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Characters / Lethal Weapon

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Character page for the Lethal Weapon film series. For characters from the TV series, see Lethal Weapon (2016).

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Main Cast

    Martin Riggs 

Detective / Captain Martin Riggs

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lw1_1020.jpg
"This is a real badge, I'm a real cop, and this is a real fucking gun!"

Played By: Mel Gibson

Dubbed in French By: Jacques Frantz

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

A reckless LAPD detective and widower with a death wish.

  • Addiction Displacement:
    • He replaces cigarettes with dog biscuits, as well as a raw onion.
    • By the end of the third film, he jokes about going back to cigarettes to deal with his "dog biscuit problem".
  • Adopt the Dog: He adopts an Angry Guard Dog in the third film, and still has it in the fourth.
  • Amazon Chaser: He's very impressed with Lorna's asskicking capabilities.
    Murtaugh: Hey, Riggs, there's five of them, man!
    Riggs: [lovestruck] I know.
  • Anti-Hero: He is an Unscrupulous Hero in the first film, where the only reason he does anything (as well as his primary reason for not going through with suicide) is because he loves being a cop. He changes into a Pragmatic Hero in the sequels, finding more reasons to live and people to care about (namely Lorna, Leo, and the Murtaughs), but still willing to resort to dirty tactics.
  • Ax-Crazy: Primarily in the first film, mellows down in the sequels.
  • Badass Boast: He has several throughout the series, but his Establishing Character Moment in the film really hits this trope: "When I was 19, I did a guy in Laos from a thousand yards out. It was a rifle shot in high wind. Maybe eight or even ten guys in the world could have made that shot. It's the only thing I was ever good at".
  • Badges And Dogtags: He's cryptic about his Vietnam experiences, has a special forces tattoo and mentions both sniping and an encounter with Shadow Company during the war.
  • Baritone of Strength: As portrayed by Mel Gibson, Riggs is a physically proficient character with a deep voice to match.
  • The Berserker: Even after getting over his suicidal tendencies, he still has a cavalier regard for his own survival.
  • Byronic Hero: In the original.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's obsessed with The Three Stooges and Looney Tunes, loves causing property damage, and is suicidally depressed in the first film, but is very good at his job.
  • Cartwright Curse: His wife died in a car crash (actually murdered) before the first film, and his love interest in the second film slept with the fishes. Even Lorna Cole almost bought the farm, but ultimately subverted the curse.
  • Cassandra Truth: In the first film, he notes that half the cops think his insanity is a bluff and refuse to work with him... but the other half think it's real and legitimately refuse to work with him.
  • Character Development: He starts off as a suicidal, lonely man and at the end of the fourth movie is shown to be a happy member of a large family.
  • Chekhov's Skill: His "trick" shoulder that can be dislocated more or less at will:
    • His ability to dislocate his shoulder is established in the beginning of the second film, where he uses it twice to get out of a straightjacket.
    • During the fight with Wah Sing Ku in 4, after he dislocated Riggs' shoulder, Riggs gives him a short but brutal No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
    • He also has to reset his shoulder twice in the third film, though not under such mortal circumstances. At one point, he slides himself into a pole to do so on the fly.
  • Chick Magnet: Aside from being married once before, his bad boy tendencies tend to attract women. Murtaugh's daughter Riana, Rika and Detective Cole (later his wife) all crush on him.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Despite being a highly trained martial artist, he isn't against groin attacks, using improvised weaponry, dropping a crate on a man, or killing him with a machine gun when it becomes clear he's not going to win a fist fight.
  • Cowboy Cop: Has little care for procedure or doing things by-the-book, contrasting Murtaugh. He even wears cowboy boots.
  • Crusading Widower: He's reasonably heroic, but he's also suicidal and is considered crazy by everyone who knows him. He slowly becomes less unhinged as he opens up to his partner Murtaugh.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He has a very dry wit, especially around Murtaugh and Leo.
  • Death Seeker: A major theme of the first film is that he wants to die, but cannot bring himself to commit suicide. Early on, he eggs a man who has taken him hostage to kill him.
  • Dented Iron: By the fourth film, Riggs is clearly not at his peak, having grown both older and afraid of dying. He admits being aware of the trope and declares an intent to defy it.
    • A bit more subtle in the first film's climactic fight, due to sleep deprivation and Electric Torture.
  • Designated Bullet: He tells Murtaugh that he has a special bullet picked out in case he ever decides to kill himself (which he thinks about every day). At the end of the film, he gives Murtaugh the bullet as a symbol that he's come to terms with his inner demons and no longer suicidal. The bullet is stated to be a hollow-point, to minimise the odds of botching the job note .
  • Disney Death: In the second film, Riggs is shot several times by Rudd, who is killed by Murtaugh in return. It turns out Riggs is fine, though.
  • Dramatic Dislocation: In 2, Riggs shows off that he can pop his shoulder out at will due to an injury in Vietnam. It's putting it back in that's painful. It gets used during the 3rd act in 2, as well as during the final battle in 4. He also has to pop it back in after a fall in 3.
  • '80s Hair: In every film except the fourth.
    • As seen in his wedding photos from the first film, he had short hair before Vicki passed away. In the fourth, he's been in a stable relationship wtih Lorna for 6 years. He only seems to grow his hair long when he's single.
  • Establishing Character Moment: He's introduced by making crazy jokes during a sting operation, blowing a few mooks away, and then trying to commit suicide by crook. This all establishes him as a loony, badass Death Seeker, in complete contrast to the solid and serious family-man Murtaugh.
    • In the director's cut, before that scene is the playground sniper situation where Riggs responds to a sniper call, leading to him nonchalantly walking in said sniper's range, giving the latter an opportunity to gun him down, retaliating after the sniper fails. Riggs shows no fear for his life during the encounter, but also shows no satisfaction that the sniper failed.
  • Feeling Their Age: By the fourth film, Riggs begins to feel outmatched by younger opponents and struggles in fights compared to the previous films. He refuses to accept it, however, deciding to "will it away."
    "I'm not too old for this shit!"
  • Friendly Sniper: Was a sniper in Vietnam, and the only time we see him with his sniper rifle is on a rescue mission.
  • The Gadfly: Enjoys teasing ol' Rog to no end.
  • Good Is Not Dumb: After he gets blown through a window by a shotgun (he was wearing his bulletproof vest, so he didn't die), he points out to Murtaugh that now the police have the advantage, because the bad guys think Riggs is dead. Sure enough, Mr. Joshua calls the police station for information about the shooting, claiming to be a news reporter. The officer who picks up confirms that Riggs is dead, and it never occurs to McAllister and Joshua that the police could be deceiving them.
  • Good Is Not Nice: A genuinely good cop, but loves tormenting suspects or messing with his co-workers.
  • Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: He has shorter hair in the fourth installment.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Riggs is rather quick to anger if things don't go in his favor when dealing with criminals, and even moreso if he's inflicted any kind of pain by them. He does, however, overplay the trait to intimidate people.
  • Heartbroken Badass: He was a Special Forces sniper in Laos and Vietnam prior to the films, and while we never see him as a soldier, we see him as a cop, both proving and justifying his Improbable Aiming Skills. He's become a Death Seeker in the first film, but begins healing as time goes after partnering with Murtaugh.
  • Heroes Love Dogs: For the first three movies, he's got a dog named Sam at home. By 4, he now has the rottweiler from 3 added as a pet. He's apparently great and training them, too - despite being different breeds and ages, the two dogs get along like a house on fire.
  • Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Once he gets over his Death Seeker / Ax-Crazy tendencies and mellows out a bit, his craziness is more Played for Laughs.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Murtaugh, natch. After being partners for so long, it's hard for either of them to imagine life without the other. Riggs articulates it beautifully in the third film:
    "You're the only family I've got! I got three beautiful kids. I love them and they're yours. Trish does my laundry. I live in your icebox. I live in your life!"
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: A more comedic example would be when he wants to ask the police psychiatrist for legitimate advice regarding his intent to marry Lorna, but his years of mocking her makes her instantly go on the defensive and assume he's trying to punk her again. So he then turns around and punks her for real.
  • Honorary Uncle: By the third film, he's become part of the Murtaugh family and is treated like this, even tearfully telling Roger later "I've got three beautiful kids, I love them and they're yours".
  • Hot-Blooded: Nothing seems to light a fire up Riggs' ass like being on a criminal's trail.
    Riggs: [hitting the insides of Murtaugh's car while screaming excitedly] GOD, I LOVE THIS JOB!
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: He pulls off some incredible shots. Sure, Murtaugh has his share, but Riggs was breast-fed on this trope. The sniper in the school, being able to shoot a smiley-face on the firing range, being able to successfully hit a helicopter God knows how many yards away, etc. all with a pistol. And then picking off Shadow Company mooks like flies. And that's just the first film.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As much as he loves busting on his friends, he cares deeply about them and isn't afraid to show it. Best shown near the end of the fourth film, where he has a heartfelt conversation with Leo, who he spends most of the series teasing and busting on.
  • Keet: Especially in the third and fourth movie, where his Manchild tendencies get pushed to the forefront.
  • Large Ham: Especially in the first film. More composed in the sequels.
    "Do you really wanna jump?! DO YOU WANNA?!?"
  • Last-Name Basis: He's almost exclusively referred to by his last name, even by Roger.
  • The Lost Lenore: His late wife, Vicki.
  • Lightning Bruiser: In the first film, he takes out a room full of guys before they can react.
  • Made of Iron: His response to being repeatedly electrocuted with a near-lethal voltage was to start beating ass. He's had a clip full of bullets emptied into him, and it did nothing but make him quit smoking. He's been pinned underwater by a concrete slab for minutes on end at the tail end of an exhausting fistfight, and didn't lose consciousness.
  • Manchild: He watches Looney Tunes, even while contemplating suicide, as well as The Three Stooges, and is generally adolescent in nature.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He spends a lot of time naked or shirtless; is even introduced that way.
  • One Last Smoke: Hilariously defied in the second film for a bit of Mood Whiplash.
  • One-Man Army: For the first three films, until his age finally catches up to him in 4. The only guy he has trouble with in 4 is Wah Sing Ku.
  • One-Note Cook:
    Riggs: I may have exaggerated a bit about being a gourmet chef. All I know how to make is chili. Do you like your chili with or without crushed Oreos?
  • Pet the Dog: Literally. He chooses to make friends with a guard dog instead of shooting him. He justifies it by saying that, while he's okay with shooting people, he's unable to shoot a dog. This probably would've been in effect even in the first movie.
  • Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: To Mr. Joshua in the original.
    "Whaddya say, Jack? You want a shot at the title?"
  • Red Oni: To Murtaugh's Blue Oni.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He goes on one after he finds out the South Africans killed his wife and his new girlfriend. Good thing Murtaugh was there...
  • Sociopathic Hero: In the first film.
  • Suicide by Cop: Inverted in the first movie, where he's a cop who wants to commit Suicide By Criminal.
  • Title Drop: In the first film, Roger refers to him as a "lethal weapon".
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Is much kinder and softer in the third and fourth movies.
  • The Vietnam Vet: He claims to have been one of the top ten snipers in the world during his tour of 'Nam.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: In the opening to the third film, he tries to disarm a bomb because "the bomb squad always arrives late." His oversight is that the Lethal Weapon series more often than not averts Police Are Useless, and he has absolutely no experience with explosives, so he ends up triggering the bomb to go off much earlier than the timer indicates... right before the bomb squad arrives, in what would have been more than enough time to defuse it.

    Roger Murtaugh 

Detective / Captain Roger Murtaugh

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roger_murtaugh.jpg
"I'm too old for this shit!"

Played By: Danny Glover

Dubbed in French By: Richard Darbois

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

Riggs's older and more cautious partner, a family man with a wife and three kids.

  • The Atoner: After he recovers from his Heroic BSoD in the third film, he is told by said teenager's mourning parents to "get the man who put the gun in [their] son's hands"... he takes it to the heart, acting very outside of the book to nail the bad guys.
  • Badges And Dogtags:
  • Blue Oni: To Riggs' crazy Red Oni.
  • Boxing Battler: He doesn't have Riggs' or Lorna's martial arts training and so tends to rely on straightforward punches in combat. He's big and strong enough that he doesn't really need anything fancier.
  • Butt-Monkey: He can sometimes be put in unfortunate accidents and sometimes gets teased by Riggs.
  • By-the-Book Cop: This is why he gets partnered with Riggs, though he plays less and less "by the book" as the film go on.
  • Catchphrase: He mentions how his old buddy Hunsacker "took a bayonet in the lungs" for him during the War.
    • "I'm too old for this shit." Inverted in the fourth film with "We're not too old for this shit!"
    • "Riggs, you crazy sonuva bitch!"
    • "Go spit, Riggs!"
  • Character Tic: He cracks his neck before shooting people. This is typically followed by a Boom, Headshot!.
  • Combat Pragmatist: He will use anything he can as a weapon, including nail guns and hammers.
  • Cool Old Guy: He's just turned fifty in the first film and is about to become a grandfather in the fourth film over ten years later but is just as cool and capable as ever.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's as sarcastic as Riggs at times.
  • Deuteragonist: Murtaugh has virtually the same amount of screentime as Riggs, but he doesn't get the same level of character development or the same kill count. This contrasts Riggs' journey from a suicidal maniac to a committed family man.
  • Didn't Want an Adventure: He's very unhappy that Amanda Hunsacker's suicide leads to uncovering a heroin smuggling operation in the first movie.
  • Doting Parent: Even when his kids are in college, he still spoils them.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: In the third film, after killing an old friend of his son's out of self-defence.
  • Feeling Their Age: Murtaugh's Catchphrase of "I'm too old for this" is appropriate for an older family man who has to deal with a wild card younger partner. Riggs starts saying it too once he reaches his late 40's in 4.
  • Friend to All Children: Just watch his interactions with the kids outside Dixie's house in the first film. It goes without saying when you're a father of three.
  • Genre Refugee: He's essentially a character from a prime time cop show or hardboiled detective novel, whereas the Lethal Weapon films are over-the-top action flicks.
  • Good Parents: His kids still love and respect him throughout high school and college. They're also surprisingly well-adjusted considering all the crap the family goes through.
  • Goofy Print Underwear: When directed by Riggs to strip to his boxer shorts to distract a madman wielding a flamethrower, Riggs asks with a laugh "Are those little hearts?"
  • Grumpy Old Man: Has his moments, especially in 4.
  • Happily Married: With Trish.
  • Heroic BSoD: When Rianne is kidnapped in the first film, and when he accidentally kills a teenager in the third.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills:
    • Played realistically in that he can hit with perfect accuracy, but needs to carefully aim his gun and loosen his neck before squeezing the trigger, and has to practice at the shooting range to maintain his skills. He pulls off an excellent shot to kill the Big Bad of parts 1 and 2. In part 1, he shoots the driver of the Big Bad's car coming right at him, and then gets out of the way as the out-of-control car goes flying onto Hollywood Boulevard and smashes into a bus. The flames from the crash causes grenades in the car to detonate, killing the Big Bad. And in part 2, he revokes Rudd's diplomatic immunity with a damned impressive head shot (and the bullet first came through the diplomatic passport).
    • This backfired on him in the fourth film. Murtaugh aims for Ku. Ku dodges, but it hits and kills his brother instead.
  • It's Personal: Doesn't get this as frequently as Riggs, but things get brutal with General McAllister in the first film after Rianne gets kidnapped.
  • Nice Guy: He's a little prickly at times, but generally a good cop and a loving family man.
  • Older Hero Versus Younger Villain: Tragically in the third film. He kills (in self defence) a gangbanger who turns out to be a close friend of his teenage son.
  • Older Sidekick: He's demoted to this in the second film. The third and fourth films go back to a more even partnership.
  • Only Sane Man: To Riggs' Cowboy Cop tendencies and Leo's annoyingness and hyperactive behavior.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Downplayed. Murtaugh is a Vietnam vet, an accomplished detective sergeant with the LAPD, and an extremely good shot with a revolver. His partner is a One-Man Army martial arts expert who in his prime was one of the top ten snipers in the world.
  • Papa Wolf:
    • He's fiercely protective of his family, but particularly his daughter Rianne. He even punches Riggs right in the face (and overboard) after Riggs says "I think I may have slept with someone I shouldn't have," leading Murtaugh to assume he was talking about Rianne. He was talking about Lorna. Granted, he was drunk at the time.
    • This is the culmination of three films worth of tension. Murtaugh has always been protective of Rianne, and has worried that Riggs might "go for her". Or, more likely, that Rianne would go for him, given the goo-goo eyes she had been making since they first met.
  • Reluctant Warrior: He really hates being dragged into all this crazy crap.
  • Retirony: Subverted in the 3rd film.
  • Revolvers Are Just Better: He prefers to carry a six-shooter, despite Riggs calling it an "Old Timer's Gun". In the later films, he starts complimenting it with a semi auto pistol of his own, but he's still more accurate with the revolver which is fitting since he tends to go for well-placed long range shots over More Dakka.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Not quite as vicious, but when he returns after Darryl's funeral, he goes person-to-person shaking people down to trace his gun. At the first one's house, the home of one of Darryl's homeys, he rants about how gang-banging is tantamount to self-genocide for their race.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Is very fond of wearing suits and sometimes dons three pieces. Riggs grills him at times for this especially in the fourth film ( also due to suspicions-worries that Roger might be dirty) for always getting around in snazzy suits while Riggs himself is very dress casual.
  • The Vietnam Vet: Like Riggs, which gives them something to bond over.
  • Unskilled, but Strong: Not exactly "unskilled" as he was in the Army and saw combat but he doesn't have Riggs' or Lorna's martial arts training and tends to rely more on boxing style punches and haymakers but he's big (Danny Glover is 6'4) and strong enough to usually come out on top in addition to being good at using whatever he can get his hands on as a weapon.
  • Younger Than They Look: Danny Glover was only 40 years old when he filmed the first film despite supposedly being "too old for this shit". Murtaugh was written as an older character (50 in the first film).

    Leo Getz 

Leo Getz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/leo_getz.jpg
"Come on, everyone cheats a little, look at the Pentagon!"

Played By: Joe Pesci

Dubbed in French By: Roger Crouzet

Appearances: Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

"Froggy was my friend and I really loved him, and I took him everywhere with me, and I was riding on my bike one day and he jumped out of the box, and uh, I ran him over with the back tire. I killed him. I was really heartbroken. Really, he was my best friend in the whole world; the only thing I ever loved. And then I met you and Roger, and you guys really looked after me a lot more then you had to."

A former accountant and federal witness Riggs and Murtaugh are assigned to protect in 2, and eventually bond with. Becomes a real estate broker in 3 and a private detective in 4, and uses his numerous connections to help solve Riggs and Murtaugh's cases.

  • Ambiguously Jewish: Suggested a few times in passing, most notably in the fourth movie when he says "German Jews didn't have it any easier when we were kids" after Butters accuses him of racism.note 
  • Butt-Monkey: He cops a lot of abuse from Riggs and Murtaugh.
  • Catchphrase: "Whatever you need, Leo gets!", "They fuck you with/at..." and "Okay, okay, okay..."
  • Chew Toy: He goes through a lot of crap throughout the series, and it's all played for laughs.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Lampshaded when he asks a reporter in the fourth film if he can say "fuck" on air.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Despite his generally wimpy demeanor, when the bad guys capture and torture him in the second film, he whimpers a lot but gives them nothing.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Had a really rough childhood, being raised by an absent mother and an abusive father; he struggled to make friends at school and spent most of his time with his pet frog (which he accidentally killed).
  • Deadpan Snarker: He can have a very sarcastic banter, especially towards Riggs and Murtaugh.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: He becomes this to Riggs and the Murtaugh family, in the third film.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: He has a penchant for the epic Cluster F-Bomb. He's otherwise pretty harmless though.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: He first appears as a federal witness in the second film, and manages to show up in the rest of the series' films.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be obnoxious and foul-mouthed, not to mention a petty criminal with very questionable ethics even after going straight, but is very loyal to the protagonists.
  • Knowledge Broker: "Whatever you need, Leo Gets". (Unfortunately, he tends to get himself in trouble a lot.)
  • Meaningful Name: He tries to make this work for him (and mostly just ends up annoying people).
    Leo Getz: My name's Leo Getz. Whatever you want, Leo gets. Get it?!
  • Motor Mouth: Seriously, he talks really fast.
  • Non-Action Guy: Despite wanting to carry a gun, he never gets involved in a single fight scene. In the third movie he does try to stop one of the villains and gets shot in the arm for his trouble.
  • Parental Abandonment: The ending of 4 reveals that he had a mother who had left him at a young age while his father was no bargain.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: In all movies after the first, and Riggs and Murtaugh annoy him just as much as he annoys them.
  • Punny Name: Attempts this in his first appearance "Whatever you need, Leo 'Getz."
  • Out of Focus: In 3, which is surprising since he’s given third billing on the poster and in the cast credits.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: He's a typical ill-tempered Joe Pesci character, so naturally he curses a lot, and has to self-censor for a news broadcast in the fourth movie.
  • The Smart Guy: Despite appearing hyperactive, he is knowledgable as he often gives Riggs and Murtaugh information about their cases and is good at tracking.
  • Strange Minds Think Alike: He and Lee get along well when they connect over things that screw people over.
  • Undying Loyalty: Leo is a helpful and immensely loyal friend to Riggs and Murtaugh, even if they don’t always value him. In the fourth film, he admits that he sees them as family.
  • Verbal Tic: Peppers the beginning, middle, and the end of his sentences with "ok, ok, ok".
  • The Vietnam Vet: He is one.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Riggs and Murtaugh.

    Lorna Cole 

Sergeant Lorna Cole

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lorna_cole_0.jpg
"Close is a lingerie shop without a front window."

Played By: Rene Russo

Dubbed in French By: Véronique Augereau

Appearances: Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

An Internal Affairs detective who help Riggs and Murtaugh against Jack Travis.

  • Action Girl: Kicks some major ass: beating up half a dozen Travis thugs in a garage with her bare hands (while they swing at her with wrenches and such) and being a capable gunfighter.
  • Combat Pragmatist: She has no issue using whatever she can as a weapon, using the environment to her advantage and going below the belt in a fight.
  • Cowboy Cop: She will charge into danger almosf as much as Riggs.
  • Deadpan Snarker: She is pretty sassy, especially towards Riggs.
    Lorna: Fly me. I'm your friendly Portuguese airline.
  • Disney Death: She is shot several times by Travis with the armor-piercing bullets in the climax, but it turns out she was wearing two bulletproof vests.
  • Every Scar Has a Story: She and Riggs show each other old scars received in the line of duty before sleeping together.
  • Fair Cop: An attractive detective.
  • Distaff Counterpart: Her skills, snarking and old scars make her feel like a female Riggs.
  • Groin Attack: In the 3rd film, she delivers a harsh kick in the family jewels towards a random thug from within a warehouse. Later on, she crushes one thug's testicles BARE-HANDED in a fight scene!
  • Internal Affairs: Her job of investigating possible police corruption masks her Cowboy Cop nature.
  • The Lad-ette: Kicks serious ass, cusses like a sailor, wrestled with her brothers, read MAD magazine, plays the Three Stooges on her computer. Yep!
  • Pregnant Badass: Kicks the asses of Wah Sing Ku's goons while they're invading her home in the 4th film shortly before her due date. She's quickly dealt with by Wah Sing Ku himself, but that's just because no one can hope to beat him.
  • Tsundere: To Riggs.

    Lee Butters 

Detective Lee Butters

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lee_butters.jpg

Played By: Chris Rock

Dubbed in French By: Lucien Jean-Baptiste

Appearances: Lethal Weapon 4

A brash younger detective who secretly marries Murtaugh's daughter, Rianne, and is the father of her child.

Murtaugh Family

    Trish Murtaugh 

Trish Murtaugh

Played By: Darlene Love

Dubbed in French By: Thamila Mesbah (Lethal Weapon), Émilie Benoit (Lethal Weapon 2), Anne Ludovik (Lethal Weapon 3), Martine Meiraghe (Lethal Weapon 4)

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

  • Happily Married: Trish and Roger have a caring, mutually supportive marriage.
  • Lethal Chef: Her less than stellar cooking is brought up a few times.

    Rianne Murtaugh 

Rianne Murtaugh

Played By: Traci Wolfe

Dubbed in French By: Brigitte Berges (Lethal Weapon), Nathalie Spitzer (Lethal Weapon 2,3 and 4)

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

  • Damsel in Distress: In the first movie, she's kidnapped and held hostage by Shadow Company. Thankfully, she was not in danger until being held hostage by Wah Sing Ku's gang in the fourth movie.

    Nick Murtaugh 

Nick Murtaugh

Played By: Damon Hines

Dubbed in French By: Tony Marot

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

  • Ascended Extra: Nick is a Bit Character in the first two movies but has a more prominent role in the third one when Roger kills a hoodlum friend of Nick's in self-defense.

    Carrie Murtaugh 

Carrie Murtaugh

Played By: Ebonie Smith

Dubbed in French By: Sarah Marot

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

  • Adorably Precocious Child: In the first two movies, she has scenes complimenting Rianne's dress, teasing Rianne with a rap song about how she has a crush on Riggs, and telling her dad not to eat a tuna sandwich because of Flipper.
  • Satellite Character: Carrie's role in the series entirely revolves around her parents and siblings.
  • She Is All Grown Up: Carrie is a small child in the first movie and a pretty college student by the fourth.

Other Recurring Characters

    Ed Murphy 

Captain Ed Murphy

Played By: Steve Kahan

Dubbed in French By: Marcel Guido (Lethal Weapon), Jean-Claude Sachot (Lethal Weapon 3 and 4)

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

Riggs and Murtaugh's beleagured commanding officer.

  • Ascended Extra: After being essentially a background character in the first two movies, he plays an active role in the plots of 3 and 4.
  • Big Good: He has basically this role for the whole quadrilogy being Riggs and Murtaugh's boss.
  • Cool Old Guy: He's already well into middle age at the start of the series but is always calm, good-natured and a good mentor and in the fourth film, is welcoming to younger officers and the changes they bring with them. He even proves himself to still be decently capable in the field in the third film.
  • Da Chief: One of the classic examples. How he puts up with the antics of Riggs and Murtaugh for so long is anyone's guess.
  • Deadpan Snarker: When you're Riggs and Murtaugh's boss, this comes naturally.
  • Early Instalment Weirdness: In the first film he doesn't care that Riggs is suicidal, though whether he thinks Riggs is lying or sincere is YMMV. By the second film he's slid into a proper chief role, being more exasperated and tired with Riggs' antics.
  • A Father to His Men: In the second movie he's upset by several of his detectives being murdered and is concerned for Riggs and Murtaugh.
  • Feeling Their Age: Like Riggs and Murtaugh, he goes through this in the fourth film, describing the three as "dinosaurs headed for extinction". He doesn't seem bitter though as he notes times change and the department has to as well.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Riggs and Murtaugh can be a pain in the ass to him, but he knows how to handle them exceptionally well.
  • We Used to Be Friends: He laments what happened to Jack Travis.

    Stephanie Woods 

Dr. Stephanie Woods

Played By: Mary Ellen Trainor

Dubbed in French By: Martine Meiraghe (Lethal Weapon), Danielle Dinan (Lethal Weapon 4)

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4

An LAPD police psychiatrist of dubious competence.

  • The Shrink: Stephanie is the psychiatrist who analyzes and treats cops who have gone through traumatic experiences. Her competence varies from film to film.

    Jarvis Becker 

Jarvis Becker

Played By: Kenneth Tigar

Dubbed in French By: Gilbert Lévy

Appearances: Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3

  • Bomb Disposal: Becker and his men are summoned to disarm bombs in the second and third movies.

    Mickey McGee 

Mickey McGee

Played By: Jack McGee

Dubbed in French By: Gilbert Lévy

Appearances: Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3

    Selma Wells 

Officer Selma Wells

Played By: Selma Archerd

Appearances: Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 3

An elderly desk officer.

  • Never Mess with Granny: In the first movie, she smacks a fellow Christmas caroler for singing off-key, and in the third film, Leo has difficulty convincing Selma to let him see Riggs and Murtaugh.

Lethal Weapon

    General Peter McAllister 

General Peter McAllister

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/general_mcallister.jpg
"There's no more heroes left in the world."

Played By: Mitchell Ryan

Dubbed in French By: Pierre Hatet

A Vietnam war veteran who was part of a special team that turned into heroin-smuggling mercenaries.

  • Big Bad: Of the first film. He runs the heroin ring our heroes are busting up.
  • Cut Lex Luthor a Check: He runs a successful club and must be on a good fund from his military career. Why does he need to run a heroin shipping operation?
  • Dirty Old Man: He sexually harasses Rianne in his custody, even sending Murtaugh a polaroid shot of Rianne and an envelope stating "YOUR DAUGHTER LOOKS VERY PRETTY NAKED." It's heavily implied he threatens to rape Rianne just for information.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Inverted. The credits and script just refer to him as "The General," even though he's called by name more than once.
  • Evil Old Folks: He calls everyone "son" a lot.
  • Face Death with Dignity: Averted. He dies screaming like a girl, desperately trying to reach for his hand grenades before they go off.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Always pleasant and amiable, even when he's having people tortured. Has a fatherly air to him, which makes him even more menacing.
  • From Camouflage to Criminal: An ex general turned into a merciless drug lord.
  • General Ripper: Used to be this.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: The fact that he has explosives in his car enables Roger to kill him by killing his driver, causing an overturned-vehicle crash.
  • Knight of Cerebus: While most of the other villains are in some minor way laughably evil, the General has absolutely no comedic moments and darkens the tone (and music) of the film whenever he appears.
  • Man of Wealth and Taste: Spends most of the film in a seriously nice white turtleneck and sports coat combo.
  • Non-Action Big Bad: Downplayed, since it's more out of choice than lack of ability. He's able to sneak up on Riggs without the latter noticing, and is clearly proficient with firearms - he just chooses not to get his hands dirty.
  • Stuff Blowing Up: How he meets his end.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Murtaugh kills his getaway driver, causing a massive car crash. McAllister himself is blown sky-high when the flames from the crash reach a crate of live grenades in his car.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Near the end of the film.

    Mr. Joshua 

Mr. Joshua

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mr_joshua.jpg
"That's hardly important but if it matters you may call me Mr. Joshua."

Played By: Gary Busey

Dubbed in French By: Thierry Ragueneau

McAllister's Number Two, an insane soldier who carries out most of Shadow Company's dirty work.

  • Ax-Crazy: Despite his formal attitude he's actually a ruthless psychopath who takes joy in hurting and/or murdering human beings on regular basis.
  • Backstab Backfire: How he meets his end.
  • Better to Die than Be Killed: As a cop killer, he knows he's going to get the death penalty or life in prison, which leads to the above Backstab Backfire.
  • Blown Across the Room: Uses a shotgun to blast Riggs off the sidewalk and into the storefront behind him. It doesn't work.
  • Cold Sniper: From a helicopter no less.
  • Defiant to the End: Doesn't go down without a fight. And shows defiance even after losing said fight.
  • The Dragon: To McAllister.
  • Dragon Their Feet: He survives the confrontation that kills his boss, and breaks into Murtaugh's house and attempts to kill his whole family.
  • Establishing Character Moment: Allowing General McAllister to burn his arm with a lighter, clenching his teeth and taking it, establishing Joshua's loyalty (and insanity).
  • Evil Counterpart: To Riggs: both were in Special Forces, but whereas Riggs chose to work as a cop, Mr. Joshua chose a less legal profession.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Mr. Joshua presents himself as formal and personable, much like his boss. But his dignified exterior only just barely hides his depravity.
  • Fisticuffs Boss: Riggs offers him a one-on-one fight before his arrest.
  • From Camouflage to Criminal: Just like his boss he served in the army before turning into a drug trafficker.
  • The Heavy: As General McAllister's Dragon, his actions drive the plot of the first film. He even outlives his boss in the climax.
  • He Knows Too Much: His first few scenes are him killing off anyone outside of Shadow Company who is connected with Shadow Company, such as Dixie and Hunsaker. The second is from a helicopter. Then he tries to kill Riggs.
  • Macho Masochism: Intentionally burning his arm with a lighter flame to show off his allegiance to Gen. McAllister.
  • Man of Wealth and Taste: Being well-dressed seems to be a prerequisite for Shadow Company.
  • Plot Armor: Riggs has him lined up for a perfect headshot with a sniper rifle during the desert battle, but hesitates long enough to get captured by General McAllister.
  • Psycho for Hire: He has no compunctions against killing or torturing anyone that might interfere with his job as a hired gun.
  • The Rival: He ends up becoming Riggs' personal arch-rival in the first movie.
  • Signature Line: "GODDAMN CHRISTMAS!"
  • Southern-Fried Genius: Has Busey's Texan drawl, and is a fiendishly cunning member of Shadow Company.
  • Undying Loyalty: To McAllister. He demonstrates by allowing his boss to burn him with a lighter.
  • Worthy Opponent: He and Riggs are almost cordial.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Joshua murdered Rianne's boyfriend Mark when he kidnapped Rianne.

    Michael Hunsaker 

Michael Hunsaker

Played By: Tom Atkins

Dubbed in French By: Marc de Georgi

An old war buddy of Murtaugh whose daughter dies under mysterious circumstances.

  • He Knows Too Much: Double Subverted. At first, Shadow Company goes after his daughters to make him cooperate, but when he proves too much of a liability, Joshua kills him.
  • Morally Bankrupt Banker: He launders Shadow Company's profits through his bank.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: One of his daughters dies in the opening scene. Her sister survives the film but Michael mentions that her life was threatened as well to get his cooperation (although ultimately they kill Michael himself instead)
  • Sociopathic Soldier: He is working with Shadow Company.
  • Taking the Bullet: Hunsaker saved Murtaugh's life in Vietnam when he took a bayonet to the lungs.

    Rick McCaskey 

Sergeant Rick McCaskey

Played By: Jack Thibeau

Dubbed in French By: Gilbert Lévy

  • Non-Action Guy: In contrast to Riggs and Murtaugh, McCaseky is only shown doing paperwork and answering phone calls at the precinct.

    Dan Boyette 

Detective Dan Boyette

Played By: Grand L Bush

Dubbed in French By: Luc Bernard

  • Mr. Exposition: Boyette tells Murtaugh about Amanda's autopsy report and how she was poisoned.

    Dixie 

Dixie

Played By: Lycia Naff

Dubbed in French By: Danielle Dinan

A prostitute hired by Shadow Company to poison Amanda.

  • Asshole Victim: She helped kill Amanda by spraying drain cleaner on her drugs after Shadow Company paid her to, so it's hard to feel bad when Mr. Joshua kills her.
  • Kill It with Fire: She dies when Mr. Joshua blows up her house with her inside.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Mr. Joshua blows up her house with her inside when Murtaugh and Riggs start to catch on to her role in Amanda's death.

    Endo 

Endo

Played By: Al Leong

Shadow Company's torturer.

  • Beard of Evil: He has a gigantic beard, and is a cold-blooded Torture Technician.
  • Electric Torture: Inflicts this on Riggs.
  • Faux Affably Evil: "Sorry, pal. Say goodnight."
  • Neck Snap: Riggs kills him this way.
  • The Medic: After The General's arm-burning demonstration, he tells Mr. Joshua to have Endo look at the burn. Makes perfect sense that an expert torturer would know how to treat injuries as well as make them.
  • The Stoic: He's always seen with a serious and gloomy look on his face.
  • Token Minority: Apparently the only Asian member of the Shadow Company.
  • Torture Technician: Mr. Joshua notes that he's an expert at torture, and his primary purpose seems to be torturing information out of people for Shadow Company.

    Mendez 

Mendez

Played By: Ed O'Ross

Dubbed in French By: Mario Santini

A drug dealer doing business with Shadow Company.

  • Big Bad Wannabe: Mendez starts off contemptuous and demanding towards his drug-smuggling partners, but quickly finds himself being intimidated and dictated to by them.
  • Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: He disappears completely after the shootout at Shadow Company's base, though he probably got arrested.

    Gustaf 

Gustaf

Played By: Gustaf Vintas

Shadow Company's negotiator.

  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: He gets shot by Riggs during the escape from Shadow Company. It happens so suddenly that the audience would be forgiven for not realizing Gustaf is the one being killed.

Lethal Weapon 2

    Arjen Rudd 

Arjen Rudd

Played By Joss Ackland

Dubbed in French By: William Sabatier

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arjen_rudd.jpg
"I hope you realize the trouble you are in right now."

A South African diplomat who abuses his power and runs a profitable drug-smuggling ring.

  • Big Bad: Of the second film. He's using his status as a diplomat to cover up his illegal drug-dealing activities.
  • Diplomatic Impunity: He claims diplomatic immunity to make the heroes back off (although in fact, he was only a consular officer, and they get a lower grade of immunity—unless he had some other official status as well, he could have been searched, provided proper procedures were followed). Probably the Trope Codifier for the trope's use in modern fiction. For extra ballsiness, at one point he does this while shooting at Riggs. Murtaugh revokes it a second later.
    Rudd: My dear officer, you could not even give me a parking ticket... Who is the dickhead now, eh?
  • Dirty Old Man: Hits on Rika rather creepily.
  • Evil Old Folks: He's getting on in years, and one of the biggest monsters in the series.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Rudd’s voice is very deep and he is very evil.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He certainly has a diplomatic and gentlemanly air about him, but everyone knows he's up to no good.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: He manages to shoot Riggs several times with a pistol from what looks to be about 100 yards away.
  • In-Series Nickname: Riggs calls him "Aryan."
  • No Kill like Overkill: Puts every bullet he has into Riggs at the end of the Final Battle. But subverted after Riggs still survives.
  • Non-Action Big Bad: The only time he takes direct action is at the very end when he empties a clip into Riggs.
  • Politically Incorrect Villain: As above.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: Rudd initially tries to threaten Murtaugh to make him leave the case to avoid the complications of killing a cop.
  • Smug Snake: Didn't realize his diplomatic immunity had been revoked.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Flashing your immunity when you've killed cop friends of main characters. Surely he'll be more than willing to let you go.
  • You Have Failed Me: Hilariously, during his Establishing Character Moment. He has one of his henchmen (the driver of the crashed car the cops found the krugerlands in) brought to his office where the floors are covered in plastic, saying that he's having his walls painted. Then Vorstedt shoots the henchman and wraps his body in the plastic to contain the blood flow.

    Pieter Vorstedt 

Pieter Vorstedt

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pieter_vorstedt.jpg
"It's my experience that a scared cop is more useful than a dead one."

Played By: Derrick O'Connor

Dubbed in French By: Joël Martineau

Rudd's right hand man.

    Rika Van Den Haas 

Rika Van Den Haas

Played By: Patsy Kensit

Dubbed in French By: Virginie Ledieu

An official of the South African consulate and love interest for Riggs.

  • Collateral Angst: Riggs falls in love with her, then she gets murdered offscreen to make Riggs's grudge against Vorstedt (more) personal.
  • Defector from Decadence: Agrees to help Riggs and Murtaugh take down her boss Rudd when she finds out about his crimes.
  • Heroes Love Dogs: Rika quickly befriends Riggs' dog Sam and shows great concern for his safety during the shootout at Riggs' trailer.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She is a beautiful, slender, blond-haired woman who catches Riggs' eyes.
  • Nice Girl: Unlike her boss or the people she works with, she is a rather kind-hearted person.
  • Replacement Goldfish: Is the first woman Riggs allows himself to love after his wife's death.
  • Sexy Secretary: She is a very stunning secretary to his boss Arjen Rudd.
  • Sexy Shirt Switch: Rika spends her last scene wearing Riggs' jacket after they're attacked while making love in his trailer.
  • Unwitting Pawn: It's implied that Rudd is using Rika to transport some of his dirty money, judging by the forcefulness he uses when ordering the police not to touch a "diplomatic" suitcase she brought him. Unusually for this trope, Rika doesn't seem surprised to see the police investigating her boss, merely asking for confirmation that he's breaking the law and then telling Riggs that Rudd shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

    Tim Cavanaugh 

Detective Tim Cavanaugh

Played By: Dean Norris

Dubbed in French By: Michel Derain

  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: After being a significant presence for the first 3/4ths of the movie, Cavanaugh is blown up by a booby-trapped microwave.

    Meagan Shapiro 

Detective Megan Shapiro

Played By: Jenette Goldstein

Dubbed in French By: Dominique Westberg

  • Action Mom: Shapiro is a brave and efficient police detective with a husband and at least one child at home.
  • Dropped a Bridge on Her: Is killed by a bomb in the pool at her home when she jumps off the diving board.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Shapiro wears a black leather jacket whenever she's on the job, including during the stilt house raid.

    Eddie Esteban 

Detective Eddie Estaban

Played By: Nestor Serrano

  • Alliterative Name: Eddie Esteban.
  • Badass Driver: Esteban drives the car containing himself, Cavanaugh, and Wyler in the opening chase, keeping up with the heavily armed fugitives.
  • Mauve Shirt: Survives the South African's purge of Murtaugh's squad of cops simply due to being on duty at the time.

    Tom Wyler 

Detective Tom Wyler

Played By: Juney Smith

—-
  • Boom, Headshot!: Is on the receiving end of one from Vorstedt.
  • Manly Facial Hair: Wyler is one of the more brave and professional detectives and has a mustache that rivals Murtaugh's.

    Jerry Collins 

Detective Jerry Collins

Played By: Grand L. Bush

    Joseph Ragucci 

Detective Joseph Ragucci

Played By: Philip Surriano

    Hans 

Hans

Played By: Mark Rolston

  • Affably Evil: He is a drug dealer who is fine with shooting at cops, but he cracks a smile that suggests he finds Riggs and his one-liners Actually Pretty Funny after Riggs briefly jumps on his windshield during the car chase and makes one of his usual Deadpan Snarker cracks. He is also relaxed but deferential while reporting to Rudd.
  • Badass Driver: Hans does an impressive job of fleeing from Riggs and Murtaugh during a freeway chase while also shooting at them.
  • Offscreen Teleportation: Hans manages to disappear from his flipped-over car in a matter of seconds before Riggs and Murtaugh make it to the wreck to look for him, with no trace of where he went.
  • You Have Failed Me: When Hans escapes from the police, he doesn't have time to retrieve the box of traceable gold coins in his trunk. Rudd takes this poorly and has Hans shot.
    Detective in squad room 

Detective in squad room

Played by: Norman D. Wilsonnote 

  • The Gambler: In the opening scene of the second film, he is seen betting on whether Riggs and Murtaugh will catch some perps in a car chase and he is later among the cops betting on whether Riggs can escape a straitjacket.
  • No Name Given: He gets multiple scenes and some personality but is never named.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: He's introduced hanging around the station and being part of the Krugerrands case in multiple early scenes, but drops out of sight around the time that Riggs and Murtaugh start watching Leo Getz.

Lethal Weapon 3

    Jack Travis 

Jack Travis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_travis.jpg
"Come on in, bitch! Door's open!"

Played By: Stuart Wilson

Dubbed in French By: Michel Derain

An ex-cop turned arms dealer.

  • Arms Dealer: Sells armor piercing bullets to criminals.
  • Big Bad: Of the third film.
  • Bond One-Liner: When disposing of an incompetent Mook that he has drowned in cement.
    “Now we have a relationship we can build on.”
  • Dirty Cop: He's a cop who walked off the job, still has his badge and he was this before, having numerous suspensions, reprimands and charges of misconduct.
  • Evil Counterpart: Like Riggs, he was an incredibly tough cop who bent the rules and got results, and they have many of the same snarky personality quirks. He's essentially a dark "what-if" version of who and what Riggs might've become if he'd continued down the self-destructive path he was on after Vicky died. Naturally, he and Riggs hate each other immediately.
  • Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Thinks burying a mook in cement is hilarious.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He'll smile and crack a joke with you... while he's burying his moron colleague alive in cement.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Killed by the same "Cop-killer" bullets he has stolen and sold to gangs.
  • Jerkass: When he means business, he'll drop all pretense of pleasantness and show the true side of his personality.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: He kills his two mooks not only for their greed but because their stupidity threatened to expose his entire operation.
  • You Have Failed Me: He murders two of his men for "going into business for themselves"note .

    Herman Walters 

Internal Affairs Chief of Intelligence Herman Walters

Played By: Alan Scarfe

The head of Internal Affairs.

  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's overly secretive and kind of a jerk, but his heart's in the right place, he seems to regret his behavior, and he saves Riggs' life at one point.

    Edwards 

Officer Edwards

Played By: Jason Rainwater

A cheerful rookie.

  • Died on Their Birthday: When Travis and his men raid the police station, Riggs enlists the help of Edwards to stop them. When Riggs asks for his age, Edwards mentions that it's his birthday that day. During a shootout, he is killed by one of Travis' armor-piercing bullets. Upon seeing his corpse, Riggs grimly says, "Happy Birthday."
  • Mauve Shirt: Gets quite a bit of characterization before Travis' men gun him down.

    Hatchett 

Hatchett

Played By: Nick Chinlund

Travis's right-hand man.

  • Cruel and Unusual Death: He gets fried by an electrified subway rail, a very unpleasant way to go.
  • The Dragon: To Travis.
  • Smug Snake: He's perpetually smug and oily, clearly thinking that he's way more slick than he actually is.

    Billy and Smitty 

Billy Phelps and Smitty

Played By: Mark Pellegrino and John Cenatiempo

  • Buried Alive: How Travis dispatches Smitty.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Travis has Smitty buried alive in cement as punishment.
  • Those Two Guys: They're never seen apart until Billy gets captured.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Yeah sure, come back to work like nothing had happened or sit and wait for your boss to show up to bail you out.
  • You Have Failed Me: Travis kills them for bungling the bank robbery. It's justified with Billy, since he was captured and could give information away to the cops.

Lethal Weapon 4

    Human Tank 

Human Tank

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_mwf.png

Played By: Danny Wynands

A heavily-armored individual who's out to burn and shoot up things while rocking out to Van Halen on his Walkman. He's the villain whom Riggs and Murtaugh have to take out at the start of the fourth film.

  • Expy:
  • Flamethrower Backfire: When he is momentarily distracted by Murtaugh dancing like a chicken in his underwear, Riggs shoots the vent on his flamethrower's gas tank and he dies in an explosion.
  • Generic Doomsday Villain: He simply exists to provide an exciting Action Prologue filled with gunfire and explosions.
  • Guns Akimbo: On one hand, he has a submachine gun. On the other, he wields a flamethrower.
  • Heavily Armored Mook: Wears a heavy suit of homemade body armor, coupled with a flamethrower and a submachine gun.
  • Immune to Bullets: Courtesy of his makeshift armor — the cops' bullets just clang off of him, until Riggs finally shoots his Achilles' Heel (see Flamethrower Backfire).
  • No Name Given: Nothing is given on this guy's backstory or motivation. He is simply referred to as "Human Tank" in a newspaper clipping and in the credits.
  • One-Man Army: He manages to keep several squad cars worth of cops at bay until Riggs and Murtaugh manage to take him out.
  • Out-of-Genre Experience: While the series is known for having mostly realistic villains, the Human Tank would be more at home in a superhero movie.
  • Rotten Rock & Roll: He plays Van Halen music on his Walkman while shooting and burning everything in sight.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: His rampage in the prologue indirectly reveals Lorna and Rianne's pregnancies to the audience and Riggs and Murtaugh. More, it's implied this incident (and the property destruction Riggs and Murtaugh caused bringing him down) was the last straw for the LAPD's insurance carrier — which is what leads to Riggs and Murtaugh getting Kicked Upstairs in a vain attempt to prevent any more damage.
  • Starter Villain: The first villain encountered in the fourth movie.
  • The Voiceless: He never says a thing. He only lets out a Wilhelm Scream when sent flying and a grunt when he lands under a tanker truck.

    Wah Sing Ku 

Wah Sing Ku

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wah_sing_ku.jpg
"In Hong Kong, you'd be dead."

Played By: Jet Li

Dubbed in French By: Pierre-François Pistorio

A martial arts-trained Chinese triad and human trafficker.

  • Avenging the Villain: He attempts to flee Riggs and Murtaugh with his brother, as all the other Four Fathers have been killed. When Murtaugh shoots Ku's brother while aiming for Ku himself, Ku sticks around and tries to kill Riggs and Murtaugh in revenge. Riggs then shoots Ku underwater after they fall off a pier while fighting.
  • Battle in the Rain: Engages Riggs and Murtaugh in one of these in the climax.
  • Big Bad: Of the fourth film.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Inverted; he spends the whole film working to buy the release of his older brother, then tries to avenge him once Murtaugh kills him.
  • Catchphrase: "In Hong Kong, you'd be dead". This refers to the criminals in his home turf handling unpleasantries more efficiently.
  • Death Glare: Gives one towards the heroes. Especially Riggs, when, thinking Wah doesn't understand English, insults him ("scumbag", "eat shit").
  • Dragon-in-Chief: He is technically working to free his bosses, the Four Fathers, one of whom is his brother. But since they are all in prison he's the one who actually drives the plot.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He loves his brother. He also seems to care about the other three Four Fathers, giving one of them replacement glasses after his were broken in jail.
  • Fisticuffs Boss: He takes Riggs and Murtaugh on in a two-on-one fight near the end.
  • Implacable Man: Nothing slows him down. He's the toughest and deadliest foe Riggs and Murtaugh have ever faced and both barely escaped death in their final fight with him.
  • Kick the Dog: His murder of Hong just to get his uncle to cooperate comes across as this.
  • Knight of Cerebus: He's one the most brutal villains in the franchise, let alone the film, especially when he nearly kills both Riggs and Murtaugh in the climax.
  • Lightning Bruiser: He beats both Riggs and Murtaugh at the same time.
  • Made of Iron: He gets impaled with a rebar and still continues fighting. In fact, it takes a full burst from an AK-47 to the torso underwater to finally take him down.
  • Moral Myopia: Wants revenge on Murtaugh and Riggs near the end of the fourth film for killing his brother, but has zero problems with murdering other people’s family members.
  • Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: The younger villain who comes closer to killing both Riggs and Murtaugh than anyone else in the series. Jet Li is seventeen younger than Danny Glover and seven years younger than Mel Gibson.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Money!:
    Brother, America has many laws, but written by men. Money can change everything.
  • Super-Speed: They had to get Jet Li to slow his fight scenes down because he was too fast for the actors to react to and the camera to catch on film.
  • The Triads and the Tongs: One of these guys.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Near the end, when Murtaugh kills his brother.
    Riggs: Well, now you done it. Now he's really pissed.

    Paul Ng 

Detective Paul Ng

Played By: Calvin Jung

Dubbed in French By: Bruno Carna

    Hong 

Hong

Played By: Eddy Ko

Dubbed in French By: Jim Adhi Limas

  • Sacrificial Lion: He's murdered by Ku late in the movie to frighten Hong's uncle into cooperating with the counterfeiting.

    "Uncle" Benny Chan 

"Uncle" Benny Chan

Played By: Kim Chan

Dubbed in French By: Jim Adhi Limas

Alternative Title(s): Lethal Weapon 1987, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4

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