Jigsaw and Accomplices (John Kramer) | Other Antagonists | Law Enforcement (Metropolitan Police Department) | Other Characters (I-III, IV-VI, 3D-X)
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In general:
In General
The department's seal and logo from Saw II to 3D, as seen in a police station sign.
The department's seal and logo from Spiral, as seen in another police station sign.
The police department of the unnamed city where the movies take place. Its known divisions include a Homicide Unit, a SWAT division, a forensic team, a tech team, a bomb squad and an Internal Affairs Division.
- Dirty Cop: Hoo boy, is it full of them. The department has had several Cowboy Cops, a few Rabid Cops, and plenty of officers who framed people, commited torture, shot suspects in the back or (in the case of the commanding ones) covered evidence regarding cases of corruption. One of them was even an actual Jigsaw killer (who attempted to recruit Rigg into the role as a bonus point), and another is a copycat.
- Internal Affairs: The department's Internal Affairs Division takes charge of the Jigsaw case when Hoffman is publicly identified as the wanted second Jigsaw apprentice in Saw 3D.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Rigg physically assaults one abusive parent and potentially other suspects, and in Saw II encourages Eric to beat the answers they want out of John, implying that this is standard practice for the department.
- Police Are Useless:
- Played with most of the time. Alongside the FBI, the department isn't necessarily incompetent and is always active in the Jigsaw case, but they never manage to capture any of the Jigsaw killers and accomplices they know about (only getting their corpses after they have been killed by someone else), or even discover certain Closed Circles like the Nerve Gas House (which includes the infamous Bathroom) and the barn (which somehow went unnoticed for over a decade).
- Justified in Spiral, where it's shown that the department has had plenty of Dirty Cops and a long history of Police Brutality, especially after Zeke turned in Pete for murdering a witness. This not only worsens the department's efforts to capture the Spiral Killer, but also left many past crimes without resolution.
- SWAT Team: The department has a division with several of them, though Rigg and the unnamed Lead SWAT Officer are the only known SWAT leaders so far.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The department is part of the government of an unnamed American city, with the only clear hint to the location being the TV network WNKW, implying that it's east of the Mississippi River. Darren Lynn Bousman said
that the producers deliberately keep the location ambiguous to the point of not even permitting driving shots.- In the first film, Tapp and Sing are seen using a map with the layout of Washington, D.C.. Also, Gordon's medical degree is from Indiana State University, implying that the city could be within the Rust Belt (if Gordon didn't move from Indiana to another state outside the belt), a statistical region defined by high economic depression and vacant industrial properties, similar to the Crapsack World status the city is implied to be in; additionally, both Illinois and Ohio (which are part of the belt) are two of the eight US states with the most serial killers.
- Jigsaw further establishes that the series doesn't take place in Cleveland, as Eleanor is offered the position of medical examiner in that city.
- That said, most fans believe that the films take place somewhere on the East Coast, specifically around Philadelphia, as that city's skyline was used in establishing shots of Spiral, and while the license plates seen in the films leave off the name of the state, their style resembles that of New Jersey plates (which is right across the Delaware River from Philly, implying a South Jersey location specifically).
Chiefs and commanding officers:
Chief of Police
Chief of Police
Played By: Al Sapienza
Appearances: Saw V
"I'd like to thank you all for coming today. I'd like to be the first to say the Jigsaw murders are over. The officers who gave their lives are being honored here today."
The chief in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department at the time of Saw V.
- Minor Major Character: As the chief at the time of the first seven films, it should go without saying that he must have given particular attention to the notorious Jigsaw killers, especially once they rack a good body count and show themselves to be competent enough to outsmart the police many times. However, he's only seen at the ceremony held to announce the supposed end of their killing spree, not even returning once further games pop up or Hoffman is exposed as the killer who's been holding the games since that moment.
- No Name Given: He's left unnamed, only being credited by his title.
- One-Shot Character: He's only present in the ceremony for the end of the Jigsaw killings and Hoffman's promotion.
Marcus Banks
Marcus Banks
"You wanna play games, motherfucker? Alright, I'll play."
Played By: Samuel L. Jackson
Appearances: Spiral
Zeke's father. Once the Metropolitan Police Department's chief, he's since stepped down following a brutal altercation with Fitch over leaving his son to die out of spite. Due to his son's disgraced status, Marcus' relationship with him is strained but, nevertheless, tries to support him with the Spiral Killer investigation.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Despite everything Marcus has done throughout his career, his death is painted in a somber light. Having made the selfless choice of sending Zeke after catching the fleeing killer over attending to him, Marcus consequently dies and Zeke is completely distraught over his death.
- Asshole Victim: While Marcus isn't as openly horrible as some of the other cops in the precinct, and is clearly established to be a genuinely loving father despite his questionable actions, he was a deeply corrupt police chief who enabled the corruption of other officers like Fitch and Peter. He also had no qualms about engaging in Police Brutality himself. As a result, the killer feels perfectly justified in going after him.
- Beard of Evil: He had a nice full stache during his days as a corrupt police chief.
- Deadpan Snarker: Zeke takes it after him. Since he's played by Samuel L. Jackson, this is also a given.
- Dirty Cop: Revealed to be one during his time as police chief, covering up crimes committed by other corrupt cops.
- Foreshadowing: In one of the killer's video messages, he manipulates his puppet Mr. Snuggles to aim a gun at the police watching the video. As it turns out at the end of the movie, this is the true function of Marcus' trap.
- Hypocrite: Marcus was furious at Zeke nearly dying from a gunshot because Fitch deliberately refused to answer his calls for backup. However, he had no issue looking the other way when it came to other acts of corruption within his precinct.
- Papa Wolf: He is this to Zeke. During the flashback scene that shows Zeke getting shot due to his calls for backup being ignored three times, Marcus is rightfully furious, laying into the other officers at the scene. And upon learning that Fitch, the cop nearest Zeke’s location at the time, was the one who ignored his calls for backup, Marcus attacks him for putting his son’s life at risk.Marcus: Where the fuck were all of you, huh?! My son called for backup three times in 8 minutes, and none of you motherfuckers could get here?! Nobody?! Nothing? Crickets. Alright, this is what I’m gonna do; I’m gonna call dispatch, and find out who was closest available, and when I do, I’m going to take this gun and shoot that motherfucker. We clear?
(Beat as Fitch looks away and clears his throat)
Marcus: Fitch, it was you?! (jumps him and starts pistol whipping him) You fucking with my son again?! God damn you, son of a bitch! (is pulled off of Fitch by other officers) Get off me! You’re done, motherfucker, you hear me?! You’re fucking done! Don’t let me see your face again! - Parental Neglect: During his childhood, Marcus had a distant father who only cared about his work. He would later treat Zeke the same way, rarely giving him fatherly advice and being fairly distant.
- Police Brutality: As chief, he had no qualms roughing up random people if he was in a bad mood. When Zeke nearly dies as a result of Fitch, he also threatens he'll kill whoever was responsible for denying his son backup. When he finds it out it was Fitch, he beats the hell out of him.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Befitting a character played by Samuel L. Jackson, Marcus has zero qualms about cursing up a storm, and is particularly fond of the word "motherfucker."
- So Proud of You: While usually cold or dismissive to Zeke, he admits in his delirious final moments that Zeke always did the right thing compared to the rest of his department.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Schenk's trap forces Marcus into a position where he brandishes a weapon directly at the SWAT team racing to their location. They waste no time completely unloading their assault rifles and shotguns into Marcus, who was already bleeding to death.
- Tranquil Fury: After somewhat regaining his composure at the scene of Zeke's shooting, he calmly explains to his officers what he intends to do about the situation:Marcus: Alright, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna call dispatch and find out who was closest available. When I do, I'm gonna take this gun... [draws revolver] and shoot that motherfucker. We clear?
- What the Hell, Hero?: During the flashback in which Zeke had gotten shot due to his calls for backup being ignored. Once Marcus arrives on the scene and sees the state his son is in, he furiously chews out the other officers for putting Zeke's life at risk.Marcus: Where the fuck were all of you, huh?! My son called for backup three times in eight minutes, and none of you motherfuckers could get here?!
Angie Garza
Angie Garza
Played By: Marisol Nichols
Appearances: Spiral
"Hey! Now, we got a dead cop here, guys, who was brutally killed. A fallen brother whose tongue was ripped out. We need to focus on the case and solve this. So get the footage to Detective Banks and put your personal shit aside. O’Brien, you good?"
Zeke's boss and a captain of the force. During the days of Marcus as chief, she was his closest cohort in covering up the brutal and unjust actions of the Metropolitan Police Department's officers.
- Asshole Victim: Downplayed. While Angie was deeply complicit in a conspiracy to allow police corruption to run rampant, she wasn't a particularly malevolent person herself and genuinely cared about her subordinates. Her absolutely horrific death was incredibly cruel, to say the least.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Her game forces her to sever her spinal cordnote by pressing the back of her neck into a blade far enough to stop a contraption from pouring boiling wax onto her face. As she fails, she literally gets her face melted off before suffocating to death.
- Da Chief: While not the police chief in the present (she's only a captain), Angie displays the usual clichés associated with this character archetype, chastising Zeke's antics which she doesn't approve of, while also letting him (and the rest of the department) get away with whatever they want.
- Dirty Cop: She was the number two of Marcus in a large-scale conspiracy to grant police officers more power regardless of what they did.
- Everyone Has Standards: While she's reluctant to put Zeke in charge of the Jigsaw copycat's homicides, Angie lashes out at the disdain the other cops have for her decision, stating a life has been lost and to get over themselves and catch the killer.
- Foreshadowing: In the scene where Zeke and Schenk examine the Spiral Killer's first video message to the police, Zeke's own computer to the opposite side of the one they're using shows what appears to be an X-ray of a spinal cord alongside carved flesh. Angie is given the goal of severing her spinal cord in the Wax Trap.
- Jerkass Has a Point: She calls out Zeke on his stubbornness on not following police protocol, stating regardless of his circumstances, it jeopardizes his life and creates even more problems.
Homicide Unit:
Pre-Spiral:
David Tapp
David Tapp
"Who said anything about a warrant?"
Played By: Danny Glover (Saw)
Voiced By: Earl Alexander (Saw: The Video Game)
Appearances: Saw | Saw: The Video Game
"You know, we arrested a dentist last week. He liked to play with kids a bit too much. He lived two blocks from here. The sewer lines run under this neighborhood, too."
The homicide detective who was assigned to lead the Jigsaw case before Eric Matthews. Upon finding evidence pointing to Lawrence Gordon as the Jigsaw Killer, he began to obsess over arresting him, even after Gordon's alibi proved that he couldn't be the killer. After Jigsaw wounded him and killed his partner, Steven Sing, in a bungled raid without a warrant, Tapp was discharged from the force. His obsession over Gordon remained, however, so he moved to an apartment near the latter's house to find him and catch him by himself.
- Ascended Extra: He became the main character of the first video game, and represents the series in the Dead by Daylight DLC.
- Cowboy Cop: Doesn't seem to care too much about following standard police procedure. This comes back to bite him when he gets Sing killed and himself discharged.
- Determinator: This is the guy who, in the game, managed to rip off the Reverse Bear Trap without a key just by fiddling with the mechanics. Granted it's because he's studied the trap, but nobody else has done that.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: He's Driven to Suicide in the true ending of the first Saw game rather than being killed by Zep.
- Guest Fighter: Appears with Amanda in the Saw DLC for Dead by Daylight.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: It's arguably his own fault, since his reckless actions got his partner killed, but this is taken to ridiculous levels in the first video game, where everyone he saves blames him for their dilemmas.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: During his shootout with Zep, a mere hospital orderly. Partly justified in that Tapp had been long discharged from the force and suffered major Sanity Slippage in his reclusive lifestyle.
- Made of Iron: When he nearly corners Zep in Gordon's apartment, the man smashes an entire glass vase apart over Tapp's head before making his escape. Tapp is barely fazed and continues his pursuit of Zep.
- Rabid Cop: His recklessness results in his partner killed, his throat slashed and him being dismissed from the police department. Plus, his subsequent obsession with trailing Gordon blinded him so thoroughly to alternative suspects that he actually saw Allison's and Diana's captor inside Gordon's house and did nothing about it.
- Scary Black Man: He has his moments, especially regarding the lengths he's willing to go to catch Jigsaw.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He's determined to take down his target, and doesn't care about following police procedure to do it. But given who his target is, you can't really blame him.
- Slashed Throat: Jigsaw slashes his throat with a concealed blade. He survives, albeit with a large scar across his neck and partially damaged vocal cords.
- Spanner in the Works: He gets the distinct honor of screwing up two of Jigsaw's games, the first being when he and Sing bust in to rescue Jeff from the drill chair, the second when he runs in guns-a-blazing to fight off Zep from killing Gordon's family.
- Turn in Your Badge: Happens offscreen. He was discharged from the police force after his actions inadvertently got his partner killed and himself severely injured.
- Worf Had the Flu: Degenerating into a reclusive maniac significantly weakened his survival skills, and he is ultimately felled by the much younger and inexperienced Zep after a lengthy struggle.
- You Don't Look Like You:
- Due to the designers not being able to secure Danny Glover's likeness, Tapp looks almost completely different in the first video game.
- This was also the case in his appearance in the Saw DLC for Dead by Daylight, where he looks even younger.
Steven Sing
Steven Sing
"What did you do?! Turn it off!"
Played By: Ken Leung
Appearances: Saw
"He's been injected with an opiate overdose. Couldn't move or feel much of anything."
A homicide detective who was Tapp's close friend and partner. He was tragically killed in a disastrous raid on Jigsaw's lair. Tapp never got over his death.
- Take a Third Option: He initially plays along with Jigsaw's orders to find the keys for Jeff's Drill Chair game in his lair. After realizing the nigh impossibility of the task, he simply shoots at the drills and saves the man.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: He raids Jigsaw's lair with Tapp without a permit or backup and, in the ensuing struggle, tries to pursue him on his own. That didn't end well.
- Your Head Asplode: In his pursuit of Jigsaw, he trips a wire linked to the triggers of four shotguns above his head, which end up shooting him.
- You Need to Get Laid: Sarcastically says this to Tapp when he notices how unhealthily he investigates the Jigsaw Killer's case overnight. However, he changes his tune when Tapp makes a discovery that leads them right to the killer.
Allison Kerry
Allison Kerry
"I'm the one who has been working on this case from day one. I have been spending every waking moment piecing it together."
Played By: Dina Meyer
Appearances: Saw | Saw II | Saw III
A supporting character in Saw, and a major one Saw II and III. Kerry was the first homicide detective assigned to the Jigsaw case, and the self-proclaimed "Jigsaw Expert". She has been tracking this case from the beginning. Unfortunately, her unhealthy obsession with the case draws the ire of the killer…
- By-the-Book Cop: Even though she's obsessed with solving the Jigsaw murders, unlike other cops in the series, she still adheres to the rules and is incredibly disapproving of Eric's penchant for Police Brutality.
- Chronically Killed Actor: Her death just happens to be another one of Dina Meyer's many deaths.
- Decoy Protagonist: She's at the center of Saw III for the first 15 or so minutes before being quickly killed off.
- Determinator: She bests Jigsaw's test for her, the Angel Trap. Unfortunately, it's not survivable through Amanda's handiwork.
- Emotionless Girl: According to Jigsaw. Subverted in that while aloof, Allison feels deeply remorseful of Eric's disappearance after the second film.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's played by Dina Meyer and right before being kidnapped, she is shown taking a bath.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: After two films as a central character, she's the second victim of the third film.
- Workaholic: She admits to being obsessed with solving the case, which has come with the price of ruining her social life.
Eric Matthews
Eric Matthews
"The clock is ticking, John."
Played By: Donnie Wahlberg
Appearances: Saw II | Saw III | Saw IV | Full Disclosure Report
"Yeah, but between that, IA breathing down my neck, my son's budding criminal career, and my wife's fucking divorce lawyers, I'd say my hands are pretty full, wouldn't you?"
The protagonist of Saw II, and a supporting character in Saw III and IV. Eric is a homicide detective who's pulled into the Jigsaw case when one of his informants is killed in a Jigsaw trap.
- Anti-Hero: Eric is a pretty bad guy and dirty cop who will frame criminals and suspects, but he is still trying to save his son and other victims from John's games. Jigsaw puts in a character with a very similar background (Halloran) in a villainous position.
- Ascended Extra: He first appeared briefly in Full Disclosure Report. He then became the protagonist of Saw II.
- Asshole Victim: Downplayed. While Eric is a deeply corrupt cop who has ruined lives to further his career or out of pettiness, the level of emotional and physical turmoil he undergoes after failing his game is far too much for a man who was only trying to stop Jigsaw and save his son.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: He's seen smoking at least four times in Saw II, once during his argument with Daniel after the latter was busted for shoplifting, and another while calling Daniel to apologize for the aforementioned event.
- Cluster F-Bomb: His final words in Saw II, which he screams to Amanda as she seals him in the bathroom."You fucking bitch... ''I'll fucking kill you! You fucking bitch! You fucking bitch! I'll fucking kill
- Extreme Mêlée Revenge: Subverted when he beats up the already-suffering Jigsaw, but Jigsaw gets the last laugh.
- From Bad to Worse: His whole storyline revolves around this trope. Every time we see him in each of three movies where he appears, he's in worse shape than the last time we left him.
- Hero Killer: Played sympathetically and very justified in IV. He fatally shoots Rigg in a desperate move to prevent him from failing his game and accidentally killing at least three people, but it fails to stop him.
- Hot-Blooded: Has a lot of trouble keeping his temper under control, which damages his relationship with his son and might account for his habit of rigging investigations to guarantee convictions. It proves to be his undoing in the end.
- Interrupted Suicide: In the fourth film, he knowingly tries to slip off the block of ice he's forced onto in his game, which would kill him. Fortunately, Art stops him. Once Eric sees Art is also a victim in the game and not a willing accomplice, he doesn't try to kill himself again.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He may be a Dirty Cop and Rabid Cop, but few can dispute Eric makes a damn good point when he points out that John, no matter how he tries to justify the deaths in his games, is a murderer. John doesn't even have a retort to Eric's "putting a gun to someone’s head and forcing them to pull the trigger" analogy; all he does is attempt to turn it back towards Eric.Eric: I don't know what [the cure for cancer] is, but I know it's not killing and torturing people for your own sick fucking pleasure.
John: I've never murdered anyone in my life. The decisions are up to them.
Eric: Yeah, well, putting a gun to someone's head and forcing them to pull the trigger is still murder.
John: Since when is force a problem for you? Why are you so desperate to get your son back? - Nominal Hero: Eric is a deeply corrupt cop who's nevertheless only trying to do right by saving his son and more lives from a complete madman.
- Offscreen Inertia: Defied in Saw III. After Saw II ends with him chained to a pipe in the Bathroom by Amanda and presumably left to die exactly as Adam did in the first film, the opening awesomely plays against expectations, with Eric grabbing a broken toilet lid and breaking his foot with it in order to escape.
- Papa Wolf: He was extremely worried when Jigsaw had his son and was willing go to huge lengths to get him back. Unfortunately, all that was required of him was to be patient.
- Paper Destruction of Anger: In Saw II, as he gets frustrated, he rips apart numerous papers with plans for traps in an attempt to taunt John.
- Parting-Words Regret: The last thing Eric told Daniel was essentially to go to hell, and it's clear that this is a big part of why he's so desperate to get him back.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: He lays out the mother of all beatdowns on John toward the climax of the second film, one so vicious that it has him writhing in horrible agony between taunting Matthews. Even though Eric was failing his game by giving in to his rage, it's hard to deny that John deserved every second of it.
- Rabid Cop: He has a very nasty record of violence towards suspects, and near the end of the second film he beats John to a bloody pulp.
- Say My Name: He screams Daniel's name multiple times when he awakens chained in the Bathroom.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Curses constantly, accounting for a good portion of the f-bombs dropped throughout the second film. Given the shitstorm he finds himself in across all three films he's featured in, this is justified.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: If one were to look at the bigger picture of the franchise and its timeline, they would see that if Eric hadn't sent Amanda to jail for a crime she didn't commit, she wouldn't have become a heroin addict while inside; thus she would never have told Cecil to rob Jill's clinic, which was the first incident for Jigsaw's Start of Darkness. So if you think about it, if Eric hadn't been so corrupt, most of the franchise's events may have never happened.
- Your Head Asplode: At the end of the fourth movie, between two blocks of ice.
- You're Insane!: He rightfully calls out John for being batshit insane in their conversation, to which he only responds with amusement.
Fisk
Fisk
"I'd say justice was served."
Played By: Mike Realba
Appearances: Saw IV | Saw V
A homicide detective seen in Saw IV and V, who seems to be a close colleague of Hoffman.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: From Saw VI onward, he ends up completely absent in the series. Even though pretty much every significant law enforcement officer (cops and FBI agents alike) dies at some point in the series, Fisk just disappears.
- No Full Name Given: Only his first name is known.
Jenkins
Jenkins
Played By: Don Balderamos
Appearances: The Scott Tibbs Documentary
A homicide detective seen in The Scott Tibbs Documentary. He's the officer who announced at a press conference the escape of John and Eric (whom he presumed was taken hostage by John) after the events of Saw II. Later in the short, Scott attempts to interview him.
- No Full Name Given: Only his surname is known.
- Rage Breaking Point: Downplayed. He angrily tells Scott to stop asking him about things that only the police can have knowledge of when he asks him for what reason Eric was tested.
Spiral:
Zeke Banks
Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks
"You can give a woman 600 Tuesdays. And it ain't worth three Saturday nights."
Played By: Chris Rock
Appearances: Spiral
The protagonist of Spiral, Zeke is a detective who's ostracized by the department for his role in turning in Peter Dunleavy after Peter intentionally committed a grave crime. Zeke is reluctantly put in charge of the investigation of a new Jigsaw copycat by being the first on the scene of the murder of his colleague, Marv Bozwick.
- The Alleged Expert: Downplayed. Zeke is so insistent that he's the best detective ever, and would logically have plenty of experience since he has served in the department for at least two decades, but not once in the actual film is he ever shown doing well on his own merits outside the case regarding the Spiral Killer. For one, the very first thing he's seen doing is an undercover drug bust at a five-star hotel, wherein he attempts to use a car in the hotel's garage to get away. Bonus points when Angie says that he's been doing that for a year.
- Arch-Enemy: He eventually becomes a played with version of this towards Schenk. Schenk infiltrated as a rookie detective in the Metropolitan Police Department in order to target various Dirty Cops while having some covering, and sought to recruit Zeke as an accomplice since he was a moral detective who was ostracized by said corrupt officers. However, Zeke immediately rivalizes him when he finds out his identity as the Spiral Killer, and refuses to help him in continue killing cops, especially after Schenk sets up a trap to get his father killed.
- Big "NO!": After Marcus is gunned down and Schenk makes his escape.
- Cowboy Cop: Zeke is prone to risk-taking and disobeying standard protocol to get results.
- Dirty Cop: Averted, unlike every other cop in his department. Zeke is one of the more upstanding and noble cops you can find despite his abrasive attitude. This is the reason why Schenk wants to specifically recruit him as his partner in crime.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's a very sarcastic and loudmouthed guy, much like Adam from the first film.
- Et Tu, Brute?: He is visibly shaken upon confronting Schenk as the Spiral killer, calling out his betrayal.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite the fact the entire police department treats him like garbage, Zeke does not derive satisfaction from any of their deaths, including monsters like Fitch, and does all he can to try to save their lives.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: He's hated by the other cops in his department for turning one of them in.
- Insane Troll Logic: In a conversation with Schenk about leads on the new killer, he claims Jigsaw and his "disciples" by extension don't target cops while debating their identity. Given John and Hoffman's crimes are very well-publicized by this time, it's unknown why Zeke would say this when they've personally targeted many detectives, officers and FBI special agents.
- That being said, it's possible he meant the original Jigsaw didn't exclusively target cops like the Spiral killer does.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: After a shootout with a gangbanger with possible connections to one of their leads on the Spiral Killer, Zeke douses his maimed leg with alcohol and beats him when the thug plays coy.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
- Zeke reported Pete for murdering a witness, getting Pete kicked off the force. His comrades all regarded him as a rat and left him to get shot during a shootout. Not only that, but it also got his personal life ruined, with his wife divorcing him from the strain.
- Zeke telling Schenk to stay quiet after Pete shoots his father directly leads to Schenk killing his own father years later.
- Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: He was already a cop when Schenk was still a child.
- Older Than They Look: He looks to be the same age as Schenk, but he's old enough to have a family and was still a cop when Schenk was a child.
- The Paragon: Zeke's not perfect but he's staunchly law-abiding and non-corrupt as a cop. Schenk praises him as the best of the best, and wants to recruit him because of this.
- White Shirt of Death: Zeke wears a white shirt when he's abducted by the Spiral killer for a trial of his own. He doesn't die, but his shirt gets stained with blood from his wounds and other victims throughout the trial.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: The movie makes it clear from the very start that the Big Bad is not John nor does he share his modus operandi, which Zeke finds out the hard way at the end. First, he tries to save Pete in a trap that's seemingly similar to the ones from Jeff's trial in the third movie -– however, this trap is actually (almost) inescapable, as everything happens way too quickly, so his attempt to save Pete is futile and only injures himself as well. Even worse, the apparent "choice" that Zeke faces afterwards proves to be nonexistent, since regardless of what he did, his father would have died -– either by blood loss or by getting gunned down by police. Schenk even lampshades how, unlike John, he doesn't want his victims to learn anything; he just wants them dead, and Zeke is wrong for trying to win an unwinnable "game".
William Schenk
William Schenk
Played By: Max Minghella
Appearances: Spiral
A relatively new cop that's assigned as a partner to Zeke on the new Jigsaw homicides.
- By-the-Book Cop: To Zeke's Cowboy Cop.
- Desecrating the Dead: He is kidnapped and his corpse skinned by the Spiral Killer in a departure from the Jigsaw M.O.
- Family Man: Has a wife and a newborn son.
- Fatal Family Photo: Early on in the film, he shows Zeke a photo of his wife and newborn child. Later on, his dead body is discovered.
- New Meat: Of the Metropolitan Police Department. Zeke even refers to him as such. This is later invoked in a horrifyingly literal fashion when his corpse is found flayed and left on a meathook in a butcher shop.
- Nice Guy: Even by the department's standards, he's one of the nicest cops around in the series.
Marv Bozwick
Marv "Boz" Bozwick
Played By: Dan Petronijevic
Appearances: Spiral
A detective from the Metropolitan Police Department. He was the Spiral Killer's first victim. Notably, while corrupt, Boz was said to be a kind man, and his death is a large part of why Zeke is so determined in stopping the killer.
- Asshole Victim: Despite being one of the only cops who were nice to Zeke, he was still a corrupt cop whose false testimonies put innocent people in prison.
- Dirty Cop: He has taken the witness stand in court many times, and his lies have put innocent people in jail.
- Ludicrous Gibs: All that's left of Boz after his test is unrecognizable gore splattered across the subway tracks.
- Pet the Dog: He was possibly the only one in the department who remained friends with Zeke, even after he turned one of them in. He used to go to games with him and play with his son.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He dies in the opening, but his death kickstarts the plot and we retroactively learn more about him.
- Symbolic Mutilation: In the Subway Trap, Boz is forced to rip his tongue out for lying about innocent people being criminals.
- Tongue Trauma: The trap he's put in hoists his body up into the air, with his tongue trapped by a device. Boz must jump off a platform to avoid getting hit by a subway train, losing his tongue in the process. He does so, but too late, and he not only does take his whole tongue with him, but he gets ran over anyways.
Fitch
Fitch
Played By: Richard Zeppieri
Appearances: Spiral
A homicide detective who's one of the many officers who ostracize Zeke. He was the Spiral Killer's second victim.
- Asshole Victim: The biggest in the whole movie. Fitch was a sociopathic monster who once murdered a man for flipping him off when ordered to raise his hands. He also treated Zeke with nothing but contempt. It's telling that of all the cops that die in the movie, Zeke feels absolutely nothing for Fitch upon discovering his remains.
- Dirty Cop: And how! Besides all the crimes mentioned above in Asshole Victim, he also refused to provide backup for Zeke during a shootout as revenge for turning another cop in, which almost got Zeke killed.
- Dirty Coward: While feeling smugly satisfied with denying Zeke backup, Fitch turns into a nervous wreck fidgeting around suspiciously when he witnesses Marcus' wrath at the situation.
- Evil Is Petty: Exaggerated. He once murdered a man for flipping him off.
- Fingore: Fitch is trapped in a tub slowly filling up with water, with exposed electrified wires hung over the edge, and a motor binding his fingers down. To escape, he must bite a mechanism that'll activate the motor, which will rip all of his fingers off. He ultimately can't do so in time and ends up electrocuted to death.
- Foreshadowing: After Zeke and Schenk come with Fitch and Kraus to the see the spray-painted spiral, an X-ray of a hand is present on Fitch's computer. The trap Fitch ends up in specifically requires him to mutilate a part of his hands.
- High-Voltage Death: He fails to remove his fingers in time, and thus, is fried to a crisp when the water in his trap reaches the electrical cords.
- Jerkass: He always treats Zeke like shit, due to him turning another cop in. He once refused to provide backup for Zeke during a shootout, despite being the nearest cop to him, which almost got Zeke killed.
- Killer Cop: He once murdered a man for Flipping the Bird while raising his hands.
- No Full Name Given: His first name is never stated.
- Pragmatic Villainy: In a past shootout, despite refusing Zeke backup, the second shots were fired, he had an Oh, Crap! moment and rushed to Zeke's location. This isn't because he cared about Zeke, but because he knew Marcus would have gone ballistic with him if his son died because of him.
- Symbolic Mutilation: Fitch has to rip his fingers off in the Finger Trap. He previously killed a man just because he flipped him off, and the Spiral Killer says that his fingers pulled the trigger.
Pete Dunleavy
Peter "Pete" Dunleavy
Played By: Patrick McManus
Appearances: Spiral
A former officer from the Metropolitan Police Department, who was discharged after Zeke turned him in for the murder of Charlie Emmerson. He's since been reduced to a pathetic bum living under a church and drowning his sorrows with booze.
- The Atoner: After becoming homeless and miserable, he seems to have lapsed into this after living under a church. He claims he seeks God's forgiveness regularly and has a serious Heel Realization about how out of control he and the department was. That said, it's made clear he still deeply resents Zeke for turning him in, indicating a certain degree of lasting irresponsibility.
- Asshole Victim: His death at the hands of the Spiral Killer is horrifying, but he previously murdered Charlie Emmerson to prevent him from testifying against a fellow officer. And for all his gestures at atonement, Pete still remained a bitter asshole to Zeke and never realized he was in the right in testifying against him. This is even lampshaded by Schenk, expressing Pete had it coming for ruining not only his life but Zeke's as well.
- Blatant Lies: He makes a pathetic attempt to justify shooting Charlie by saying it was in self-defense.Zeke: The witness pulled a gun on you?
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Besides Angie, he gets arguably the worst of the victims in the movie. Pete is chained up above a platform in front of a machine that will grind up rounds of glass bottles and pelt their shards at his body. The only way he can survive this is if Zeke finds the key to free him, but he's slowed down by being forced to take cover between the grinder taking breaks and firing. Pete agonizingly takes multiple rounds of this before expiring.
- Dirty Cop: Ex-dirty cop, to be more specific. He killed Charlie to prevent him from testifying against another officer, then tried to make it look like he shot him in self-defense. Zeke didn't buy it and turned him in, getting him kicked out of the force.
- Foreshadowing: At the church, when Zeke asks him if he's trying to get sober again, Pete replies: "Alcohol's not my problem. The glass and the bottle can kill." Later in Zeke's game, Pete appears in a trap involving broken glass from bottles.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His murder of Charlie Emmerson made his son William take revenge against dirty cops like him as the Spiral Killer.
Deborah Kraus
Deborah Kraus
Played By: Edie Inksetter
Appearances: Spiral
A detective of the Homicide Unit.
- Dirty Cop: Possibly averted, unlike most of the other detectives seen in the film. Asides from Boz, she's the only officer who doesn't hold any grudges against Zeke, and it's implied that she was against Article 8.
Drury
Drury
Played By: K.C. Collins
Appearances: Spiral
A homicide detective who's one of the many officers who ostracize Zeke.
- Facial Horror: A
What Could Have Been example. He was going to have a trap in which he had to cut his face off. The trap's scene was cut due to the MPAA deeming it to be too violent. - No Full Name Given: Only his surname is known.
SWAT division:
Daniel Rigg
Daniel Rigg
"It's in our nature to save them. It's what we do."
Played By: Lyriq Bent
Appearances: Saw II | Saw III | Saw IV
A supporting character in Saw II and III, and the main protagonist of Saw IV. He's a SWAT sergeant on the local police force who leads the raid to Jigsaw's lair, and has been working hard on the Jigsaw case since Eric's disappearance afterwards. Jigsaw takes issue with his obsession and decides to test him; in reality, Hoffman is looking for an apprentice of his own following John and Amanda's passings, and Rigg is an ideal candidate should he pass his test.
- Anti-Hero: One of his fatal flaws. To start, he has a temperamental and focused personality, which stems from such situations, where he acted aggressive, and on some occasions, even turned violent, which brought him into conflict with the Internal Affairs Division. Despite this, Rigg is loyal to both his friends and his department, is extremely dedicated to his work and had a strong sense of justice. However, his quest to save and protect everyone turned into an obsession, which proves to be his undoing. See Unwanted Assistance below.
- Ascended Extra: He is a background character in Saw II and III, with a total of maybe 3 lines of dialogue between the two movies. In IV, he is the main character.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: The flaw Jigsaw was trying to get him to overcome.
- Everyone Has Standards: He may have Chronic Hero Syndrome, but he clearly has no sympathy or pity for the cruel serial rapist Ivan.
- Face–Heel Turn: Invoked, but Subverted. The core of his extremely simple game (which poses practically no harm to Rigg himself) is to subtly brainwash and recruit him into Jigsaw's fold. Rigg rushing in through gets him fatally shot before he can be brainwashed.
- Mr. Fanservice: He is very conventionally attractive, and the scene before he is kidnapped by Hoffman has him walking around in his underwear, showing the audience his very muscular body.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The above trope usually results in this. Again, see Unwanted Assistance below.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: He is shot at the end of IV, but is otherwise alive. He is declared dead near the beginning of V.
- Survivor Guilt: His problem is that everyone around him keeps dying.
- SWAT Team: He used to be the leader of one before his death.
- Unwanted Assistance: Invoked by Jigsaw for his test. His test was to watch people suffer in their traps and seeing them get out of there, or try and help them. By the end of IV, Rigg kills several characters in misguided attempts at saving them.
- White Shirt of Death: Rigg wears a white T-shirt during his trial in Saw IV, which gets a good amount of blood stains, though it mostly receives dirt-related ones. While he doesn't die onscreen at the end of the film (he only gets a shot from Eric attempting to prevent him from entering the Ice Block Trap's room), he's declared dead at the beginning of the next one.
Lead SWAT Officer
Lead SWAT Officer
Played By: Simon Northwood
Appearances: Saw 3D
The SWAT team leader who accompanies Gibson on his pursue of Hoffman in Saw 3D.
- No Name Given: His name is unknown.
- SWAT Team: The leader of one.
Internal Affairs Division:
Matt Gibson
Matt Gibson
"You've got to give before you can receive in this house, Jill."
Played By: Chad Donella
Appearances: Saw 3D
An officer who became bitter towards his colleague Mark Hoffman when he killed a homeless man who was holding him at gunpoint. He was moved to a detective position at the department's Internal Affairs Division when he told their boss to enact at least some punishment on Hoffman. In Saw 3D, Jill specifically requests protection from him with Hoffman out for her head, a mission that Gibson takes very seriously.
- Arch-Enemy: To Hoffman. Gibson has a personal disdain for him because of how he got away with deliberately killing an armed criminal who willingly raised his hands at him (even if he did it to defend Gibson) back when the two officers were colleagues in the Homicide Division. When Gibson tried to report Hoffman for breaking police protocol, the Metropolitan Police Department's leadership gave Hoffman a promotion while transferring Gibson to Internal Affairs. Once he's exposed as the new Jigsaw in Saw 3D and the Internal Affairs Division takes over the investigation, Gibson becomes relentlessly determined to detain Hoffman as the new lead detective in the case, regardless of the chaos and internal discord that may ensue.
- By-the-Book Cop: One of the more upstanding cops seen in the series. He previously tried to turn in Hoffman for police brutality, and is reluctant to help Jill unless she follows the rules. Due to his selfless nature and history with Hoffman, he's the only police officer who Jill believes isn't complicit with Hoffman.
- Good Is Not Nice: While Gibson is genuinely a heroic figure, he repeatedly expresses his disdain for Jill due to her involvement in a murderous conspiracy.
- In-Series Nickname: He repeatedly calls Jill "crazy" due to her involvement in the Jigsaw conspiracy.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His all-out manhunt for Hoffman is arguably the biggest clusterfuck out of all of this trope's examples in the series. It leads to, among other things, the deaths of an entire police precinct.
- Tempting Fate: He returns to the Horsepower Trap's scene when Rogers tells him over the phone that an explosion just happened there. The moment he enters, Gibson asks if anyone got hurt, to which another explosion comes off almost immediately. Downplayed in that the cops at the scene dodge both explosions in time to avoid any injuries.
- Token Trio: He (white male) forms one with Palmer (white female) and Rogers (black male).
- You're Insane!: He's exasperated when he finds out about Jill's role in placing the Reverse Bear Trap 2.0 on Hoffman.
Palmer and Rogers
Palmer and Rogers
Palmer
Rogers
Played By: Kim Scharner (Palmer), Laurence Anthony (Rogers)
Appearances: Saw 3D
Gibson's two partners in the Internal Affairs Division.
- Moe Greene Special: Rogers is killed by Hoffman when the latter shoots him in the right eye.
- Neck Snap: How Hoffman kills Palmer.
- No Full Name Given: Only their surnames are known.
- Token Trio: They form one with Gibson (white male). Palmer is the white female and Rogers is the black male.
Forensic team:
Adam Heffner
Dr. Adam Heffner
"I was the one who examined that body. I've examined every victim of the Jigsaw Killer."
Played By: James Van Patten
Appearances: Saw IV | Saw VI | Saw 3D
A forensic pathologist who examines victims of the Jigsaw killings found by the police.
- The Coroner: He plays a far smaller role in comparison to other characters who fit this trope, and he was first introduced in IV, but he's the one who examined the cause of death of all the dead Jigsaw victims found by the police from the first movie to 3D.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: How Hoffman kills him in 3D.
Pathologist
Pathologist
Played By: David Boyce
Appearances: Saw IV
A forensic pathologist seen in Saw IV, who assists Heffner in the autopsy of John's corpse.
- The Coroner: A pathologist in the deparment's forensic team.
- No Name Given: His name is unknown.
- One-Shot Character: He's only seen in the film's opening scene, with the role of calling Hoffman when Heffner tells him to.
Coroner Worker
Coroner Worker
Played By: Carlos Diaz
Appearances: Saw 3D
A forensic officer seen in Saw 3D, charged with taking the dead corpses of presumed Jigsaw victims to the department's morgue.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: How Hoffman kills him, shortly after doing the same to Heffner.
- No Name Given: His name is unknown.
Chada
Chada
Played By: Nazneen Contractor
Appearances: Spiral
A forensic officer seen in Spiral.
- No Full Name Given: Only her surname is known.
- One-Shot Character: She only shows up at the scene of Schenk's death to examine his corpse.
Tech team:
Video Techie
Video Techie
Played By: John Fallon
Appearances: Saw II
"Kerry, we got a lock. We got a lock on the house."
A member of the tech team in Saw II, who localizes the Nerve Gas House's supposed video feed.
- No Name Given: His name is unknown.
