Character page for Waterworld.
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The Mariner
Played by: Kevin Costner
A lone drifter who's revealed to be a mutant who doesn't need to breathe underwater.
- Anti-Hero: He spends most of the movie only acting in his own self-interest, but over time, he actively risks his neck to save Enola and get her and Helen to dry land.
- Apparently Human Merfolk: The "individual with special perk" kind. Though it was due to a mutation.
- But Now I Must Go: Decides to leave the island because he's become used to the motion of the sea, and feels he belongs there due to having lived there his whole life.
- Chivalrous Pervert: After their escape from the attack on the atoll, Helen offers herself to The Mariner so he won't leave her and Enola behind and The Mariner consider this, but changes his mind when he sees how uncomfortable Helen is over the situation. This even comes up later in the film.Helen: After the atoll, when I offered myself to you, why didn't you take me?The Mariner: 'Cause you really didn't want me. Not really.
- Defrosting Ice King: Start out as a cold and insensitive guy, but eventually comes to care for Helen and Enola.
- Mysterious Past: We learn very little about his past before the beginning of the movie. The most we get is his terse reply when Helen screams that people should have killed him when he was born.The Mariner: They tried.
- The Drifter: Lives and travels by himself on his boat, and only interacts with civillization when he needs to do some trade.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Starts off very frosty to everyone he meets, and treats Helen and Enola like shit for much of the film. Over time, however, he eventually forges enough of a bond with them that he ultimately becomes this.
- The Stateless: Has no nationality since his former nation was drowned by the waters.
Helen
Played by: Jeanne Tripplehorn
The woman who watches over Enola.
- Action Survivor: Is fairly passive at the start of the film, but over time, actively tries to help the Mariner and Enola.
- Love Interest: Despite a rocky start, she ultimately becomes one to the Mariner.
- Mama Bear: Even though she's not Enola's biological mother, she demonstrates a fierce protective instinct towards her.
- Ms. Fanservice: Gets a nude scene when she strips herself in front of the Mariner.
- Suddenly Shouting: When she's hungry, or to put in her words, when she wants some FOOD!
Enola
Played by: Tina Majorino
A young girl with a mysterious tattoo on her back.
- Bratty Half-Pint: The Mariner sees her as this, until he warms up to her.
- The Determinator: If this kid wants to draw, she's gonna draw, period.
- Living Macguffin: The tattoo on her back, which is actually a map to dry land, makes her this.
- Morality Pet: After a rocky start, she eventually becomes one to The Mariner.
- Orphan's Plot Trinket: Her tattoo on her back. Which ended up to be crucial to find dry land.
- Sdrawkcab Name: Enola spelled backwards is "alone" and given that she was orphaned, it was rather fitting. It's also a hint as to how the coordinates on her tattoo work.
- Sole Survivor: Enola is the only one left alive from Dryland.
The Deacon
Played by: Dennis Hopper
Dubbed by: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (European French)
The ruthless leader of the Smokers.
- Bald of Evil: Has a completely bald head.
- Big Bad: He's in charge of a band of pirates known as Smokers who regularly terrorize folks and plans on using Enola to get him and his pirates to dry land (as the tattoo on her back is actually a map), and ends up chasing The Mariner across the ocean for her.
- Dark Messiah: The Smokers see him as their saviour and the one who will lead them to dry land.
- Evil Is Hammy: Well it is Dennis Hopper playing him.
- Eyepatch of Power: Puts an eyepatch over the eye he lost in the explosion of his boat during the battle to conceal the horrific sight.
- Handicapped Badass: He doesn't sees much action, but he still pulls off two impressive sniper shots throughout the film, after losing one eye just a few days ago.
- No Name Given: Is simply referred to as The Deacon.
- Rasputinian Death: His plane crashes to the ground with him inside to start off with. Then as he tries to climb into Gregors hot air balloon to get Enola, he is kicked off by The Mariner, and is finally killed when his jet ski crashes into two other Smokers while trying to get Enola.
- Wasteland Warlord: As the despotic leader of the Smokers.
The Nord
Played by: Gerrard Murphy
- The Alcoholic: He has a taste for "Black Death" Vodka. Enola mentions later in the film that she heard from Helen that his skin tone means one of two things: he either drinks too muchnote or he has been too long in the sun.
- The Dragon: The second in command of the Smokers.
- No Name Given: Simply The Nord.
- Smug Snake: Right from his introduction, he acts insufferable to everyone around him. He even steals the Mariner's boots simply because the latter didn't want to buy him a drink.
Gregor
Played by: Michael Jeter
An inventor living on the same atoll as Helen and Enola.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He shows up to rescue the Mariner and Helen after the Smokers destroy the trimaran.
- Cool Old Guy: He is very nice to everybody, even shows astonishment at Mariner's mutation rather than loathing, and he creates a one-of-a-kind vehicle in his quest for Dryland... and oh yeah, he's the one who finally figures out the coordinates of Enola's tattoo, which involved teaching himself Chinese using scavenged texts among other things.
- Deus Exit Machina: His hot air balloon flew up too early and he was absent for most of the movie.
- Gadgeteer Genius: He created a hot air balloon all by his lonesome with whatever things he could scavenge from the atoll he lived in.
