History Characters / DeathWish

!Paul Kersey

->[-Played by: Creator/CharlesBronson-]

!Manny Fraker
[[quoteright:223:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mfdw3.jpg]]

The leader of the unnamed street gang in the third movie.

->[-Played by: Gavan O'Herlihy-]

* AxCrazy: After he meets Paul in the cell, he tells him that he'll kill an old lady, just for the hell of it.
* BigBad: Of ''Film/DeathWish3''.
* BulletProofVest: Was the only one smart enough to bring one of these to the final battle against Kersey, and it helps him shrug off a full round from both Kersey and the police chief. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Not enough to save him from the mini-bazooka Kersey had on hand, however]].
* FacialMarkings: Just like his cronies, the mark of his gang is on his forehead.
* GangBangers: Leads a group of particularly vile ones that are terrorizing New York.

!"Nathan White"
[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whitDWIV_7276.jpg]]

The person who hires Paul Kersey in the fourth film to take down the major drug rings in Los Angeles. He is actually an ambitious drug dealer under the identity of an absentee news magazine mogul, who seeks to take over the local drug businesses by tricking Paul to do the dirty work for him.

->[-Played by: John P. Ryan-]

* BigBad: Of ''Film/DeathWish4TheCrackdown''.
* BadassMustache: It's even better than Kersey's, and he's one of the most dangerous opponents Kersey's gone up against.
* TheChessmaster: This guy uses Kersey and his vigilante tendencies to eliminate his rivals in the drug trade. [[DidntThinkThisThrough Unfortunately, he made the mistake of painting a target on his own head after trying to kill Kersey and kidnapping one of his love interests]].
%%* CigarChomper
* DiabolicalMastermind: He's one of the only villains in the ''Death Wish'' series who manages to run rings around Kersey (and even use him to completely destroy all of the local drug competition), and probably comes the closest to killing him of any other antagonist aside from the previous film's Manny Franker.
* EasyImpersonation: He impersonates the real Nathan White (who's off on vacation in Europe for most of the film) and just has his henchmen and himself wear fancy suits, speak and act formally, and use White's mansion. It completely fools Kersey, but then again, the ruse only needed to last until the rest of the drug business was dead and "White" could [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness try and off Kersey]].
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* NoNameGiven: His real name is not revealed.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Tries to kill Kersey off by trapping him in a car with a bomb after he finishes off the last of the drug trade (and by extension the last of ''his'' competition). Unfortunately for him, it fails and he pays with his life.

!Tommy O'Shea
[[quoteright:237:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/osdwv.jpg]]

A mobster in the fifth movie, who brings Paul Kersey back into the vigilante game by killing his new wife-to-be.

->[-Played by: Michael Parks-]

* BigBad: Of ''Film/DeathWishVTheFaceOfDeath''.
* TheDon: He made his way through Irish gangs to be a boss of his own outfit.
%%* FauxAffablyEvil
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His mocking (and later [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]]) of Big Al for being fat and Reg for being black certainly qualifies.
* SinisterShades: Prefers to wear Music/EltonJohn-inspired shades in his public appearances.
* SmugSnake: A slimy, Irish mobster, he always manges to escape prosecution [[spoiler: because he has a [[TheMole mole]] in the D.A's office]] but once Kersey gets his sights on him, he acts like its' a minor annoyance. Even when his [[TheDragon dragon]] Chicki warns him not to underestimate Kersey, O'Shea is far too confident in his plans. Sadly, his overconfidence proved to be his undoing, as he wasn't savvy enough to realize he was a villain in a ''Death Wish'' movie and therefore, doomed.

!NYPD Lieutenant Frank Ochoa

A detective who investigates Kersey's killings.

-> [-Played By: Vincent Gardenia-]

* EnemyMine: In ''Film/DeathWishII'', he saves Paul Kersey from a hidden sniper targeting him, and then performs a HeroicSacrifice helping Paul take out members of Nirvana's gang, despite being on loan to the LAPD from the NYPD to track Kersey down and stop his vigilante spree.
* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: He is an opponent of Paul Kersey throughout the first film and much of the second film of the ''Death Wish'' series, but he gives Paul a chance to disappear at the end of the first film, and then saves him from Nirvana in the second film at the expense of his own life.

!Carol Kersey

Kersey's daughter.

-> [-Played By: Kathleen Tolan (''Film/DeathWish'') & Robin Sherwood (''Film/DeathWishII'')

* BreakTheCutie: A very tragic example. Her TraumaCongaLine begins with a home invasion by a random gang of hoodlums that results in her rape and the murder of her mother, understandably leaving her traumatized and afraid of being touched by even her father and fianceé. She gets better by the second film (despite remaining mostly mute), but ''another'' gang of criminals with a grudge against her father kidnap her and rape her once again, causing her to [[DrivenToSuicide jump out a window and fatally impale herself on a fence to escape them]].
* CuteMute: By the beginning of the second film, she has recovered from the worst phase of her catatonia and trauma from her rape and the death of her mother in the first film, but has graduated to this trope.

----

* BreakTheCutie: A very tragic example. Her TraumaCongaLine begins with a home invasion by a random gang of hoodlums that results in her rape and the murder of her mother, understandably leaving her traumatized and afraid of being touched by even her father and fianceé. She gets better by the second film (despite remaining mostly mute), but ''another'' gang of criminals with a grudge against her father kidnap her and rape her once again, causing her to jump out a window and fatally impale herself on a fence to escape them.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* SirSwearsALot: Is quite a pottymouth after showing his true colors.

The person who hires Paul in the fourth film to take down the major drug rings in Los Angeles. He is actually an ambitious drug dealer under the identity of an absentee news magazine mogul who is seeking to take over the local drug business and tricks Paul to do the dirty work for him.

A mobster in the fifth movie who becomes Paul's main target after he kills his new wife.

* TheDon
* FauxAffablyEvil
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: His mocking (and later [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]]) of Big Al and Reg certainly qualifies.
* SmugSnake: A slimy, Irish mobster, he always manges to escape prosecution [[spoiler: because he has a [[TheMole mole]] in the D.A's office]] but once Kersey gets his sights on him, he acts like its' a minor annoyance. Even when his [[TheDragon dragon]] Chicki warns him not to underestimate Kersey, O'Shea is far too confident in his plans. Sadly, his overconfidence proved to be his undoing, as he wasn't savvy enough to realize he was a villain in a Death Wish movie and therefore, doomed.

%%* BadassMustache
* TheChessmaster: This guy uses Kersey and his vigilante tendencies to eliminate his rivals in the drug trade.

%%* DiabolicalMastermind
%%* EasyImpersonation

%%* TheDon
%%* FauxAffablyEvil
%%* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain

* {{Badass}}: And he just gets better when he gets older.

* AcidBath: How Tommy meets his end in the final kill.

%%* BigBad

%%* BigBad

%%* BigBad

* WidowerHero: The entire thing began when he lost his wife to scumbags, and it just gets worse when his daughter joins her in the second movie.

An architect and UsefulNotes/KoreanWar veteran from New York who started killing criminals after his wife and daughter were attacked inside his own apartment. He started his vigilante career by killing bit-time bad guys (muggers, rapists etc.), moved to street gangs and by the end of the series takes on heavily armed mafiosos.

%%* AntiHero

* BerserkButton: While Paul kills all crooks equaly, he gives far worse punishments, to Rapists, Muggers and Drug Addicts.

* CartwrightCurse: No woman is safe from harm around Paul. Except for Geri, who left him due to his violent lifestyle.

* PartTimeHero: Does architect stuff when not shooting criminals.

%%* VigilanteMan: The TropeCodifier.
%%* WidowerHero

%%* GangBangers

%%* TheChessmaster

* AntiHero

* BadassLongcoat

* TheStoic
* UnwittingPawn: In the fourth film.
* VigilanteMan: The TropeCodifier.
* WidowerHero

* BigBad

* GangBangers

* BigBad
* BadassMustache
* TheChessmaster
* CigarChomper
* DiabolicalMastermind
* EasyImpersonation
* ManipulativeBastard

* BigBad
* TheDon
* FauxAffablyEvil
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain

An architect and [[TheKoreanWar Korean war]] veteran from New York who started killing criminals after his wife and daughter were attacked inside his own apartment. He started his vigilante career by killing bit-time bad guys (muggers, rapists etc.), moved to street gangs and by the end of the series takes on heavily armed mafiosos.

* AxCrazy

->[-Played by: CharlesBronson-]

* VigilanteMan

An architect and [[TheKoreanWar a Korean war]] veteran from New York who started killing criminals after his wife and daughter were attacked inside his own apartment. He started his vigilante career by killing bit-time bad guys (muggers, rapists etc.), moved to street gangs and by the end of the series takes on heavily armed mafiosos.

->[-Played by: Charles Bronson-]

* InseriesNickname: Mr. Vigilante.

!Paul Kersey [-(Charles Bronson)-]

!Manny Fraker [-(Gavan O'Herlihy)-]

!"Nathan White" [-(John P. Ryan)-]

!Tommy O'Shea [-(Michael Parks)-]

An architect from New York who started killing criminals after his wife and daughter were attacked inside his own apartment. He started his vigilante career by killing bit-time bad guys (muggers, rapists etc.), moved to street gangs and by the end of the series takes on heavily armed mafiosos.

* CartwrightCurse: No woman is safe from harm around Paul. Except for , who left him due to his violent lifestyle.

The person who hires Paul in the fourth film to take down the major drug rings in Los Angeles. He is actually an ambitious drug dealer under the identity of an absentee news magazine mogul. He's tricking Paul to do the dirty work for him so he can take over the local drug business.