History Characters / CriminalMindsOthers

[[center: [- [[Characters/CriminalMinds Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsBAU BAU]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubs UnSubs]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsOneToFive UnSubs Seasons 1-5]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsSixToSeven UnSubs Seasons 6-7]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsEightToTen UnSubs Seasons 8-10]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsElevenToFifteen UnSubs Seasons 11-15]] | [[Character/CriminalMindsEvolutionUnsubs Evolution UnSubs]] | '''Others''' ]]-]

%%* StockholmSyndrome: Averted

[[folder:Carolyn Baker Rossi]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/IsabellaHofman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carolyn1.jpg]]

->''"You spout all that profiler talk, but really, the best way to get to know someone is to marry them."''

Rossi's first wife, who suffers from [=ALS=].

* AmicableExes: She was Rossi's first ex-wife and had kept her husband's surname.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Rossi is with her when she dies, by her own choice.
* DyingAsYourself: Because she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, she wanted to die as the person she currently was, not who she would turn into due to her illness. Thus, she tries to ask her ex-husband to perform a MercyKill on her and be with her when she passes on.
* NewOldFlame: Though Rossi had already mentioned his divorces.
* StayWithMeUntilIDie: To Rossi.
* YouAreTooLate: Knowing that Rossi won't help her in taking her own life, she takes a fatal dosage of pills and makes sure he doesn't find out until it's too late.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: Diagnosed with [=ALS=] and already feeling it take effect by the time of her introduction in Season 7.

[[folder: Beth Clemmons]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/BellamyYoung

Introduced in Season 7, Beth is Hotch's training partner for a triathlon who becomes his new flame after Haley dies.

* PutOnABus: Due to Bellamy Young's role in Series/Scandal, they couldn't make it work, so she took a job elsewhere and is not seen again after Season 7.

[[folder:Maeve Donovan]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/BethRiesgraf

->''"He's the one thing you can never take from us."''

Introduced in Season 8, Maeve is a geneticist and accomplished writer who Spencer Reid was talking to ever since she helped him with his recurring headaches. She was also under constant harassment from a stalker, but felt safer when Reid entered her life.

\\
[[spoiler:Unfortunately, said stalker ends up killing her when the Replicator decides to torture Reid.]]

* CollateralAngst: She's yet another person in Reid's life who ends up suffering just to make ''him'' suffer more. [[spoiler:Her death is often mentioned in later seasons as his biggest trauma, possibly even bigger than his imprisonment under Tobias Hankel, and it acts like his biggest drive to keep doing his work.]]
* DefiantToTheEnd: Even under her stalker's gun, she refuses to buy into her delusions and stays firm with Reid despite both being bound to chairs. [[spoiler:It doesn't prevent her death.]]
* TheLostLenore: For Reid, as the one woman who was intelligent and passionate enough to rival even him in academic knowledge.

!Other FBI Agents

[[folder:Section Chief Erin Strauss]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JayneAtkinson
[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d5a423c36d76941497c31871710df2c6.jpg]]

->''"My job is to protect the bureau. If I have to hold the team's hand for one case, so be it."''

The [=BAU=]'s Section Chief, and thus the team's immediate superior, Strauss' role fluctuated between being an ObstructiveBureaucrat and ReasonableAuthorityFigure, though the team generally saw her as more of the former rather than the latter due to the political pressure she often put on them.

[[spoiler:Her tenure with the team ends gruesomely because of the Replicator, who drugs and kills her out of spite.]]

* TheAlcoholic: Revealed to be one in Season 7.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant: She has occasional, ''very rare'' PetTheDog moments. After her [[TheBusCameBack return]], she's become much more [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure reasonable]].
* BelligerentSexualTension: At times, her interactions with Rossi come off as this. [[spoiler:Which hurts a lot more when she's killed away from him and her family.]]
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:Sadistically and meticulously, by the hands of the Replicator.]]
* DependingOnTheWriter: In her first appearances, she's trying to be a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bitch]] wanting to keep her position by being extra-hard on her supervision of the team. Then it look like she is [[TyrantTakesTheHelm A Tyrant Taking The Helm.]] In her next appearance, she becomes a BaitAndSwitchTyrant and gets a few PetTheDog moments. Then she's back to the ObstructiveBureaucrat boss who does things over the team's objections. Now she's politicking while still giving the team a chance to do things their way, and at times seems to be trying to make up for previous jerkish behavior.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:[[AvertedTrope Painfully averted.]] Her final moments are spent crying and wanting her kids, wishing she had died before allowing the Replicator to humiliate her]].
* FBIAgent: Section Chief, effectively supervising the [=BAU=].
* IronLady: In theory, her role as Section Chief places her as this trope, except she [[DownplayedTrope downplays it]] by being unreliable on actual field work. By the time of Season 7, though, she's become more competent and durable, able to properly hold her temper in a fierce hostage situation.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She comes off as a politically-minded ObstructiveBureaucrat, but there are a great number of instances where it's clear that she's actually just trying to help/protect the team in her own way.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Started out as one, before becoming more of a supporter for the team.
* ParentalFavoritism: Hotch profiles that of her three children, she favors her son, the middle child.
* PetTheDog:
** Surprisingly, in "100", after spending the entire episode investigating the events around Haley's death and Hotch going off the rails, interrogating the team and trying to pin the blame on Hotch, she's in tears after Hotch's testimony, and refuses to pursue the matter any further.
** [[RewatchBonus Look carefully]]. With her reaction to Hotch's testimony in mind, reconsider how she questions the team through the episode. It sounds an awful lot like she's carefully leading them into giving them just the right opportunities to defend Hotch as best they can.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:Left for rehab; see TheAlcoholic above]]. She's back [[spoiler:and better]] as of "Hit/Run." That is, until [[spoiler:the "Replicator" attacks...]]
* StayWithMeUntilIDie: [[spoiler:After being fatally poisoned by the Replicator, she asks Hotch to stay with her so she won't [[DyingAlone die alone]]. [[TearJerker He does.]]]]

[[folder:Kevin Lynch]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/NicholasBrendon
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dae2733ab9b2fcbd470315677e52feb9.jpg]]

->''"This system... it's insane...! It's completely Linux-based. Open-source programming. You don't see this in government systems, I mean, outside of, like, Switzerland."''

A fairly nerdy FBI computer technician, who was a co-worker of Garcia's and eventually her love interest for several seasons.

* ButtMonkey: He is, after all, played by TropeNamer Nicholas "Xander Harris" Brendon.
* TheCavalry: Joins the team in "Penelope" following Garcia’s shooting, and returns sporadically over the course of the series to assist the BAU when needed -- generally, if Kevin is working with the BAU, it’s a sign that the case is a greater threat than usual and Garcia will need all the back-up she can have.
* GeekyTurnOn:
-->''"Oh, you are NOT seriously trying to backhack me!"''
* MrFanservice: Briefly, in "Damaged".
* NonActionGuy: As a computer tech, he mainly hangs around to help Garcia. The most action he gets is being present at the office when Garcia's shooter takes a man hostage.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: His... ''awkward'' encounter with Rossi in "Damaged".
* PlayfulHacker: Though he admits he's not as good as Garcia.
* PutOnABus: He and Garcia break up after she turns down his proposal of marriage; while he probably hasn't actually ''gone'' anywhere, we no longer see him as often.
* TemporarySubstitute: For Garcia in "Penelope". Afterwards, he shows up whenever Garcia needs some help with her technical analysis job.

[[folder:SSA Katherine Cole]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Mary Page Keller

The head of the FBI's Crimes Against Children unit and a former profiler under the BAU. She calls for their help in Season 2 when a boy whose kidnapping she was investigating appears online as part of an auction headed by a pedophile.

* ArchEnemy: To pedophile and abductor Michael Earlson, who's been arrested by Agent Cole once before. Even behind the interrogation room glass, he knows she's there watching and waiting to arrest him.
* InsistentTerminology: Doesn't like to be called "Agent Cole" and insists on being called "Katie" by her co-workers.
* MamaBear: Works as the leader of a unit specializing in crimes against children, so this is naturally in play. Cole wants to desperately see Michael Earlson apprehended for good so she can save Peter.
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Loosely based on agent Emily Vacher, a former member of Innocent Images National Response Team who also managed a large child-protection program for the FBI.
* OneShotCharacter: Appears exclusively in "[=P911=]" as the requisite "Cop of the Week" helping the BAU catch the [=UnSub=].
* PaedoHunt: Leads an FBI unit that specializes in this type of case, especially because the culprit of her episode is a dangerous pedophile she's been hunting down for a while.

[[folder:Agent Jill Morris]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AndreaRoth

An ambitious Philadelphia FBI agent looking to make a name for herself by nearly any means necessary. A promising case featuring the storage unit of a misogynistic [=UnSub=] being found gives her the opportunity she was looking for.

By Season 8, Gordinksi has been promoted to Captain.

[[folder:Kevin Lynch]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/NicholasBrendon
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dae2733ab9b2fcbd470315677e52feb9.jpg]]

->''"This system... it's insane...! It's completely Linux-based. Open-source programming. You don't see this in government systems, I mean, outside of, like, Switzerland."''

A fairly nerdy FBI computer technician, who was a co-worker of Garcia's and eventually her love interest for several seasons.

* ButtMonkey: He is, after all, played by TropeNamer Nicholas "Xander Harris" Brendon.
* TheCavalry: Joins the team in "Penelope" following Garcia’s shooting, and returns sporadically over the course of the series to assist the BAU when needed -- generally, if Kevin is working with the BAU, it’s a sign that the case is a greater threat than usual and Garcia will need all the back-up she can have.
* GeekyTurnOn:
-->''"Oh, you are NOT seriously trying to backhack me!"''
* MrFanservice: Briefly, in "Damaged".
* NonActionGuy: As a computer tech, he mainly hangs around to help Garcia. The most action he gets is being present at the office when Garcia's shooter takes a man hostage.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: His... ''awkward'' encounter with Rossi in "Damaged".
* PlayfulHacker: Though he admits he's not as good as Garcia.
* PutOnABus: He and Garcia break up after she turns down his proposal of marriage; while he probably hasn't actually ''gone'' anywhere, we no longer see him as often.
* TemporarySubstitute: For Garcia in "Penelope". Afterwards, he shows up whenever Garcia needs some help with her technical analysis job.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Section Chief Erin Strauss]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JayneAtkinson
[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d5a423c36d76941497c31871710df2c6.jpg]]

->''"My job is to protect the bureau. If I have to hold the team's hand for one case, so be it."''

\\
The [=BAU=]'s Section Chief, and thus the team's immediate superior, Strauss' role fluctuated between being an ObstructiveBureaucrat and ReasonableAuthorityFigure, though the team generally saw her as more of the former rather than the latter due to the political pressure she often put on them.

\\
[[spoiler:Her tenure with the team ends gruesomely because of the Replicator, who drugs and kills her out of spite.]]
----

[[folder:Linda Barnes]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/KimRhodes
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lindabarnes.jpg]]

->''"Agent Jareau, I didn't get the opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed your speech at the jet. But you're wrong that I'm here to shut down the [=BAU=] because I'm not. This unit is the crown jewel of behavioral profiling, I couldn't shut it down if I wanted to. But I can help restructure it."''

The FBI Executive Assistant Director, formally introduced in Season 13 as a new supervisor to the BAU's actions.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: She puts up a professional facade to hide the fact she's aspiring to become the new FBI Director, while unloading both her true intentions and her tendencies of control on the team with a condescending attitude.
* ControlFreak: She operates and regulates teams based off a need to display power and control thanks to her position, aiming for efficiency and effectiveness rather than any sort of team dynamic because she wants to be Executive Director. Prentiss even says she boasts of her power not because she has none, but because she can't get enough of it.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: She mentions having a six year old son to Rossi.
* {{Foil}}: To Erin Strauss. Like Strauss, Barnes is a higher power within the FBI who oversees the BAU's activities and is generally perceived as a "villain" for the team, interfering with the group and nearly causing their complete separation. However, while Erin was obstructive and did have personal grievances with the old team, at least she maintained tact and, once she understood how well they operated when left to their own devices with moderate supervision, she began to actively help the team a little more. Barnes, on the other hand, willingly separated the International Response Team and withdrew information of a certain case to aid her own climb in the FBI's ranks, while also managing to separate the BAU on technicalities and enforced accolades to look more diligent than she really is. Strauss could be selfish, but she wouldn't take the team apart unless she could at least find a good reason to chase, while Barnes will gladly do so if it means promoting herself up the ladder.
* HateSink: Pretty much unifies the BAU in how much they despise her.
* HoistByHerOwnPetard: The case she withdrew information from comes back to bite her when said case's Unsub returns to an active state, kidnaps and nearly kills the daughter of a US Senator, especially karmic due to Barnes firing JJ for asking about said case [[TooDumbToLive when it could be useful to their investigation]]. When the Senator does come to the scene to congratulate the team for saving his daughter, aware of their relocation, he forces Linda to reinstate Prentiss as Section Chief on the spot, who then informs him of Barnes' actions regarding the case and the team. He promptly tells her to go to his office the next day, the implicated punishment rather clear.
* ItsAllAboutMe: How Prentiss profiles her hold over the BAU. Because Linda aims for efficiency and control, she skims down the teams under her supervision down to the most effective members, cutting corners and evaluating each member by themselves, effectively pitting one against the other, as she did with Matthew Simmons' old team, the IRT. This is all because she truly wants to become the FBI's Executive Director, which would give her even more power and leniency to do as she pleases.
* KickTheDog: At the end of Season 13's "Annihilation", Barnes uses her connection to the Executive Director to successfully separate the BAU, using their accolades to reassign them to different positions and forcibly retiring Rossi, keeping only Simmons and Alvez while giving Jennifer a new position that boils down to being Barnes' lapdog and running each possible case and action through her first and foremost.
* LackOfEmpathy: She's more interested in having the BAU pursue cases that will look good in the media and is openly dismissive of victims she thinks the public won't empathise with, much to the fury of JJ and Alvez who protest they were people with families who deserve justice.
-->'''Barnes''': ''[talking about an Angel of Death targeting elderly immigrants]'' Immigrants? That's divisive. We need cases that unite the public: I can already hear people asking why they should care about some Mexican grandma?
-->'''Luke Alvez''': ''(outraged)'' People with elderly loved ones should care.
* NeverMyFault: By her own hand, an Unsub ends up shooting and nearly killing his intended target while he himself is killed when he could easily have been apprehended instead. Instead of taking responsibility for the operation failing, she blames the BAU under JJ's leadership (which Barnes herself imposed) and successfully gets the FBI's Executive Director to reassign each member apart from Alvez and Simmons, retire Rossi and essentially turning Jennifer into her lapdog.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Effectively replacing Erin Strauss in Season 13 as the new FBI member on a higher position who constantly interferes with the BAU team, but she's arguably worse than Strauss ever was. She also willingly withdrew information on a case during her time with the IRT to save face, which nearly cost the BAU a victim's life when said case's killer returns to action.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Her meddling gets her reassigned somewhere far away from the B.A.U., [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing much to the team's delight]].
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: When she separates the BAU, she assigns JJ as "Conditional Unit Chief", a position she created to essentially place Agent Jareau under her thumb and have her do as told.
* SlaveToPR: Part of her managing method, which is to only set the team to work on cases that will improve the FBI's image, all so she can give a boost to her own career and look more competent than she really is.
* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: JJ effectively accuses Barnes of having cost the lives of people the BAU could have saved without her constant interference. Given her LackOfEmpathy, Barnes is completely unfazed by the accusation.
-->'''Linda Barnes''': The BAU is an elite unit, your cases should play out that way in the media!
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': [[TranquilFury Twenty six]].
-->'''Linda Barnes''': I beg your pardon?
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': That is the number of people who have ''died'' since you sidelined the BAU. ''People die'' when we don't do our jobs. You need to let us do our job.
* TooDumbToLive: In "Annihilation", the Unsub is cornered by the BAU at an airport and is threatening suicide unless a witness they have under safety -- a woman the Unsub was stalking and is obsessed towards -- is brought to him. Even despite the fact that it is ''painfully obvious'' he's angry at said woman and is planning something, Barnes decides to '''bring her into the scene''' to try and pacify him, which of course results with the killer shooting the victim (she survives due to a covered bulletproof vest), forcing the BAU to put him down instead of arresting him as ''Barnes herself'' originally intended. Never mind that the Unsub was already lowering his gun on the team's urging and Linda put herself on risk as well as the victim, bulletproof vest or otherwise. And later, when JJ [[WhatTheHellHero rightfully calls her out on this]], Barnes' response is to accuse the BAU of "[[NeverMyFault being too slow]]".

[[folder: Deputy Director Doug Bailey]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/NicholasDAgosto
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aa151hob.jpg]]

\\
The ambitious new Deputy Director of the FBI who is introduced in Evolution.

* NonActionGuy: Prentiss calls him out as being this when she asks if he's ever had to pull his gun in the line of duty.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: He prevents the BAU from being able to do their jobs as effectively by splitting up the team, denying budget requests, and not allowing the BAU to hold certain suspects for interrogation.
* SlaveToPR: His reputation is everything to him. This becomes a problem for him in Oepidus Wrecks when [[spoiler: he has to ask Prentiss to keep his usage of a dating app secret as it would destroy his reputation. Later in the episode he also lets the UnSub go because he's afraid of what it would do to his personal reputation and relationship with the Senate.]]

!Notable Law Enforcement Personel
[[folder:John Blackwolf]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/GregoryCruz

->''"There are many paths to the same place. Trust me."''

\\
A teacher and sheriff from Terra Mesa, New Mexico, also a resident of the nearby Apache reserve, called in by the BAU and local police after a group of [=UnSubs=] starts killing people using Native-American rituals.

* BadassNative: He's an Apache member and a sheriff in Terra Mesa, and a really good one at that.
* CoolTeacher: Occasionally makes speeches and teaches children about Native-American culture at the local elementary school. He's also a sheriff and expert in combat.
* DeadpanSnarker: Pretty much engages in SnarkToSnarkCombat with Hotch the moment they meet.
* DoesNotLikeGuns: Refuses to use guns in combat and is disapproving of their use by others.
* MartialPacifist: He doesn't use guns, but is no stranger to combat, since he prefers to use a knife and his environment to disarm and knock down his opponents. He doesn't really like it when Hotch is pretty much forced to shoot down one of the assailants coming up behind Blackwolf, but it's clear that part of it is just snark.
* OneShotCharacter: The sheriff of the week of "The Tribe".
* ProverbialWisdom: His quote above is said to Hotch before they engage the members of Cally's tribe in their attack at the local school, and it's only part of the reprimand he gives Hotch for relying on firearms throughout the episode.
-->'''Hotch:''' ''"Just so you know? You sound like a fortune cookie."''
* RageBreakingPoint: Cally's interrogation drives him up a wall when they manage to make him admit his "tribe" is just a bunch of psychopaths looking for excuses to be racist and cruel. The moment Cally refers to Blackwolf's tribe as "savages", the BAU has to restrain him from beating him to a pulp.

[[folder:Stan Gordinski]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/SkippSudduth

->''"You'll always just be 'Derek' to me."''

\\
A Chicago detective who once arrested BAU member Derek Morgan in his youth when he got involved in a fight with gang members. He's become a recurring presence in Morgan's life ever since.

* TheAtoner: In "Restoration", promising Morgan to help with the case and arrest the [=UnSub=] properly. He also apologizes to him directly and later holds a press conference with him to discuss child molestation with the press.
* BrokenPedestal: When he learns that Carl Buford is the child rapist and murderer he's been looking for all those years, since Buford built a reputation as a respected community center owner.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a hard-ass policeman with a penchant for antagonizing people he's had minor encounters with, but he's ultimately just trying to do a good job. By Season 8, the "jerk" part has [[TookALevelInKindness significantly]] subsided.
* InspectorJavert: He's been trying to pin Morgan for any crime he could put on him ever since he first arrested him, and is utterly confident he's doing the right thing by taking him in for the murders of three boys during "Profiler, Profiled" since he supposedly fits the profile Gideon sent him regarding the case. To say he's repentant when the truth is revealed about the case is an understatement.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The culmination of "Profiler, Profiled" sees him learn of Derek's past as a victim of child molestation at the hands of Carl Buford, a community member Gordinski had a lot of respect for, and realize he's treated Morgan badly for too long. By Season 8, the change of heart clearly stuck.

[[folder: Eva Ruiz]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/MarleneForte

->''"I feel like the only one around here who gives a damn."''

A former Brooklyn homicide detective who semi-retired to be the sheriff of the border town of Terlingua, Texas, only to notice numerous undocumented immigrants going missing.

* SacrificialLion: Ruiz does her best to stop the unsub once she realizes who he is, but he guns her down.

[[folder:Matt Spicer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/EricClose

->''"I love you, Ellie."''

\\
A California detective investigating the Prince of Darkness killings, having called the BAU to help with the proceedings. His own involvement in the case is bigger than he realizes.

* HeroicSacrifice: Lets himself be killed by Billy Flynn so his daughter will survive. Unfortunately, [[AllForNothing he never planned to kill her anyway]].
* ItsPersonal: The Prince of Darkness case, since it's his biggest unsolved case to that point and, as it turns out, the killer murdered his own parents when he was younger.
* YouOweMe: Billy Flynn started killing in California again because he was building up to Matt's family, since he feels responsible for Spicer's rise in the ranks after letting him live.

!Other Notable Characters

[[folder:Lila Archer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AmberHeard

->''"I'm not gonna stop living my life. I'm just not."''

A TV actress on the rise who's been targeted by a vicious stalker killing people she cares about. The BAU's investigation gets her interested in Reid.

* DamselInDistress: At the end of the episode when Maggie Lowe holds her at gunpoint in her bedroom, requiring Reid to talk her down.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Due to their careers and the risk involved in Reid's, he ultimately rejects her proposals to start dating and she moves on to focus on her acting.
* {{Protectorate}}: Reid's, as he was assigned to keep her safe at her home after she previously showed an interest on him. He does end up having to save her when the [=UnSub=], Lila's friend Maggie, sneaks into her home and threatens to kill Lila if her "affection" isn't returned.

[[folder:Evan Abby]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Tom Schanley

->''" There's something missing from this scenario, don't ya think? The innocent family? You know, the victims. That's what the suit's for, right? So you can see the terror on their faces as they burn."''

A former environmental lawyer who formed the Earth Defense Force to protest companies failing to clean up leaking chemical storage tanks, he is initially suspected of being the [=UnSub=] behind a series of arson attacks on people his group named and shamed. Though cleared as a suspect, he and Hotch form a connection during the investigation.

* AnimalWrongsGroup: Averted: the [=BAU=] initially assume the Earth Defense Force to be one of these, but Abby asserts that they never went beyond political protests and campaigning, and [[EveryoneHasStandards they certainly do not stoop to murder to make their point]].
* DeadpanSnarker: Upon spotting Prentiss holding a camera she's been using to take surveillance photos of him, Abby snarks "Hope your pictures come out ok".
* EveryoneHasStandards: He has no problem with naming and shaming people who break environmental laws online, but he is genuinely appalled when the [=BAU=] inform him an arsonist [=UnSub=] is exploiting his group to find victims among those he listed online, since he never advocated killing anyone to make his point.
-->'''Vincent Styles''': ''[about the victims]'' Why do you care? You didn't know them.
-->'''Evan Abby''': ''[outraged]'' [[SuddenlyShouting NEITHER DID YOU!]]
** When Abby cannot bring himself to look at photos of the Unsub's victims, Gideon concludes he's innocent, as if he were the Unsub, [[NightmareFetishist he would not be able to look away]].
* {{Foil}}: To Hotch. They're both [[MarriedToTheJob career driven men]] (Abby an environmental lawyer, Hotch an FBI agent) who are [[GoodParents devoted fathers]], but regret their careers mean they're not as big a presence in their sons' lives as they might wish, and that their careers caused their once happy marriages to deteriorate, and it's implied they were [[WideEyedIdealist more idealistic in their youth]] before becoming more jaded due to the nature of their work. Both of them have sons who lose a parent due to the actions of an Unsub that their fathers went on to kill (Abby killed Vincent Styles in a HeroicSuicide, while Hotch beat George Foyet to death for his murder of Haley).
* FlawExploitation: Knowing from Hotch that Vincent Styles is [[{{Narcissist}} a complete narcissist]], Abby flatters Styles into believing he needs his help to commit an act of arson, luring Styles into a fatal trap.
* HeroicSuicide: He's already dying of cancer, so he has no problem with killing himself if [[TakingYouWithMe it takes the pyromaniac Unsub who infiltrated his organisation with him]]. Hotch even states afterwards that Evan wanted his death to mean something.
-->'''Vincent Styles''': [[VillainousBreakdown How do you plan on getting out of here]]?!
-->'''Evan Abby''': [[PreMortemOneLiner I don't]].
* KillItWithFire: Lures Vincent Styles into a building full of leaking benzene tanks and sets it ablaze, killing them both.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The folder quote is part of him giving one to Vincent Styles, the [=UnSub=] exploiting his group to find potential victims.
* SecretlyDying: Abby is hiding his terminal leukemia from his family. Hotch figures it out by recognizing the pattern his own father went through before his death: unexplained weight loss, visiting lawyers, closing bank accounts, etc.
* TheTopicOfCancer: He has terminal leukaemia, caused by years of working around leaking underground chemical storage tanks. Abby considers it a form of LaserGuidedKarma for his years of helping corporations hide evidence of their chemical leaks instead of actually cleaning it up.
* YouWouldntShootMe: When Stiles realises Abby has worked out he's the [=UnSub=], he pulls out a gun, clearly intending to [[HeKnowsTooMuch shoot Abby to cover his tracks]]. To his horror, Abby dares Stiles to shoot him, pointing out that the muzzle flare from the gunshot alone will be enough to ignite the leaking benzene tanks under the warehouse they're in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He's got six months to live from terminal leukaemia. While trailing him for surveillance, Hotch and Prentiss realise that what they suspected was him about to make a run for it was Abby setting his affairs in order.

[[folder:Nathan Harris]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AntonYelchin

->''"I didn't kill her, I just... Really wanted to."''

An incidental character met by Reid in Season 2 during a case involving a vigilante-type spree killer. Harris is a mentally-disturbed young man who fantasizes about killing prostitutes, but who sought out Spencer to get help.

* BeingEvilSucks: He's essentially developing a type of psychopathy that involves sexual sadism, and this would usually mean he'd be just another [=UnSub=]... Except instead of giving into the urge to kill, he actively seeks out the [=BAU=] in order to get help, since he doesn't want to do it and it's greatly distressing him.
* DrivenToSuicide: He's thankfully stopped by the prostitute he lured into a room with him when she calls Reid and helps him with his slit wrists.
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: A dark variation. He certainly ''wants'' to be a better person despite his mother claiming he's already a nice guy, and he's actively trying to seek help for his condition, except his condition is psychopathy and he's fighting an urge to kill for pleasure, all while being accused of the spree killings taking place during the episode.
* RedHerring: He spends most of "Sex, Birth, Death" being accused of being the [=UnSub=] since he tangentially fits the profile, and admitted to wanting to kill prostitutes just when the spree killings began. Except of course, he's not the killer, nor does he want to be one.
** The whole episode also teases that he might end up succumbing and kill someone, but when he finally does get the chance, he ends up trying to kill himself instead.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: He's finally given the opportunity to kill a prostitute near the end after having one alone with him in a motel room. But after so much mental torture and still wanting to resist his violent urges, he ends up cutting his own wrists instead of hurting her, and she successfully helps to contain the bleeding until paramedics arrive.

[[folder:Tracy Belle]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/ElleFanning

A recurring character in Season 2, Tracy was a little girl and one of Jeffrey Charles' intended victims before the [=BAU=] saved her. Except a returning Frank Breitkopf targets her and other people saved by the team in order to kill them.

* BackForTheFinale: Season 2's finale, that is. She's an intended victim of Frank Breitkopf's revenge against the team, having already been kidnapped by the time the team follows his trail to Virginia.
* DamselInDistress: The poor girl can't catch a break. She was almost killed by one of her own classmates, and then a creepy old man kidnaps and tries to kill her just to mess with the [=BAU=].
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: A blond-haired little girl and cute as a button.

[[folder:Carrie Ortiz]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JoannaFlores

->''"Are there any happy families?"''

A girl orphaned in Season 3, who catches Prentiss's attention.

* SoleSurvivor: Carrie is the only survivor of the attack on the Ortiz family due to Ervin messing up the lethal injection on her. She suffers from SurvivorGuilt as a result.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Once Carrie learns of Ervin's abuse, she is much more compassionate towards him despite him having attempted to kill her.

[[folder:Paul Davies (Dante)]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/GavinRossdale

->''"You know, all I ever really wanted to do was make music, and I'm not sure when that stopped being enough."''

A goth rock musician with a wild lifestyle who becomes a suspect during Season 5's "The Performer" after his fans start showing up dead with his album's name carved on their bodies.

* {{Foil}}: Lila Archer was a clean-cut actress still on the rise who loved what she did, but had her views rocked when the [=UnSub=] of her episode, her own best friend, killed people she cared about personally, yet Lila still insisted on continuing without fear. Dante's career, meanwhile, is at a low point by the time of his episode and, with his own agent orchestrating the death of his fans for the sake of profit. It's implied that he plans on retiring, or at least restarting his image and approach to music.
* {{Goth}}: A goth rock musician whose stage persona is a "vampire lord", with his fangirls as his "legion". This is downplayed, however, in that Paul Davies is seemingly tired of his persona and the lifestyle it brought him.
* JadedProfessional: It's clear from his attitude that being surrounded by crazy fans and indulging in the "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll" life has ultimately left Davies jaded on the profession, having lost track of his original passion along the way. The fact that the recent string of deaths was orchestrated by his agent didn't help.

[[folder:Ellie Spicer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/IsabellaMurad
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elliespicer.jpg]]

->''"Can't kill 'em all, can you?"''

An intended victim of the "Prince of Darkness" in Season 7, he took her in after murdering her entire family with the intention of molding her into a killer.

* BoyishShortHair: Done by Billy so she'll look less like a girl, also to help change her appearance so she wouldn't be easy to spot.
* BrokenBird: Watched her family die before her eyes, then ended up kidnapped by the man responsible after he developed a disturbing interest in her. It's amazing how she actually ends up downplaying this trope by staying firmly against Billy Flynn the whole way through.
* {{Foil}}: To Tracy Belle from Season 2. Both were intended victims of dangerous [=UnSubs=] who were saved just in time by the [=BAU=], but Tracy is a blond-haired GirlyGirl and still has her family with her, while Ellie is a black-haired {{Tomboy}} who tragically lost most of hers and acts a lot more maturely than her age suggests.
* ImportantHaircut: Billy cuts her hair to make her look less like her description.
* LittleMissBadass: Stands up to Billy and manages to screw over one of his crimes, mocking him the entire time. She also manages to run away from her negligent foster home and buy airplane tickets all on her own.
* MissingMom: Her mom disappeared for years. And then Billy offed her dad...
* MoralityPet: To Billy Flynn, who murdered her father, raped her aunt, killed her grandparents...and sees Ellie as a granddaughter figure.
%%* StockholmSyndrome: Averted

[[folder:Julio Ruiz]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/HakeemKaeKazim

->''"Your head is spinning because it's full of ghosts. You think you can do this work day in, day out and you don't carry it with you? It's eating your soul."''

\\
An incidental character met in Season 6. Julio is an ex-gangster and Palo practitioner brought in as a suspect in Hollis Walker's murders.

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: His eyes pretty much lock on to Reid the second they first see each other, and he immediately figures out he's suffering from headaches, as well as his overall personality, just by looking at him during interrogation. The man could easily be mistaken as a Palo counterpart to the BAU themselves from just how fast he can read people.
* BadassInDistress: He's taken hostage by Hollis Walker when his apprentice Elian is kidnapped and he goes looking for him. It was pretty much the first of two terrible ideas Walker would have that night.
* HolierThanThou: Distrusts police because of his upbringing and acts like they're merely pegging him for the criminal as an easy excuse, often citing his religion to distance himself from human cruelty. The ''second'' he hears that Elian might be the next victim, he drops it.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's quiet and distrusting of cops because of his history, but he works at a community center helping people and his practice is always done to help the locals. He also volunteers to help the BAU and cites a short Mayombe prayer to protect Reid when they go after the [=UnSub=].
* JerkassHasAPoint: He acts sanctimonious about it at first, but he correctly guesses Reid is putting up a facade of wellness to hide that the constant hardship of being an FBI agent is starting to get to him, and the headaches are only a part of it.
* RedHerring: Set up as one because of the profile marking him as a suspect of the killings in Miami. The team abandons the idea when Julio points out the inconsistencies with the Palo set-ups in the crime scenes, realizing the killer is only using the religion superficially.
* ReformedCriminal: A former member of a gang known as "Los Machetes", responsible for a string of gruesome deaths in Miami. He's been clean ever since he left.
* TheUnblinking: Stares at the one-way mirror like this when he's brought for interrogation. He's looking straight at Reid even through it.

[[folder:Sandra Madsen]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/KimHawthorne

A narcissistic newswoman and director of Channel 3 News in Miami from Season 13. Her coverage of a child's near-death experience years before becomes the focus of the BAU's investigation when said child resurfaces as a dangerous [=UnSub=].

* {{Foil}}: To Jeffrey Whitfield, the [=UnSub=]. Both crave attention from the media and both have an unethical approach to it, but even Sandra in her narcissism wouldn't resort to killing the way Jeffrey did.
* IgnoredAesop: The whole episode is a traumatic reminder towards Sandra of how dangerous her own need of attention is, especially when she's held hostage and almost killed for all the world to witness in a livestream set up by the [=UnSub=]... Except when he's arrested and Rossi confronts her, she's learned ''nothing'', even expressing a sense of ''thrill'' during the hostage situation and feeling completely validated when the reporters outside the Channel 3 HQ want to talk to her next.
* ThatOneCase: The carjacking case that traumatized Jeffrey Whitfield was both her biggest opportunity and a life-long waiting time bomb, having kickstarted her career as well as Jeffrey's StartOfDarkness. It was her interview that awakened his AttentionWhore tendencies and, unfortunately for the BAU, she's hell-bent on continuing her involvement years later.

* AscendedExtra: A double case. Firstly, when he went from one-time character originally only meant to appear in "Jones," to minor recurring one, when Creator/AJCook became pregnant, the writers had to create a love interest for her quickly and, remembering her chemistry with Will, brought him back to be her fiancee. Then secondly, when he went from minor recurring character he was through first 15 seasons to a major recurring one in Evolution.

* AscendedExtra: Originally only meant to appear in "Jones," when Creator/AJCook became pregnant, the writers had to create a love interest for her quickly and, remembering her chemistry with Will, brought him back to be her fiancee.

[[center: [- [[Characters/CriminalMinds Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsBAU BAU]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubs UnSubs]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsOneToFive UnSubs Seasons 1-5]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsSixToSeven UnSubs Seasons 6-7]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsEightToTen UnSubs Seasons 8-10]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsElevenToFifteen UnSubs Seasons 11-15]] | '''Others''' ]]-]

* DistressedDamsel: [[spoiler:Goes through one ''HELL'' of a story arc in Season 12; not only is her schizophrenia getting worse, she's now suffering from Alzheimer's disease and her new "nurse" turns out to be Lindsey Vaughn, who kidnaps her in order to torture Spencer.]]

* DistressedDamsel: At the end of the episode when Maggie Lowe holds her at gunpoint in her bedroom, requiring Reid to talk her down.

* DistressedDamsel: The poor girl can't catch a break. She was almost killed by one of her own classmates, and then a creepy old man kidnaps and tries to kill her just to mess with the [=BAU=].

* {{Foil}}: Lila Archer was a clean-cut actress still on the rise who loved what she did, but had her views rocked when the [=UnSub=] of her episode, her own best friend, killed people she cared about personally, yet Lila still insisted on continuing without fear. Dante's career, meanwhile, is at a low point by the time of his episode and, with his own agent orchestrating the death of his fans for the sake of profit, it's implied that he plans on retiring, or at least restarting his image and approach to music.

[[folder:Maeve Donovan]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/BethRiesgraf

->''"He's the one thing you can never take from us."''

[[folder:Matt Spicer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/EricClose

->''"I love you, Ellie."''

A California detective investigating the Prince of Darkness killings, having called the BAU to help with the proceedings. His own involvement in the case is bigger than he realizes.

* HeroicSacrifice: Lets himself be killed by Billy Flynn so his daughter will survive. Unfortunately, [[AllForNothing he never planned to kill her anyway]].
* ItsPersonal: The Prince of Darkness case, since it's his biggest unsolved case to that point and, as it turns out, the killer murdered his own parents when he was younger.
* YouOweMe: Billy Flynn started killing in California again because he was building up to Matt's family, since he feels responsible for Spicer's rise in the ranks after letting him live.

!Other Notable Characters

[[folder:Lila Archer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AmberHeard

->''"I'm not gonna stop living my life. I'm just not."''

A TV actress on the rise who's been targeted by a vicious stalker killing people she cares about. The BAU's investigation gets her interested in Reid.

* DistressedDamsel: At the end of the episode when Maggie Lowe holds her at gunpoint in her bedroom, requiring Reid to talk her down.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Due to their careers and the risk involved in Reid's, he ultimately rejects her proposals to start dating and she moves on to focus on her acting.
* {{Protectorate}}: Reid's, as he was assigned to keep her safe at her home after she previously showed an interest on him. He does end up having to save her when the [=UnSub=], Lila's friend Maggie, sneaks into her home and threatens to kill Lila if her "affection" isn't returned.

[[folder:Evan Abby]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Tom Schanley

->''" There's something missing from this scenario, don't ya think? The innocent family? You know, the victims. That's what the suit's for, right? So you can see the terror on their faces as they burn."''

A former environmental lawyer who formed the Earth Defense Force to protest companies failing to clean up leaking chemical storage tanks, he is initially suspected of being the [=UnSub=] behind a series of arson attacks on people his group named and shamed. Though cleared as a suspect, he and Hotch form a connection during the investigation.

!Notable Law Enforcement Personel
[[folder:John Blackwolf]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/GregoryCruz

->''"There are many paths to the same place. Trust me."''

A teacher and sheriff from Terra Mesa, New Mexico, also a resident of the nearby Apache reserve, called in by the BAU and local police after a group of [=UnSubs=] starts killing people using Native-American rituals.

* BadassNative: He's an Apache member and a sheriff in Terra Mesa, and a really good one at that.
* CoolTeacher: Occasionally makes speeches and teaches children about Native-American culture at the local elementary school. He's also a sheriff and expert in combat.
* DeadpanSnarker: Pretty much engages in SnarkToSnarkCombat with Hotch the moment they meet.
* DoesNotLikeGuns: Refuses to use guns in combat and is disapproving of their use by others.
* MartialPacifist: He doesn't use guns, but is no stranger to combat, since he prefers to use a knife and his environment to disarm and knock down his opponents. He doesn't really like it when Hotch is pretty much forced to shoot down one of the assailants coming up behind Blackwolf, but it's clear that part of it is just snark.
* OneShotCharacter: The sheriff of the week of "The Tribe".
* ProverbialWisdom: His quote above is said to Hotch before they engage the members of Cally's tribe in their attack at the local school, and it's only part of the reprimand he gives Hotch for relying on firearms throughout the episode.
-->'''Hotch:''' ''"Just so you know? You sound like a fortune cookie."''
* RageBreakingPoint: Cally's interrogation drives him up a wall when they manage to make him admit his "tribe" is just a bunch of psychopaths looking for excuses to be racist and cruel. The moment Cally refers to Blackwolf's tribe as "savages", the BAU has to restrain him from beating him to a pulp.

[[folder:Stan Gordinski]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/SkippSudduth

->''"You'll always just be 'Derek' to me."''

A Chicago detective who once arrested BAU member Derek Morgan in his youth when he got involved in a fight with gang members. He's become a recurring presence in Morgan's life ever since.

* TheAtoner: In "Restoration", promising Morgan to help with the case and arrest the [=UnSub=] properly. He also apologizes to him directly and later holds a press conference with him to discuss child molestation with the press.
* BrokenPedestal: When he learns that Carl Buford is the child rapist and murderer he's been looking for all those years, since Buford built a reputation as a respected community center owner.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a hard-ass policeman with a penchant for antagonizing people he's had minor encounters with, but he's ultimately just trying to do a good job. By Season 8, the "jerk" part has [[TookALevelInKindness significantly]] subsided.
* InspectorJavert: He's been trying to pin Morgan for any crime he could put on him ever since he first arrested him, and is utterly confident he's doing the right thing by taking him in for the murders of three boys during "Profiler, Profiled" since he supposedly fits the profile Gideon sent him regarding the case. To say he's repentant when the truth is revealed about the case is an understatement.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The culmination of "Profiler, Profiled" sees him learn of Derek's past as a victim of child molestation at the hands of Carl Buford, a community member Gordinski had a lot of respect for, and realize he's treated Morgan badly for too long. By Season 8, the change of heart clearly stuck.

[[folder:Matt Spicer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/EricClose

->''"I love you, Ellie."''

A California detective investigating the Prince of Darkness killings, having called the BAU to help with the proceedings. His own involvement in the case is bigger than he realizes.

* HeroicSacrifice: Lets himself be killed by Billy Flynn so his daughter will survive. Unfortunately, [[AllForNothing he never planned to kill her anyway]].
* ItsPersonal: The Prince of Darkness case, since it's his biggest unsolved case to that point and, as it turns out, the killer murdered his own parents when he was younger.
* YouOweMe: Billy Flynn started killing in California again because he was building up to Matt's family, since he feels responsible for Spicer's rise in the ranks after letting him live.

!Other Notable Characters

[[folder:Lila Archer]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/AmberHeard

->''"I'm not gonna stop living my life. I'm just not."''

A TV actress on the rise who's been targeted by a vicious stalker killing people she cares about. The BAU's investigation gets her interested in Reid.

* DistressedDamsel: At the end of the episode when Maggie Lowe holds her at gunpoint in her bedroom, requiring Reid to talk her down.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Due to their careers and the risk involved in Reid's, he ultimately rejects her proposals to start dating and she moves on to focus on her acting.
* {{Protectorate}}: Reid's, as he was assigned to keep her safe at her home after she previously showed an interest on him. He does end up having to save her when the [=UnSub=], Lila's friend Maggie, sneaks into her home and threatens to kill Lila if her "affection" isn't returned.

[[folder:Evan Abby]]
!!!'''Played by:''' Tom Schanley

->''" There's something missing from this scenario, don't ya think? The innocent family? You know, the victims. That's what the suit's for, right? So you can see the terror on their faces as they burn."''

A former environmental lawyer who formed the Earth Defense Force to protest companies failing to clean up leaking chemical storage tanks, he is initially suspected of being the [=UnSub=] behind a series of arson attacks on people his group named and shamed. Though cleared as a suspect, he and Hotch form a connection during the investigation.

* HotScientist: A beautiful geneticist Reid falls for after she helped him with his migraines.

[[center: [- [[Characters/CriminalMinds Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsBAU BAU]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubs UnSubs]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsOneToFive UnSubs Seasons 1-5]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsSixToTen UnSubs Seasons 6-10]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsSeasonsElevenToFifteen UnSubs Seasons 11-15]] | '''Others''' ]]-]

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The foolish to his brother Aaron's responsible. Like Hotch, Sean planned to study law, only to drop out to become a cook in a restaurant. Years later even that's fallen through and he's a bartender in New York, in a bar operated by some shady individuals. Sean resents Hotch's attempt to "play big brother" especially since the gap in age means that Aaron wasn't around Sean much as children (Aaron went to boarding school while Sean entered first grade).

* KnifeNut: Uses one in combat since he DoesNotLikeGuns.

[[center: [- [[Characters/CriminalMinds Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsBAU BAU]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubs UnSubs]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsBySeason [=UnSubs=] by Season]] | [[Characters/CriminalMindsUnsubsBySeasonPartTwo UnSubs By Season part II]] | '''Others''' ]]-]