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Main cast
Ethan Edwards
Played by: John Wayne
Dubbed by: Raymond Loyer (European French)
The central protagonist of the film, a Confederate Army veteran who ends up witnessing his family get killed and has to rescue his niece Debbie from the Comanches.
- Adaptational Name Change: He was called Amos in the novel the film's based on.
- Alliterative Name: Ethan Edwards.
- Ambiguous Criminal History: It's implied that he's an outlaw. The reverend tells him that his face "fits a lot of descriptions" and he refuses to be sworn in as a ranger, stating that "it wouldn't be legal, anyway". He's even asked if he's wanted for a crime, but he doesn't answer.
- Catchphrase: "That'll be the day."
- Cool Uncle: He gives Ben a sword and affectionately lifts Debbie in the opening scene.
- Deadpan Snarker: Except for a couple of key moments, practically all of his lines are delivered with a sarcastic sneer.
- Determinator: He spends years searching for Debbie after everyone else has lost hope.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: It's implied that he became an outlaw after the Civil War ended.
- Hidden Depths: He's trilingual, presumably having learned Spanish while he was in Mexico, and picking up a working knowledge of Comanche during his travels.
- Insane Equals Violent: He generally keeps himself composed, but Ethan has a few violent outbursts, most memorably when he starts firing indiscriminately at a herd of bison just to prevent the Comanches from using them for food, and knocks Martin down when he raises the obvious What the Hell, Hero? objection.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Ethan hates the Indians for killing his mother several years back and he's not afraid to show it.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War (and its implied he worked as a mercenary in Mexico after the war), its possible that one reason for his crustiness is that he hasn't entirely recovered from war and service.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the book, Amos is killed by a Comanche girl he mistakes for Debbie. In the film, the final shot implies that Ethan is "doomed to wander between the winds forever" or that he's going to step out and commit suicide off-screen.
- Vengeance Feels Empty: By the end of the film, Ethan has killed Scar and rescued Debbie, but he's just as emotionally lost and broken as he was in the beginning of the film. After returning Debbie home, he goes back out into the wilderness, alone and forgotten.
- Villain Protagonist: He views the Comanches with hatred and anger after the killed his mother and most of his family and tries to kill his own niece who he thought got demonized by the Comanches. It's until the end, he finally lets his hatred go.
- What You Are in the Dark: Rather than kill his niece for spending a lot of time with the Comanches, he chooses to spare her and bring her back to his place.
Martin Pawley
Played by: Jeffrey Hunter
The adopted son of Ethan's brother Aaron, he accompanies Ethan on his quest to find Debbie.- Determinator: Like Ethan, he manages to continue along his quest the whole the through and survive the journey when no one else did.
- Deuteragonist: Martin's story is equally important to Ethan's and revolves around his evolution from a childish sidekick to a true hero.
- Inexperienced Killer: Given that he openly cries upon killing his first Indian, it's clear that it was his first time.
- No-Respect Guy: Constantly gets mocked and pushed around by Ethan on their search. Even Scar dismissively nicknames him He Who Follows, in contrast to the more admiring Big Shoulders for Ethan.
- Race Lift: He was white in the novella, but in the film, he's 1/8 Cherokee
- Sidekick Graduations Stick: While Martin Pawley starts as Ethan's sidekick and Butt-Monkey, he gradually becomes The Hero in the film's final half, winning the support and admiration of the Jorgensen family and settler community, succeeding in securing Laurie where Ethan lost Martha, and ironically being the man who killed Scar even if he was Ethan's Arch-Enemy, Ethan even comes around to naming Martin Pawley his heir. Critics suggest that Ford considered Pawley to represent America's future, being multi-cultural (part Cherokee), protective and less masculine than Wayne, and this is the positive kernel in the overall Bittersweet Ending.
- Token Minority: He an octoroon (one-eighth) Cherokee.
Laurie Jorgensen
Played by: Vera Miles
Martin's love interest, to whom he sends a long letter detailing what's been happening during the search.- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Her frustration over Martin's long absence makes her decide to settle for Charlie Mac Corry instead. Charlie breaks off the wedding when he realizes this.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Laurie has a hot temper and will usually have an outburst over the smallest slight.
- Tsundere: She has an abrasive personality but deeply loves Martin and wants to marry him, but she also finds his obliviousness and sense of duty frustrating, and only grows angrier as he stays away longer.
Debbie Edwards
Played by: Lana Wood (child), Natalie Wood (teenager)
The youngest child of Aaron and Martha Edwards, who's the only survivor of the Comanche raid on the Edwards homestead after Chief Scar abducts her.- A Minor Kidroduction: She is first introduced at age eight in the first act, then appears again in the third act having become a teenager.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: She doesn't complain, but she wears an expression of confusion and discomfort as she's carried into the Jorgensen house at the end.
- Damsel in Distress: Played With. While she is kidnapped by the Comanches, the next time she is seen, she appears to be content living among them. Then in the scene after that, she is happy to be rescued by Martin, but is then very nearly killed by Ethan, only for him to spare her. In her final scene, she doesn't seem to be particularly happy to be rescued.
- Going Native: She apparently took to Comanche culture quite well.
- Living MacGuffin: One of the most iconic examples, as the entire story revolves around finding her, but Debbie herself only appears in a few scenes.
- Luke, I Might Be Your Father: There is a lot of subtextual evidence that she's not Ethan's niece, but his daughter from an affair with Martha.
Rev. Captain Samuel Johnston Clayton
Played by: Ward Bond
Leader of the local squadron of the Texas Rangers, who enlists Ethan to help fight the Comanches.- Book Dumb: This line seems to hint at this for him.Clayton: (to Greenhill) Mount! M-O-N-T-E, mount!
- Da Chief: A lot of his exchanges with Ethan have a Da Chief/Cowboy Cop dynamic, with Clayton berating Ethan's gut instinct actions, but ultimately going along with them.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: An Unbuilt Trope at the time, but Clayton sure does love the donuts that Martha Edwards serves as part of the breakfast in the opening sequence.
- Religious Bruiser: He's both a captain in the Texas Rangers and the reverend of the local church.
- Signature Headgear: His unexpectedly dapper grey top hat is his Iconic Item.
- What the Hell, Hero?: He calls out Ethan for desecrating a dead warrior's body.
The Edwards Family
In General
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Most the Edwards get killed by the Comanches towards the beginning of the film before we really get to know them properly.
Aaron Edwards
Played by: Walter Coy
Ethan's brother.- Adaptational Name Change: Henry Edwards in the novel. The screenplay borrowed the name Aaron from Aaron Mathison, the novel's equivalent to Lars Jorgensen.
- Sibling Rivalry: The somewhat cold interactions he has with Ethan imply that this was an ongoing issue between the brothers.
Martha Edwards
Played by: Dorothy Jordan
Aaron's wife, for whom her brother-in-law Ethan seems to have special affection.- Settle for Sibling: It's strongly implied that she was in love with Ethan, but after he took off she ended up with his brother instead.
Ben Edwards
Played by: Robert Lydon
Aaron's only biological son.- Annoying Younger Sibling: He teases Lucy about her relationship with Brad.
Lucy Edwards
Played by: Pippa Scott
Aaron's oldest child, and the love interest for Brad Jorgensen.- Oh, Crap!: She screams her head off when she realizes the Comanche are about to attack.
- She Is All Grown Up: Ethan initially mistakes Debbie for Lucy, unaware of how much Lucy had grown while he was gone.
The Jorgensen Family
In General
- Adaptational Name Change: The family is called Mathison in the novel.
Lars Jorgensen
Played by: John Qualen
Laurie's father, a Scandinavian immigrant and neighbor of Aaron Edwards.- Captain Obvious: He explains to Laurie that "Mr. Futterman is dead, by golly!" when she wonders why Martin made a point of using the phrase "the late Mr. Futterman" in his letter.
- Determined Homesteader: He's obviously an immigrant who ventured into the Texas wilderness to build a new life.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: He says "golly" a lot.
Mrs. Jorgensen
Played by: Olive Carey
The matriarch of the Jorgensen family.- Determined Homesteader: As shown in this exchange, she's far more determined than her high-strung husband.Lars Jorgensen: It's this country killed my boy! Yes by golly I tell you, Ethan...Mrs. Jorgensen: Now Lars, it just so happens we be Texicans. Texican is nothing but a human man way out on a limb. This year and next, and maybe for a hundred more. But I don't think it'll be forever. Some day this country's gonna be a fine, good place to be. Maybe it needs our bones in the ground before that time can come.
- No Name Given: We never find out her first name (even in the novel, she's only called Mrs. Mathison).
Brad Jorgensen
Played by: Harry Carey Jr.
The Jorgensens' only son and the love interest of Lucy Edwards.- Sound-Only Death: When Brad rides off into a nearby Indian camp after hearing about Lucy's death, we don't actually get to see his death, but we hear gun sounds, supposedly killing Brad offscreen.
- Suicide Attack: When he finds out what happened to Lucy, he charges into the Comanche camp, completely knowing it's a trap. Martin tries to stop him, but Ethan knows it's no good. A few shots are heard, and the scene cuts to the next morning when Ethan and Martin continue on, alone.
Others
Charlie McCorry
Played by: Ken Curtis
A local musician and dandy who courts Laurie while Martin is gone.- Annoying Laugh: HAW-HAW-HAW!
- Hidden Depths: He's actually a decent singer and guitarist.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He has a nice array of snazzy, well-pressed suits for a homesteader on the Texas plains.
- Singing Voice Dissonance: He talks with a dopey hayseed twang, but when he sings to Laurie he's revealed to have a smooth, pleasant singing voice (as well he should, since Ken Curtis had been a veteran singer before he turned to acting).
- Smug Smiler: His default expression is the wide-eyed grin of a man who thinks he's very smart and shrewd (when he's actually The Ditz).
"Look"
Played by: Beulah Archuletta
A Comanche woman who Martin unwittingly "buys" during a trading session with her father.- Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom: Her Comanche name translates to "Wild Goose Flying in the Night Sky".
- Oh, Crap!: She suddenly turns fearful as soon as Ethan asks her about Scar, and abandons him and Martin during the night.
- Old Maid: Presumably her father sold her off because she was getting up in years and hadn't found a partner (Beulah Archuletta was in her 40s when the film was made).
Cicatriz/Scar
Played by: Henry Brandon
Chief of the Nawyecka band of Comanches, who leads the raid against the Edwards family and kidnaps Debbie.- Big Bad: He's killed most of Ethan's family and in general is out for revenge on the white people.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: An unlikely trait for a Native American, but he has them.
- Deadpan Snarker: "You speak good Comanche. Someone teach you?" is such a brilliant zinger, Ethan doesn't even try to respond.
- Mirror Character: Just like Ethan, he too had a family who was attacked by an opposing race and vowed revenge by targeting said race.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: After an entire film of buildup, Scar gets killed anti-climatically when he sneaks behind Martin Pawley, who didn't even know he shot him. Plus the film emphasizes the suddenness by refusing to linger on Scar's body. It's only when Ethan comes into the tent and sees the body that you realize it was Scar, and the quick cut implies that Ethan scalped his old foe.
- Tragic Villain: His two sons were killed by white people and he wanted to avenge them, by killing some of the white people.
Mose Harper
Played by: Hank Worden
A highly eccentric settler who takes part in the fighting and helps Ethan at several key moments.- Cloud Cuckoolander: He's fairly articulate and well-adjusted, but clearly lives on an entirely different plane of reality from everyone else.
- Composite Character: Mose is a fairly serious character in the book, while his Small Name, Big Ego son Zack (who is Adapted Out) provides some moments of ridicule, but Mose is a Cloud Cuckoolander in the film.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: He was looked on by everyone as a crazy old coot and is actually shown to be wrong on a couple of occasions at the beginning of the movie (about Ethan Edwards having gone to California and about the cattle-rustlers), but later on, on two occasions, he supplies crucial information about the whereabouts of Chief Scar and his camp.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Okay, so he's already kind of a little....not there. But he pretends to be even crazier in order to escape from his Comanche captors, even eating grass like Nebuchadnezzar.
- Older Sidekick: Basically plays this role for whole community. He helps out when needed, and, as Ethan says, he "was born old."
- Scatterbrained Senior: He does things like thanking people when they tell him to shut up, saying grace before a battle, and just generally behaves in an odd way.
- Third-Person Person: "Don't want no money, Ethan. No money, Marty. Just a roof over old Mose's head. And a rocking chair by the fire."
