Characters / BBC Robin Hood

Outlaws

All Outlaws

• Adaptation Personality Change: Interestingly, three of the main Merry Men seem to swap personalities from how they were in the ballads.
  • Will Scarlett in the ballads was a charismatic and somewhat morally grey Pretty Boy, who's backstory had him as a rougher character until he joined Robin Hood. In the show, this better describes Allan-a-Dale.
  • Allan-a-Dale in the ballads was a foppish Plucky Comic Relief character who enjoyed singing (being a bard), had Undying Loyalty to Robin, but was the least action-inclined. In the show, this better describes Much.
  • Much in the ballads was defined by his full title: Much the Miller's Son; he was a young teenager, son of a local peasent worker, was more reserved, but was very good in a fight. In the show, this better describes Will Scarlett.
• Badass Crew: The outlaws are a tight and effective combative team (at least in the first two series) that can operate as anything from guerilla fighters to elaborate con-artists.
• Caper Crew: Unsurprisingly, the outlaws operate as this on multiple occasions, though their roles could vary from episode to episode. Robin was usually the Mastermind, the Coordinator and the Burglar, Allan was the Conman and the Pickpocket, Will the Gadget Guy, Little John the Muscle, Much the Partner in Crime and Djaq (in Series 2) the Distraction.
• Catchphrase: They would collectively say: "we are Robin Hood!" as an indication that all of them were part of the legend that was growing up around their exploits.
• Collective Groan: "Much, shut up!"
• Criminal Found Family: Naturally. Although it's a much Lighter and Softer example than the trope usually implies, they are a found family who are still very much criminals.
• Determinator: All the outlaws.
• Dog Food Diet: They're forced to eat squirrels and rats sometimes.
• Dressing as the Enemy: One of their most frequent tricks, after the guards are Mugged for Disguise.
• The Friends Who Never Hang: Among the original line-up of outlaws in Series 1 and 2 were a range of interesting dynamics... except between Will and Much, who never really interact one-on-one. In Series 3, Much and Allan become Those Two Guys, but the gang dynamic is reconfigured to revolve around Kate, with everyone seemingly obsessed with her to one extent or another. The exception was Tuck, who had no meaningful relationship or even interaction with anyone except Robin.
• Good Is Not Soft: The outlaws feed the poor and help the needy, but essentially engage in guerilla warfare with plenty of dead bodies left in their wake.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: Quite often they would parade around Nottingham without even covering their faces, even despite the fact they're all very distinctive looking and well-known, and seem to universally all wear the exact same clothes.
• In the Hood: Never seen without them.
• La Résistance: Together, they are this to Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham's tyrannical rule.
• Odd Friendship: All of the outlaws to one extent or another, as they have very little in common besides the fact they've been thrown together by circumstance.
• Outlaw Couple: Funnily enough, not Robin and Marian (the latter is only briefly an outlaw in two episodes, and spends most of the first one at loggerheads with Robin), but certainly Will Scarlett and Djaq, and at the tail-end of Series 3, Robin and Kate.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: The outlaws' hoods also seemed to double as invisibility cloaks, as no one ever seemed to notice them when they raised them over their heads. Funny hats also seemed to do the trick.
• Perma-Stubble: All of the male outlaws sport this.
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Towards the end of Series 2, Little John complains that the outlaws have gotten so wrapped up in the political machinations of the Sheriff that they aren't helping the poor anymore. The same thing happened in the latter half of Series 3, though it went unremarked upon.
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: An exiled nobleman, his long-suffering manservant, an outlawed woodsman, an axe-wielding carpenter, a Saracen prisoner of war, a pickpocket and con-artist, a warrior monk... and Kate.
• Recruitment by Rescue: Most of the outlaws join Robin's team in this manner: Allan, Will Scarlett, Djaq and Kate.
• The Smurfette Principle: There is always at least one, and only one female outlaw. Marian briefly joins the gang mid-Series 2 for a couple of episodes, bringing the total up to two, but soon returns to her role as spy in the castle.
• True Companions: Throughout the first season. The second saw Allan become The Mole and a Breaking Of The Fellowship. In Series 3, they were a much less cohesive team.
• Underhanded Heroes: Rather than achieve their goals through strength of arms, the outlaws achieve their goals through stealth, trickery and cunning.
• We Help the Helpless: Episode plots came in two flavours: political intrigue or this trope — helping those in need.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong)

Robin: Will you tolerate this injustice? I for one, will not!

The Hero of the piece, this Robin is a younger, cheekier, and more easy-going variation of the traditional character. The Earl of Huntington and Lord of Locksley, Robin returns from five years fighting with King Richard in the Holy Land, to find that his lands and estates are now under the control of Guy of Gisborne.

After refusing to conform to the corrupt laws that are now in place, Robin escapes into Sherwood Forest and begins a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Sheriff, complete with the familiar "rob from the rich to give to the poor" system of wealth distribution.

• 10-Minute Retirement: In The Return of the King and again in Total Eclipse.
• All-Loving Hero: Despite his flaws, he genuinely loves the outlaws and the people he's promised to protect.
• Arch-Enemy: Robin is pitted against the Sheriff and Gisborne in equal measure, though in different regards: with the Sheriff it's very much a matter of moral and political differences, with Gisborne It's Personal on a romantic level, with each vying for the love of Marian.
• Arranged Marriage: Downplayed but it's established that Robin and Marian were betrothed from a very early age, suggesting this trope.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: He squabbles with Much and Marian like there's no tomorrow, but it's clear that he loves them both dearly.
• Badass Arm-Fold: His usual stance, including in his character image!
• Befriending the Enemy: In Series 3 he teams up with Guy to find their mutual half-brother and take down Sheriff Isabella. By the final episode, he's referring to him as "my friend."
• Being Good Sucks: "I am tired of doing the right thing!"
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: He has this with all three of his Love Interests: Isabella, Marian and Kate (in that order). The first one ends up killing him.
• Berserk Button: Will go nuts over precisely two things: Marian and King Richard.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Though he's a famously good archer, this Robin also carries (and uses) a sword.
• Cannot Spit It Out: When he finally tells Marian that he loves her, she retorts: "took you long enough to tell me!"
• Catchphrase: "I have a plan...half a plan."
  • Inverted at one point in the Series 2 finale, when Much asks him if he has a plan; when Robin says he doesn't, Much asks him if he has half a plan, to which Robin replies "I don't have half a plan, Much!"
• The Charmer: This is definitely one of his strengths, being able to sweettalk his way in and out of various situations.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Though details are scarce, it's mentioned several times that he and Marian were once betrothed before he left for the Crusades, when both were very young.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: He simply cannot say no to someone in need, which becomes a vulnerability many times (in Sisterhood he's completely taken in by a Wounded Gazelle Gambit).
• Cunning Like a Fox: The genius behind several "so crazy they just might work" plots, heists and other hustles.
• Dating Catwoman: With Isabella, at least for her first handful of episodes, in which she was feigning loyalty to her brother Guy, while secretly helping the outlaws.
• Defector from Decadence: He could have easily reclaimed his lands and titles on returning home from the Crusades, but is so disgusted at the establishment's current treatment of the poor that he throws in his lot with them.
• Determinator: One of his last acts is to shoot a final arrow into the explosives-filled castle, at which point there was a fatal amount of poison in his system, making it difficult for him to even draw his bow.
• Experienced Protagonist: At the start of the show he's already a trained soldier and expert bowman who has just spent five years at war in the Holy Land.
• Famed In-Story: He is Robin Hood.
• Fatal Flaw: Robin has a desperate need to be loved, while simultaneously being very emotionally reticent. This leads to all sorts of drama with Marian and within the outlaw dynamic, and ultimately his death when he completely mishandles Isabella. He comes on too strong to a woman who looks very much like his late wife, but clearly has her own complex psychological issues. When he realizes a. it's getting too serious, b. he's not ready to move on from his wife, and c. she's not anything like Marian, it sets off Disaster Dominoes that eventually lead to her successfully poisoning him.
• A Father to His Men: Though he is by no means a perfect father.
• Fearless Fool: His attitude in recklessly running headlong into danger sparked at least one serious fan discussion on whether Robin had a death-wish.
• First Guy Wins: Actually, Marian's first meetings with both Guy and Robin happen prior to the start of the show, but it's indicated that she knew Robin first (and was betrothed to him before he joined the Crusades).
• Glory Hound: According to Marian, Guy and the Sheriff.
• Going Native: While in the Crusades, he picked up using a Saracen-style recurve bow and Scimitar rather than the English longbow and arming sword preferred by everyone else in England, and he also read the Quaran and developed a deep appreciation for Muslim culture and belief system. He did this to "understand who they were fighting", but it led to him growing displeased with fighting in the first place. This actually gets used against him in the Sheriff's early propaganda against Robin, trying to claim that Robin was brainwashed while in the Holy Land and sent back as some sort of double agent to dismantle England, and that, rather than be performing heroics, he's simply trying to sabotage Nottingham's stability.
• The Hero Dies: He dies at the end of the third season, joining his wife Marian who had died at the end of the previous season. Despite attempts to set up for a fourth season, the show was inevitably cancelled.
• Hero Protagonist: The protagonist of the story, who fights for justice, robs the rich to feed the poor, wins the love of fair maidens, and is a Master Archer.
• His Heart Will Go On: Ultimately averted. After Marian's death, he vows to never stop loving her and to keep fighting on in her name, but there are subtle signs throughout Series 3 that he just can't cope. Both his attempts to move on with other women fail, he demonstrates a Hair-Trigger Temper he never had before, and by the final two episodes, he's clearly emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted, leading to a muted reaction on hearing that King Richard is finally returning home, and a Died Happily Ever After scene in which he's obviously ready to throw in the towel and be Reunited In Death with Marian.
• Honour Before Reason: A complex example, as he'll often throw away his sense of honour (specifically his "no killing" policy) in order protect King Richard's honour. It's also indicated several times that Richard is rather unworthy of his Undying Loyalty.
• Iconic Item: For this particular Robin, his Saracen bow (as opposed to the long-bow that most traditional Robin Hoods carry).
• I Just Want to Be Loved: He is deeply preoccupied with the idea of people loving (or at least supporting) him, a motivation that his enemies pass off as being a Glory Hound.
• I Kiss Your Hand: To Marian in Tattoo, What Tattoo, just before he slips Guy's engagement ring off her finger.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Par for the course, of course.
• Indy Ploy: Comes up with dozens of these, with many plans made up on the fly.
• Killed Off for Real: At the end of Series 3 he is fatally poisoned and is reunited with Marian in Sherwood Forest.
• Last Kiss: Played straight with Marian, deliberately averted with Kate.
• The Leader: Of the outlaws, naturally.
• Leaning on the Furniture: Check out his picture! He's always leaning on chairs, walls or trees in an insouciant manner.
• Living Legend: By Series 3 he's infamous around the country, to the point where there are shrines made in his honour.
• Lovable Rogue: Usually the case with any take on Robin Hood, but this one has a definite "Jack the Lad" quality, complete with mischievious glint in his eyes.
• Loved by All: Not by his men or Marian, but the people of Locksley and Nottingham completely worship him. In Series 3 a Locksley woman tells him she's named her child after him.
• Love Triangle: With Marian and Guy; later with Kate and Isabella.
• Magnetic Hero: He's very charismatic and charming, and even those who are suspicious of his aristocratic background and/or self-sacrificing motivations (namely Little John and Allan) find themselves following him. Even Guy is eventually won over by a mix of circumstances and the sheer magnetic pull of Robin's personality.
• Master Archer: As befits any version of Robin Hood.
• Master of the Mixed Message: In Series 3 he's constantly running hot-and-cold with Isabella and Kate, coming on very strong to the former before she asks him to run away with her, at which point he dumps her, and entering a relationship with the latter that clearly means more to her than it does to him, which he lets peter out in the episodes leading up to the Grand Finale.
• My Country, Right or Wrong: He fights for the welfare of England despite coming back from the Crusades disillusioned by what his countrymen are doing over there. It also extends to King Richard, who Robin is fiercely devoted to despite the aforementioned disillusionment with war (and Richard's many foibles).
• Oblivious to Love: It takes a Forceful Kiss from Kate before Robin realizes that she's got a crush on him.
• Past Experience Nightmare: Throughout Series 1 he's haunted by nightmares of war in the Holy Land.
• Protagonist-Centred Morality: Without exception, characters who hate Robin Hood are bad, and those that love him are good. Despite constant reiterations of his "no killing" policy, he would often shoot dead enemies (many of them unarmed or posing no immediate threat) without any self-awareness whatsoever. It hit a nadir in Series 3, when Robin attacks Isabella in her bedroom after she's just killed her abusive husband, even though a) that's what he was coming to do, and b) he had seconds before shot and killed an executioner who was just doing his job. The script treats this as perfectly fine and acceptable.
• A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: Is The Hero of the show, whose main role is to lead the outlaws in their various plans to steal money for the poor and organize the return of King Richard to England.
• Revenge Before Reason: He attacks Gisborne after Marian's death. He gets over it by the end of the episode.
• Rousing Speech: His speciality, ranging from "Will You Tolerate This?" in the first episode, to "Isn't That Something Worth Fighting For?" in the finale.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Naturally. He becomes an outlaw because he can't go along with the injustice that's going on in Nottingham and throughout England.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He has these moments, mostly towards Much, whom he seems to take for granted (technically not his ego so much as the "legend" he's building for himself goes to his head and he ignores good advice).
• Survivor Guilt: Very much part of his characterization in Series 1, where he suffered from PTSD after fighting the Third Crusade.
• Technical Pacifist: Whilst in Series 1 the only time he actually kills someone is when Marian's seeming death causes him to go berserk, it goes downhill from there; the majority of his kills in Series 2 are only people immediately threatening him or someone else, but in Series 3, his killing policy is completely arbitrary - in episode eight, he shoots a guard in the back without warning, and then next episode he claims to only kill when there is "no alternative".

Much

Much (Sam Troughton)

Much: I know that’s what you think. Much talks too much. And eats too much. Worries too much. It’s easy for you to say because if I don’t do it, then who does?

Robin: You are already more of a man than I will ever be. You are Much. And you are my best friend.

Robin’s faithful manservant who accompanies him to the Holy Land and who is promised an Earldom by Robin on their return to England. Disappointed at the loss of Bonchurch Estate and all the comforts that it entails, but too devoted to Robin to do anything but follow him into Sherwood, Much is simultaneously the most loyal and most reluctant member of the gang.

• Big Eater: That is, he is when the circumstances allow (which isn't very often while living rough in the forest). He is often talking about food though.
• Bumbling Sidekick: Though he was actually quite an accomplished warrior, he's often treated like this due to his worrisome nature and Motor Mouth tendencies.
• Butt-Monkey: To the extent that the fanbase started a "Treat Much Right" campaign.
• The Caretaker: He considers Robin's wellbeing and general health his responsibility, and his life essentially revolves around his master.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: People keep forgetting that the talkative, clumsy, sensitive, perpetually hungry Bumbling Sidekick fought in the Holy Land for five years. Then a fight comes along and suddenly he's taking names and kicking ass.
• Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: In Series 3 he's not given much to do beyond pining after Kate: looking after her when she's injured, rescuing her when she's kidnapped, and fruitlessly trying to win her over.
• Did Not Get the Girl: He's crushing on Kate right until the Grand Finale, but she never reciprocates. His Series 1 romance with Eve is a thread that's never picked up again either.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Of the low-key yearning type. What worked so well in winning Eve over in Series 1 has no effect whatsoever on Kate in Series 3, and it veers a little into Stalker with a Crush territory since she makes it very clear that she's not interested.
• Flanderization: Much goes from the somewhat hard-done-by Bumbling Sidekick who nevertheless is a well-trained soldier, commands a reasonable amount of respect, and who manages to make one of the Sheriff's spies fall in love with him, to a completely emasculated buffoon who lets Robin and Kate walk all over him, thinks that walking up to a girl and randomly telling her "I think you're perfect" is the quickest way to her heart, and who off-handedly reveals that he doesn't even know how to count (though he manages to get some of his dignity back in the Grand Finale).
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Robin, though there's a fair bit of subtext there as well! But Much is totally devoted to Robin's wellbeing, to the point where he says: "What am I without you?" after Robin is fatally poisoned.
• Hopeless Suitor: He has a huge crush on Kate from the moment he sees her, but has no chance in hell when Robin Hood is around.
• Iconic Item: His shield and hat.
• Lethal Chef: Though to be fair, it's not like he has a lot to work with.
• Manchild: A more nuanced take on the trope than usual. Much doesn't have a lot of social or emotional maturity, often speaking his mind or wearing his heart on his sleeve in ways that make other people annoyed or uncomfortable, but he's also more intelligent than the trope usually allows, is an accomplished fighter, and often wiser and more responsible than expected.
• Never Bareheaded: He's almost never seen without his hat.
• Only One Name: If he has a last name, it's never spoken out loud. Even the usual "miller's son" appellation that's usually attributed to the character goes unmentioned.
• The Reliable One: He's completely devoted to Robin and his cause.
• Sidekick: Essentially plays this role to Robin.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: In the first episode, a maid asks him what the war was like and if it was horrible. Much plays this off by saying "War is for...for men. You would be upset, little one". Then, when she has left the room, he begins to cry quietly to himself as the audience hears the sounds of battle.
• Stalker with a Crush: Much, sweetie, when a girl tells you that you're dirty and you smell and that nothing can ever happen between you, it means that she's really not interested.
• Team Chef: He's the one always depicted as doing the cooking for the other outlaws.
• Undying Loyalty: Towards Robin, of course. No matter how badly he's treated, he still sticks around. The closest he got to leaving was on realizing that Kate wanted to hook up with Robin, which only led to a 10-Minute Retirement.

Little John

Little John (Gordon Kennedy)

John: I have never killed - except to defend myself. I robbed, to survive, but now I rob to help others... I am one of Robin Hood’s men.

Isabella: You don't say much, do you.

Outlawed prior to the show’s commencement for reasons that are never specified, Little John is the leader of a team of outlaws before he throws his lot in with Robin. Believed dead by his wife Alice, and having never even met his son John, Little John is the champion of women and children, and the Team Dad of the outlaws.

• The Artefact: You can't have a Robin Hood story without a Little John, but aside from one John-centric episode per season (which is invariably filler), most of the time he's just sort of there.
• Badass Longcoat: His signature outfit, which he's never seen without.
• Barrier-Busting Blow: Often called upon to burst through doors and gates with his bare hands.
• Bear Hug: He gives one to Marian in Get Carter after her father dies.
• The Big Guy: Clearly the strongest member of the team, who is typically gruff and stoic.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Large and stern, but also immensely caring, especially towards children.
• Catchphrase: Several; "We go to Nottingham!", "Him I do not like" (Inverted to "Him I liked" on occasion), "A good day to die" and "We are Robin Hood!" The last one is more the group's catch phrase, but he's the most likely to shout it out as a way of raising morale.
• Death Seeker: It is revealed that John feels incredible guilt for having abandoned his wife, and his "a good day to die" catchphrase was because to him, any day is a good day to die.
• Friend to All Children: In Let the Games Commence he befriends a young orphan boy, and is generally fond of all children due to the fact he is a father himself.
• Iconic Item: His quarterstaff.
• Load-Bearing Hero: A couple of times, notably in "Treasure of the Nation" and "Something Worth Fighting For", in which he uses his strength to hold up gates so the other outlaws can slip through.
• Out-of-Character Moment: In "A Dangerous Deal" he appoints himself The Matchmaker and urges Robin to enter a relationship with Kate. Up till this point he's minded his own business when it comes to any romantic entanglements between the outlaws, and it's a mystery as to why he would want this hookup to happen or what he hopes to achieve from it taking place (it's blatantly obvious that Much has a crush on Kate, which means there was a chance that Robin pursuing her would only lead to animosity in the camp). It's also strange that for such a wise and intuitive character, he can't see that Robin probably doesn't want to be in another relationship so soon after his wife's death and the messy breakup with Isabella.
• Noodle Incident: Across the course of the show's thirty-nine episodes, we never actually discover how or why John became an outlaw in the first place.
• Shipper on Deck: Bizarrely, he encourages Robin to hook up with Kate, despite all the problems inherent in that pairing.
• Super-Strength: Demonstrates this at times. In the Grand Finale he yanks a metal grate out of a stone window with his bare hands.
• Team Dad: By virtue of being the oldest of the outlaws and is a father himself. He particularly serves this role to the younger outlaws, like Will.
• Token Adult: All of the outlaws are technically adults, but Little John (as Gordon Kennedy often pointed out in various interviews and commentaries) was a good twenty years their senior.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: John telling Isabella he believes Robin has eyes for Kate has disastrous consequences.
• We All Die Someday: His catchphrase is: "today is a good day to die", which essentially amounts to: "we're all gonna die someday, it may as well be today." Ironically, he is one of only two original characters to survive the entirety of the show.
• Wild Hair: By Series 3 especially, by which point it looks like the equivalent of a bird's nest.

Allan-a-Dale

Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong)

Allan: I've learnt which side my bread's buttered on.

Djaq: I believe you're a good man, Allan-a-Dale.

A opportunistic thief, con-artist, pick-pocket and compulsive liar, this Allan strays far from his traditional role as a minstrel (ironically, he is actually left out when the other outlaws dress up as minstrels). The only outlaw that has no personal investment in the cause that Robin Hood is fighting (and often pointing out that as a poor person himself, he should have a share of any stolen goods) Allan sticks around just for the fun of it – or perhaps for want of anything better to do.

In early Series 2 he is approached by Guy of Gisborne and coerced into becoming a spy. After a short stint as The Mole, he is found out and openly joins Guy as his right-hand man.

• Always Second Best: Allan seems himself as this, and makes it part of his Freudian Excuse.
• Anti-Hero: Allan doesn't particularly share or believe in Robin's ideals, and is only with the outlaws via circumstances forcing it, as best shown by his argument with Much in "Sisterhood".
• Being Tortured Makes You Evil: At least, this is Allan's excuse when Robin finds out he's been working for Gisborne.
• Big Brother Instinct: At the latter end of Series 2, while working for Guy of Gisbourne, he knows that Marian is a) the Nightwatchman and b) working with Robin Hood, so takes several steps to conceal her activities from Guy.
• Breakout Character: In Series 2, only to be Demoted to Extra in Series 3.
• Catchphrase: "I'm not being funny, but..."
• Combat Pragmatist: As a result of his Grey-and-Gray Morality. When the other outlaws insist that an enraged Robin not kill Guy of Gisborne, citing his "no killing" policy back at him, Allan just shrugs.
• Demoted to Extra: He has one of the most dramatic story-arcs in Series 2 what with his The Mole, Face–Heel Turn and Welcome Back, Traitor storylines, and in Series 3 is lucky if he gets three lines per episode. The writers remember him eventually, just in time to kill him off.
• Did Not Get the Girl: He has a crush on Djaq, but loses her to Will. In Series 3 he shows some interest in Kate, but she only has eyes for Robin.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: He dies a cruel, meaningless, partially off-screen (he is seen being shot down by the Sheriff's men, but his actual death is never seen) death that turns his entire life into a Shoot the Shaggy Dog story.
• Dual Wielding: He uses a sword in most fights in the first two series, but takes to fighting with two in the third.
• Easily Forgiven: Though it's more a case of "easily forgiven, not easily forgotten".
• Evil Costume Switch: He switches to a black leather outfit during his Face–Heel Turn.
• Face–Heel Turn: In Series 2, he turns to Guy of Gisborne's side, first as The Mole, and then as The Dragon.
• Freudian Excuse: He gives one of these to Robin after he's outed as The Mole.
• Heel–Face Door-Slam: A downplayed example; he's welcomed back into the gang for a while, but eventually the lingering memory of his betrayal results in his death.
• Improbable Hairstyle: He seems to have access to lots of hair gel.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be greedy and selfish, and after he's kicked out of the gang for being The Mole, his bitterness leads him to start working for Guy, but ultimately he'll come through for his friends.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Allan convinces himself that this is the reason behind his Face–Heel Turn, on account of Robin not taking better care of his men.
• The Mole: In Series 2 he strikes a deal with Gisbourne to spy on the other outlaws and feed him information on their doings.
• Only Sane Man: Allan considers himself this, often incredulously pointing out the sheer suicidal risks that Robin and the other outlaws take.
• Out-of-Character Moment: Breaking character in The King is Dead and giving away the outlaws plan to Sheridan.
• Redemption Equals Death: A belated example; at the end of Series 3 it turns out the gang still don't trust him after his betrayal, setting off a sequence of events that results in his death.
• Redemption Demotion: He seems to lose a lot of street-cred once he's joined up with Guy of Gisborne. Among other things, he loses a sword-fight to a one-legged man.
• The Resenter: Toward Robin. "You were always in the sun, Robin. And I'm always in the shade."
• Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Where to begin? His only brother betrays him and is then purposefully hanged long before the outlaws arrive to rescue him. He's captured, tortured and coerced by Guy of Gisborne into becoming The Mole. He loses his first love interest to Will, and his second love interest to Robin. His two best friends abandon him right after his Heel–Face Turn, deciding to stay in the Holy Land together. He's framed by Isabella, resulting in the gang instantly turning on him without giving him a chance to defend himself. On his way to warn Robin that Prince John's army is on the march, he's shot repeatedly with arrows in the back and dies believing that his friends consider him a traitor.
• Sticky Fingers: Is often seen pick-pocketing.
• Token Evil Team Mate: For the first season at least he's quite amoral in comparison to the other outlaws, and then becomes The Mole after Guy captures, tortures and offers him a better deal.
• Welcome Back, Traitor: At the end of Series 2 he saves the other outlaws from a barn in which they were surrounded by soldiers, and they take him back.
• What You Are in the Dark: Despite the other outlaws believing that he's once again done a Face–Heel Turn and become The Mole for Isabella, as soon as Allan escapes his bonds and hears that an army is marching on Nottingham, he immediately rushes to warn Robin, and is shot dead for his troubles. None of the other outlaws ever find out that trying to raise the alarm was his last act.

Will Scarlett

Will Scarlett (Harry Lloyd)

An apprentice carpenter in Locksley, Will’s mother died of starvation in the attempt to keep Will and his little brother alive, and his father lost his hand after taking the punishment for his children when they steal food to eat. The youngest member of the gang at eighteen, Will joins the gang after Robin saves him from hanging and due to his deep hatred of the Sheriff, something that can often cause his low-simmering temper to rise up.

The most sensible, moral and sensitive member of the gang, Will falls in love with Djaq and decides to stay with her in the Holy Land at the conclusion of Series 2.

• Accidental Pervert: He approaches a topless Djaq whilst she's cleaning herself for prayer. He doesn't realize she's a woman until his eyes suddenly drop to chest-level.
• The Baby of the Bunch: He is the youngest outlaw at eighteen, and is often treated as a little brother by the rest of the gang.
• Battle Couple: In Series 2 he and Djaq are often paired up on missions and in combat situations.
• Beware the Nice Ones: When he loses it, he really loses it.
• Beta Couple: In contrast to the tempestuousness of Robin and Marian, he and Djaq have a much more drama-free romance.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He stands head and shoulders above his Love Interest Djaq.
• Now or Never Kiss: As they're about to face down soldiers that have surrounded them in a barn, he and Djaq share their first (and as far as we know at the time, only) kiss.
• Offscreen Inertia: Will is last seen with Djaq in the Holy Land, bidding farewell to the rest of the outlaws. There's no indication given as to what either of them plan to do with their lives in a foreign country where their people are at bloody war with each other, and neither of them are ever seen or mentioned again.
• Pair the Smart Ones: He's a carpenter with a deep interest in engineering, romantically paired with Djaq, a scientist and Combat Medic.
• Put on a Bus: Along with Djaq, at the end of Series 2.
• The Quiet One: He says very little, especially compared to chatterboxes such as Much and Allan.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After his father dies.
• Single-Target Sexuality: There is no other woman in the world except Djaq.
• The Stoic: He's the strong and silent type.
• Weapons of Their Trade: He's a carpenter, and so fights with an array of axes and hatchets.
• You Killed My Father: Narrowly averted in The Angel of Death, in which he goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Sheriff for having killed his father.

Djaq

Djaq (Anjali Jay)

Djaq: I had a brother. He was killed in your crusades. I became him, his name was Djaq.

Much: Apart from being a girl, Djaq is one of the lads.

Following in the newer tradition of having a Saracen character join Robin Hood’s gang, Djaq is the first female to hold the honour, making her a Twofer Token Minority. Contributing her skills as a physician, scientist, linguist and swordswoman to the team, she became quite popular, largely due to the genuine affection she had for her fellow outlaws, and her role as Deadpan Snarker.

• Action Girl: Has combat training thanks to her time disguised as a boy, fighting in the Third Crusade.
• Affirmative Action Girl: She's introduced halfway through the first season, joining Marian as one of only two main female characters.
• Angsty Surviving Twin: Downplayed since the real Djaq is dead before the show begins, but "our" Djaq calls herself such in memory of her twin brother, and clearly carries a lot of grief for him.
• Badass Adorable: She's tiny, adorable, has Puppy-Dog Eyes...and will rip your arms off if you get her angry.
• Battle Couple: She and Will are frequently depicted as fighting together.
• Beta Couple: Has a quiet, low-key romance with Will, in direct contrast to Robin and Marian as the Official Couple.
• Bifauxnen: Particularly in Series 1, where she had a very androgynous look thanks to her male disguise. In one of the DVD Commentaries actress Anjali Jay laughs over a review of the show that referred to her as a "lady-boy."
• Boyish Short Hair: For good reason; she's disguised as a boy for her own safety.
• Captain Obvious: A few times, though it could be argued that because English was not her first language, she felt the need to state the obvious just to make sure she knew exactly what was going on.
• Combat Medic: She was this in the Holy Land; tending to the troops while fighting alongside them. In a Series 2 episode, she asks Little John for help in delivering a baby, as despite the assumptions of the other outlaws, she has absolutely no experience in this field.
• Combat Pragmatist: She isn't above attacking someone from behind or throwing pepper in a man's face (justified in that she is tiny and needs every advantage she can get).
• Cultural Posturing: Engaged in a little bit of this, notably when the outlaws come across Greek fire. She points out that her people were experimenting with the substance long before the Greeks got in on the act.
• Cute Bruiser: She's a fierce Combat Pragmatist, but also extremely small and cute.
• Deadpan Snarker: A couple of times:
  Much: What is it girls eat?
  Djaq: Special girl food.
• Fanservice: In The Booby and the Beast, the outlaws send her into the castle disguised as a serving girl in a clingy, low-cut yellow dress.
• Fanservice Pack: Anjali Jay's transformation from scruffy Sweet Polly Oliver to gorgeous Saracen woman.
• Fish out of Water: Largely averted, as she adjusts to life in England reasonably well.
• Flawless Token: She was definitely accused of being this a few times, though she remained a reasonably popular character. It helped that despite her intelligence, beauty and prowess in battle, she never really got any character-centric episodes and was usually kept on the sidelines.
• Gender Flip: The first Saracen to be played by a woman; previous incarnations include Nasim in Robin of Sherwood and Azeem in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
• Girliness Upgrade: In the second series.
• Hey, Wait!: When Djaq sneaks into the castle in the yellow dress, she passes Guy, who tells her to stop...and to not forget to keep the Sheriff's cup filled.
• Important Haircut: Happened prior to her first appearance, when she cuts her hair to disguise herself as a man.
• Lethal Chef: She describes herself as "a rubbish cook," though on several occasions she's seen helping Much prepare the food.
• Love Triangle: A minor one, with Will and Allan, who both admit to liking her.
• Meaningful Rename: Djaq was her twin brother's name. She adopted after his death, both in memory of him and as part of her male disguise.
• The Medic: She serves this role among the outlaws, her father having been a physician that passed his training onto her.
• My Sibling Will Live Through Me: Her real name is Saffiya, but she goes by the name "Djaq" in memory of her dead twin brother.
• Now or Never Kiss: Before what seems like certain death, she kisses Will for the first time.
• One of the Boys: Much nearly mentions this trope by name with regards to her:
  Much: Apart from being a girl, Djaq is one of the lads.
• Only One Name: If she has a last name, we never learn it.
• Only Sane Woman: She's more grounded and sensible than every other outlaw barring Little John. When Allan starts passing on information to Guy of Gisborne in Series 2, it's obvious she knows something is up right from the start.
• Outdoor Bath Peeping: How Will inadvertently discovers her gender, when he interrupts her bathing in preparation for prayers.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: She's very tiny, but an accomplished fighter.
• Plucky Girl: She's been through hell, but remains open-hearted and optimistic.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: Has a pair of big brown eyes that she can use to great effect.
• Put on a Bus: Along with Will, at the end of Series 2.
• Quitting to Get Married: In a sense. She and Will hook up at the end of Series 2 and chose to stay in the Holy Land together rather than return with the rest of the outlaws to England. They're never seen or even mentioned again.
• Samus Is a Girl: Her first appearance has her disguised as a boy to protect herself.
• Science Hero: She often comes up with chemical formulas or other science-based solutions to solve problems.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: She goes undercover at the castle in a clingy yellow dress, with predictable reactions from the other outlaws.
• Shorter Means Smarter: She's the shortest of the outlaws, and by far the most educated and intelligent.
• Show Some Leg: Right here.
• Standard Female Grab Area: Beautifully subverted, as she gets herself out of one, by herself, in seconds.
• Twofer Token Minority: She's the woman and ethnic minority of Robin's gang.
• Unkempt Beauty: All the time, though she's considerably more feminine in the second season than the first.

Royston White

Royston White (William Beck)

Roy: My name is Royston White. I fight for Robin Hood and King Richard!

An original member of Little John's outlaws, who dies in the fourth episode of the series.

• Anyone Can Die: The first major character to get killed off, though perhaps mildly subverted considering he was the only character not to appear in any of the legends.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He chooses to betray the other outlaws when his mother is taken captive by the Sheriff.
• Forgotten Fallen Friend: After his death, no one ever mentions him again. However, Little John does keep his outlaw tag and later passes it onto his son, somewhat fitting considering he says that Roy "was like a son to me."
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He loves his mother, and dies for a baby.
• The Mole: For one episode, when his mother is held captive and he's ordered to kill Robin in order to spare her life.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Is one of the first regular characters to die.

Brother Tuck

Brother Tuck (David Harewood)

Tuck: We're supposed to be inspiring these man to stand up and fight for themselves, giving them real hope.

A mysterious monk who arrives from travelling the world (having left the church after he became disillusioned) at the start of Series 3, and who joins the outlaws after inspiring Robin to recommit to the cause.

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Every single depiction of Tuck up until David Harewood portrayed him as a short, portly, aging man with a shaved tonsure. In comparison, this Tuck is tall, muscular, in his mid-forties, and missing the typical monkish haircut.
• Adaptational Badass: Friar Tuck isn't usually directly involved in the combat himself, but this version is very competent in battle.
• Adaptational Late Appearance: In various retellings Friar Tuck is usually on-board with Robin's battle against the Sheriff right from the word go. In contrast, this show's take on Tuck doesn't turn up until the third series.
• Advertised Extra: Tuck was heavily promoted in the lead-up to Series 3, and his position in the opening credits implies him to be one of the series leads, but after the first three episodes, he's Demoted to Extra and basically just hangs out in the background. He gets a bit more coverage in the last two episodes, but given the amount of hype surrounding him he's very low-key.
• Badass Preacher: A monk who engages helps the outlaws and engages in combat.
• Batman Gambit: Tuck pulls one of these in his first episode in which he tricks the outlaws into walking into a trap in the hopes that it will force Robin to re-embrace his role as a hero to the people.
• Easily Forgiven: He introduced himself to the gang by leading them into a trap as a motivational tool for Robin to get his mojo back by saving them. At the end of the episode Robin admits Tuck to the gang, barely acknowledging complaints from the rest of them that, oh yeah, HE was the reason why they were almost executed. Tuck's explanation is something along the lines of "You've got to gamble big to win big." Justifiable in that Tuck was very helpful to Robin during the episode, but when Robin is captured in the next episode it's a little surprising that the gang is willing to follow Tuck.
• Emphasize EVERYTHING: His speech patterns often lent themselves to this.
• Mysterious Past: We learn very little about where he comes from, save for a few little comments made here and there. According to David Harewood, he was promised "a dark backstory" for his character, but it is never explored on-screen.
• Number Two: In Series 3, he's typically the second in command to Robin once he joins the team, and takes over as leader whenever Robin is absent.
• Race Lift: Friar Tuck is usually Caucasian, while this version is African.
• Token Minority: In Series 3, he's the only person of colour in the cast (replacing Djaq in this regard).

Kate

Kate (Joanne Froggatt)

A village girl who joins the team. Is what happens when writers decide they need a girl just for the sake of it.

• Ambiguously Absent Parent: Kate lives with her mother and younger siblings with no mention of a father.
• Always Save the Girl: The outlaws will usually drop whatever they're otherwise doing in order to rush off and save her.
• And Starring: The opening credits of Series 3 ended with "And Joanne Froggatt."
• Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Isabella's Veronica, right down to the hair colour.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Appears to be a simple peasant girl, but has a definite nasty streak — especially toward the likes of Much and Isabella.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Point-blank refuses to listen to her mother.
• Canon Foreigner: Insofar as the legends of Robin Hood can be considered "canon".
• Cassandra Truth: Robin doesn't believe her when she tells him Isabella can't be trusted.
• Character Shilling: She got this to a truly absurd degree, with the writers seemingly under the impression that if enough outlaws fell in love with her (at various points they call her: "a treasure," "a good fighter," "amazing", and "brave, compassionate and beautiful"), the audience would too. They didn't.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: She hates Isabella on sight for seemingly no other reason but that she's standing next to Robin.
• Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: She outright objects to several of her rescues.
• Composite Character: She seems to be a deliberate blend of Marian (as Love Interest), Djaq (as Token Girl) and Will (as Oppressed Peasant), standing in for all three of them, albeit rather unsuccessfully, in Series 3.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: Wincing was a natural reaction from viewers whenever Kate decided to open her mouth whilst angry. Her voice could get very high-pitched.
• Damsel in Distress: Needs rescuing no less than fifteen times over the course of the third season, which is impressive considering she was only in eleven episodes.
• Did Not Get The Guy: Played With. Though Kate does wrangle herself into a relationship with Robin, it's pretty clear by the final handful of episodes that his heart just isn't in it. By the Grand Finale he gives her a fairly indifferent farewell and foregoes the opportunity to die in her arms in order to meet Marian's spirit in Sherwood, indicating that he knew she was waiting for him.
• Distress Ball: Grabs a firm hold of it immediately, and doesn't let go for a single moment of screen-time.
• Dude Magnet: Robin, Much, Allan, Archer, Prince John, Rufus the Ruthless and Lord Sheridan all show romantic/sexual interest in her.
• The Dulcinea Effect: Much is immediately besotted with her, and calls her "perfect" in their first conversation together.
• Dumb Blonde: She's not very bright; constantly picking fights she has no chance of winning or running headlong into danger without weapons or a plan.
• Faux Action Girl: Though shilled as "a good fighter" who insists that "I can take care of myself", she's constantly being kidnapped, held hostage or injured, and in need of assistance from the boys each and every time.
• Final Girl: She's the last of the four female regulars left standing at the end of the show (though Djaq didn't die, she was just Put on a Bus).
• Green-Eyed Monster: Toward Isabella when Robin starts showing romantic interest in her.
• Girl Next Door: Apparently, she's this to Robin, having lived in Locksley all her life. Oddly, Robin doesn't recognize her when they first meet, even though he's on a first-name basis with her mother and all the other villagers.
• Hot-Blooded: She’s extremely high-strung and quick to lose her temper.
• Iconic Item: Her forehead braid, though this is more the result of Memetic Mutation considering she only wore it for three episodes in total.
• Informed Ability: The BBC profile on Kate lists "her imagination" as her specialized weapon. Fans have yet to figure out what on earth this means.
• Improbable Hairstyle: The infamous forehead braid.◊ Having black roots in the 11th century doesn't help either.
• Informed Attractiveness: This has less to do with the attractiveness of the actress as it does with the sheer amount of unwarranted attention Kate got, as other characters are constantly talking about how beautiful and desirable she is. Across the third season she manages to snag four outlaw love interests and a slew of villainous crushes — including the Crown Prince of England. Isabella refers to her as “the prettiest thing”, Little John describes her as “worth more than any treasure” and even the audiobooks are at pains to insist that she’s a rare beauty. The only characters immune to her supposed charm were Tuck and Guy.
• The Load: Good grief. As one reviewer put it: "Why don't the outlaws use Kate as a human shield? At least then she'd be useful."
• The Millstone: Because when she wasn't being useless, she was being an active liability.
• Moral Luck: She hates Isabella on sight out of what is clearly romantic jealousy, but tries to frame it as instinctive mistrust, repeatedly insisting throughout Series 3 that Isabella is up to no good. Eventually Isabella does perform a Face–Heel Turn for reasons that Kate has not been witness to, but which nevertheless leads to her crowing: "I told you so" and "maybe next time you'll listen to me". Robin concedes that she was right all along, even though there was no evidence-based logic behind her open and immediate suspicion of Isabella.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: Kate makes a couple of very serious attempts to get rid of Isabella, directly and indirectly.
• New Neighbors As The Plot Demands: Though she's never seen before Series 3, she and her family have lived in Locksley for some years.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: She hates Isabella on sight and repeatedly insists that she's not to be trusted. She's eventually proved right, but her dislike is clearly born of romantic jealousy and she expresses no interest or empathy in the real reasons behind Isabella's turn: a lifetime of domestic abuse.
• Satellite Love Interest: For her first three episodes, her arc is gradually getting on board with Robin's mission and balancing her family's safety against taking action against oppression. However, from episode five onwards, she's characterized solely by her romantic interest in Robin and her determined pursuit of him. Even her vendetta against Guy (who killed her brother) somehow manages to segue back into her relationship troubles with Robin.
• Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Though Much has a crush on her, she has eyes only for team-leader Robin.
• Smitten Teenage Girl: Presuming that she was a teenager (she was written as such, but played by a much older actress) she certainly behaved this way towards Robin.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Kate is constantly annoyed by Much and Allan’s attentions, and is often attacked by villains on account of her desirability.
• Stalker with a Crush: She's something of this in regards to Robin; always ensuring that she's partnered with him during missions, getting aggravated if he's not paying her enough attention, and turning into a Clingy Jealous Girl the very second that she claps eyes on Isabella.
• Territorial Smurfette: Kate has just happily identified herself as "the girl" of the gang in a conversation with the other outlaws when Robin turns up with Isabella in tow. Kate's immediate reaction is to snap: "what's the reason for her?"
• This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Subverted. At no point do Kate's skills as a potter come in handy.
  • And her specialized weapon of "Imagination" rarely seems to get used either, judging by the amount boneheaded decisions she makes which could have been prevented if she actually thought before acting.
• Token Girl: Her presence was clearly in part because both the show's regular female characters had departed at the end of the previous series.
• Unwanted Rescue: The first time in Sins of the Father is arguably justified as Robin and Much's intervention leads to her being outlawed, but a later example in The King is Dead, Long Live the King outright shows her shout at Much for rescuing her from a man holding a knife to her throat.
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Fans are still scratching their heads over why her BBC character profile lists her imagination as her weapon. Especially since she never uses it.
• Woman Child: There's never a clear indication of how old Kate is, but certain factors suggest she's a young teenager. In which case, it's a little awkward to watch a woman in her late twenties in the role.

Castle

Lady Marian

Lady Marian (Lucy Griffiths)

Marian: Everything's a choice. Everything we do.

Guy: You must be the least easily won woman in England.

Dropping the usual “maid” part of her name in favour of "lady", this version of Marian operated as Robin’s eyes and ears within the castle, but also had an agenda of her own what with her secret identity as the Nightwatchman, a masked and hooded figure who distributed food parcels amongst the poor.

The centre of a love triangle between Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, she dies at Gisborne’s hands at the end of Series 2.

• Action Girl: She's trained in combat and has a Secret Identity as the Nightwatchman, who distributes money and supplies to the poor.
• Alliterative Name: Averted. She's always referred to as "Lady Marian" rather than "Maid".
• All Girls Like Ponies: After a squabble, Gisborne tries to placate her with a beautiful white pony — the gesture works.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Ultimately subverted. Though she's clearly attracted to Gisborne, she eventually reaches the end of her patience with his steadfast refusal to leave the Sheriff's service and stop working against the rightful king. Of course, after becoming an outlaw, Robin is something of a "bad boy" too...
• Aloof Ally: To the other outlaws. She never forms particularly close friendships with any of them, interacting almost exclusively with Robin.
• Anachronism Stew: All of her costumes, particularly the infamous yellow cardigan.
• And Now You Must Marry Me: Constantly with Gisborne. In the first season she's forced to accept his engagement in order to save her own life after he's implicated her in the crime of consorting with outlaws, later he asks her to marry him so that they can flee an oncoming army of Prince John's men, and in the finale of Series 2, he flat-out tells her that they're going to marry after he's killed King Richard.
• Back for the Finale: Albeit in the afterlife, but still.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: To a rather ridiculous extent. In Treasure of the Nation Guy beats her within an inch of her life, and she walks away without a mark on her. And even as she lies dying of a stab wound, her hair and makeup look fantastic.
• Blade Enthusiast: She keeps knives in her boots, in her cleavage, and in her hair.
• Cheated Death, Died Anyway: At the end of Series 1, she's badly stabbed by Guy and just manages to hang on by a thread until all-night surgery courtesy of Djaq manages to save her life after a Disney Death. At the end of Series 2, Guy stabs her again, and she dies for real this time.
• Classy Cat-Burglar: It's unclear whether the Nightwatchman stole prior to Robin's return to England, but she certainly does so afterwards, particularly in The Return of the King when she breaks into Guy's house.
• Collateral Angst: The writers admitted that their reason for killing her off was in order to take away what was most important to Robin.
• Damsel in Distress: A couple of times.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: Though she doesn't carry on a relationship with Robin just to infuriate her father, Sir Edward is clearly beside himself with worry that she would associate with outlaws.
• Death by Secret Identity: Being unmasked as the Nightwatchman by Gisborne ultimately leads to her death two episodes later.
• Decoy Damsel: She and Robin pull one of these off perfectly in Lardner's Ring.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Toward Robin in Series 1.
• Deliberately Distressed Damsel: Most notably in Lardner's Ring.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: In Robin's arms.
• Disney Death: At the end of Series 1.
• Distress Ball: A couple of times, notably in The Return of the King when she tries to rob Guy's house, and again in Treasure of the Nation. The latter is especially painful considering she dresses up as the Night Watchman in the middle of the day, enters a village teeming with soldiers, breaks into a barn where the food supplies are kept, and is immediately caught by Allan and Guy. It's unclear how Marian was planning to get the heavy sacks of food out of the village by herself.
• Doomed Moral Victor: She finally stands up to Guy and tells him she has no intention of ever marrying him. Though she's immediately killed by him, she's remembered as a hero.
• Dramatic Unmask: When Gisborne discovers who the Nightwatchman is.
• Dying Smirk: She smiles as she dies. She's either heartbreakingly brave or bizarrely cheerful for a young woman with a sword in her stomach.
• False Friend: Puts up a front of affection toward Gisborne in order to feed information to Robin. Somewhat subverted in that she doesn't particularly enjoy deceiving him, and on a couple of occasions shows what may be legitimate feelings toward him.
• Fake-Out Make-Out: With Count Frederick.
• Final Speech: Her wedding vows.
• Forgot About Her Powers: Marian forgets all about her She-Fu in the finale of Series 2, and instead decides to stop Guy from murdering King Richard by pushing his Berserk Button (his hatred of Robin). It does not end well.
• Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: She almost always wears feminine dresses and acts quite ladylike... except when she's dressing up as the Nightwatchman and running around the countryside as a self-styled vigilante.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Guy runs her through with his sword.
• Important Haircut: She has one in an early episode of series 1. Ostensibly this is punishment for defying the Sheriff, but afterwards her tougher "Night Watchman" persona comes more into focus.
• Improbable Hairstyle: She looks just like she's stepped out of a shampoo commercial.
• Killed Off for Real: At the end of Series 2 Guy impales her on his sword after she confesses her love for Robin Hood.
• Kiss of Distraction: She uses this technique all the time on Guy of Gisborne. Whenever he's about to catch Robin or his gang breaking a law, outwitting the Sheriff, or sneaking into the castle, she'll kiss him, or promise to marry him, or otherwise take advantage of his obsession with her.
• Lady in Red: On occasion, most notably when the sheriff tells her to wear something to "stimulate the imagination."
• Lady of War: Particularly in her role as the Nightwatchman.
• Last Kiss: With Robin, when she lies dying of a stab wound. Although they do get another in their Together in Death scene.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Whenever she dons the Nightwatchman persona.
• Letting Her Hair Down: When she joins the outlaws in Sherwood Forest.
• Living a Double Life: As the noblewoman Marian, and as the vigilante Nightwatchman.
• Love Makes You Dumb: What gets her killed is her joyful declaration of love toward Robin while Gisborne is standing right in front of her with a sword.
• Love Triangle: Caught between her love for Robin and her obligations to Guy, though it's pretty obvious which one she'll end up with.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Sometimes, usually in front of Guy.
• Outdoorsy Gal: It's not overt, but Marian clearly prefers horse-riding and fighting to more indoorsy activities. She's seen gardening a couple of times, and practicing combat in the open air. When she joins the outlaws, she has no problems living rough in the forest (her issues are more to do with the way Robin is treating her).
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She has this combination, denoting her beauty.
• Revealing Injury: Averted in Turk Flu. Guy has wounded the Nightwatchman earlier in the day, and so orders all the men to remove their sleeves while at the fair. When he leans over to pat Marian on the arm, he notices that she is bleeding in the exact same place he cut the Nightwatchman — only for Marian to discreetly cut her hand with a paring knife and blame the blood on that instead.
• Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: Guy and Robin are the respective rich and poor options for Marian. Somewhat deconstructed in that Robin's poor status is considered to be just temporary, and had things gone better for the Official Couple, King Richard would have returned to England and reinstated Robin's titles and lands to him.
• Runaway Bride: At the end of Series 1 she flees her wedding with Guy and leaps on the back of Robin's horse, still in her bridal gown.
• Samus Is a Girl: The Nightwatchman, which everyone assumes is a man.
• Secret Identity: The Nightwatchman, a vigilante who distributes money to the poor.
• Senseless Sacrifice: In the long run. She dies protecting King Richard, but history tells us that he'll eventually be killed in France, leaving the throne to Prince John.
• She-Fu: At one stage she is seen practicing Tai Chi outside her house. In 12th century England.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Though attracted to Guy, this trope is the reason Robin wins her heart.
• Sixth Ranger: Halfway through Series 2, she joins Robin and the other outlaws in the forest (though it doesn't last long).
• Ship Tease: Plenty with Guy, despite Foregone Conclusion of the Official Couple.
• Small Name, Big Ego: She tells Robin that "I do exactly what you do, only with more intelligence." Considering she's saying this while lying wounded after breaking into Guy's house, trying to steal his money, getting stabbed and having to be rescued by Robin, this claim is dubious.
• Stockholm Syndrome: Marian shows traces of this in early Series 2, when she must rely on Gisborne for her well-being despite the fact that he is largely responsible for endangering it.
• Stringing the Hopeless Suitor Along: Averted in Series 1 in which Marian is clearly not that into Guy's attentions, but played straight (albeit sympathetically) in Series 2. After she and her father are put under house arrest in Nottingham Castle, it's within her best interests to play nice with Guy, and flirting with him is a surefire way of getting pertinent information that she can pass on to Robin.
• Taking the Veil: She considers this out loud a couple of times, though not particularly seriously, and mostly to avoid Gisborne's advances.
• The Team Benefactor: It's unclear where Marian gets the supplies to give to the peasants, but it's suggested that they come from her own larder and we never see her steal anything. As such, there's no real reason for her to wear a disguise when delivering food - one gets the sense that she just likes the thrill.
• Together in Death: The entire point of her final cameo.
• Too Happy to Live: Seconds before she's stabbed to death, Marian simultaneously frees herself from Gisborne's control and declares her intentions to marry Robin Hood, with a look of pure rapture on her face.
• Traumatic Haircut: As punishment for defying the Sheriff.
• Unkempt Beauty: When she joins the outlaws.
• Virgin in a White Dress: She's this when she dies, considering the writers go for a deliberate Interplay of Sex and Violence when Guy stabs her to death, going so far as to call the scene "the consummation of Guy and Marian."
• Virgin Tension: Despite dropping the "maid" part of her name, the show makes it very clear that Marian is a virgin. The Sheriff refers to her as a "maid" in a rather cruel way in Who Shot The Sheriff?, and in Get Carter, when Guy asks whether she's given herself to God (i.e. become a nun) Marian replies: "I haven't given myself to anyone yet." This double entendre means more to the audience than it does to Guy considering that Marian has been sleeping in the forest with Robin, and not at a convent as Guy's been lead to believe.
• Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Robin notes that everything Marian says to him sounds like a criticism.
• What Does She See in Him?: Robin struggles to understand the "qualities" that Marian insists Guy has.
• White Shirt of Death: She's wearing a white dress when she dies.

Guy of Gisborne

Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage)

Guy: I have committed crimes... heinous crimes. But by taking Lady Marian in holy wedlock, I will wash away those crimes.

Annie: He has a different side — a side he cannot show.

The Sheriff of Nottingham’s right-hand man and competitor for Marian’s affections.

• Alliterative Name: Guy of Gisborne.
• Antagonist in Mourning: Throughout Series 3, in which he grapples with his grief and guilt over murdering Marian.
• Ambition Is Evil: His entire arc is based on this.
• Being Evil Sucks: "I lived my life in shame."
• Breakout Character: Due to being played by Richard Armitage and given the expected Draco in Leather Pants treatment by fandom, he was definitely the most popular character.
• Chained to a Bed: By his sister. Who then refers to him as "a present for Prince John."
• Churchgoing Villain: Downplayed, but he is depicted as praying several times, most notably (and in a chapel at that) in the moments before he decides to kill the Sheriff.
• Depending on the Writer: He veers from sadistic killer to noble anti-hero on a whim.
  • Also affects how much of a threat he is in any given episode. In some he's a genuine source of danger and fear for the Outlaws, in others he's a bumbling fool and defeating him is child's play.
• Dies Wide Open: Robin closes them.
• The Dragon: He's the righthand man of Big Bad Sheriff, but with a much more personal animosity towards Robin.
• Dragon with an Agenda: In Series 3, when Prince John offers him a better deal and he decides to kill the Sheriff once and for all.
• Easily Forgiven: Arguably. Though he's not accepted instantly into the gang, the fact that Robin forgives him at all after he ran through Marian with a giant sword brings this trope into play.
• Epic Fail: Guy never manages to kill any of the major characters that he's been sent to assassinate. Not King Richard, not Prince John, and not the Sheriff of Nottingham. God only knows how he managed to screw that last one up, as after "killing" him he actually reaches into the Sheriff's mouth to retrieve his gold tooth, and somehow doesn't notice that the man is still alive. Apparently this trained assassin can only kill people if they're a) unarmed and b) standing directly in front of him.
  • He also declares that he's going to kill Isabella. All he ends up doing is providing her with the tools she needs to kill both him and Robin. The means for Isabella's death are provided by Tuck and Robin, which are completely unrelated to anything that Guy does.

Vaizey: "For once I'm glad to see you, for it means Gisborne has once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

• Erotic Dream: Marian massaging his shoulders. Who then turns into Allan.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Guy expresses reluctance to kill a group of children. Slightly odd considering he had no qualms about exposing his infant son to the elements in the first season.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He's frustrated and baffled by Robin's willingness to leave behind his aristocratic wealth and live as an outlaw, but eventually tumbles to the explanation that it's because Robin is a glory-hound who gets off on the love of the peasantry. It never once occurs to him that Robin embraces outlawry not because the people love him, but because he loves them.
• Evil Counterpart: To Robin.
• Evil Gloating: When his marriage to Marian is all but assured, he (rather alarmingly) tells Robin:

Guy: I shall think of you when I take her to the marriage bed.

• Evil Wears Black: For the first two series, he's never seen out of black leather.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: His hair throughout the third series; in the first two episodes it's been grown long and greasy to indicate the aftermath of his murder of Marian. When he returns following a two-episode break in episode 5 it's still long, but he seems to have found the time for a shampoo.
• Expy: Sure, Guy of Gisbourne has been part of Robin Hood legends for centuries, but here? Give him an eyepatch and he'd be Space Commander Travis.
• Face Death with Dignity: After a Karmic Stabbing Guy admits to Robin that he's wasted his entire life, and is just grateful for the chance to die with dignity.
• Fanservice: He gets a couple of Shirtless Scenes.
• Fatal Flaw: His temper, which drives him to stab Marian once she confesses she loves Robin, something he bitterly regrets for the rest of his life.
• Flaw Exploitation: Both Robin and Marian know that she is Guy's weak spot, and use this against him on several occasions, most notably in Lardner's Ring when Robin pretends to hold her hostage in order to facilitate their escape.
• Freudian Excuse: Though it's something of a Retcon, Series 3 reveals that his father was a leper, and he was something of an outcast in Nottingham.
• Less-Evil Costume Switch: In the first two episodes of Series 3, he wears brown leathers instead of his usual black. It fits with how he actually feels guilt and remorse for the first time in his life, brought on by killing Marian. Then he leaves, comes back and has an Eviler Costume Switch, mixing the black leathers with reds and golds.
• Guyliner: He's even called Guy.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: He can explode at the drop of a hat
• Handsome Lech: Richard Armitage claims he wanted people to "squirm" when they saw him interacting with Marian, and Guy is particularly sleazy towards her in Series 1.
• The Heavy: To the Sheriff, who does most of his dirty work.
• Heel–Face Turn: At the end of Series 3, when he finally joins up with Robin to defeat the Sheriff.
• Heir Club for Men: Guy makes it clear on a number of occasions that he expects Marian to provide him with a male heir. After her father's death he tells her that the best way to grieve is to get pregnant. It was awkward.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: A lifetime of violence finally catches up to him in the form of his little sister.
• Hopeless Suitor: Interesting example is that for a long time, he has no idea that he's this trope.
• I Die Free: His exact words.
• I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Part of his attraction to Marian is that she's so aloof and difficult to win over. Unfortunately, when she finally makes it clear that she'll never marry him, he responds with fatal violence.
• If I Can't Have You…: He stabs Marian to death after she confesses her love for Robin Hood.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: At the Sheriff's hands, part of his Karmic Death.
• Karmic Death: He dies after he's impaled on the sheriff's sword, the same way he killed Marian at the end of Series 2. Likewise, Isabella manages to stab him in the back with a dagger dipped in a poison that he himself had given to her as retribution for selling her as a child to a sadistic husband. With his last few breaths, he admits that he's probably not going to see Marian in whatever afterlife awaits him.
• Kill the Ones You Love:
  • Despite repeated claims that he loves Marian and that "his world will turn to ash" without her, he ends up murdering her at the end of the second series. He spends the rest of the show guilt-ridden over her death, and even in his own dying moments he doesn't hold out any hope that he'll ever see her again in the afterlife.
  • He also gives his little sister a vial of poison so that she can kill herself, even after she tells him: "you loved me once."
• Killed Off for Real: At the end of Series 3, after being stabbed by both Vaizey and Isabella.
• Kill the Ones You Love: Gisborne kills Marian and repeatedly tries to kill Isabella, though YMMV as to what extent he "loved" them.
• Limited Wardrobe: Only seems to wear black leather. Lampshaded thusly:
  The Sheriff [mockingly relaying a message from Marian to Gisborne]: ...and for God's sake, change your clothes once in a while.
• Love Makes You Crazy: He's clearly coming unhinged at the beginning of Series 3, and guilt-ridden over having murdered Marian.
• Love Redeems: Subverted big time. Guy and Marian's relationship seems to be following the predictable pattern of a good woman who awakens the inner nobility of a Cute but Troubled Bad Boy...only for Guy to stab Marian to death when he finds out she's in love with someone else.
• Love Triangle: With Robin and Marian. Given their Official Couple status, he clearly comes out worse off.
• Mr. Fanservice: He gets a couple of Shirtless Scenes.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: Inverted. Guy puts a huge amount of time and effort into trying to kill the Hypotenuse, and ends up murdering his Love Interest instead. Oh, Guy.
• Must Make Amends: A darker example than usual, since he knows there's no way he can ever make up for Marian's murder at his hands. However, on learning that he and Robin share a half-brother, he takes it upon himself to help rescue him, realizing it's his last chance to do some good in the world.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Is immediately horrified by what he's done to Marian at the end of Series 2, and is psychologically tortured by his guilt throughout the third season, till Robin finally gives him one last chance at redemption.
• Never My Fault: This is his stance at the beginning of Series 3, where he blames everyone but himself (namely Robin, then the Sheriff) for Marian's murder. His Redemption Quest finally begins near the end of the series, where he finally voices out loud the inescapable fact that he alone was responsible for her death.
• Not Good with Rejection: Hoo boy... when Marian runs from their wedding at the end of Series 1, he retaliates by burning her house down. At the end of Series 2, when she comes clean about her love for Robin Hood, he promptly impales her on his sword.
• Not in This for Your Revolution: When he joins the outlaws, or at least initially, as all he wants to do is get his revenge on Isabella for betraying him; by the end it's implied he's come round to Robin's reasons.
• Playing the Victim Card: This is the crux of Guy's arc in Series 3, as he goes from blaming everyone but himself for Marian's death, to eventually accepting that he alone was responsible for her murder, and finally relinquishing his hold over her and acknowledging her choice of romantic partner, telling Robin: "she was always yours."
• Plot Induced Stupidity: Guy's levels of competence fluctuated wildly, from brutally efficient, to so inept you wonder how he ties his shoelaces in the morning. Two prime examples are his encounters with Djaq in The Booby and the Beast and Kate in Cause and Effect. In the latter case, Guy is observant enough to recognize the blonde with the silly-looking braid across her forehead that he had confronted earlier in the day, but in the former Guy has a Hey, Wait! moment with Djaq as she's disguised as a serving girl. Guy fails to recognize her, even though she's the only Saracen woman in the entire country.
• Redemption Equals Death: He helps Robin track down their mutual half-brother Archer, then joins forces with him to repel the Sheriff, but is finally stabbed to death by his former boss.
• Running Gag: The sheer amount of times that Guy is stabbed in the back, both figuratively and literally, is almost this. Essentially, it's every single character he ever interacts with: Prince John, the Sheriff, Isabella, Marian, Lambert, Tuck, Allan, Archer... Ironically, the only major character that doesn't betray him is Robin.
• Scars Are Forever: His facial scar that Robin gives him at the beginning of the third season remains, but the wound that the Sheriff caused by dripping acid on his arm disappears.
• Selective Obliviousness: Guy is very careful to ignore the mounting evidence that Marian is working with Robin Hood. By the final episodes of Series 2, he's in complete denial.
• Self-Made Orphan: Or so he thinks...
• Smug Snake: Particularly in Series 1, where he's always smirking away in dark corners.
• Stalker with a Crush: In Series 1, in which Marian is very clearly not that into him. It changes a bit in Series 2, when she starts to be more receptive to him.
• The Starscream: Invoked by Prince John, who tells Gisborne that he can become Sheriff if he murders Vaizey.
• Villainous Breakdown: After Marian's death - though being sent to Prince John causes him to snap out of it pretty quickly.
• Yandere: He practically embodies this tropes for Marian, even killing her when he realizes she wants to be with Robin.

The Sheriff of Nottingham

The Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen)

Vaizey: Underneath this harsh surface, there's just more harsh surface.

The gleefully sadistic Sheriff, who despite having ambitions to take over England, often seems to act the way he does just for the fun of it.

• Ambition Is Evil: Most of his crimes are born out of a desire to accumulate more power and wealth.
• And Starring: An unusual example, as Keith Allen is credited 'and Keith Allen' despite coming fourth out of nine names in the opening credits.
• Back for the Finale: In Series 3, when he turns out to be Not Quite Dead.
• Bad Boss: He is horrifically abusive to Guy, mostly verbally but occasionally physically. Marian can't fathom why Guy puts up with it, and the hold he had over Guy was a matter of lengthy debate in fandom.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: The snake pit, the lion, the duel over the boiling oil, the sealed overflow chamber that slowly filled with water (which Guy wandered away from before the water was even over Robin's head), the Sheriff's endless refusals to kill Robin because he preferred to torture him slowly...after a while you begin to wonder if Guy and the Sheriff actually wanted Robin to live for some reason.
  • Lampshaded in the audiobook story The Dambusters, where the Sheriff wonders out loud why he doesn't just kill Tuck on the spot as he decides to leave Tuck in the middle of a water mill to drown and then leaves before Tuck is even slightly injured for no clear reason.
• The Caligula: He's cruel, moody, sadistic, and horribly vindictive, even to his otherwise loyal Dragon.
• Card-Carrying Villain: He doesn't have a huge amount of depth to him; he's just mean and greedy.
• Catchphrase: "A clue: no" (which became the title of the first series finale). Also "La-di-da-di-da!"
• Comedic Sociopathy: Very much so. Could order the deaths of innocent people regularly, and make it seem extremely funny.
• The Dragon: To Prince John. Has one of his own, in Guy of Gisborne.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He clearly loved his sister and was devastated by her death.
• Every One Calls Him Barkeep: Averted. Though he's referred to as "the Sheriff" 99% of the time, he's actually given a first name: Vaizey.
• Evil Gloating: Enjoys this, especially when he has successfully gotten one up on Robin Hood.
• Evil Is Hammy: NO ONE chews more scenery than him. NO ONE.
• Faux Affably Evil: He performs hideous acts in the most hilarious way possible.
• Finger-Twitching Revival: Halfway through Series 3 Guy supposedly kills him, though a finger twitch just before the closing credits promises that he'll be back...
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Dies in an explosion caused by the Byzantine Powder that he himself brought into the castle.
• I Want My Mommy!: Whenever he's in serious peril (such as in Dead Man Walking when he believes Little John is about to kill him).
• I'm Going to Hell for This: Inverted ("You're going to hell for this!"), then Played for Laughs ("Just for this?")
• Karmic Death: The last thing he sees is a flaming arrow...
• Killed Off for Real: At the end of Series 3, when Robin blows up the castle with him inside.
• Large Ham: Keith Allen makes a meal of the scenery every episode.
• Mean Boss: He's verbally and physically abusive to Gisborne and eventually kills him.
• Oh, Crap!: His expression just as he realizes he's about to be blown up says it all.
• Pet the Dog: For such a woman-hater, he has a surprisingly affectionate relationship with his sister, and is visibly shattered by her death (even though he never mentions her again).
• The Sheriff: Well, obviously.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He has moments of this, though not to the audience but to other characters. In fact his ridiculous dickery and Jerkass personality was what made him so endearing. But he seems to think he could run the entire kingdom better than the king, even though all he's shown us is he's exceptionally good at backstabbing people and inventing creatively fun tortures.
• Smug Snake: Very much so, treating Guy with as much scorn as any of his actual enemies.
• Straw Misogynist: Subverted. Though he makes several disparaging remarks toward women, and often refers to them as "lepers", there was an interesting subtext that suggested that it was all a show for Gisborne, who he didn't want getting too close to any female who could threaten the influence Vaizey held over Guy. The only character Vaizey shows any love for is his sister, and he never underestimates Marian, even when Guy and Robin do. When an Abbess comes to the castle and a guard argues against letting her into a room where the tax money is kept, the Sheriff's response is not "she's just a woman", but "she's just a nun."
• Villainous Breakdown: After he learns Prince John is not happy with how he's dealing with Robin Hood up to his apparent death. He returned having got over this spectacularly.
• Would Hurt a Child: Is furious when Guy doesn't do away with a gang of children that have witnessed his underhanded dealings in the forest.

Isabella of Gisborne

Isabella of Gisborne (Lara Pulver)

Isabella: Now I know the only person I can trust is myself. I'm on my own.

Appearing in the third season as Guy’s never before seen or mentioned little sister, Isabella entered the show on the run from her sadistic husband. An enigmatic presence throughout her eight episodes, she is the centre of the political machinations that drove the final season. Initially introduced as a Replacement Goldfish for Robin and as The Mole within the castle, Isabella subverted expectations by striking out on her own, flirting with Prince John, performing a Face–Heel Turn and winning herself the position of Sheriff of Nottingham.

• Alas, Poor Villain: She's so mentally unhinged by the final few episodes, it's difficult not to feel sorry for her. In one of her last scenes, she looks regretfully over the dead body of her brother and on realizing that the castle is about to explode, she looks strangely at peace with her impending death.
• Ambition Is Evil: Her need for power and security eventually overcomes her better instincts.
• Attempted Rape: What her husband Thornton is trying to do before she kills him.
• Ax-Crazy: She becomes this after Robin dumps her.
• Betty and Veronica: Veronica to Kate's Betty, right down to the hair colour.
• Broken Bird: Dead parents? Check. Abusive Marriage? Check. Failed Relationships? Check. Driven insane by one too many betrayals? Yes.
• Brother–Sister Incest: There are several rather suggestive scenes between herself and Guy. She even drugs him and ties him to a bed.
• Cat Fight: Gets into one of these with Kate, after she tricked her rival into believing Robin was still romantically attached to her.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: By the final few episodes, she's backstabbing anyone who gets in her way.
• Composite Character: A very strange example. Although initially seeming like a Canon Foreigner (albeit one with a familial connection to a main character) she ends up becoming the Sheriff of Nottingham in Series 3. There's also something of the Prioress of the Kirklees about her, since both are women credited with successfully killing Robin Hood, and her name seems to have been borrowed from Isabella of Angoulême, who also had a romantic relationship with Prince John.
• Create Your Own Villain: Robin, Guy and Thornton contribute heavily toward her downward spiral into insanity, and all pay dearly for it. As do Meg and Kate. They also come out worse off. You do not want to mess with this woman.
• Damsel in Distress: Portrayed as such in her first episode, but subverted throughout the rest of the show.
• Dark Action Girl: It's not overstated, but she does hold her own in a couple of swordfights, and is nimble enough to nick Robin with a poisoned dagger, thereby killing him.
• Dating Catwoman: For a handful of episodes in Series 3, while she's feigning loyalty to her brother Guy.
• Derailing Love Interests: For her first few episodes she's portrayed as intelligent, rational and compassionate; after Robin dumps her she's more or less a completely different character.
• Disc-One Final Boss: In Something Worth Fighting For.
• Domestic Abuse: Is the victim of this at the hands of her husband Thornton.
• Driven to Villainy: Getting No Sympathy from her brother Guy, endless Mixed Messages from Robin, Domestic Abuse from her violent husband, and nothing but open hostility and suspicion from the outlaws eventually leads to Isabella making a Then Let Me Be Evil declaration and swearing fealty to Prince John.
• Erotic Eating: When Robin gifts her with some strawberries, she eats it seductively in front of him.
• Evil Costume Switch: She upgrades to leather as soon as she's made Sheriff.
• Evil Counterpart: Though she never meets her, Isabella was clearly envisioned as a "dark Marian" by the writers, what with her similar physical resemblance, relationships with Robin and Guy, and aristocratic background. However, unlike Marian, she's motivated by ambition and self-preservation instead of altruism and patriotism.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: Despite a number of red flags, Robin trusts Isabella and believes he can use her as a spy in the castle. But after messing around with her feelings one too many times, she turns on him with fatal consequences.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: In her first appearance, her hair is loose and maidenly; after her Face–Heel Turn and elevation to the position of Sheriff she wears it in a severe-looking bun, and finally, when she reverts to Ax-Crazy mode, her hair becomes wild and loose again.
• Face–Heel Turn: After Robin decides not to run away with her, she rather abruptly turns into a completely different person and sides with Prince John.
• Freudian Excuse: All things considered she had a pretty miserable childhood: her father was a leper, her mother was killed in a house fire, and she was sold by her last remaining family member to a sadistic husband at the age of thirteen.
• Gorgeous Period Dress: She wears plenty of these, in rich colours and luxurious materials.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: No one is really sure whose side she's on, till she explicitly states she's on her own.
• Hero Killer: She successfully kills Robin Hood.
• I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Subverted considering this attitude (and Robin's badly timed "it's not you, it's me" speech) is what makes her choose Prince John's team.
• Jerkass Has a Point: She needles Kate about her low-born status, though in all honesty, it seems very unlikely that (had he ever got his lands and title back) Robin would have made an illiterate peasant girl the mistress of Locksley.
• Lady in Red: Quite often, usually when she's at her most seductive.
• Letting Her Hair Down: Subverted: she is first seen with her hair down and then starts wearing it up after her Face–Heel Turn.
• Long Lost Sibling: She appears in Series 3 as Guy's never-before-mentioned younger sister.
• Love Hurts: She seeks out love and acceptance from Guy and Robin, but neither are willing to give her what she needs.
• Love Makes You Crazy: Robin dumps her. She responds by trying to kill him. As you do.
• Never Found the Body: Given that Lara Pulver had signed on for a season four, and this trope was in play after the castle collapsed, it's very likely that she survived the explosion.
• Not Good with Rejection: It runs in the family.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Even after her Face–Heel Turn, Robin continues to underestimate her and treat their interactions as a game — it's not until she kills her husband that he realizes just how serious the situation is, and still manages to die at her hands at the end of the third series.
• Obvious Judas: Due to the writers' reliance on the Madonna-Whore Complex to characterize Isabella and Kate, and invokedKate hating Isabella on sight, it was pretty obvious to audiences that it was only a matter of time before she turned on Robin.
• Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: She certainly fulfils this role to Robin after he breaks up with her, approximately halfway through Series 3.
• Revenge: Her primary motivation in the last two episodes, in which she successfully sees Guy killed for selling her off to a sadistic husband, and fatally poisons Robin for his (in her eyes) constant mistreatment of her.
  • Revenge by Proxy: Though her main targets are Robin and Guy, she also gets the last laugh at Kate for the stupid Cat Fight, as in killing Robin she leaves Kate bereft.
• Schrödinger's Cast: Given that Lara Pulver had signed on for at least two more seasons of the show, it's a given that Isabella would have somehow survived the explosion of Nottingham Castle at the end of Series 3. However, since the show was cancelled, there's no indication of this in the show itself.
• The Sheriff: She becomes this at the end of the eighth episodes of the third series, and retains this position until the Grand Finale, when the original Sheriff returns.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: As with other bad guys, she moves to black clothes after her Face–Heel Turn.
• Sixth Ranger Traitor: She initially takes Marian's role as a spy for Robin and the outlaws at the castle, before turning on them after Robin decides not to leave Nottingham with her.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Relatively speaking. Though Isabella was a big part of Series 3, she only appears in eight of the show's thirty-nine episodes — and is the character who eventually kills Robin Hood.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She was widely promoted as Guy's sister before her debut, but those that missed the memo were easily able to guess at the familial connection given their similar dark hair and blue eyes.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: A dark-haired woman who feigns loyalty to Guy while secretly spying for Robin Hood — the show tries to pull off a Bait-and-Switch with Isabella being an obvious stand-in for Marian before her Face–Heel Turn.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Her husband is a violent psychopath, justifying her search for love and protection elsewhere.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Robin catches her killing her abusive husband and calls her a "murderer", leading to her realization that she can't count on anyone but herself. From there on out, she embraces her role as the new Sheriff of Nottingham.
• Till Murder Do Us Part: She stabs her abusive husband to death, largely in self-defense.
• Unkempt Beauty: Once she goes crazy.
• Villainous Breakdown: She becomes more and more psychotic as the series progresses.
• Who's Laughing Now?: Though she isn't present for their downfall, Isabella gets a posthumous victory over the outlaws almost immediately after they gather around to enjoy her defeat at Kate's hands in the Cat Fight. As soon as she's carted away, they're witness to Allan's body being dumped at the gates of Nottingham Castle (having been duped by Isabella's pardon for him and tricked into believing he made a second Face–Heel Turn). In the very next episode they learn that Robin has been fatally poisoned at her hands.
• Woman Scorned: A straight example, who goes immediately (and rather absurdly) bonkers when Robin tells her he can't run away with her.

Prince John

Prince John (Toby Stephens)

King Richard's little brother, with his eye on the throne in his absence.

• Abel And Cain: The evil Cain to Richard's Abel.
• And Starring: Credited as 'with Toby Stephens as Prince John'.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: As a member of the royal family, he's vain, greedy and cruel.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Most Robin Hood retellings end with the return of King Richard to England and Prince John getting his just desserts. This one ends with Prince John still running things, his brother held hostage in Austria, and his worst nemesis dead.
• Big Bad: Of the entire show, considering every other evil character is working for him.
• The Caligula: His narcissism borders on madness sometimes, and he seems to genuinely believe that he can heal diseases just by touching people.
• Catchphrase: "Do you love me?" and "long live me" (although it's difficult to get a catchphrase when you only appear in three episodes, these were used more than once across those episodes.)
• Comedic Sociopathy: He burns a church down while there are people still in it... and his bewildered reaction that people might not like him for this is hilarious.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He's a very weird case of this mixed with It's All About Me, as he believes essentially that because he is Prince John, everything that he does is inherently good. When Isabella tries to call him out on it, pointing out that burning villagers to death in a church is not the mark of a benevolent king, his response is: "but I AM being benevolent!" He's an evil character who can't comprehend that he's not actually good.
• Evil Gloating: Indulges in plenty of this when he thinks he's gotten the upper hand over Robin.
• The Evil Prince: Very much so, with several plans to assassinate his brother so he can assume the throne.
• Freudian Excuse: Constantly talks about how his mother favoured Richard.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Given that he was the guy the Big Bad Ensemble worked for.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Up until Series 3 he was oft-mentioned, but never seen.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: The real John had no military prowess, earning him the nickname "Softsword". This version is capable enough to take on Robin and Guy.
• Historical Domain Character: Prince John (Lackland) was of course a real person, living 1166 - 1216.
• Large Ham: As played by Toby Stephens, he feasts on all the scenery he can find.
• Narcissist: Oh, so very much. "Do you love me?"
• Non-Action Big Bad: Aside from one brief swordfight, he's a baddie who prefers manipulation to violence, and is more than happy to let others do the dirty work for him.
• Obliviously Evil: He's portrayed as a psychopathic Manchild who honestly doesn't understand why people treat him like a villain — even after he's set a church on fire while people are inside it.
• Prince Charmless: He has an oily sort of charisma, but it’s so wrapped up in his narcissism that it comes across as completely off-putting.
• The Resenter: Deeply resents his more popular older brother Richard.
• Royal Brat: Naturally, given that he's characterized as a near-sociopathic Spoiled Brat who happens to be a prince to boot.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in three episodes, and yet his actions to take control of the English throne are what triggers nearly all the major events in the overarching story.
• The Unfought: Aside from a very brief and impersonal sword-fight with Robin in a single episode of Series 3, he never engages one-on-one with any of the heroes.
• Unseen No More: He finally appears midway through Series 3 for three episodes.
• The Usurper: Works to seize control of his brother Richard's crown and control of England.

Others

Sir Edward of Knighton

Sir Edward of Knighton (Michael Elwyn)

Edward: Do not make the mistake I and others have made and make your dissent public.

Marian's father and the former Sheriff of Nottingham.

• I Will Only Slow You Down: He utters this trope by name after he's fatally stabbed.
• Recurring Character: Though not in the opening credits, he's in almost every episode up until his death.
• Senseless Sacrifice: Edward dies in order to deliver the Pact of Nottingham into Robin's hands, a McGuffin that the outlaws unfortunately forget to take to the Holy Land when they set off in pursuit of Marian. It would have provided King Richard with definitive proof that Prince John was plotting treason against him, and although Robin convinces him eventually, it's only after Richard sets off a chain of events that results in Marian's death. The Pact is never mentioned in Series 3, but by that stage, it was worthless anyway.

Archer

Archer (Clive Standen)

Malcolm: Remember the birthmark, shaped like an arrowhead. It is why your mother named him... Archer.

Guy and Robin's half-brother. Would have (presumably) become the new Robin but for the show's cancellation.

• 11th-Hour Ranger: He is introduced as an adult in the third-to-last episode of the entire series, and joins the team only at the end of the second-to-last episode.
• Distinguishing Mark: He has a birthmark shaped like an arrowhead, which provides the inspiration for his name, and an easy way to identify him. Doubles as a Birthmark of Destiny given that he takes over the mantle of Robin Hood.
• Easily Forgiven: He sold Guy and Robin out to Isabella for money, and also sold Vaizey Byzantine fire. He ends up a member of the gang with little comment to him being untrustworthy. Admittedly, like Guy, he was thrown into the situation with them and they didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.
• Katanas Are Just Better: He even appears to Dual Wield them somehow (despite them being two-handed weapons).
• Last Episode, New Character: He's introduced three episodes out from the Grand Finale. Of course, there was meant to be a fourth series with him as the new protagonist, were it not for the show getting cancelled.
• Likes Older Women: He's introduced in bed with the much older wife of a man whose dungeons he's trying to escape.
• Long Lost Sibling: Is the secret half-brother of Robin and Guy, whose birth was kept a secret due to the lack of matrimonial status between their parents.
• Loveable Rogue: That was the idea, anyway.
• Meaningful Name: He's a warrior called Archer.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Archer is dressed like a pirate, armed like a ninja, and has the rat-tails of a Padawan Jedi.
• Prophetic Names: He's called Archer on account of his arrowhead-shaped birthmark, but naturally grows up to be a Master Archer.
• Rookie Red Ranger: He's introduced at the tail-end of Series 3 as Robin Hood's replacement and the new Leader of the outlaws. Like Robin, his archery skills are beyond compare, making him uniquely suited for Taking Up the Mantle.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: There was actually some effort to avert this, as whilst Archer is clearly set up to be the new Robin, he has different views and ideals (even calling Robin out on condemning his peasant army to death).

Carter

Carter (Joseph Kennedy)

Carter: He's not crying, he's laughing on the wrong side of his face.

A Crusader who returned to England from the Holy Land seeking revenge against Robin for his brother's death. Hired as an assassin by the Sheriff, he successfully infiltrates the outlaw camp, but performs a Heel–Face Turn after Robin tells him the truth about how his brother died. Appearing in only two episodes, this guest star became surprisingly popular among the fanbase.

• Back for the Finale: He reappears in the second season finale.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: He's killed by the Sheriff in a scene that lasts no more than two seconds, a death that is then entirely overshadowed by Marian's (though according to the DVD commentary, the grave next to Marian's with the shield belongs to him, so it can be assumed that the outlaws gave him some sort of funeral).
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Carter survives his first episode as a guest star, but is killed off in his next appearance.
• Redemption Equals Death: After trying to kill Robin and the other outlaws in his first appearance, he dies trying to assist them in his second.

Luke Scarlett

"Luke Scarlett (Jonathan Readwin/Christian Cooke)

Will Scarlett's little brother.

• The Other Darrin: Was played by Jonathan Readwin in Will You Tolerate This?, and by Christian Cooke in The Angel of Death.
  • Lampshaded in his second appearance when he tells his brother that he's "not so little" anymore.

Rebecca

Rebecca (Teresa Banham)

Rebecca: First you get my son killed, now you're taking my daughter...

Kate's mother, a potter in Locksley village.

• Bitch Slap: She gives one to Kate after hearing the news that her son Matthew has been killed.
• Insane Troll Logic: She blames Robin for Matthew's death, even though Guy killed him, Kate endangered him, and Matthew himself had no sense of self-preservation at all.
• Jerkass Has a Point: To a certain extent, she is right when she points out that fraternizing with outlaws will only bring trouble to her door. However, she refuses to admit that they save lives and help people far more than they endanger them.
• Mama Bear: She's very protective of her children.
• Never My Fault: Or rather, never their fault. Rebecca refuses to acknowledge any of the idiotic behavior that her children demonstrate, choosing instead to blame Robin Hood for all the troubles that befall them.
• Recurring Character: Rebecca appears in four episodes across Series 3.
• Remember the New Guy?: She has apparently been living in Locksley village for at least seventeen years, though she's never seen or mentioned before Series 3.
• Take Me Instead: She begs this of Rufus when he drags Kate away to Locksley Manor.
• Ungrateful Bitch: Allan flat-out calls her "ungrateful" when she refuses to take the food the outlaws have brought for her and her family.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: She's last seen in the penultimate episode, and never mentioned in the Grand Finale.