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1[[WMG:[[center: [-''Characters/AmericanHorrorStory'' [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStory Character Index]]\
2[-[[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryMurderHouse Murder House]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryAsylum Asylum]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven Coven]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow Freak Show]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryHotel Hotel]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryRoanoke Roanoke]] | '''Cult''' | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryApocalypse Apocalyspe]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStory1984 1984]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryDoubleFeature Double Feature]] | [[Characters/AmericanHorrorStoryNYC NYC]]-]]] ]] -]
3
4[[foldercontrol]]
5
6!! Mayfair-Richards Family
7[[folder:Ally Mayfair-Richards]]
8!! Allyson "Ally" Mayfair-Richards
9[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_ally.png]]
10[[caption-width-right:350:''"I think there might be something wrong with me. I don't know what's real anymore."'']]
11-> '''Played by:''' Creator/SarahPaulson
12
13A staunch Democrat who is highly disturbed by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's victory in the 2016 election. With her wife Ivy, she runs a restaurant called The Butchery on Main.
14----
15
16* ActionGirl: A straighter example than Ivy. She delivers one hell of a punch to Harrison's nose under the assumption [[spoiler: he and Meadow microwaved Oz's pet guinea pig]], and in Episode 6, [[spoiler: maces him in her successful effort to save Meadow before hijacking his car.]]
17* AntiHero: She's more a Type 2. She's a bit self-oriented but is, for the most part, a decent person who means well to try and stop all the evil cult business going on in her neighborhood to protect her family. [[spoiler:However, she becomes more of a Type 3 and Type 4 mid-season after having to be forced to confront her fears and she takes on more ruthless and cunning measures that eventually destroy Kai and his cult for good.]]
18* CassandraTruth: No matter how much truth there might be in all the clown sightings and similar occurrences that happen to her, because she's the only one who ever sees these things happen and her previous list of phobias, no one believes her. [[spoiler:However, it's eventually revealed that nearly ''everyone'' she comes in contact with, including '''her own wife''' has something to do with the cult and they're all aware that she's very right about everything she's seen, but they all use this and her many phobias to an advantage to gaslight her and make her look even more insane.]]
19* CatchPhrase: "I am NOT crazy."
20* ClothingReflectsPersonality: If one notices closely, Ally had a tendency to wear white during the first couple of episodes in the season to reflect her honest and constantly terrified state, but by the last couple of episodes she starts adorning a black sweater which reflects her stronger will and newfound fearlessness and cunning, and she even gains the guts to [[spoiler:kill her wife Ivy, Bebe Babbitt and Speedwagon consecutively while at the same time managing to frame Winter and have Kai kill her ''and'' ratting Kai and his goons out to the FBI]].
21* TheDogBitesBack: After being put through the wringer by the cult, [[spoiler:she makes sure those that wronged her paid dearly for what they did]].
22* TheDragon: [[spoiler:To Kai after she joins the cult. She slowly picks apart his other associates and becomes his right-hand woman.]]
23* DragonWithAnAgenda: [[spoiler:To Kai. She is secretly a DoubleAgent and is manipulating him the whole time.]]
24* FireForgedFriends: She becomes this with [[spoiler: Beverly as the two of them are able to escape the cult and have Kai imprisoned. They still stay in touch months later and Ally hires Beverly as her campaign manager]].
25* HappilyMarried: To Ivy, at least initially. Early episodes establish them as having an honest and supportive relationship, but cracks start manifesting under the tensions and terror engineered by the cult, as well as [[spoiler:Ivy's festering resentments against Ally reaching their boiling point after the election]].
26* HereWeGoAgain: [[spoiler: The final scene of the season has Ally preparing herself for an upcoming meeting as she stares blankly into a mirror while putting on her makeup and a green SCUM hood, heavily implying that she is involved in and running her own cult]].
27* HystericalWoman: With ''very'' good reason, as the cult is deliberately exploiting her phobias and terrorizing her ForTheEvulz.
28* ItsAllAboutMe: "Everyone thinks I'm a racist! Do you understand the specific pain of someone like me being accused of that?!" Ally wails [[spoiler:after shooting a man dead]].
29* LadyInRed: During her final confrontation with Kai, she adorns a strong red blazer and pants which likely reflects her new powerful image as a survivor.
30* LipstickLesbian: She's fairly feminine and a lesbian.
31* MamaBear: She loves her son Oz dearly, and doesn't take kindly to someone trying to take him away from her. [[spoiler:Ivy found this out the hard way.]]
32* MeaningfulName: Her entire name can be interpreted as "rich, fair-weather ally," which seems to fit her character after it's revealed that she ''didn't'' vote for Hillary Clinton, yet is still horrified when Trump wins the election.
33* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
34** Ally experiences one when she realizes that her (and several thousand others') decision to vote for Jill Stein because they disliked Hillary Clinton potentially helped Trump win the election.
35** Ally has an even larger one after [[spoiler:accidentally shooting Pedro in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," on account of accidentally killing an innocent and unarmed man]].
36* NotAfraidOfYouAnymore: [[spoiler:In episode 8, she tells Kai that all the hell and trauma he and his cult had put her through did the one thing that years of therapy couldn't and she no longer fears anything anymore]].
37* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Begs it of both Ivy and Winter, but still ends up on her own against the unknown more often than not.
38* PreMortemOneLiner: She does this to [[spoiler: Kai after his attempt to assassinate her fails followed by Beverly shooting him in the head right afterwards]].
39--> '''Ally''': "You were wrong [[spoiler: Kai]], there is something much worse than a humiliated man: [[spoiler: a nasty woman]]".
40* ProperlyParanoid / TheParanoiac: Ally's something of a cross between these tropes. On the one hand, she ''is'' right that there's a crazy clown cult that's out to terrorize her. On the other hand, she's easily terrified by a large number of other things too, many of which are extremely irrational and debilitating. Additionally, the cult is taking advantage of her ProperlyParanoid status in order to gaslight her, using her extreme reactions to cast further doubt on what she's saying and create more conflicts with her.
41* {{Revenge}}: [[spoiler:After being put through hell and briefly crossing the DespairEventHorizon, Ally got herself together and focused herself on making sure everyone who had wronged her personally would pay dearly.]]
42* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Following the whole incident with Meadow, Ally is shown to no longer be afraid of anything as everything she's gone through has basically numbed her from her phobias.]]
43* ThroughHisStomach: Non-romantic example. She cooks up quite a few sloppy joes, or as she calls them 'Manwiches', for Kai in order to appeal to him and to feed his ego all for the sake of earning his trust. [[spoiler:It works.]]
44* TranquilFury: Initially, she acted on her emotions and acted irrationally and unstable, particularly with all the incidents occurring in her neighborhood and to her family. [[spoiler:However, after the incident with Meadow and being forced into a psychiatric ward for 3 weeks, she is much more calm and collected but still ''very'' angry about everything she had been through, especially after finding out about the truth behind the cult, Ivy's infidelity and the fact that she also destroyed their family for her own selfish reasons. Ally's rage is eerily calm, and she's as cool as a cucumber when she poisons and kills Ivy, shoots Bebe, sics the SWAT team on Kai's cult, and during her final confrontation with Kai.]]
45* TraumaCongaLine: The first half of the season has been one for her.
46* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:She ultimately becomes this by the end of the season, joining the Cult and later forming her own, as well committing multiple murders.]]
47* WomanScorned: [[spoiler:The first thing she does after joining the cult? Killing her wife Ivy, whom she discovered was having an affair with their babysitter Winter and had been part of a cult that was deliberately screwing with her. She enjoys every second of Ivy's slow and painful death.]]
48* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Ally suffers from an incredibly high number of phobias, including coulrophobia and trypophobia. She's also deathly afraid of Trump and anyone who voted for him.
49[[/folder]]
50
51[[folder:Ivy Mayfair-Richards]]
52!! Ivy Mayfair-Richards
53[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_ivy.png]]
54[[caption-width-right:350:''"Are you insane?"'']]
55-> '''Played by:''' Creator/AlisonPill
56
57Ally's wife, and the head chef of The Butchery on Main.
58----
59* ActionGirl: DownplayedExample. Ivy has not yet had to use it, but she immediately picks up a weapon and prepares to defend herself and her family whenever she is told of a potential threat nearby.
60* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Given all the horrible things she'd done, especially to her wife Ally (for the most selfishly petty of reasons at that), it's pretty hard to shed a tear for her when Ally kills her]].
61* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: She states that she wanted a strong woman who could take charge, which is why she resented her wife so much because at the time, Ally was a weak, shrill woman tormented by her phobias, which made Ivy have to be the strong one in the relationship, which became a burden for her. [[spoiler:Her resentment of Ally was so great that she was willing to put her through hell just to drive her crazy. Ironically, through this, Ally becomes the hardened and strong woman that Ivy prefers. However, Ivy underestimates Ally's anger towards her, and it's this that finally gets her killed.]]
62* BitchInSheepsClothing: Portrays herself as Ally's loving and devoted wife, but in almost every episode thus far, we see signs that she isn't beneath the surface. Early on, it's only a couple of very small moments (for example, she's ''extremely'' nasty and aggressive towards Ally because she voted for Jill Stein instead of Hillary Clinton), but she's showing more and more unlikable traits as the season goes on, such as being completely dismissive and unsupportive of Ally during her breakdown or actually ''hitting'' her. It gets worse in "Holes" when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Ivy has been involved in the cult all along and is well aware that her own neurotic and anxious wife is being gaslighted and is telling the truth, but she not only feigns innocence and treats Ally like she's crazy, she also reveals to Winter that she hates Ally and could not care less about her well-being.]]
63* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler:After ingesting the arsenic-laced wine and pasta Ally feeds her]].
64* BoyishShortHair: Sports short-cut blond hair.
65* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Poisoned with arsenic by Ally.]]
66* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Ivy already harbored plenty of resentment for her wife, but what really drives her into joining a cult that she has terrorized and pushed Ally over sanity's edge was simply because she voted for Jill Stein instead of Hillary Clinton. It's even lampshaded by Ally when she says that is "not a reason" to join a cult.]]
67* DomesticAbuse: Slaps Ally [[spoiler: after witnessing the video of Ally and Winter in the bathtub. It was ''potentially'' justifiable at first given that Ally ''did'' cheat (though, admittedly, it was a pretty severe slap), until it was revealed Winter and Ivy orchestrated the scene, thus giving Ivy a very convenient window to take out her rage on Ally.]] Aside from that, Ivy is also extremely emotionally abusive to her wife on a regular basis.
68* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: Say what you will about Ivy, but her remorse and panic attack over watching a man who tried to save her during the shooting in 'Mid-Western Assassin' was extremely genuine and it becomes clear that Ivy at least dislikes senseless violence and having innocent people being murdered without a rhyme or reason as she seemed pretty guilty when Ally reminded her that people died because of her.]]
69* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler:She became jealous of Ally for being the only one in the couple that was capable of carrying a child, which was something that she desperately wanted to do. Ivy's jealousy turned into resentment of Ally. Ultimately, Ivy tries to set Ally up so that she can gain custody of Oz.]]
70* HappilyMarried: Despite room for interpretation as a BitchInSheepsClothing to Ally, the couple is shown to be loving and genuinely happy together and Ivy tries to be supportive and considerate with Ally. Unfortunately, the ending of "Neighbors from Hell" deals some heavy blows to their relationship. [[spoiler:Definitely subverted as of "Holes", when it's revealed she's been holding negative feelings toward her wife since they had Oz, and it only reached a boiling point after the election.]]
71* HateSink: She's not a very likable or sympathetic person. [[spoiler:Almost every other cult member has [[CryForTheDevil sympathetic qualities of some kind]], [[EvilIsHammy is far too hilarious to actually hate]], or [[EvilIsCool is simply too awesome at being evil to dislike.]] Ivy, on the other hand, is none of these things and even her more sympathetic moments tend to lean towards a self-centered bent. Her villainy comes off as far more spiteful and mean-spirited, particularly given her immense hypocrisy and domestic abuse.]] She's easily one of the least likable characters of the season.
72* {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:When she, Beverly, Winter and Bebe Babbitt team up to kill Harrison, she has the nerve to chastise him for letting his wife Meadow (whom he started resenting in a way similar to how Ivy had begun to resent Ally) die for the sake of furthering Kai's progress, despite the fact that she has been gaslighting her own wife from the start, and when Harrison calls her out on it, she tries to take the moral high ground by saying she only drove her crazy and didn't kill her.]]
73** She also seemed to be genuinely furious over [[spoiler: Ally supposedly cheating on her with Winter,]] despite the fact that Ivy actually ''has'' been doing that, and for ''months.''
74* IronicName: Ivy means 'faithful', but it's later revealed that she had been cheating on her wife Ally with Winter and harbored a secret hatred towards her wife.
75* KickTheDog: Ivy's anger at [[spoiler:Ally's infidelity]] and [[spoiler:taking Oz and leaving the house]] would be an understandable reaction in a normal situation. [[spoiler:Deciding to up and leave the terrified Ally alone in a house marked by a killer, knowing and coldly acknowledging the dangerous possibilities it could cause to Ally,]] crosses the line to outright cruel even if she didn't really want [[spoiler:Ally]] dead, especially as she could've still [[spoiler:gone off to get her own space and simply told Ally to go to a motel or another place outside the killer's cross-hairs. And this turns out to be just the tip of the Dog-Kicking iceberg.]]
76* LawOfInverseFertility: She wanted to be the one to deliver Oz into the world, but she couldn't due to her endometriosis.
77* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: She isn't a good person but she does feel genuine remorse over some of the deaths her cult members cost, especially during the gruesome murder of cult-member RJ and during the shooting Kai had secretly plotted behind their backs. In "Drink The Kool-aid" she even admits that trusting Kai was a mistake because of how insane he is.
78* RageBreakingPoint: Her marriage was already falling apart over the course of time, but she didn't hit rock bottom until [[spoiler:once she discovered that Ally voted for Jill Stein rather than Hillary Clinton]].
79* SupernaturalProofFather: Or rather, Supernatural-Proof Mother. Her wife and their son both start having creepy, abnormal experiences with clowns and other horrors early on, while Ivy is mostly away for the action and coming in later to react to their reactions. True to the trope, she exhibits some skepticism that there is even a real threat, though in this case it's justified by the circumstances surrounding their encounters making it look possible that they're hallucinating or imagining it. [[spoiler:In "Holes", it is revealed that she is a member of the cult, and is only pretending not to know]].
80* TemptingFate: Are you sure that [[spoiler:Ally won't fulfill her revenge fantasies on you,]] Ivy? Are you '''really''' sure?
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Oz Mayfair-Richards]]
84!! Ozymandias "Oz" Mayfair-Richards
85-> '''Played by:''' Creator/CooperDodson
86
87Ally and Ivy's young son, who enjoys comics books based on [[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow Twisty The Clown]].
88----
89* BrutalHonesty: In Episode 9, after being invited to one of Kai's 'sleepovers' he's the only one in the room who outright states that Kai's stories make no sense and states the actual facts from the internet, even if it was from Wikipedia. Even Kai states that he has 'no filter'
90* CreepyChild: He doesn't come across as one, but Oz has an unhealthy obsession with comic books and toys based around [[SerialKiller Twisty the]] [[MonsterClown Clown]].
91* ChildrenAreInnocent: Aside from his strange obsession with [[MonsterClown killer clowns]] and lack of filter, Oz is a polite boy and possibly ''the'' most innocent character of the season.
92* MommasBoy: He'd almost have to be one considering he has two moms, but he sometimes demonstrates a particular attachment to Ivy, who is suggested by their physical resemblance to be his biological mother [[spoiler: (even though she actually isn't)]]. Oz's preference for Ivy and occasional outright rejection of Ally hurt the latter. After he tells Ally he wishes she were gone, he realizes he went way too far and apologizes to her, sharing a sweet bonding scene with both his moms during a family dinner.
93** It is actually possible that Ivy could be Oz's biological mother, even though Ally was the one who gave birth to him. New IVF technologies make it possible for a woman to be impregnated with another woman's egg. Ivy's endometriosis made it impossible for her to carry a child, but her ovaries may have still been viable. Therefore, Ivy's egg and the donor sperm may have been used to impregnate Ally, which would explain Oz's blonde hair and resemblance to Ivy.
94* NerdGlasses: Well, he at least seems to be a comic book fan, and wears large, dark-rimmed specs.
95* NiceGuy: So far, he's shown to be a pretty sweet kid and is quite polite to strangers, even forgiving his mother for making him get rid of his new pet guinea pig, and quickly apologizes to her for telling her he wishes he could say his goodbyes to her instead.
96* OddNameOut: Ally, Ivy, and... ''[[AerithAndBob Ozymandias]]''?
97** Aside from being a potential MeaningfulName, it follows a pattern if the intended nickname was Ozy.
98* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He's a very innocent boy who keeps stumbling upon things that cause troubles in his household, such as [[spoiler:a video posted online of Ally cheating on Ivy.]]
99* WiseBeyondTheirYears: He's an innocent boy, but he's far from stupid and is fairly mature for his age, especially when compared to Kai's followers; when he's in one of their 'sleepovers' he's the only one with actual common sense and remarks that Kai's 'stories' are wrong. Sure, he looks it up on the Wikipedia, but the fact that a child among grown men is the only one who was able to state that Kai couldn't be more wrong says a lot.
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Erika]]
103!! Erika
104-> '''Played by:''' Creator/AnnieIlonzeh
105
106[[spoiler:Ally's new girlfriend]] after the cult ordeal, who becomes [[spoiler:supportive of her campaign for the senate office]].
107----
108* NiceGirl: Is more loving and supportive to Ally and Oz than Ivy ever was.
109* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Implied not to know about [[spoiler:the new "cult" Ally has made.]]
110* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Introduced in the finale of the season.
111* ParentalSubstitute: Is becoming one for Oz after Ivy's death.
112[[/folder]]
113
114!! Anderson Family
115[[folder:Kai Anderson]]
116!! Kai Anderson
117[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_kai.png]]
118[[caption-width-right:350:''"The revolution has begun."'']]
119-> '''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
120
121A blue-haired terrorist who, galvanized by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's victory in the 2016 election, forms a clown-based cult.
122----
123* AGodAmI: While it's unclear whether he bought into his own hype previously, by the end of "Drink the Kool-Aid", Kai is convinced he has supernatural powers due to [[spoiler: Ally tricking him into believing Oz is his son; Kai had just been screwing with Ally and Ivy in claiming such, but upon seeing Ally's doctored evidence, believes his speaking it made it true.]]
124* AmbiguouslyBi: Claims to be straight, but tells Harrison that if someone he cares about has "a hard-on that just won't quit," he'll do anything he needs to show them that he'll take care of them. After this, he masturbates in the gym shower in front of Harrison. It's debatable whether Kai actually ''does'' have latent homosexual tendencies, or if he was just trying to manipulate Harrison (who is gay himself). [[spoiler: He is later revealed to have given Samuels anal sex as a way to indoctrinate him into the cult, and wishes to penetrate him as he penetrates Winter to create a "Messiah."]]
125* AxCrazy: This psychopath has this in spades.
126* BadBoss: Has arranged for the deaths of five members of the cult so far, and [[spoiler:kills Winter personally.]]
127%% Doesn't explain what the reaction is. * BerserkButton: Kai does ''not'' take being called out on his views well, nor does he like being told that he's all wrong ''at all''.
128%% ** Ironically, he also especially hates when ''he's'' the one who gets manipulated and lied to despite the fact that he does that literally all season to other people.
129* BigBad: Leader of the titular cult and the head behind the Mayfair-Richards' terrorizing.
130* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:How he meets his end, courtesy of Beverly.]]
131* BrotherSisterIncest: His and Winter's relationship, while it never goes into explicit territory, is definitely not a normal relationship between siblings. [[spoiler: He comes up with his most twisted idea yet by attempting to have her carry his child for the sake of having a 'messiah baby'. Even she was horrified by this idea.]]
132** Although {{Lampshaded}} by Winter, and slightly {{Subverted}} as [[spoiler:Kai planned on having Samuels be in between them so it's not ''technically'' incest. As Kai said, "he'll enter you, then I'll enter him."]]
133** He also listened to her while she was masturbating.
134%% * CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:He is the Cain to both Vincent and Winter's Abel.]]
135* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by Beverly.]]
136* ConnectedAllAlong: [[spoiler:It's revealed in "Holes" that Rudy is his and Winter's older brother.]]
137* TheCorrupter: Has convinced the frustrated ([[spoiler:Harrison, Beverly, and Ivy]]) and the already insane ([[spoiler:Gary]]) to follow him and become serial killers.
138* DepravedBisexual: Possibly; he sleeps with both men ([[spoiler:Samuels]]) and women ([[spoiler:Meadow]]), but it's unknown if he's actually attracted to both of them or simply using sex to further his agenda.
139* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Maybe. In "Holes", [[spoiler:he tells Beverly about how his mother killed her abusive husband and then took her own life. He keeps their rotting corpses locked in their bedroom to continue receiving their financial benefits. Occasionally, he goes into the room to talk to his mother's corpse. He then breaks down crying.]] This story is confirmed to be true in a later episode.
140* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Creepy incestuous vibes aside, Kai does appear to genuinely love his little sister Winter, had a soft spot for his late mother and also respected and looked up to his big brother Vincent. [[spoiler: At least he did until finding out about his plan to have him committed into a loony bin, after which he rather easily killed him without any trace of visible guilt.]]
141** [[spoiler:Also, while he still killed his own sister, he was clearly heartbroken that she lied to him, sobbed uncontrollably while strangling her to death, and was devastated when he realized that he ended up killing her over nothing.]]
142* {{Expy}}: Evan Peters described the character as Creator/HeathLedger's [[Film/TheDarkKnight Joker]] if he were also a white nationalist in addition to being an anarchist.
143* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:He attempts to position himself this way with Ally after she accidentally kills Pedro, praising her "bravery" and offering to "protect" her from those angered by her getting to walk free. She's more confused than anything.]]
144* FauxAffablyEvil: He tries to present himself as someone who is sophisticated and wise regarding the things he talks about, but it only barely works. If someone gives him any pushback regarding his claims, his unhinged and threatening nature shows itself quickly.
145* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Ally pretends to join his cult so that they can be taken down by the FBI. She also orchestrates his escape from prison only to have him publicly humiliated on national television by tampering with his assassination attempt and exposing his unstable, misogynistic attitude to the viewing public. Additionally, Beverly shoots him in the head, ultimately ending his destructive influence]].
146* {{Hypocrite}}: As a consummate manipulator and gaslighter, this is practically essential to his personality.
147* LadyMacbeth: To Harrison in "11/9", encouraging him to [[spoiler:kill his homophobic boss, urging him on while does it, and later helping him cover it up through hacking the man's phone and deleting security footage off the computer.]]
148* LoonyFan: Of Donald Trump, or at least how he validates his view on the world.
149* ManipulativeBastard: Kai really knows how to read people and play to their fears and worries.
150* MoodSwinger: Calm and affable one minute, violently unhinged and screaming the next.
151* MultipleChoicePast: A much more subtle example than most. Kai tells lies about himself with glaring inaccuracies that a layman would not be likely to catch. It's part of his manipulation, as the information he gives about himself is based on what he believes the person he's talking to wants to hear.
152* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Bears some striking resemblances to the mass murderer UsefulNotes/CharlesManson, not only in appearance (his long hair and facial hair), but also in his cult of personality and numerous female followers. The scenario he describes to [[spoiler:Bebe in the tenth episode wherein, after the women kill all the men, he rises and rules over them,]] is identical to Manson's "Helter Skelter" scenario, only with gender as the key factor rather than race. [[note]]Manson imagined a race war wherein black people would kill all white people, and then he and his "family", the sole surviving whites, would rise up and rule the black population. [[/note]]
153* PetTheDog: After [[ItMakesSenseInContext applying Cheeto-dust to his face]] to celebrate Trump's victory, he agrees not to rub Clinton's loss in Winter's face.
154* PhonyVeteran: Possibly. He claims to have served in Iraq when talking to Beverly, but this could be untrue. See "Multiple Choice Past" above.
155* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Where do we start? He's racist, sexist, homophobic and relishes in torturing those who disapprove of Donald Trump.
156* PragmaticPansexuality: Indiscriminately uses sex to manipulate and control people, but it's never clear if he feels any genuine attraction or not.
157* ProperlyParanoid: By season's end he is convinced one or more of the people in his group is being TheMole, just like what happened to Charles Manson. [[spoiler:He kills Winter for it, but it turns out to be Ally and Speedwagon.]]
158* ThePuppetCutsHisStrings: [[spoiler:Was intended to be a puppet to Bebe Babbitt. This didn't exactly work out for her.]]
159* SanitySlippage: He started off the series not all there, but by season's end he has damn near lost it.
160* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:Killing Pastor Charles was this for him.]]
161* {{Straw Misogynist}}: By mid-season, Kai seems to have it out for women as he hires a group of macho douchebags to be his new followers while treating the women of his cult-like garbage and would then continue to hatefully rave about how women should just {{Stay In The Kitchen}} and even yells to Ally that 'women can't lead', [[spoiler:but this ultimately bites him in the ass when he gets defeated by the remaining women of his cult, Ally, Gloria Whitmore and lastly, Beverly.]]
162* StupidEvil: Kai has a tendency to treat his followers as expendable cannon fodder, orchestrating the deaths of several of them to provide some sort of immediate benefit to him. However, as his more loyal followers ([[spoiler: Meadow]], [[spoiler: Harrison]], [[spoiler: Gary]], etc.) bite the dust, it ultimately hurts him in the long run, and by the finale [[spoiler: he has nobody left to protect or assist him when he confronts Ally on the stage and gets betrayed by his last remaining follower]].
163* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Seems pretty fond of Ally's sloppy joe sandwiches, or as she calls them 'Manwiches'.
164* UsedToBeASweetKid: From what we see of him when he was younger, he had the potential to be a lazy dick and was a massive {{Troll}}, but he was more or less a moral guy who initially wanted to save people. [[spoiler:It was interacting with and eventually killing Pastor Charles that made him go crazy.]]
165* TheVamp: A RareMaleExample, as he frequently uses sex to get what he wants [[spoiler:(e.g., Meadow opening fire at his rally and then killing herself, gaining a new follower in Samuels).]]
166* VillainousBreakdown: Has an extended one over the course of the last couple episodes as his paranoia builds due to his increased drug abuse and suspicions of a mole in the cult. By the finale, the calm, cool manipulator is gone, replaced by [[spoiler:a raving madman screaming through a prison phone]].
167* WouldHitAGirl: Slaps Meadow in the face when it becomes evident that she isn't taking his "pinky" ritual seriously.
168* WouldHurtAChild: Plans a "Night of 1,000 Tates," inspired by the Manson Family's murder of Sharon Tate. That is, he intends for his followers to murder 1,000 pregnant women. He quickly realizes that this is an unrealistic number and instead settles on 100. [[spoiler: This plan never comes to fruition due to the FBI raiding his house before it can.]]
169* WoundedGazelleGambit: Taunts a group of migrant workers with racial slurs and throws a condom filled with piss at them. He naturally gets his ass beaten senseless... and manages to turn it into a story about an innocent being assaulted by illegals.
170** Done again at one of Kai's public rallies, where [[spoiler:he has Meadow shoot him in the leg to paint him as a martyr who survived an assassination attempt.]]
171[[/folder]]
172
173[[folder:Winter Anderson]]
174!! Winter Anderson
175[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/winter_anderson.png]]
176[[caption-width-right:350:''"Have you ever seen a real dead body?"'']]
177-> '''Played by:''' Creator/BillieLourd
178
179Kai's sister and a former UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton supporter who reluctantly joins her brother's cause after UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump is elected President. She soon becomes the babysitter of Oz Mayfair-Richards.
180----
181* AmbiguouslyBi: In the season premiere, she tells Kai that she was bullied in school for having a crush on a girl, but later in the same scene says that she once let a guy try anal. She also attempts to seduce Ally in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," though it has yet to be revealed whether this was genuine attraction or part of something more sinister. In episode 3, [[spoiler:a video of Winter and Ally having a bit of "fun" in the tub is revealed to have been put online when Oz stumbles upon it on his computer]], so it's genuinely possible that it was done to drive the family apart. [[spoiler:This is confirmed in "Holes", with Ivy fully aware of the plan]].
182** By later in the season, it's less ambiguous. [[spoiler:She and Ivy are in some kind of relationship by episode 8, it seems.]]
183* AmbiguouslyEvil: While she's no saint for certain, it's not clear if she's in on Kai's plans or if she has comparatively nobler intentions.
184* AntiVillain: She's a mix of Type 1 and Type 3. She's actually nowhere near as evil or malicious as Kai, nor is she as sociopathic as him and her other brother Vincent, but she's willing to go to the extremes for the things she believes in, especially feminism, and she was a member of Kai's cult and she killed and slaughtered people at her brother's word. Despite that, she has a deep, genuine love for her family, even though they (namely Kai) don't go to the lengths she does out of love for them.
185** [[spoiler:She actually becomes less villainous throughout the season, as she slowly starts backing out of Kai's twisted plans, and tries to help Beverly escape from the cult, but this ultimately gets her killed, and by Kai no less.]]
186* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Kai chokes her.]]
187* ConnectedAllAlong: [[spoiler: It's revealed in "Holes" that Rudy is her and Kai's older brother]].
188* TheDragon: Seems to be this for her brother Kai, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
189* DyeHard: Winter is shown in flashbacks with dark brown hair, meaning that she bleaches and dyes it (and the timeline suggests she started doing so around the same time as Kai).
190* EntitledBitch: Vincent calls her this word for word, and judging by her behavior with others, his claim isn't that far-off.
191* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: She's a little distant towards them but she loves her family very much, especially Kai despite the abuse he puts her through; she also loved Vincent, as she was heartbroken by his death at the hands of Kai, remarking that despite Vincent being an 'asshole', he was still one of them. She was absolutely devastated when she finally found out that their parents had been long dead and her brothers didn't bother telling her about it until Thanksgiving. [[spoiler:She also truly loved Ivy, saying that what they had was 'real' and that she really cared about her, and was sad about her death that she believed was because of Kai.]]
192* EvenEvilHasStandards: She's not the most moral character in this series and doesn't seem to have a problem with spilling blood, but even she starts to become put off by Kai's nefarious schemes and increasing instability.
193* EvilFeelsGood: Claims that she enjoyed it when she put Gary Longstreet in a position where he suffered.
194* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: She may have an attractive face, but her behavior is more than a bit off-putting.
195* FemmeFatalons: Has long, sharp blue nails that the camera sometimes focuses on while she taps them in a sinister way.
196* {{Goth}}: Her style of dress and general demeanor place her in this category.
197* HarmfulToMinors: Deliberately shows Oz videos of people being stabbed to death on the Dark Net.
198* NeverMyFault: Conversed by Ally, as Winter doesn't seem to take much responsibility for her actions and mainly focused on how the state of the world affected her and how some people deserved what they got.
199 -->'''Ally:''' Is anything ever your fault, Winter?
200* ObviouslyEvil: Well, not ''evil'', but she dresses in Gothic clothes, often talks in a condescending tone with the people whose child she's supposed to be babysitting, and seems to care very little for said child, to list a few examples of her... ''unusual'' behavior.
201* PetTheDog: Despite her fear of children and the fact that she showed him a lot of violent videos, she develops a genuine care for Oz.
202* SoapboxSadie: Her reaction to Trump's victory prompts her to ask why she wasn't given a [[ContentWarning trigger warning]] before being given the news.
203* StrawFeminist: Very much a feminist, and she mentioned taking a couple of Women's studies classes at Vassar, and gets very offended at any misogynistic comments, to the point of being violent. This is what led her to stand up for Ivy after Gary Longstreet touched her inappropriately, and then later to chain him up in a basement with no one to hear him or help him until Kai finds him.
204* ThickerThanWater: Despite she is an ideological opponent to Kai, she remains a part of his cult and even betrays Beverly, all on account of being his sister.
205* UltimateJobSecurity: While Winter manages to keep the worst of her actions secret from Ally and Ivy through lying and being a ManipulativeBitch, she still does only a half-assed job babysitting and will walk in and reveal she has done something reckless to endanger the Mayfair-Richards household OnceAnEpisode. She has yet to be fired. [[spoiler:This is ultimately revealed to be because she and Ivy are fellow members of the cult]].
206[[/folder]]
207
208[[folder:Scott Anderson]]
209!!Scott Anderson
210->'''Played by:''' Creator/JGrantAlbrecht
211Kai's father [[spoiler:who accuses his wife of cheating on him and verbally berates both of them.]]
212* AbusiveParents: The verbal type, to both his wife and son. We don’t find out how he treated Winter.
213* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Julie shoots him twice in the stomach.]]
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Julie Anderson]]
217!!Julie Anderson
218->'''Played by:''' Creator/WylieSmall
219Kai's mother.
220* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:She has enough of Scott's verbal abuse and shoots him in the stomach and herself in the mouth.]]
221[[/folder]]
222
223!! Wilton Family
224[[folder:Harrison Wilton]]
225!! Harrison Wilton
226[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_harrison.png]]
227[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's the way of the world now. Lay it all out there, ya know?"'']]
228-> '''Played by:''' Creator/BillyEichner
229
230A new arrival in the neighborhood who, with his wife Meadow, moves in across the street from Ally and Ivy after the Changs are killed.
231----
232* AndStarring: Among the other guest stars of ''Cult'', Eichner is billed as a ''special'' guest star.
233* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Decapitated with a saw by Ivy.]]
234* CrazySurvivalist: He owns a ''lot'' of guns because he thought UsefulNotes/BarackObama was going to prohibit weapon sales, keeping him from getting any. Obama clearly didn't.
235* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:He's strapped to a table, and then has all his limbs chainsawed off by the women of the cult, while ''alive'']].
236* FallbackMarriagePact: He's gay, but made one with Meadow when they were younger, hence their marriage.
237** {{Deconstructed|Trope}}, given that both he and Meadow are [[AwfulWeddedLife utterly miserable in their marriage]] and that, while they don't hate each other, the marriage is stirring up incredibly strong feelings of anger and resentment between them. She also harbors feelings for him.
238* GayConservative: Libertarian, actually, shown voting for Gary Johnson. His views on guns and gender roles put him at odds with other members of the cult.
239* {{Hypocrite}}: Harrison has strong libertarian leanings and preaches equality, even harassing Ally because she [[spoiler:shot Pedro by accident when being attacked]] and using a flimsy accusation of racism as justification, yet he makes some ''extremely'' misogynistic comments towards her on the phone in Episode 3, more or less outright stating that two women can't raise a son and that Oz needs a prominent male figure in his life.
240* IncompatibleOrientation: [[spoiler:His platonic marriage arrangement with Meadow doesn't seem ''entirely'' understood on her part]].
241* KillHimAlready: [[spoiler: Harrison's initial attack on his boss doesn't actually kill him, so Kai orders him to finish the deed himself. He does]].
242* MakeAnExampleOfThem: [[spoiler:The women of the cult do this to him under the belief that he made misogynistic comments, to send a message that they want equal power. They cut his arm off before decapitating him.]]
243* PetTheDog: During the shooting in "Mid-Western Assassin", Harrison doesn't hesitate to try and protect a horrified Ivy from getting shot; he runs away after, but he had assumed that she was following him, and didn't think she had been in too much shock to react.
244* StraightGay: Ally and Ivy only learn he's gay after Meadow alludes to it in conversation.
245* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler: Kai convinces Harrison to kill his mean, homophobic boss through exploiting the general frustration and unhappiness he feels towards life]].
246[[/folder]]
247
248[[folder:Meadow Wilton]]
249!! Meadow Wilton
250[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_meadow_wilton.png]]
251[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm afraid the man I love is turning against me."'']]
252-> '''Played by:''' Creator/LeslieGrossman
253
254A new arrival in the neighborhood who, with her husband Harrison, moves in across the street from Ally and Ivy after the Changs are killed.
255----
256* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler: Episode three ends with Meadow missing and Harrison covered in blood, but we don't know what actually happened]].
257* AteHisGun: [[spoiler:Ends her mass shooting by doing this.]]
258* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shoots herself in the mouth.]]
259* FagHag: Described as such by her husband.
260* FalseFriend: To [[spoiler:Ally, who thought Meadow was seeking help after escaping the cult. As it turns out, Meadow was still involved with Kai, and her only job was to make Ally look crazier leading up to Meadow "assassinating" Kai.]]
261* FallbackMarriagePact: Made one with Harrison when they were younger. {{Deconstructed|Trope}}, given that both he and Meadow are [[AwfulWeddedLife utterly miserable in their marriage]] and that, while they don't hate each other, the marriage is stirring up incredibly strong feelings of anger and resentment between them. She also harbors feelings for him.
262* IncompatibleOrientation: She has been in love with Harrison since she was 10, but he is gay and completely uninterested in her in that way.
263* LoveMartyr: [[spoiler:To Kai, willing to allow herself to be painted as a political assassin and even die due to her love for him.]]
264* SadClown: She's totally weird, flighty and has an offbeat sense of humor that she uses to hide her insecurity behind.
265* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler: She relays a tale of being terrorized by Harrison and Kai to Ally. In truth, it's all a setup for the cult to stage a mass shooting to martyr Kai.]]
266[[/folder]]
267
268!! Residents of Michigan
269[[folder:Detective Samuels]]
270!! Detective Jack Samuels
271[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_samuels.png]]
272[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's much more complex than that."'']]
273-> '''Played by:''' Creator/ColtonHaynes
274A detective.
275----
276* AmbiguouslyGay: Is oddly close to Harrison, something that has Meadow more than a little suspicious. [[spoiler: We see them kissing in "Holes".]] [[spoiler: It is later revealed that Kai gave him anal sex, which he enjoyed, and Kai's support is implied to be the catalyst that convinced Samuels to follow him into the cult.]]
277** However, he ''has'' been shown to be able to perform with women...only if he puts his hands around their necks.
278* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Gets shot by Winter in episode 8. After all he's done, culminating in attempting to sexually assault her, it hardly comes off as undeserved.]]
279* AttemptedRape: Tries this on [[spoiler:Winter]] after she [[spoiler:dismisses his assertions that he isn't gay despite having sex with men]]. He [[spoiler:gets a bullet through his head]] for his troubles.
280** He does it to [[spoiler: Kai as well, when he uses his authority as a police officer to blackmail Kai into blowing him.]]
281* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Meets his end this way after he tries to rape Winter]].
282* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by Winter.]]
283* ADeathInTheLimelight: [[spoiler:He dies in the only episode that really gives him any focus]].
284* DirtyCop: [[spoiler: He's a member of the cult, which murders and gaslights innocent people.]]
285* FairCop: Comes with the territory of being played by a former model. Even Kai openly refers to him as being beautiful.
286* TheLoinsSleepTonight: Is only able to perform with women when he has his hands around their throats. He doesn't have this problem with men.
287* {{Profiling}}: PlayedWith. He's quick to assume that Pedro, an employee at the Butchery on Main, is both an illegal immigrant and the killer of one of his co-workers, despite Ally and Ivy vouching for him. While Samuels has a justification of suspecting Pedro having a motive due to having a fight with the murder victim earlier in the day, Ally and Ivy's vouch can only account for so much. He still had no reason to assume Pedro was an illegal immigrant though (Pedro himself affirms that he was born in the States). [[spoiler: Turns out to have been intentionally invoked given that he was a cult member trying to keep the activities under wraps.]]
288** [[spoiler: After Pedro is killed by Ally by mistake, he all but declares Pedro guilty, and suggests that he was going to hurt Oz. This highly suggests that he already passed judgement on the man. ]]
289* ThoseWackyNazis: Possibly. His house is full of Nazi memorabilia, but it isn't made clear if he actually is one, or if he's just a collector.
290[[/folder]]
291
292[[folder:Dr. Rudy Vincent]]
293!! Dr. Rudy Vincent [[spoiler:Anderson]]
294[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_rudy.png]]
295[[caption-width-right:350:''"I don't need to know every crazy thing that's happening in the world, especially if there's nothing I can do about it."'']]
296-> '''Played by:''' Creator/CheyenneJackson
297Ally's psychiatrist.
298----
299* AmbiguouslyEvil: He is connected to both Ally and the victim killed in the opening of "Neighbors from Hell" as their psychiatrist, meaning he knows all their fears in detail and could play some role in the clown cult using these fears against his patients. His portrayal in "Neighbors from Hell" also seems to unveil some unsettling new sides to him, as he appears almost annoyed or irritated by his other patient's recovery (shortly before she is murdered) and Ally contacting him. [[spoiler:Not so ambiguous as of "Holes", as he is seen informing Kai of his patient's status prior to her death and is shown to be his older brother, though he isn't actually part of the cult as far as we can tell.]]
300** "Winter of Our Discontent" reveals that he was [[spoiler: GoodAllAlong...mostly. He had no idea what Kai was doing; Kai was able to mess with his patients by breaking into his office and going through his files. He apologizes profusely to Ally and vows to help her take Kai down. His motivations are selfish, as he notes that Kai's crimes will reflect poorly on him and hurt his practice unless he can prove that he tried to stop Kai, but he definitely isn't working for his psychotic brother at least]].
301* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed in the throat by Kai after having his pinkie sliced off.]]
302* ConnectedAllAlong: [[spoiler: It's revealed in "Holes" that he's Kai and Winter's older brother]].
303* TheConfidant: To Ally, in a mixture between "psychiatrist" and "friend." She turns to him for advice and he can get her to admit things to him she won't admit to Ivy.
304* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:Calling him 'evil' is a bit of a stretch, while he didn't seem to care about his parents' deaths (especially their father), Vincent did genuinely love his siblings and was even the one who started the entire 'pinkie power' ritual as a means of reassurance to Kai. He also appeared to love Winter, as they both exchanged worried glances for each other right before he is killed.]]
305* {{Fingore}}: [[spoiler:Loses his pinky finger before getting killed by the cult]].
306* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:He actually was not part of the Cult. Kai stole documents from his office and, upon realizing how dangerous his brother is, tries to have him either arrested or committed.]]
307* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:The real reason he helped Kai cover up their parents' deaths, as he was worried about the effect it would have on his practice]]. Even when he [[spoiler: realizes that Kai has been harassing his patients, his primary reason for wanting to get him committed or arrested is because his brother's actions will hurt his practice unless it can be proven that he made an attempt to stop him]].
308* LackOfEmpathy: Downplayed, and of the non-villainous variety. He's nowhere near as bad as Kai, but as stated above, he is very self-centered and concerned with keeping his job as a counselor; for example, Vincent was less affected by his parents' death and far more worried about how the details of their death (his mother killing their father and committing suicide) would affect his practice, and did not seem overly concerned with how their sister would take the news.
309* OnlySaneMan: The only level-headed member of the main cast.
310* TheShrink: He's Ally's psychiatrist and appears to be a good one at that.
311* SlashedThroat: [[spoiler: Courtesy of his own brother Kai]].
312[[/folder]]
313
314[[folder:Gary Longstreet]]
315!! Gary K. Longstreet
316[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_gary_longstreet.png]]
317[[caption-width-right:350:''"Welcome to Trump's America, Motherfuckers!"'']]
318-> '''Played by:''' Creator/ChazBono
319
320A cashier at a grocery store and a Trump supporter.
321----
322* AmbiguouslyEvil: This comes into play when [[spoiler:two clowns just happened to ambush Ally in the supermarket and have sex in front of her while another hid in her car, which causes her to crash her car]]. Was it real and he was apart of it or was it all imaginary and in Ally's head? [[spoiler:Turns out Gary is in on the cult.]]
323* AnArmAndALeg: Gary is missing his left hand, cut off at the wrist on election night -- not that it stopped him from voting for Trump.
324* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Gary takes to killing in the Cult like a duck to water. His SlasherSmile when killing R.J. says it all.]]
325* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed a bunch of times by the cult members.]]
326* EvilCripple: [[spoiler:As a member of the cult, he is one of the more sadistic members.]]
327* FatBastard: Is rather rotund and is an absolute jerk.
328* LaserGuidedKarma: He sexually battered Ivy at a demonstration with his left hand. Later, he's forced to cut it off when Winter and Kai put him in a position where it's the only way he can get out of his handcuffs and vote.
329* NumberTwo: Gary seems to be the second in command to Kai, more so than Winter or Beverly.
330* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: A villainous example. He's killed by Kai and the rest of the cult so that they can pin his death on Kai's Antifa detractors and his political opponent.]]
331* UndyingLoyalty: To Kai. [[spoiler:Kills very gleefully whenever Kai says to and was even willing to chug what he thought was poisoned punch without question. This trait gets him killed, though.]]
332[[/folder]]
333
334[[folder:Sally Keffler]]
335!! Sally Keffler
336-> '''Played by:''' Creator/MareWinningham
337
338->''"People like Mr. Anderson, and Trump, are not the garbage. They are the flies the garbage has drawn. It's time that we stop worrying about the flies, and we start hauling away the garbage."''
339
340A spunky politician who proved bold enough to run up against Kai in the Michigan campaign.
341----
342* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Kai shoots her in the chest.]]
343* CoolOldLady: While not too old, she has shown herself to be a very experienced, educated woman who not only asserts herself against Kai (of all people) in front of everyone at the council meeting, she also calmly reassures Ally and believes her story about the cult and that her opponent is the one in charge. "Nothing shocks me. I went to Berkeley," says Sally, all the while smoking a joint.
344* DeadStarWalking: [[spoiler:This is Mare Winningham's fourth ''[[Series/AmericanHorrorStory American Horror Story]]'' role, but as a guest star she was doomed to die on the first episode she debuts in.]]
345* OnlySaneMan: The only character in the show who isn't a child, a cultist, or seemingly dealing with crippling neuroses.
346* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:She's a no-nonsense, unflappable gun-toting lady who stood up to Kai and called him out on his tactics as a fear-monger. Of course, that meant Kai targeted her immediately, and had the cult overwhelm and kill her.]]
347[[/folder]]
348
349[[folder:Pastor Charles]]
350!!Pastor Charles
351-> '''Played by:''' Music/RickSpringfield
352
353A creepy, sinister priest who met Kai and Winter on the deep web two years ago. The experience helped shape Kai into who he is in the present.
354----
355* AssholeVictim: All the frankly horrific tortures he puts his victims through makes it hard, if not impossible, to feel sympathy for him when he [[spoiler:gets rather gruesomely killed by one of his own contraptions. In front of his victims, no less.]]
356* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed through his back with his own device by Kai.]]
357* GadgeteerGenius: Assuming he built all the contraptions in the farmhouse himself.
358* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:How he is killed by Kai, and by his own contraption no less]].
359* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler:He's already dead by the time the series starts. We're introduced to him in an extended flashback]].
360* SerialKiller: It's implied that he's been at it for quite a while.
361* SinisterMinister: Very much so.
362* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:He's only seen in one episode for a small portion of Episode 8, but according to Winter, it was the experience with him that changed everything, leading to Kai realizing that he couldn't save everyone, and thus developing his current twisted, anarchist mentality]].
363* TortureTechnician: His farmhouse is filled with torture devices and death traps that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Saw'' movie.
364[[/folder]]
365
366[[folder:Gloria Whitmore]]
367!! Gloria Whitmore
368-> '''Played by:''' Creator/LizJenkins
369A security guard at the prison [[spoiler:Kai]] was sent to.
370----
371* TheDragon: Was this for [[spoiler: Ally]] in secret.
372* HighHeelFaceTurn: Was the only female member of [[spoiler:Kai's prison cult]] but she turns her back on him thanks to [[spoiler:Ally.]]
373* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Introduced in the finale of the season.
374* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:Kai]] really shouldn't have made fun of her weight and intelligence if he wanted her on his side.
375* SexForServices: Her entire relationship with [[spoiler: Kai]] is based on this. He manipulated her by making her feel wanted and having sex with her.
376* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Is given a heartfelt speech like this from [[spoiler:Ally]] so she can turn against [[spoiler:Kai]].
377[[/folder]]
378
379[[folder:Pedro Morales]]
380!!Pedro Morales
381->'''Played by:''' Creator/JorgeLuisPallo
382One of Ally and Ivy's employees.
383* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Ally accidentally shoots him in the head.]]
384[[/folder]]
385
386[[folder:Roger]]
387!!Roger
388->'''Played by:''' Creator/ZackWard
389A racist employee at Ally and Ivy's restaurant.
390* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Put on a meat hook. Ally tries to get him off and he bleeds out because of this.]]
391[[/folder]]
392
393[[folder:Vinny Ravoli]]
394!!Vincenzo "Vinny" Ravoli
395->'''Played by:''' Creator/TJHoban
396The homophobic [[spoiler:former boss of Harrison]].
397* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Harrison bludgeons him with a dumbbell after crushing his throat.]]
398[[/folder]]
399
400[[folder:Riley]]
401!!Riley
402->'''Played by:''' Creator/SarahYarkin
403One of Winter's friends.
404[[/folder]]
405
406[[folder:Dorothy]]
407!!Dorothy
408->'''Played by:''' Creator/CathyMarks
409One of Winter's friends.
410[[/folder]]
411
412[[folder:Senator Jackson]]
413!!Herbert Jackson
414->'''Played by:''' Creator/DennisCockrum
415[[spoiler:Kai's opposing candidate for Senate of Michigan.]]
416[[/folder]]
417
418[[folder:Thom Chang]]
419!!Thom Chang
420->'''Played by:''' Creator/TimKong
421Ally and Ivy's neighbor and friend. Husband of Marylin.
422* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Murdered by the clowns, who are later revealed to be cult members.]]
423[[/folder]]
424
425[[folder:Marylin Chang]]
426!!Marylin Chang
427->'''Played by:''' Creator/NanrisaLee
428Ally and Ivy's neighbor and friend. Wife of Thom.
429* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Throat slit and stabbed by the clowns, who are later revealed to be cult members.]]
430[[/folder]]
431
432[[folder:Perry Donner-Scott]]
433!!Perry Donner-Scott
434->'''Played by:''' Creator/JosephWill
435A city councilman.
436[[/folder]]
437
438[[folder:Rosie]]
439!!Rosie
440->'''Played by:''' Creator/LauraAllen
441Mark's wife who had claustrophobia due to her abusive father locking her in a cabinet when she was a child.
442* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:The clowns lock her in a coffin and she dehydrates to death.]]
443[[/folder]]
444
445[[folder:Mark]]
446!!Mark
447->'''Played by:''' Creator/RonMelendez
448Rosie's husband.
449* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:He is locked in a coffin by the clowns and he dehydrates to death]].
450[[/folder]]
451
452[[folder:Speedwagon]]
453!!Speedwagon
454->'''Played by:''' Creator/CameronCowpethwaite
455[[spoiler:A cult member.]]
456* AlasPoorVillain: He was just [[spoiler: a guy who was caught up doing drugs, forced to become an informant and rat inside the cult, and is ultimately killed by Ally, who knows his innocence, to further her own agenda.]]
457* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Ally stabs him in the chest.]]
458[[/folder]]
459
460[[folder:Gutterball]]
461!!Gutterball
462->'''Played by:''' Creator/KaiwiLyman
463[[spoiler:A cult member.]]
464* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by Beverly.]]
465[[/folder]]
466
467[[folder:Trevor Geary]]
468!!Trevor Geary
469->'''Played by:''' Creator/IanBamberg
470A prison inmate [[spoiler:and a member of Kai's prison cult.]]
471* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed to death by Kai.]]
472[[/folder]]
473
474[[folder:Chris Madison]]
475!!Chris Madison
476[[spoiler:Oz's biological father.]]
477[[/folder]]
478
479!! WBNR Channel 7
480[[folder:Beverly Hope]]
481!! Beverly Hope
482[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_beverly_hope.png]]
483[[caption-width-right:350:''"It feels like wanting to be the last person on Earth because, that way, you got to watch every other son of a bitch die before you."'']]
484-> '''Played by:''' Creator/AdinaPorter
485
486A broadcast news journalist, giving a voice to potentially inconvenient thoughts to those trying to cover up certain events.
487----
488* BadassDecay: [[spoiler:Goes from very vocal and willing to take charge to a scared woman after Winter frames her for Samuels's death, causing her to get tortured.]]
489** [[spoiler:Subverted after witnessing firsthand the downfall of Kai's cult as the FBI raid his house and gun down all of his followers, courtesy of Ally]].
490* ClusterFBomb: She drops ''lots'' of f-bombs through the series.
491* TheDragon: [[spoiler:To Kai. She is his most useful and loyal cult member. She slowly loses the position to the men of the cult but regains the position when she serves as Ally's campaign manager in the finale.]]
492* FireForgedFriends: She becomes this with [[spoiler: Ally, as the two of them are able to escape the cult and have Kai imprisoned. They still stay in touch later; Beverly even becomes Ally's campaign manager and is the one who kills Kai]].
493* FallGuy: [[spoiler:Is made into one by Winter, who tells Kai that Beverly murdered Samuels instead of her]].
494* GoneHorriblyRight: Tries to convince Winter that Kai would turn on her, family or no, if given reason. [[spoiler: When Winter kills Samuels in self-defense, she throws Beverly under the bus to save herself.]]
495* IntrepidReporter: Oh, hell yes. Beverly connected the dots of the Changs' murders and the recent murder of a young couple to the work of a serial killer, pointing out similarities of the crime scenes. [[spoiler: She is in on it, after all.]]
496* IronicName: Given her surname is Hope; on television, all she does is speak blunt truths and spread fear, instead of instilling hope to the masses.
497* LadyMacbeth: [[spoiler:To Kai. She encourages the cult to lash out at its weaker members like R.J..]]
498* TheMole: [[spoiler:As the Cult's mole inside WBNR, he uses her position as a reporter to spread fear during her broadcasts]].
499* OldMaid: She's very threatened by Serena, who's much younger than she and rising in the ranks at WBNR.
500* TheStarscream: Contemptuous of Bob Thompson's favoritism and weak stance on real news, and clearly attempts to outmaneuver him whenever possible despite being on the same news team. [[spoiler: The very moment she's convinced Kai's no longer interested in sharing power with her, Bebe appears and the two form their own counter-cult, just as Kai intended.]]
501* TwoFirstNames: Beverly and Hope can both be used as first names.
502[[/folder]]
503
504[[folder:Serena Belinda]]
505!!Serena Belinda
506[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_serena_belinda.png]]
507-> '''Played by:''' Creator/EmmaRoberts
508
509An ambitious young journalist who tries to take advantage of Beverly's sabbatical and replace her.
510-----
511* AlphaBitch: She may not be in high school, but she has some traces of this.
512* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed numerous times by the clowns.]]
513* DeadStarWalking: [[spoiler: ''Cult'' is her first appearance on ''AHS'' since leaving for ''Series/{{Scream Queens|2015}}'' after ''[[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow Freak Show]]'', and she's dead by the end of her first episode]].
514* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: Her ambition to replace Beverly is rewarded by murder]].
515* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: She's stabbed to death by the cult while filming a puff piece for the station]].
516* IntrepidReporter: She's defined by her ambition for a career in journalism.
517* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: She's lowkey an expy of Tomi Lahren.
518* SleepingTheirWayToTheTop: She doesn't seem opposed to doing this.
519* TwoFirstNames: Serena and Belinda can both be used as first names.
520[[/folder]]
521
522[[folder:Bob Thompson]]
523!! Bob Thompson
524-> '''Played by:''' Creator/DermotMulroney
525
526A network news anchor with a questionable job integrity.
527-----
528* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed multiple times by the clowns and axed in the head by Beverly.]]
529* DeadlineNews: [[spoiler:Technically speaking, he was killed beforehand. But no one knew of his death until Beverly purposely shown a video of his death as revenge for not only of him basically turning her down but also not revealing the video of Serena Belinda's death by the cult.]]
530* DirtyOldMan: Bob is willing to sleep with younger women of the staff and even has a gimp at his house for his own sexual pleasure.
531* JerkassHasAPoint: He's immoral and perverted, but he's absolutely right when he calls Kai a 'nutjob'.
532[[/folder]]
533
534[[folder:R.J.]]
535!!R.J.
536[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ahs_cult_rj.png]]
537-> '''Played by:''' Creator/JamesMorosini
538
539R.J. is the cameraman for Beverly and a trusty colleague of hers.
540-----
541* ARealManIsAKiller: [[spoiler:Essentially why Kai and the other members of the cult kill him because R.J. didn't have the balls to kill someone.]]
542* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shot in the head with a staple gun by every cult member.]]
543* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:The entire cult gangs up on him when they decide he's too soft for them, and they tie him up while each of the members slowly tortures and kills him by shooting ''nails'' into his head with a nail gun]].
544* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Donwplayed. R.J appears to be the least evil member of the cult. He was the clown who told Oz he was dreaming when they invaded his house in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", thus sparing him trauma. He also was openly horrified when they trapped that couple in "Neighbors From Hell" in coffins, calling it 'next-level twisted' and even suggested letting them out but unfortunately, this is what provokes the cult into killing him.]]
545[[/folder]]
546
547!! SCUM
548
549[[folder:Valerie Solanas]]
550!!Valerie Solanas
551-> '''Played by:''' Creator/LenaDunham
552
553The infamous would-be assassin of Andy Warhol, and author of the SCUM Manifesto.
554-----
555* AxCrazy: She was far more enthusiastic about killing men than any sane person should be.
556* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: According to Bebe, she [[spoiler:orchestrated the UsefulNotes/ZodiacKiller killings.]]
557* CassandraTruth: Tries to confess to [[spoiler:masterminding the Zodiac killings]], but is shrugged off by the cops.
558* CharacterDeath: Dies the same way she did in real life.
559* DoesNotLikeMen: Absolutely hated men, thinking that they needed to be completely killed off.
560* FemaleMisogynist: She had her group kill any woman who was caught with a man, even if there was no indication that they were anything other than a loving couple, with the man treating the woman just fine. She hated any woman that supported men, and wanted to send a message that if any of them supported or were caught with men on her group's watch they would be killed.
561* GlorySeeker: Wanted "recognition" for [[spoiler:orchestrating the Zodiac killings.]]
562* HateSink: There's not one shred of likability to her. She hated men to genocidal degrees and was determined to send the message that any woman who was with a man also deserved to die in her eyes. She would kill innocent couples even if they seemed to be perfectly happy together. She was a huge {{Jerkass}}, a remorseless serial killer, a StrawFeminist, did not care about the feelings of any other women, and [[spoiler:[[GlorySeeker wanted to be recognized for orchestrating the Zodiac killings.]]]]
563* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: She did shoot Creator/AndyWarhol in real life, but in the show [[spoiler:she is behind the infamous Zodiac killings.]] [[UnreliableNarrator Possibly]].
564* {{Hypocrite}}: This murderous Straw Feminist still had the gall to insist she was helping women when she was killing any of them who supported men.
565* ItsAllAboutMe: She did not care about any of the millions of women out there who liked men, believed they deserved to die, and wanted "recognition" for [[spoiler:orchestrating the Zodiac killings.]]
566* {{Jerkass}}: She was a StrawFeminist, a remorseless serial killer by proxy, a GlorySeeker, and was constantly angry.
567* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:She was the true Zodiac Killer, getting SCUM to do all of the killings for her from her cell in a mental ward. Or perhaps not, as it's more or less stated that Bebe was making much of her backstory up, and the real Zodiac Killer appeared as a completely different person in ''Hotel''.]]
568* PsychoLesbian: Was in a relationship with Bebe and it is clear that she is completely insane.
569* SanitySlippage: Her grip on reality wasn't strong to begin with, but it only got worse as time went on.
570* StrawFeminist: The RealLife version of her was practically the TropeCodifier.
571[[/folder]]
572
573[[folder:Bebe Babbitt]]
574!!Bebe Babbitt
575-> '''Played by:''' Creator/FrancesConroy, Creator/LylaPorterFollows (young)
576
577Valerie's lover, and one of the leading members of SCUM.
578-----
579* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Ally ultimately leads a new SCUM cult in a form very much like Bebe had intended Kai to inspire, although Ally seemingly retains her love for her son, in defiance of the manifesto.]]
580* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Ally delivers one to her after she tries to shoot Kai for turning on her.]]
581* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by Ally.]]
582* TheCorrupter: [[spoiler:She is the one who put all the ideas of cults and political aspirations into Kai's head.]]
583* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Bebe wanted Kai to unleash a wave of unstoppable feminine rage; she's shot in the head by Ally, the woman Kai has pissed off the most.]]
584* DoesNotLikeMen: Same as Valerie.
585* TheDragon: To Valerie, as her lover and most loyal member. [[spoiler:She tried to make Kai one for herself.]]
586* DragonAscendant: [[spoiler:Comes to Winter, Beverly, and Ivy trying to continue Valerie's work and spouting the same rhetoric.]]
587* EvilWearsBlack: Always appears dressed head-to-toe in black, both young and old, and is the TheDragon.
588* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:She is the real mastermind behind Kai's actions, at least at first. He very quickly goes off the rails.]]
589* UnreliableNarrator: Her story about [[spoiler:Valerie being behind the Zodiac killings]] is brought up to question at the end of "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag" when [[spoiler:Bebe is shown being with Kai, possibly as partners.]]
590* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:Tries to kill Kai when he goes against her orders, and would've succeeded if not for Ally killing her with a shot to the head.]]
591[[/folder]]
592
593[[folder:Hedda]]
594!!Hedda
595->'''Played by:''' Creator/JamieBrewer
596A SCUM member.
597[[/folder]]
598
599[[folder:Butchy May]]
600!!Butchy May
601->'''Played by:''' Creator/DotMarieJones
602A SCUM member.
603[[/folder]]
604
605[[folder:Maurice]]
606!!Maurice
607->'''Played by:''' Creator/RyanAlvarez
608A SCUM member.
609[[/folder]]
610
611[[folder:Bruce]]
612!!Bruce
613->'''Played by:''' Creator/MiguelSagaz
614A SCUM member.
615* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Stabbed a bunch of times by the SCUM members.]]
616[[/folder]]
617
618!Other
619[[folder:Andy Warhol]]
620!!Andy Warhol
621->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
622* CharacterDeath: Dies the same way he does in real life.
623[[/folder]]
624
625[[folder:Charles Manson]]
626!!Charles Manson
627->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
628* CharacterDeath: Presumably dies the same way he does in real life.
629[[/folder]]
630
631[[folder:Tex Watson]]
632!!Tex Watson
633->'''Played by:''' Creator/BillyEichner
634[[/folder]]
635
636[[folder:Susan Atkins]]
637!!Susan Atkins
638->'''Played by:''' Creator/SarahPaulson
639* CharacterDeath: Dies the same way she does in real life.
640[[/folder]]
641
642[[folder:Patricia Krenwinkle]]
643!!Patricia Krenwinkle
644->'''Played by:''' Creator/LeslieGrossman
645[[/folder]]
646
647[[folder:Linda Kasabian]]
648!!Linda Kasabian
649->'''Played by:''' Creator/BillieLourd
650[[/folder]]
651
652[[folder:Sharon Tate]]
653!!Sharon Tate
654->'''Played by:''' Creator/RachelRoberts
655* CharacterDeath: She is stabbed.
656[[/folder]]
657
658[[folder:Marshall Applewhite]]
659!!Marshall Applewhite
660->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
661* CharacterDeath: He dies the same way he died in real life.
662[[/folder]]
663
664[[folder:David Koresh]]
665!!David Koresh
666->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
667* CharacterDeath: He dies the same way he died in real life.
668[[/folder]]
669
670[[folder:Jim Jones]]
671!!Jim Jones
672->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
673* CharacterDeath: He dies the same way he did in real life.
674[[/folder]]
675
676[[folder:Jesus Christ]]
677!!Jesus Christ
678->'''Played by:''' Creator/EvanPeters
679----
680* StylisticSuck: He's characterized in an obviously theatrical manner, with the stereotypical fake beard, white robes and coming down from the Heavens suspended from cables.
681[[/folder]]
682
683[[folder:Mr. Guinea]]
684!!Mr. Guinea
685->'''Played by:''' Unknown
686Oz's pet guinea pig.
687* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:He is put in the microwave.]]

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