History Characters / CriminalMindsBAU

** In a strange way, Reid arguably undergoes this trope in reverse as the show goes on. Early seasons Reid is a HollywoodNerd who dresses like a grandpa, seems easily confused by social interactions, has no physical ability to speak of. Later season Reid is far more sociable and socially aware, capable of action scenes and generally much less awkward than he was. His dressing style is less "grandpa" and more "hipster chic". This of course could be chalked up to character development and the influence of his circle of friends and colleagues as well as overcoming the many traumas the show throws his way. That and season 1 Reid is 23 while Reid at the end of the show is pushing 39.

** In a strange way, Reid arguably undergoes this trope in reverse as the show goes on. Early seasons Reid is a HollywoodNerd who dresses like a grandpa, seems easily confused by social interactions, has no physical ability to speak of. Later season Reid is far more sociable and socially aware, capable of action scenes and generally much less awkward than he was. His dressing style is less "grandpa" and more "hipster chic". This of course could be chalked up to character development and the influence of his circle of friends and colleagues as well as overcoming the many traumas the show throws his way.

* {{Troll}}: Gideon shows a propensity for messing with Unsubs, to throw them off their game. He provokes the Footpad killer's stutter by repeatedly insulting him, gets the villain of "Plain Sight" to surrender by threatening to make him and his crime spree forgotten, and repeatedly hangs up when a kidnapper calls to provoke the man into a fit a of anger which makes him reveal crucial clues about his identity. His entire interrogation technique with a terrorist is putting an amicable façade on the man while messing with the guy's sense of time to get a confession. While the BAU would continue such tactics after Gideon's gone, in the first two season this is very much Gideon's trademark.

* {{Flanderization}}: We all know that athletics are not Reid's strong suit, but failing EVERYTHING involving physical exertion (marksmanship, physical training, the obstacle course, Hogan's Alley, etc) at the Academy? It's a little extreme and it begs the question of how he not only passed the Academy, but continues to pass his field qualifications.

* {{Troll}}: Gideon shows a propensity for messing with Unsubs, to throw them off their game. He provokes the Footpad killer's stutter by repeatedly insulting him, gets the villain of plain sight to surrender by threatening to make him and his crime spree forgotten, and repeatedly hangs up when a kidnapper calls to provoke the man into a fit a of anger which makes him reveal crucial clues about his identity. His entire interrogation technique with a terrorist is putting an amicable façade on the man while messing with the guy's sense of time to get a confession. While the BAU would continue such tactics after Gideon's gone, in the first two season this is very much Gideon's trademark.

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%%* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Briefly in Season 5.

'''Garcia:''' Or Go.

* HollywoodNerd: He's played by a former model.

->''"The monsters don't stand a chance"''

* {{Meganekko}}: When she's wearing her glasses.

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* ActionDad: He's the father of two boys and twin girls, and a badass who can take down suspects.

* MulticoloredHair: With more colors than a cotton candy machine. Garcia digs the Manic Panic.

* {{Goth}}: Her former style before she was recruited by Hotch. A flashback in 2004 shows her wearing lace gloves, dark lipstick, a BeautyMark on the right side of her mouth, and dark hair. When she talks to a goth teen, she admitted to sharing this trope with him.

* BaldOfAwesome: Does anyone actually remember the last time Shemar Moore had hair? [[Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman He looked pretty nice then, too.]]
* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Briefly in Season 5.

* DeathGlare: Gives one to Mr. Scratch after having the gall to beg him to be saved despite all the murders he committed, all the hell he put the unit through. Alvez [[Murder By Inaction lets the bastard fall to his death]].

* MurderByInaction: He silently refuses to [[spoiler: pull Mr. Scratch, who is hanging on for dear life from a building rooftop, to safety. Despite all the murders he committed, [[VillainsWantMercy he has the nerve to beg Alvez to save him]]; Alvez lets him fall to his death.]]

* ArchEnemy:
** Ian Doyle has dedicated his life to making her’s a living hell because he believed [[spoiler: she murdered his son]].
** Michael Lee Peterson definitely views himself as this to her, and for her part she does despise the bastard for killing a fellow agent on her watch.

* ArchEnemy:
** Joe is an interesting example. He’s definitely ThatOneCase to Rossi, who in his mind saw him as a monstrous bastard who killed two parents in their bed, but he’s floored when he learns he’s simply a mentally challenged man who didn’t mean to kill them.
** Thomas Yates has a sick obsession with Rossi, constantly making him visit him on his birthday so he can reveal one of the burial sights of his victims. When he breaks out, he makes Rossi listen to the scream of a victim and attempts to kill and bury one in his backyard just to screw with him.
** John Curtis, The Replicator, can be considered this for the whole team, but [[spoiler: killing Strauss]] made it personal to Rossi. He’s even the one who gets the last laugh on him, in the end.
** Donnie Mallick, the killer of [[spoiler: best friend Jason Gideon]]. It got to the point that Rossi essentially [[spoiler: ''murdered the guy'']].
** Everett Lynch effected Rossi in a massive way in his first appearance. He definitely has it out for the guy and Lynch even takes him hostage and shoots him in the GrandFinale.

* ArchEnemy:
** Tobias Hankel has effected Reid in a way no other Unsub has. Getting him hooked has resulted in Tobias staying with Reid years after his death.
** Cat Adams becomes his George Foyet and Ian Doyle. Kidnapping his mother sealed the deal.

* ArchEnemy: Jason Clark Battle, the bastard KillerCop who shot her in front of her own home. "Lucky Strikes" reveals that, like Tobias with Reid, he’s still in her head over ''ten years'' after his death.

* ArchEnemy: Tivon Askari, who took her [[spoiler: unborn baby from her]].

* ArchEnemy: Jeremy Grant. Grant blames Luke for the death of his wife and daughters, and Luke grows a murderous hatred of grant for [[spoiler: torturing and killing Phil]].

* NiceGuy: A loving husband and father, and a true friend to the rest of the team.

* ArchEnemy: William Lee, the sadistic rapist who is the catalyst for her finally leaving the BAU.

* ArchEnemy: Alex Zorgen becomes this when he adducted Meg.

* ArchEnemy:
** Carl Buford. He molested Derek when he was a child and in the future framed him for murder.
** Billy Flynn definitely got under Morgan’s skin. Reid even acknowledges he wouldn’t want to be him when Morgan gets his hands on him, and Morgan lampshades this by comparing him to George Foyet.
** Chazz Montolo wants revenge on Morgan, blaming him for the death of his son. Abducting him and shooting his girlfriend.

* ArchEnemy:
** George. Foyet. Period. Stalking, torturing, killing his ex-wife and threatening to do the same to his son. He’s still with Hotch years later, especially when the wounds he inflicted on him almost kill him years later.
** Peter Lewis is the catalyst for his leaving, and even then his obsession with Hotch causes him to try and torture Prentiss for his location.

* NiceGuy: While [[TheStoic stoic]] and No-nonsense when on the job, just looking at him when off the clock shows him as a warm and loving man.

* SilverFox: His hair has gone completely white over the years but he's still quite handsome for his age.

* BadassBeard: Even grows one. In his first appearance, "About Face", he's clean-shaven and a total jerkass. In the next episode, "Identity", he seems to have taken Hotch's advice to heart along with growing his goatee.

* BadassBeard: Only in "It Takes a Village". The fandom consensus seems to be that he should grow it back. Apparently others associated with the show liked it, too: a brief clip of the BadassBeard is shown in the Season 7 opening credits.

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* TheBusCameBack: Returned for the 200th episode and for one episode in season 11. She has been promoted back to series regular for the twelfth season.
* CommutingOnABus: She spends the latter half of season 6 in hiding, is working with Interpol throughout seasons 8-11, returns for a few episodes as a GuestStarPartyMember throughout that period, and permanently returns to the team roster in season 12.

* ActionDad: Rossi's a senior FBI Agent, who finds out in season 10 episode 09 "Fate" that he has an adult daughter, Joy.

* BreakTheHaughty: "Damaged" does a number on him in season three; "Zoe's Reprise" does a worse one in season four. He wasn't so haughty anymore, but "Epilogue" and [[spoiler: "The Replicator"]] break him ''even more''.

* {{Jerkass}}: Depending on the writer. Moreso in season three, but there have been episodes in season five where writers of various episodes have him lapsing back into his Jerkass-y ways. Rossi comes off as an egotistical bastard when he first shows up, baiting [=UnSubs=] and insulting a lot of people's intelligence.

* LyingToThePerp: Rossi's a master at this - see "Masterpiece" and "Reckoner" for particularly spectacular examples. "Reckoner" deconstructed this, as Rossi tells the somewhat SympatheticMurderer that he slept with his wife, multiple times, and [[spoiler: the unsub dies without learning that it was a lie, which just adds an extra tinge of tragedy to an already fairly brutal episode]].

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Reid's school experience - "Being the smartest kid in class is like being the only kid in class."

* PhotographicMemory: His eidetic memory has been proven to be imperfect - for example, his memories from his very young childhood are murky at best - but, generally, it's reliable.

* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:JJ tells Reid that she suffered a miscarriage during her year away from the BAU - something she didn’t even tell her husband, as she never got to tell him about the pregnancy.]]

** He's taken a couple more in season 14:

*** [[spoiler: The same guy who could barely pass his firearms qualification in season 1, episode LSDK. now gets perfect scores, a feat only attained by a couple hundreds agents in all of the FBI.]]

* BreakTheCutie: Her [[spoiler: shooting]] in the "Lucky"-"Penelope" two-parter, and the subsequent episodes that show her healing process - "House on Fire", "Exit Wounds", and "Lucky Strikes".

** Season Nine shows that she goes into full-blown shock when she's forced to fire one to protect a bedridden Reid from a corrupt deputy trying to poison him. Reid has to reassure her that she just saved his life to get her to calm down.

* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: She follows a "cause = consequence" line of thought, believing everything happens for a reason, meaning she can't even begin to comprehend why the [=UnSubs=] the team chases do what they do most of the time. Best shown in Season Ten when she ends up obssessing over the corrupt cop she had to shoot in order to protect Reid, even seeing him off in his execution, just to understand why he acted the way he did.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: She, Prentiss, and JJ are all extremely close - Garcia is even godmother to JJ's son Henry.

* AdvertisedExtra: In the first season, despite her presence in the opening credits, her role is relatively minor, and Garcia (who wouldn’t get [[PromotedToOpeningTitles promoted]] until season 2) often has a bigger part in a given case than she does. Season 2's "North Mammon" is the first episode that delves into her backstory and personality; after that point she starts getting regular subplots and CharacterFocus episodes like the rest of the cast.

* AltarTheSpeed: In Season 3's "Lo-Fi", Will [=LaMontagne=] tells the team that he's asked JJ to marry him, and the two are shown living together over the course of the following seasons - however, it is eventually revealed that they haven’t actually gotten married. In the final episodes of Season 7, after [[spoiler:Will is nearly killed]], JJ asks Will to propose again & they get married shortly after in a small ceremony at Rossi’s estate.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In season 13, an [=UnSub=] forces JJ to tell Reid her deepest secret. She tearfully admits she was in love with him since the beginning and was too chicken to do something about it. She later admits that Reid had been her 'first love' and she still cares deeply about him, but she has moved on with her family and apologizes to Reid.

* CharacterDevelopment: JJ's original role on the team was to manipulate the media (and through them the bad guys) as well as deal with people the team came into contact with. Her role noticeably expanded though Season 5, before forcibly promoted out of the BAU in the opening episodes of Season 6 - however, she announces her return to the team in the season finale. As of Season 7, JJ is officially a profiler working in the field, largely because in her absence the position of media liaison had effectively been dissolved - with Garcia assuming all aspects of the job that she could whilst remaining at Quantico, and the field agents taking the remaining responsibilities.

Due to a series of events starting in Season One involving serial killer Frank Breitkopf, Gideon eventually leaves the show at the start of Season Three. [[spoiler:Any chance of return is squashed when he's murdered by a psychopath he once chased with Rossi.]]

* ShipperOnDeck: In "Plain Sight", he gives Reed premium tickets to a Redskins game - not because Spencer likes football, but because JJ does.

* BrainyBrunette: Very intelligent. In "Extreme Aggressor", she figures out they are following a decoy due to the way he is driving - and of course intelligence is a given in her line of work.

* ButNowIMustGo: Something of a darker variant - after [[spoiler: getting shot by the Fisher King]], she feels that the team let her down, and she dreads the advent of new cases while she used to love them, so she quits the team, knowing that she simply can't do the job anymore.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In one episode in Season 1, she said that when she worked in Sex Crimes, she saw dozens of offenders get away with it. [[spoiler: In Season 2, she KNOWINGLY fucks up and a rapist gets away with it - so she follows him home and kills him.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Rapist or not, she mercilessly killed a man and got away with it. Hell, she didn't even get fired, she quit voluntarily - and she told Hotch that if she had to do it again, she wouldn't change a thing.]]

* CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest: Averted and subverted with Garcia--she's not technically his "love interest" and he doesn't have a problem at all sexualizing her. She has ''no'' problem reciprocating.

* {{Flanderization}}: In the first season--particularly the first half--Morgan dressed in suits and other professional attire and was known as an intellectual who just happened to be good at fighting. While his brain hasn't left him, his style of clothing (to a much more casual dress) and the pronouncement of his emotions suggest that the "fighter" part of his persona has shoved his brain to the back seat, though he goes back toward his previous characterization after being promoted to unit chief. See also WhatHappenedToTheMouse below for more.

* ToKnowHimIMustBecomeHim: Fun drinking game in the first couple seasons - count the number of times Morgan says "I'm the [=UnSub=]".
* TokenMinority: For the vast majority of Morgan’s time in the BAU, he’s the only person of color on the team. This is averted for a handful of episodes in the fourth season whilst Jordan Todd subs in during JJ’s maternity leave, and once Tara Lewis joins the team in the eleventh season. However, with the exception of with half-cuban Elle Greenaway in the first season, no other minority groups are represented on the team during Morgan’s tenure.
* TraumaCongaLine: His father was killed when he was 10, with Morgan a witness to the shooting; his surrogate father figure sexually abused him; he discovered the dead body of an unidentified boy as a teenager; he suffered a knee injury that ended a potential football career; and his family became fragmented following the disappearance of his cousin Cindy - and that’s just Morgan’s ''backstory''.

In Season 12 he goes into witness protection with his son after a serial killer who has it out for him escapes from prison; in season 13, he resigns from the BAU.

* FamilyVersusCareer: In season three, Haley makes him choose - her and Jack or the FBI. He chooses the FBI. In season five, [[spoiler: after Haley is killed]], he must choose between them again. FBI's still winning, though he does [[spoiler: work out an arrangement with his sister-in-law to help raise Jack]].

** This is deconstructed in the series twice - first, in "Omnivore", when Rossi gives him a verbal smackdown ("That isn't your conscience talking, Aaron, it's your ego."); and second, in "Hopeless", when he, along with Rossi and Prentiss, leave the group of [=UnSubs=] to their intended SuicideByCop, knowing he can do nothing to stop local law enforcement from enacting revenge.

* ShooOutTheNewGuy: [[http://tvline.com/2017/06/11/criminal-minds-damon-gupton-leaving-season-13-stephen-walker/ Was officially let go by CBS for season 13]]. Stephen dies in a car crash in the Season 13 premiere.

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