficking and vice, but that wouldn't make a word. Anyway, we've got to be called something, and I suppose SCORPIA has a nice ring to it." |
| 660 | |
| 661 | * BigBad: Featuring in five of the eleven novels[[note]]''Scorpia'', ''Snakehead'', ''Scorpia Rising'', ''Russian Roulette'' and ''Never Say Die''[[/note]] (as well as later being revealed to be responsible for the events of ''Stormbreaker'') and responsible for most of the series' backstory, with their disbanding at the end of ''Scorpia Rising'' meant to be one of the big indications the series was now over, SCORPIA are effectively the BigBad of the entire series. |
| 662 | * BondVillainStupidity: Averted in Scorpia Rising, as Razim needs Alex alive and without any physical marks on him. He also refuses to tell Alex what he is planning. |
| 663 | * ColdBloodedTorture: An obvious instrument they use. Played straight in ''Scorpia Rising'' with [[TheSociopath Razim]], who wants to create a measurable unit of pain and slowly kills people with various horrific instruments, like knives, syringes and many more, to measure the pain that they feel. He tortures a French spy; the author manages to spare the readers the details. |
| 664 | ** It's later mentioned that he does several more "experiments" with [[spoiler: Julius.]] Again, the details are thankfully spared. |
| 665 | * ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: [[spoiler:SCORPIA's plot in ''Scorpia Rising'']]. |
| 666 | * CosmopolitanCouncil: At the beginning of ''[=SCORPIA=]'', the leaders of the eponymous criminal organization are a woman from Wales (their sole female member), an Englishman with a Chinese mother, a Yugoslavian, a man of mixed African and Japanese ancestry, a Frenchman, an elderly German, a one-eyed Israeli man, an Australian man with many names, and a Chinese TortureTechnician. In later books they recruit new co-leaders from Ireland, Italy, and Iraq. |
| 667 | * DramaticIrony: In ''Scorpia Rising'', [[spoiler:the reader is aware pretty much from the start that Alex's mission is a trap to deliver him to Scorpia]]. |
| 668 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Sanity wise: SCORPIA condemned [[spoiler:Damian Cray]] as a [[AxCrazy madman]]. |
| 669 | * FunWithAcronyms: SCORPIA: Sabotage, [=CORruPtion=], Intelligence, Assassination. Yes, the P ''is'' a bit of a stretch. The narration [[LampshadeHanging remarks]] at one point that whoever came up with the name had probably been watching a little too much ''Franchise/JamesBond''. |
| 670 | * GainingTheWillToKill: SCORPIA runs an assassination school, so naturally, this is part of the curriculum. |
| 671 | * GreaterScopeVillain: Zeljan Kurst, leader of Scorpia. |
| 672 | ** SCORPIA themselves. |
| 673 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The plot of ''Snakehead'', where SCORPIA have to destroy a conference aiming to wipe out poverty but avoid the organisers looking like martyrs. |
| 674 | * ManBehindTheMan: SCORPIA's admitted to [[spoiler: being behind Herod Sayle's plan in Book 1 by selling him the virus strain he implanted in the Stormbreakers.]] It's very possible that [[spoiler: they're behind some of the other villain's actions if not all of them.]] |
| 675 | * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: There's a SCORPIA member named Dr. Three. |
| 676 | * NebulousEvilOrganisation: Scorpia. They're the villains of three books. |
| 677 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: They are essentially an elite terrorist-for-hire outfit that works for anyone who has large sums of money. In ''Scorpia'', Julia Rothman claims to Alex that they are even occasionally hired by the intelligence services for dirtier jobs... [[UnreliableExpositor though make of that what you will]]. |
| 678 | * OutOfFocus: In ''Scorpia Rising'', six new members are added to SCORPIA's executive board, replacing the ones who have been killed; three of the new members are the [[BigBad Big Bads]] of the next two books. This means that there are four members of the original board who appear in at least three of the books without even being identified by name. |
| 679 | * RedRightHand: SCORPIA has a few. |
| 680 | * TheSyndicate: SCORPIA is basically the series's version of [[Literature/JamesBond SPECTRE]]. |
| 681 | * UriahGambit: In ''Scorpia Rising'', [[spoiler:Zeljan Kurst has Levi Kroll killed and false evidence placed on his cadaver in order to lure [=MI6=] -- and Alex -- into a trap.]] |
| 682 | * VillainDecay: InUniverse example; SCORPIA's credibility is seriously affected when a fourteen-year-old boy destroys two of their operations and (indirectly) kills two of their executives within a few months. [[spoiler: The failure of their plan in ''Scorpia Rising'' results in the organization being dismantled.]] |
| 683 | [[/folder]] |
| 684 | |
| 685 | [[AC:Board Members]] |
| 686 | |
| 687 | [[folder:Julia Rothman]] |
| 688 | !!Julia Rothman |
| 689 | * BeautyIsBad: Unlike most other villains, Mrs. Rothman has no disfigurements, and her descriptions paint her as being quite good-looking. It doesn't change the fact that she's a terrorist planning to mass-murder children. |
| 690 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Really wants to get even with John Rider and [=MI6=] for outwitting her and she thinks she can do this through killing Alex. |
| 691 | * DeathByLookingUp: [[spoiler: Killed by the hot air balloon she was using as a platform for her attack]]. Ironically she would have survived if she knew that the SAS soldiers were actually trying to warn her, not detain her. |
| 692 | * FauxAffablyEvil: She appears every bit a polite and generous hostess to Alex, treating him to an expensive dinner at a luxury hotel. [[spoiler:This despite planning from the start to use him to get even with [=MI6=] and then dispose of him with Invisible Sword.]] |
| 693 | * GenreSavvy: She refuses to tell Alex how Invisible Sword works at any point, even after she believes he has killed Mrs Jones, leaving him to try and work it out by himself. Although he does manage to do so, Rothman is the only BigBad of any ''Alex Rider'' book whose plan isn't foiled because they explained every last detail to Alex. |
| 694 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: Not uncommon for the antagonists in the series, Julia Rothman [[spoiler:is flattened by the satellites on the hot air balloon needed to initiate Invisible Sword]]. |
| 695 | * LittleBlackDress: She wears one in ''Scorpia'', which Alex takes notice. |
| 696 | * ManipulativeBastard: Isn't a big player in SCORPIA for nothing. |
| 697 | * MrsRobinson: Some of her comments to Alex are very flirtatious, fitting since she was in love with his father. |
| 698 | * RavenHairIvorySkin: Well actually, her skin is more peach coloured but as far as the hair description. |
| 699 | * ShoutOut: [[spoiler: Her death is like Alec Trevelyan's, the main antagonist from the James Bond movie ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'']]. |
| 700 | * UnreliableExpositor: The actual truth about Alex's father, revealed at the end of ''Scorpia'', leaves a question mark over how much - if any - of what Rothman says to Alex is true. |
| 701 | * WouldHurtAChild: She says she'd rather not, but if the money pays well... |
| 702 | [[/folder]] |
| 703 | |
| 704 | [[folder:Major Winston Yu]] |
| 705 | !!Major Winston Yu |
| 706 | * AsianBabymama: His mother had an affair with a British businessman, who promised to take her home with him, then left her behind in China. |
| 707 | * BondVillainStupidity: A really bad case, as [[OrganTheft his plan for Alex]] doesn't even require him to be alive (aside from sheer sadism). And he may be the only villain ever to ''out-and-out state'' the best option is to JustShootHim and then not do it. |
| 708 | * CareerEndingInjury: Forced to leave active service after contracting ''osteoporosis imperfecta''. |
| 709 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:The earthquake caused by Royal Blue's early detonation hits his boat and breaks every bone in his body.]] He also apparently inflicts this on [[YouHaveFailedMe henchmen who fail him]], as Bill Tanner commits [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled suicide]] to avoid incurring Yu's wrath. |
| 710 | * DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:He's killed by the bomb that he would have destroyed Reef Island with.]] |
| 711 | * DisappearedDad: His father abandoned his mother after she became pregnant. Yu never found out who he was. |
| 712 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: After she died, he went off the rails. He also bribed a guard into letting him scatter her ashes around Buckingham Palace's garden because he knew she would have liked that. |
| 713 | * EvilCripple: While he's not technically disabled, he does have ''[[MadeOfPlasticine osteoporosis imperfecta]]'', also known as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin brittle bone disease]]. [[spoiler:This ultimately does him in.]] |
| 714 | * EvilOldFolks: He's in his [=60s=] and is still an active executive for Scorpia, with all the crime and terrorism that entails. |
| 715 | * FastestGunInTheWest: Boasts that he is, as the Americans say, "quick on the draw". He proves it when drawing his gun on Alex without him seeing it. |
| 716 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Exceedingly polite, happily describing his plans to make money by killing scores of people and torturing Alex. He learned from his mother that one should never lose their temper. |
| 717 | * {{Foil}}: To Herod Sayle, in that both are foreigners who came from dirt-poor families but, because of extraordinary circumstances, ended up receiving a top-rate education in Britain. While Sayle's experiences led to him despising the Brits however, Yu became a huge fan of British culture. |
| 718 | * HalfBreedDiscrimination: Faced some bullying in school for being a half-British, half-Chinese illegitimate child. It ended when one of his biggest bullies had an [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident unfortunate car accident]], coincidentally after Yu's mother heard about his problems in school. |
| 719 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Quite literally. The bomb he stole for his EvilPlan ultimately does him in when it's detonated prematurely.]] |
| 720 | * ImmigrantPatriotism: Served with distinction in Northern Ireland but when he was consigned to a desk job at [=MI6=], this went out the window. Still loves Britain however. |
| 721 | * InTheBlood: His mother was a ProfessionalKiller in the snakeheads. He would eventually join them and [[KlingonPromotion take the leadership himself]]. |
| 722 | * MamaBear: Had a very dark one in his mother--she did whatever it took, even contract killings, to give her son a better life in Britain. Yu estimates at least 16 men (and his schoolyard bully) died for his education. |
| 723 | * NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Named after UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill, and even went to Harrow School, which Churchill also attended. |
| 724 | * SmugSnake: He's too confident for his own good. |
| 725 | * WickedCultured: He has a very aristocratic behaviour. |
| 726 | * WorthyOpponent: Perhaps more than any other BigBad in the series, Yu seems to admire Alex's intelligence and resourcefulness, and happily admits to Alex that he has underestimated his capability when Alex reveals he knows about the bomb. |
| 727 | * YellowPeril: The only main villain of East Asian descent. |
| 728 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: How he felt after being relegated to a PostInjuryDeskJob, leading to him steal state secrets and sell out to the snakeheads. |
| 729 | ** Defied in regards to the plan to disrupt the conference. He makes it so the bomb can only activate with a scan of his fingerprints, ensuring that nobody is able to replace him. |
| 730 | [[/folder]] |
| 731 | |
| 732 | [[folder:Zeljan Kurst]] |
| 733 | !!Zeljan Kurst |
| 734 | * CrazyPrepared: |
| 735 | ** Earlier, during his meeting with Ariston at the London Museum, he has several SCORPIA agents disguised as civilians or tourists there just in case things turn sour. Sure enough, the police attempt to capture him but most of them end up done in by the various agents. |
| 736 | ** He's fully aware that one of his fellow board members might be considering avoiding the usual punishment for retirement by gunning them down when SCORPIA begins to hit rock bottom, so he has snipers placed on the roof of the Scorpia riverboat to take them out. [[spoiler:This is how Kroll dies.]] |
| 737 | * GreaterScopeVillain: He's the leader of SCORPIA, and the one who orders the {{Big Bad}}s of ''Snakehead'' and ''Scorpia Rising'' to carry out their plots, though he never comes face to face with Alex. |
| 738 | * ManBehindTheMan: In ''Snakehead'' and ''Scorpia Rising'', for Winston and Razim respectively. He comes up with plans, the other Scorpia executives carry them out. |
| 739 | * TheUnfought: Despite being a prominent member of SCORPIA, and responsible for setting the events of ''Scorpia Rising'' in motion, Kurst never even meets Alex or any other [=MI6=] member, with the final chapter stating that he was arrested offscreen in the aftermath of Razim's failure. |
| 740 | [[/folder]] |
| 741 | |
| 742 | [[folder:Levi Kroll]] |
| 743 | !!Levi Kroll |
| 744 | * AxCrazy: He prefers direct violence as a first resort. |
| 745 | * EyeScream: The result of his PillowPistol. |
| 746 | * IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: Managed to do this to himself before we first see him. He lived through it, though. |
| 747 | * PillowPistol: Until it went off. |
| 748 | * PragmaticVillainy: [[spoiler:He fiercely opposes Razim's plan to bait Alex as part of Scorpia's ploy against [=MI6=], not out of any moral standards, but because he doesn't want to risk another credibility-erasing embarrassment. He doesn't live long enough to see how right he was.]] |
| 749 | * TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Pulls a gun on [[CrazyPrepared Zeljan]] of all people and gets assassinated for his trouble.]] |
| 750 | * TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Never comes face-to-face with Alex or any other major character outside Scorpia's executive board, despite appearing in three books and having a minor story arc that impacts on the events of the latter two books.]] |
| 751 | * WrongGenreSavvy: He knows retiring from Scorpia just leads to early death. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he misinterprets a comment from Razim as a suggestion that they should kill him, and ends up giving them reason to. Probably what Razim had intended, of course.]] |
| 752 | [[/folder]] |
| 753 | |
| 754 | [[folder:Max Grendel]] |
| 755 | !!Max Grendel |
| 756 | * AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He was a commander in the German Secret Police and personally killed a foreign spy during a performance of Beethoven's Fifth. |
| 757 | * BadassDecay: InUniverse example -- since his secret police days, he has become a grandfather and has developed an eye condition which means he is nearly always weeping. |
| 758 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: Despite being fairly sentimental in his old age, don't forget he's a board member of SCORPIA, and [[NoodleIncident once strangled a foreign spy during a performance of Beethoven's Fifth]]. |
| 759 | * BitCharacter: Had a fair amount of dialogue in one chapter, before dying at the end of it. |
| 760 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being part of SCORPIA and complicit in many of their atrocities, Julia Rothman's plan to kill thousands of British schoolchildren is a step too far for him. |
| 761 | * ResignationsNotAccepted: In the opening chapter of ''Scorpia'' he refuses to participate in Scorpia's latest project: a biological weapon that specifically targets children. He is given a "retirement present" of suitcase filled with deadly scorpions. |
| 762 | * WouldntHurtAChild: Harming children, and seeing his fellow board members being completely on board with the idea, is too much even for him. Given he's a grandfather, this is understandable. |
| 763 | [[/folder]] |
| 764 | |
| 765 | [[folder:Dr. Three]] |
| 766 | !!Doctor Three |
| 767 | * AffablyEvil: Despite being a complete sadist, he is very polite when talking to Julia Rothman. |
| 768 | * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: He presumably has the title "Dr." for a reason, and from what we know about him his field of expertise may well be torture. |
| 769 | * {{Sadist}}: It's said he enjoyed the [[ColdBloodedTorture research]] he did for his book. |
| 770 | * TortureTechnician: Wrote a book on torture called ''Modern Interrogation Techniques''. |
| 771 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He appears in every board meeting of SCORPIA that we see, and usually says something, but after ''Scorpia Rising'' his ultimate fate is unknown. Mrs. Jones did remark that all of the board members had either been arrested or were on the run, so we can assume he is one of these. |
| 772 | * WouldHurtAChild: Had no objections when Julia Rothman asked if he minded that Invisible Sword would kill thousands of children. |
| 773 | [[/folder]] |
| 774 | |
| 775 | [[folder:Brendan Chase]] |
| 776 | !!Brendan Chase |
| 777 | * IHaveManyNames: Has a number of them which he uses as aliases. |
| 778 | * LandDownUnder: He's from Australia and was once the paymaster for its secret intelligence service, before fleeing the country with $400,000 of his agency's money while drunk. |
| 779 | * WouldHurtAChild: Moreso than most other SCORPIA members. In ''Scorpia Rising'', he tells Razim that if he needs a volunteer to kill Alex for his plan, he'd "be glad to fire the bullet" himself. |
| 780 | [[/folder]] |
| 781 | |
| 782 | [[folder:Razim]] |
| 783 | !!Abdul-Aziz al-Rahim (Razim) |
| 784 | * AlliterativeName: His real name is Abdul-Aziz Al-Rahim. That's a lot of "A" names. |
| 785 | * AxCrazy: The things he did while he was a child says a lot about how fucked up he was, and considering that the only development in this as he got older was managing to somewhat conceal this so that you won't be able to tell at first glance anymore, still is. |
| 786 | * TheChessmaster: He plays Alan Blunt like a chump. |
| 787 | * DisproportionateRetribution: As a child, he stabbed his nanny in the leg when she told him off for teasing his sister. |
| 788 | * EvilGenius: As a child, he thrived in his studies and learned multiple languages. As an adult, he was the head of Iraqi Intelligence Services under Saddam Hussein and planned terrorist attacks for al-Qaeda before winding up with SCORPIA. He's the mastermind for their latest plan in ''Scorpia Rising''. |
| 789 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Always goes with a polite and stoic demeanour, but it's entirely fake and just serves to make him even worse. |
| 790 | * ForScience: Takes no pleasure in his experiments. Supposedly. |
| 791 | * FourEyesZeroSoul: Happens to wear glasses, and is downright obsessed with inflicting pain. |
| 792 | * KarmicDeath: As one of the most outright sadistic villains in the series, it's only appropriate that he gets one of the more painful, drawn-out deaths. |
| 793 | * KickTheDog: [[spoiler:He had no practical reason to murder Jack, he did it just to get an emotional pain response out of Alex.]] |
| 794 | * KidsAreCruel: He was this as a child, strangling his dog and ratting out his parents to the Iraqi police alongside his sister. Then he wanted to join the police himself and start killing. The officer trying to give the "you did the right thing" talk was [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusted by him]] and considered shooting him on the spot. |
| 795 | * KnightOfCerebus: The series was never light to begin with, but Razim takes it into its darkest moments pretty much single-handedly. |
| 796 | * MustHaveNicotine: Smokes frequently, and craves for another cigarette during meetings. This habit would indirectly backfire on him later on. |
| 797 | * NoSenseOfHumor: He often kills people for telling jokes about him. One such example was when he killed one of his own henchman for comparing him to Literature/HarryPotter. |
| 798 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: We're told his real name at one point, but he doesn't use it once. |
| 799 | * {{Sadist}}: He claims that horrifically torturing innocent people to create a unit of measurement for pain is purely for science, though Alex suspects that it's how Razim gets his kicks. He certainly seems very engrossed in his "experiments." |
| 800 | * SelfMadeOrphan: Indirectly; he ratted his parents out to the Saddam Hussein government, leading to their execution. |
| 801 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Twice in his backstory. He fled Iraq during the 2003 US-British invasion, joining with Al-Qaeda, then leaving them after being ordered to carry out a suicide bombing. |
| 802 | * SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: He expects Jack to steal a knife when she and Alex are dining with him, as it's part of his plan to cause Alex emotional pain. Alex stealing a cigarette packet at the same meal is ''not'' part of his plan.]] |
| 803 | * TheSociopath: He is characterized by a complete lack of emotions or empathy. |
| 804 | * TheUnsmile: At the end when he's [[spoiler: fallen into the pile of salt and is [[VillainsWantMercy pleading with Alex]] to throw him a rope]]. It's described as looking more like a hideous grimace than anything. |
| 805 | * VillainousBreakdown: He completely flips out when he finds out that Alex is still alive. In his final moments, he goes out cursing Alex - [[NotSoStoic likely the first and last time he would ever feel emotion]]. |
| 806 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: His silver hair is a defining feature, and he is quite possibly one of the most sadistic villains in the series. |
| 807 | [[/folder]] |
| 808 | |
| 809 | [[AC:SCORPIA members]] |
| 810 | |
| 811 | [[folder:Nile]] |
| 812 | * DeathByIrony: He has a fear of heights, and ends up being knocked off a hot air balloon from a height of 100 metres after Alex realises what he's afraid of and uses it against him. To add insult to injury, he gets knocked off by a [[KillItWithFire fireball]] that Alex sets off by severing the balloon's propane burner. How did he do that? By cutting through it ''with a sword Nile had thrown at him''. |
| 813 | * FailedASpotCheck: He searches Alex head to toe after the assignment to kill Mrs. Jones. He didn't think to look inside Alex's mouth, which was hiding a tracker. |
| 814 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: Nile is mentioned as having a weakness that keeps him from being Scorpia's #1 assassin. While talking to Alex at a bell tower, Nile tries to avoid going all the way up, and after Alex jumps onto the Invisible Sword balloon satellite, Nile shows [[ThisIsGonnaSuck sudden reluctance]] when Rothman orders him to go after Alex. |
| 815 | * ItGetsEasier: He says learning to enjoy the kill is part of the job. |
| 816 | * MasterSwordsman: They're his weapon of choice, though he's not above using other things available. |
| 817 | * ProfessionalKiller: One of Scorpia's top assassins who's had successful assignments all over the world. |
| 818 | * RedRightHand: He has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo vitiligo]], giving him patches of pale skin across his face. |
| 819 | * ScaryBlackMan: As a Scorpia enforcer, he's scary by default, and skin condition aside, he is biologically black. |
| 820 | * ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: When he kills a researcher, though later {{averted|Trope}} when he tries to kill Alex because he was crippled by his fear of heights. Though these are swords that are meant to be thrown, not normal swords. |
| 821 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: His biggest flaw is his crippling acrophobia. |
| 822 | [[/folder]] |
| 823 | |
| 824 | [[folder:Anan Sukit]] |
| 825 | * TheDragon: [[spoiler: Would be this if he lived longer.]] |
| 826 | * GladiatorGames: Runs one of these, and forces Alex into it. |
| 827 | * InTheBack: [[spoiler: Courtesy of Fox.]] |
| 828 | * RedRightHand: Has no ears. |
| 829 | [[/folder]] |
| 830 | |
| 831 | [[folder:Dr. Bill Tanner]] |
| 832 | * CoDragons: With Ash, to Yu. |
| 833 | * DrivenToSuicide: Possibly; it's known that he kills himself, but why he does is never explained (it's suggested that he was following orders from Yu after Alex escaped, which given the fate of de Wynter earlier seems likely). |
| 834 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Remains polite even after threatening Alex with a slow and painful death. |
| 835 | * MadScientist: Dissects people to give their organs away. |
| 836 | * SmugSnake: He has to brag about how Alex "can't escape" and gives away how he can escape. |
| 837 | [[/folder]] |
| 838 | |
| 839 | [[folder:Yassen Gregorovich]] |
| 840 | * AccidentalMisnaming: [[spoiler: His name is really Yasha. Sharkovsky misheard it as Yassen, since Yasha had just been beaten up by Sharkovsky's two bodyguards and his face was still swollen. After escaping, Scorpia ran with it. This was likely intended as a {{Retcon}}, as Horowitz named the character after someone he knew and was unaware that was not a Russian name.[[note]]There was a well-known Russian journalist named Yasen Zasursky, but it's not a standard Russian name by any means. Zasursky was born in 1929, when new "revolutionary names" were in fashion, and his mother decided to name him Yasen because of his father's bright eyes (the name "Yasen" is sort of a masculine noun formed from the adjective "yasniy", meaning "bright" in Russian).[[/note]]]] |
| 841 | %%* AffablyEvil |
| 842 | %%* AllAPartOfTheJob |
| 843 | * BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: A rare male example, Sharkovsky orders his men to make sure the captured young Yasha has washed himself throughly before being in his presence as was living on the streets at the time. |
| 844 | * BlofeldPloy: In ''Eagle Strike'', Damian Cray orders to kill Alex and Sabina. refuses, saying he "does not kill children". [[spoiler: Flustered, Damian snatches his gun, and instead of shooting Alex and Sabina, turns the gun on Yassen.]] |
| 845 | * BookEnds: Both ''Stormbreaker'' and ''Russian Roulette'' end with [[spoiler: Herod Sayle's assassination by Gregorovich, but from the perspectives of Alex and Yassen, respectively.]] |
| 846 | * BulletHolesAndRevelations: The end of ''Stormbreaker'': Sayle has a gun pointed at Alex and two shots are fired.[[spoiler: But they went from Yassen's gun into Sayle's chest.]] |
| 847 | * CrazyPrepared: Had a backup plan in case Alex escapes from Cray's compound in ''Eagle Strike'', deploying an entire squad of mercs to intercept him in Amsterdam. And after that failed, he had a ''backup'' backup plan in the form of [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Ex-Girlfriend]]. |
| 848 | * CulturedBadass: The fourth book mentions that he listens to classical music and is learning nine languages. |
| 849 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Is the focus of ''Russian Roulette'', which delves into his childhood and how he came to be an assassin. |
| 850 | * DoomedHometown: His home village was contaminated with an artificial strain of anthrax, and later destroyed by the Russian government as part of their quarantine/cover-up. |
| 851 | * TheDragon: For Damien Cray in ''Eagle Strike''. |
| 852 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Yassen is a professional assassin, but even he [[WouldntHurtAChild refuses to kill children]] and anyone not strictly on his list of targets. That being said, he doesn't have a big problem with maiming them. Considering his role in Stormbreaker (a plot to kill tens of thousands of British schoolchildren), he was likely lying about not killing children and was simply using it as an excuse to not kill Alex. |
| 853 | ** He appears pleased when Alex tells him that Cray has died, and says that he knew working for him was a mistake (and not just because Cray [[spoiler:was directly responsible for 's own death]]). |
| 854 | * FateWorseThanDeath: He spent three years working as a slave for Vladimir Sharkovsky. |
| 855 | * {{Foil}}: To Ash, Alex’s godfather. They were the two people closest to John, and both [[spoiler: worked for SCORPIA. Yassen killed Ian. Ash murdered Alex’s mom and dad.]] |
| 856 | ** [[spoiler: Ash acts remorseful about murdering Alex’s parents, but his remorse is ultimately pointless, as it doesn’t stop him from trying to kill Alex if it benefits Ash’s career.]] Yassen appears to be remorseless about killing Ian. However, he disobeys orders to protect Alex, and ultimately [[spoiler:gave his life to save Alex.]] |
| 857 | ** Ash didn’t object to Alex working in the business, and will get Alex more involved if it benefits him. Yassen repeatedly tries to convince Alex to stay out of the spy business for Alex’s safety. |
| 858 | ** Ash worked for the good side. Ash was trusted with the info that John was a double agent, and John also chose him as his best man. Despite John’s faith in him, Ash [[spoiler: betrayed him, murdered him, and, 14 years later, nearly got Alex killed.]] Yassen was John’s assassin trainee and worked for the villains. John never trusted him with the truth. Despite discovering John’s lies, Yassen never revealed John to the [=MI6=], and later, [[spoiler: died saving his son.]] |
| 859 | * ForegoneConclusion: Of course he, Julia Rothman and [[spoiler:John Rider]] will survive ''Russian Roulette''. |
| 860 | * HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Arguably, in the end of the fourth book when he tried to stop Damian Cray from killing Alex and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath got shot in the process]]. He dies in Alex's arms after Damian Cray dies]]. |
| 861 | * IdealIllnessImmunity: Has never been ill once in his life. He attributes this to his parents giving him an antidote to a powerful strain of anthrax when he was a kid. |
| 862 | * ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: For Alex, since [[YouKilledMyFather he killed his uncle]]. |
| 863 | * KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Dies at Damian Cray's hands.]] |
| 864 | * MadeASlave: For three years following a burgulary gone wrong, after he was caught by the rich man he tried to rob. |
| 865 | * AMillionIsAStatistic: His rationalization of taking jobs for people planning to kill millions. |
| 866 | -->The numbers were irrelevant to Yassen. People died all the time. He knew that every time he drew a breath, at that exact moment, somewhere in the world a hundred or a thousand people would be taking their last. Death was everywhere; it could not be measured. |
| 867 | * MoralityPet: Alex seems to be this for Yassen, who in ''Eagle Strike'' first arranges him to "die" in a bullfight so that Alex can escape and then tries PleaseSpareHimMyLiege on [[spoiler: Damian Cray]]. |
| 868 | * NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Gives one of these in ''Russian Roulette'' when he talks about how people who couldn't afford vodka would use shoe polish as a drug. |
| 869 | ** This is close to TruthInTelevision. In the 1990s, many alcoholics in Russia had to resort to drinking all kinds of dubious ethanol-containing substances when they couldn't afford actual vodka. |
| 870 | ** And earlier, in the late 1980s during Gorbachev's prohibition, people had to resort to dubious substances because they couldn't ''purchase'' vodka even when they had the money. |
| 871 | * NotSoDifferentRemark: Part of his empathy for Alex probably comes from [[spoiler: knowing what it's like to be a helpless kid himself.]] |
| 872 | * OrphansOrdeal: His parents died in the plague that destroyed his village. He was a street kid after that, begging and stealing to survive. |
| 873 | * ProfessionalKiller: He's an assassin. |
| 874 | * PunchClockVillain: In it for the money, and nothing else. |
| 875 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:He may have not liked John Rider trying to turn him away from being a assassin but when push comes to shove, he won't lay a finger on Alex and is willing to die instead.]] |
| 876 | * {{Retirony}}: [[spoiler:He chooses to spare Damian and go through with the Eagle Strike project because after that, he can retire and return to Russia. Of course, he didn't expect Damian to shoot him later on.]] |
| 877 | * RulesLawyer: Doesn't kill kids, but is fine setting Alex up to ''get'' killed, and unrepentantly works for an outfit that kill kids all the time. Guess that little bit still counts... |
| 878 | * RussianRoulette: Sharkovsky makes him, as a fourteen-year-old, play it after he is captured. [[spoiler: At the end of the book, he returns to Sharkovsky's mansion and plays it again - but this time with five bullets instead of one. [[ForegoneConclusion He survives]], and kills Sharkovsky and his son.]] |
| 879 | * TheSleepless: His narration mentions that he never sleeps more than four hours at a time. |
| 880 | * SmallRoleBigImpact: In the main series, he only actually appears in two of the books, twice briefly in ''Stormbreaker'', and acting as TheDragon to Damian Cray in ''Eagle Strike'' before being [[spoiler: killed off.]] Despite that, his actions continue to influence Alex's life for the rest of the series, in addition for being the one indirectly responsible for Alex being railroaded into the spy game from the very beginning (by killing his uncle). Thanks to that, he received his own spin-off novel focusing on his origins. |
| 881 | ** His impact was so big that he was included in the first season of the TV series (based on a book in which he was not even present). In the second season [[spoiler:he ends up being SparedByAdaptation instead of being KilledOffForReal like he is in the book ''Eagle Strike'', thereby all but confirming that he will be included in future seasons if the show is renewed.]] |
| 882 | * StealthMentor: Enjoys seeing Alex succeed at things. Also encourages him to get out of the spy game where no other adult in it does. His protectiveness probably comes from [[spoiler: having been colleagues with Alex's dad.]] |
| 883 | * StreetUrchin: While he was a kid, he lived as one in Moscow. |
| 884 | * UnknownRival: Ash devotes a decent amount of time discussing building up his battle with Yassen, where Yassen [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] him when he was only nineteen. He’s rather fixated on Yassen, and seems to see Yassen as his greatest enemy, particularly for his injury and his failed mission in Malta. Yassen, in his narration, doesn’t seem to spare much thought to Ash. |
| 885 | * {{Unperson}}: Because of [[DoomedHometown certain events]] in his childhood, there are no records of his existence anywhere in the world. It's this trait which makes him good at his job, since it's much harder to track him down. |
| 886 | * WouldntHurtAChild: Played with. He has no qualms about working for an employer intending to kill ''millions'' of children, but objects to directly killing Alex and Sabina. [[spoiler: Though this may be because worked with Alex's dad]]. |
| 887 | * YouAreNotReady: Scorpia sent him out to assassinate a New York lawyer. He had doubts; [[MortonsFork a Scorpia sniper killed her anyway]]. Scorpia knew that this was the case, so he wasn't killed like Grant was. |
| 888 | * YouKilledMyFather: Was responsible for the death of Ian Rider, Alex's uncle. |
| 889 | [[/folder]] |
| 890 | |
| 891 | [[folder:Erik Gunter]] |
| 892 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Stung to death by a scorpion Alex had hidden in a cigarette packet.]] |
| 893 | * CareerEndingInjury: Served in the army before he was wounded in Afghanistan and invalided home. He still has two bullets in his body that the surgeons could not remove. |
| 894 | * EvilPaysBetter: Joined Scorpia after being medically discharged and unable to find a job elsewhere. |
| 895 | * FailedASpotCheck: Alex's plan to escape would have failed [[spoiler: if only he had noticed the cigarette packet hadn't been there before Alex got into the van.]] |
| 896 | * FallenHero: Once a loyal soldier, it is suspected that this happened after leaving his hospital treatment. The suspicions are true. |
| 897 | * OvershadowedByAwesome: Gunter is a fairly big part of ''Scorpia Rising'' as Dragons go, but he is noticeably overshadowed in comparison to his monstrously evil boss and his primary Dragon. |
| 898 | * SmugSnake: [[spoiler:He tells Alex more or less the whole plan.]] |
| 899 | [[/folder]] |
| 900 | |
| 901 | [[folder:Julius Grief]] |
| 902 | * AxCrazy: He's rather unhinged as a result of his CloneAngst (and being raised by Dr. Grief didn't help, either). This is someone who ''enjoys'' making other people, especially Alex, suffer. |
| 903 | * BackForTheFinale: [[spoiler:He hadn't appeared since ''Point Blanc''.]] |
| 904 | * CloneAngst: DoubleSubverted. [[spoiler:He knows his genetic material is the same as his father's, but he doesn't mind, and when neither Julius nor his "father" knew who Alex ''really'' was, he was OK with becoming a clone of Alex Friend. But then [[GoMadFromTheRevelation once he figured out Alex's true identity...]]]] |
| 905 | * DemotedToDragon: [[spoiler:If one takes the view that the clones ''are'' Grief, which is mentioned several times in ''Point Blanc''.]] |
| 906 | * LastOfHisKind: Last of the [[spoiler:Grief clones]]. |
| 907 | * LookBothWays: Downplayed. [[spoiler:Getting hit by a car doesn't outright kill him, but it does leave him wounded for Alex to finish off.]] |
| 908 | * NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: He was named after UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar. His "brothers" also have the names of powerful leaders in history such as {{UsefulNotes/Napoleon|Bonaparte}}, {{UsefulNotes/Genghis|Khan}}, [[UsefulNotes/MaoZedong Mao Tse]] and {{UsefulNotes/Adolf|Hitler}}. |
| 909 | * NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Remember the fire in ''Point Blanc''? Yeah, he survived that.]] |
| 910 | * PostClimaxConfrontation: He first appears and confronts Alex at the very end of ''Point Blanc''. [[spoiler:While the narration deliberately makes it ambiguous as to which Alex walks away, the fact that there are more books in the series resolves the issue.]] |
| 911 | %%* WalkingSpoiler |
| 912 | [[/folder]] |
| 913 | |
| 914 | [[folder:Giovanni Grimaldi and Eduardo Grimaldi]] |
| 915 | * AscendedExtra: Briefly mentioned in one of the earlier books as SCORPIA thugs, they become the main antagonists of ''Never Say Die''. |
| 916 | * BadBoss: They have a tendency to underpay their workers and kill them when they ask for more. |
| 917 | * BerserkButton: Trying to separate them. They killed a nanny in their youth when she tried to do this as a way of punishing them. |
| 918 | * BigBadDuumvirate: They are both the main antagonists of ''Never Say Die''. |
| 919 | * TheDividual: It's mentioned that they almost never spent any time apart during their lifetimes. They were basically the same person, they always wore the same clothes, they always ate the same food, they even finished each other's sentences. |
| 920 | * IdenticalTwinIdTag: Giovanni is left handed, while Eduardo is right handed. |
| 921 | [[/folder]] |
| 922 | |
| 923 | !Others |
| 924 | |
| 925 | [[folder:Sabina Pleasure]] |
| 926 | [[quoteright:119:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/comic_sabina.png]] |
| 927 | [[caption-width-right:119: ''Sabina as she appears in the graphic novels'']] |
| 928 | |
| 929 | Sabina Pleasure is a fifteen year old girl who becomes Alex Rider's close friend when they meet at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in the novel Skeleton Key. |
| 930 | |
| 931 | ---- |
| 932 | |
| 933 | * AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the film and the graphic novels, she's one of Alex's schoolmates and is present from the beginning. |
| 934 | * AdoptedToTheHouse: [[spoiler:Sabina's parents "adopt" Alex, who flies off to America to go live with them.]] |
| 935 | * ArbitrarySkepticism: In the graphic novel of ''Eagle Strike'' only. Due to her AdaptationalEarlyAppearance, her breaking off contact with Alex and refusing to believe him couldn't be the same as the original novel, since in the graphic novels' continuity she already knows Alex really is a spy. The graphic novel instead goes with her accusing him of making it up because she can't believe her father would be the target of an international assassin, or that Damian Cray could be involved. Given her involvement in Alex's previous missions in this continuity, it isn't clear why Sabina would completely refuse to believe Alex and assume he must be making it up. |
| 936 | * BigDamnHeroes: Rescues an unconscious, drowning Alex after he wipes out surfing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbar Cribbar]] as a result of (though unknown to her at the time) an attack by a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad]] member. |
| 937 | * CovertPervert: Implied in Skeleton Key where it is mentioned that she likes rude jokes. |
| 938 | * DamselInDistress: In Eagle Strike [[spoiler: [[BigBad Damien Cray]] uses her to get Alex to bring nuclear launch codes]]. |
| 939 | * {{Fingore}}: Narrowly [[AvertedTrope averted]]. She nearly has her fingers cut off in Eagle Strike. |
| 940 | * InnocentBlueEyes: Has bright blue eyes. |
| 941 | * LikeBrotherAndSister: Technically, as [[spoiler: her father "adopts" Alex in Scorpia Rising.]] |
| 942 | * LoveInterest: Of Alex. |
| 943 | * PityTheKidnapper: Subverted. During her time as a hostage, Sabina attacks Cray several times. Not that we feel bad for Cray at all... |
| 944 | * PunnyName: "It's been a pleasure." WordOfGod states that this was a play on the innuendo-laden names of [[Franchise/JamesBond Bond girls]]. |
| 945 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: At the end of "Never Say Die", [[spoiler: the series has returned to the pre-Scorpia Rising status quo, but despite the fact that the Pleasure family are technically still Alex's legal guardians, they're barely mentioned. As if to add insult to injury, they are never mentioned by anyone ''once'' during "Nightshade".]] |
| 946 | [[/folder]] |
| 947 | |
| 948 | [[folder:Tom Harris]] |
| 949 | [[quoteright:118:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tom_graphic_novel_0.PNG]] |
| 950 | [[caption-width-right:118: ''Tom as he appears in the graphic novels'']] |
| 951 | |
| 952 | Tom Harris is Alex's best friend from Brookland. He was bullied for two consecutive years before Alex set them straight, but is now the captain of the football team at Brookland, the school which both he and Alex attend. |
| 953 | |
| 954 | ---- |
| 955 | |
| 956 | * AdaptationDyeJob: His hair is black in the books, but in the graphic novels, it is changed to brown. |
| 957 | * BookDumb: Isn't good at the academics, but he is the only one able to beat Alex in sporting events. |
| 958 | * ButtMonkey: For two years he was one, until [[BullyHunter Alex]] sorted them out. |
| 959 | * CacophonyCoverUp: Provides these to help Alex. |
| 960 | * InnocentBlueEyes: Described as having blue eyes. |
| 961 | * KendoTeamCaptain: Now captain of his school's football team. |
| 962 | * TheReliableOne: Does his best to help Alex when needed. [[spoiler: He believed Alex about his occupation in [=MI6=].]] |
| 963 | * SecretKeeper: For the most part, although he does casually blurt out that Alex is a spy to his older brother. His older brother doesn't particularly care, so it's mercifully not damaging. |
| 964 | * WeNeedADistraction: Provides the distractions. |
| 965 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He's heard from only once after he's [[spoiler: shot in ''Scorpia Rising'']], and it's a passing mention. [[spoiler:The final chapter never bothers to mention if Alex ever talks to him once he returns from Cairo or meets him ever again, despite Alex having agonised over leaving him to go to America in an earlier chapter.]] |
| 966 | ** [[spoiler: This is averted by ''Nightshade.'' Tom appears in the book, still Alex’s best friend, and plays a significant role helping Alex in the book.]] |
| 967 | [[/folder]] |
| 968 | |
| 969 | [[folder:Jerry Harris]] |
| 970 | |
| 971 | Jerry is Tom’s older brother. Alex and Tom visit him in Naples in ''Scorpia''. |
| 972 | ---- |
| 973 | |
| 974 | * MellowFellow: Very relaxed older brother. Besides a little complaining about his parents, he’s pretty blasé. He’s very relaxed about meeting a 14-year-old spy and is completely unbothered taking him to a potentially fatal activity. |
| 975 | * NiceGuy: Very nice and helpful to his little brother’s friend. Not only does he let Alex and Tom stay with him, but is willing to drive Alex two hours from Naples to Amalfi twice and lets Alex use his expensive equipment. He even offers to do a BASE jump and break into Consanto for Alex. |
| 976 | * ThrillSeeker: He’s into extreme sports. His apartment is littered with extreme sports equipment, including rock climbing, paragliding, snowboarding, and BASE jumping. |
| 977 | * TheUnreveal: Complete nonreaction to learning Alex is a spy. Not only does he immediately believe Tom, but his only comment about it is “That’s awesome.” |
| 978 | [[/folder]] |
| 979 | |
| 980 | [[folder:Paul Drevin]] |
| 981 | * {{Fingore}}: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]: His would-be kidnappers had no qualms about severing one of his fingers. However, they were unaware Alex had taken his place. |
| 982 | * InnocentBlueEyes |
| 983 | * LonelyRichKid |
| 984 | * NerdyInhaler: He has asthma. |
| 985 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Always tries to please his dad. |
| 986 | [[/folder]] |
| 987 | |
| 988 | [[folder:Rahim]] |
| 989 | A spy working for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_and_Analysis_Wing RAW]], India's secret service. Alex meets him in ''Crocodile Tears'' when he is investigating Desmond [=McCain=]. |
| 990 | ---- |
| 991 | * AloofAlly: Doesn't care about Alex's goal to stop [=McCain=]'s EvilPlan and save thousands of lives, but he does go out of his way to save him. |
| 992 | * {{Determinator}}: Running a fever while in Africa but it doesn't slow him down. |
| 993 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: He compromises his mission thrice to save Alex and the last one gets him killed. |
| 994 | * PyrrhicVictory: His rescuing of Alex is posthumously repaid by Alex completing his mission. |
| 995 | * {{Revenge}}: He summarises his division's activities as this. His mission is to assassinate [=McCain=] in vengeance for bombing the nuclear plant in Chennai. |
| 996 | * SpannerInTheWorks: His presence foils each of [=McCain=]'s attempts to kill Alex. |
| 997 | [[/folder]] |
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