History Characters / Luther

Characters for the {{BBC}} crime drama starring Idris Elba, about DCI John Luther, a police officer working for London's Serious Crime Unit.

[[/index]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Criminals]]

!!'''Owen Lynch'''
->Played by Sam Spruell

An Afghan war veteran whose father was incarcerated for murdering a police officer in a brawl, Owen goes on a killing spree, targetting police men in an attempt at forcing them to free his father in the second episode of Series 1.
----
* AbusiveDad: His father, Terry, emotionally and physically abused him, leaving him totally dependent upon his father's approval.
* AxeCrazy
* BerserkButton: Insulting his or his father's military record.
* ColdSniper
* CopKiller: Specifically targets the police.
* DrivenToSuicide: Tries to kill himself at the end of the Russian Roulette game, but is stopped by Luther.
* FreudianExcuse: He was abused relentlessly by his father. He served in Afghanistan and was discharged due to mental health problems. This caused his father to step up the abuse, leaving him the ruin we meet.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Was discharged from the army due to mental health issues.
* RussianRoulette: Plays a game with himself and Luther.
* SerialKiller: With a double digit bodycount, all of them police officers.
* ShellShockedVeteran: His experiences in Afghanistan only further unbalanced his already damaged psyche.
* SociopathicSoldier: Sociopathic ex-soldier, anyway.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* WellDoneSonGuy: Owen is utterly dominated by his father, who he desperately needs to impress.
* WesternTerrorists: His case is turned over to the antiterrorism unit.

!!'''Lucien Burgess'''
->Played by Paul Rhys

An owner of an occult bookshop who was investigated for murdering a woman ten years before, Lucien Burgess was beaten by the police, and parlayed that beating into a successful autobiography. A decade later, he tries to repeat his success, kidnapping another woman to replicate the pattern in the third episode of Series 1.
----
* BerserkButton: Being disrespected.
* BloodLust: Obsessed with blood, drinking it after draining it from his victims.
* ControlFreak: If Lucien isn't in control it bothers him badly, and he'll do anything to get it back.
* [[Cult]] Used to be the head of one.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He got his victims to come with him by threatening to murder their children. While it looks like he's going to kill them anyway he does in fact keep his word and leave the infants unharmed.
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* ItsAllAboutMe: Lucien wants to be famous and doesn't care who he hurts to get there.
* LackOfEmpathy
* {{Sadist}}: Of both the physical and psychological variety, draining his victims slowly of blood and feeding on their terror, while daring the police to come after him.
* SerialKiller: Albeit a very slow one, with three victims spread across thirty years.
* ShoutOut: To AleisterCrowley
* SmallNameBigEgo: Obsessed with getting respect.
* TheSociopath: Hits all of the requirements.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* VillainousBreakdown: After Luther outmaneuvers him.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Loves playing this card for the press.

!!'''Graham Shand'''
->Played by Rob Jarvis

A former taxi driver and mechanic with erectile dysfunction, Graham Shand begins murdering young women when he discovers that his wife is cheating on him, using the rush he gets from the murders in order to get it up. His pattern of murder rapidly escalates throughout the fourth episode of Series 1, using his guise as a cabbie to locate victims.
----
* DropTheHammer: He normally kills by strangulation, but when prostitute Layla hides in the bathroom, he uses a hammer to break down the door. [[spoiler:His wife kills him with it in the end of the episode.]]
* EvilIsPetty: Graham is a fundamentally pathetic character, which his wife calls him out on in the end.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Killed by his wife in the end]]
* LaughingMad: When finally arrested he gives off a series of insane laughs, that then collapse into tears.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Graham's prone to fits, mood swings, and violent breakdowns.
* MoodSwinger
* SerialKiller: Has five victims, plus his wife's lover, and the attempt on Layla.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* WouldHitAGirl: His entire MO revolves around killing women.

!!'''Daniel Sugarman'''
->Played by Ross [=McCall=]

A professional criminal from the USA, hired by Tom Meyer to kidnap James and Jessica Carrodus in episode 5 of Series 1. He proves to be completely without scruples, maiming Jessica to make a point, and threatening to cut her apart piece by piece until the police give him the diamonds he wants.
----
* BoomHeadshot: How [[spoiler:Reed kills him.]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: Of Jessica and later Tom Meyer.
* FingerInTheMail: Sends them Jessica's tongue in the mail.
* {{Greed}}: Money is Sugarman's primary motivation.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Why [[spoiler:Reed kills him]].
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Ian Reed]]
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Claims all he wants are the diamonds.
* PsychoForHire
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: He and his wife, Evangeline, are far more ruthless than their British counterparts.
* WouldHitAGirl: Cuts out Jessica's tongue, and subsequently [[spoiler:guts her for the diamonds when he finds out she swallowed them]].
* UnholyMatrimony: Married to one of his fellow kidnappers.
* VillainOfTheWeek

!!'''Cameron Pell'''
->Played by Lee Ingleby

An art student with a flair for the dramatic, Cameron Pell turns to murder in order to gain the publicity he wants, aiming to become a legend along the lines of Springheel Jack or Jack the Ripper. The hunt for him takes up the first half of Series 2.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the first part of Series 2.
* AttentionWhore: Absolutely has to be the centre of attention, mugging for CCTV cameras, putting one of his murders on the internet, and undergoing a FreakOut when he's ignored.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Of Justin Ripley, whom he manages to kidnap.
* CoolMask: Wears a Punch mask and cannot bring himself to kill without it on.
* DirtyCoward: Ultimately revealed as a coward and a weakling who cannot kill without his mask on.
* EvilIsPetty: His ex-wife sums him up well, if ineloquently when she describes him as "a freaky little freak." For all his delusions of grandeur, Cameron is a pathetic, sad little man trying to gain notoriety.
* GloryHound: Looking to be famous, in the same way that his idols were.
* KnifeNut: Makes all of his kills with knives.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Was at one point seeing a psychiatrist for treatment of his obsession with "legendary" serial killers. He hasn't been fixed, and his obsession remains.
* SerialKiller
* SmallNameBigEgo
* VillainousBreakdown: Loses it when Luther ignores him during their last confrontation. It makes him less dangerous, rather than more, and he's practically sobbing by the time Justin knocks him out.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: If you believe his {{motive rant}}s to Luther and Ripley, Cameron believes that he is going to shock the city of London out of its malaise and fix all of society's problems by giving them something to be really scared of. It's ridiculous, but he's not a mentally well man.
* WouldHitAGirl: His early victims are all women.
* WouldHurtAChild: His master plan revolves around kidnapping fourteen children, [[spoiler:killing them, and dissolving the bodies, creating a mass disappearance that he hopes will become legendary.]]

!!'''Robert & Nicholas Millberry'''
->Played by Stephen Robertson

A pair of identical twin killers engaged in a game to see who can kill the most people with the most primitive weapons. With each kill, the brothers earn experience points, which they use to upgrade their arsenals, graduating to more lethal weapons and greater massacres. The hunt for them takes up the second half of Series 2.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the second half of Series 2.
* AxeCrazy: Though quietly so.
* BadassBiker: Robert assaults three motorcycle couriers and steals one of their rides.
* BackUpTwin: The arrest of Robert leads to the reveal that Nicholas exists.
* BatterUp: Another one of the weapons they can use at the "starting level".
* ChallengeGamer: A very screwed up version.
* CreepyMonotone: When they do speak.
* CreepyTwins: Incredibly creepy twins.
* DeadManSwitch: The bomb on Nicholas' chest is rigged up to one. If he dies and releases the detonator it goes off, killing everyone within a hundred foot radius. Getting him to [[spoiler:deactivate the switch of his own free will]] is part of Luther's plan to stop him.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Robert is one within their arc, with his arrest serving to set them up for the appearance of Nick.
* DropTheHammer: One of the weapons they'll allow themselves to use as part of their game, using them to bludgeon people, smash windows, and vandalize cars.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: '''Robert:''' "When you do catch my brother, tell him I love him."
* FatalFlaw: Luther tries to use the twins' need to play games against them. It fails against Robert (who rolls a different result than what Luther was hoping for), but succeeds against Nicholas, letting Luther maneuver him into a position from which [[spoiler:he can be more easily taken out by snipers.]]
* FinalBoss: Nicholas is one for Series 2. He himself views Luther as one, who has to be defeated so that he can ascend to the "next level."
* {{Hikikomori}}: Luther references the term when describing the total emotional isolation the twins have inflicted on themselves.
* KnifeNut: Robert uses a knife to kill the three motorcycle couriers, and Nicholas uses one during his first attack in a shopping mall, wounding numerous people, and knifing one man to death onscreen.
* LackOfEmpathy: Totally void of any emotional affect.
* MadBomber: Nicholas straps a bomb to his chest to force the police to leave him alone.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Luther describes the twins as suffering from a "shared psychosis", and their total emotional withdrawal from society and unwillingness to make decisions without rolling their dice is indicative of something more than garden variety psychopathy.
* NiceHat: Both brothers favour baseball hats.
* {{Serial Killer}}s: Engaged in a twisted game of one upmanship no less.
* SiblingsInCrime
* SilentAntagonist: The twins barely communicate, and never speak while hunting.
* SingleMindedTwins: Robert and Nichoals come off as two halves of the same psychopathic individual.
* SlasherSmile: Nicholas cracks one out during his last confrontation with Luther.
* TheStoic: Show no emotion on their faces and speak in a CreepyMonotone when they do deign to talk.
* TrueFinalBoss: Nick for their arc and Series 2 as a whole, upstaging both his brother, and series BigBad Baba (whose defeat is comparatively anticlimactic).
* WaterGunsAndBalloons: Use plastic water guns loaded with hydrochloric acid as one of their starting weapons.
* WouldHitAGirl: Attack men and women with equal fervour.

!'''Paul Ellis'''
->Played by Kevin Fuller

The son of a murdered prostitute, Paul Ellis grew up to be a deeply disturbed man, who apprentices himself to retired serial killer the Shoreditch Creeper, picking up where the older man left off. He targets victims Carney missed, as well as several employees from the nursing home before being stopped by Luther. The hunt for him occupies the first half of Series 3.
----
* AbusiveMom: His prostitute mother locked him in a closet so that he could watch her with clients. This left him ''very'' screwed up.
* ArcVillain: For the first half of Series 3.
* BaldOfEvil
* ClarkKenting: Wears a wig and glasses in civilian life.
* CopKiller: Kills retired DCI Ronnie Holland, who knew who he and Carney were.
* EnfanteTerrible: Had already started creeping on the neighbours as a child.
* FreudianExcuse: His mother made him watch her with her clients; he then saw the Shoreditch Creeper torture, rape, and murder her. This has left him with a fundamentally broken attitude towards women, sexuality, and the world in general.
* HeManWomanHater: Hates women due to his treatment by his mother.
* SerialKiller: Kills four people and tries for three more.
* SilentAntagonist: Never speaks in either of the episodes he appears in.
* WouldHitAGirl: All his chosen victims are female, though he's willing to attack Luther and murder Craig Lane when they get in the way.

!!'''William Carney'''
->Played by Ned Dennehy

An old man in a nursing home, who is later revealed to have been the original Shoreditch Creeper (a serial rapist and murderer active from 1979-1983). Arrested for an unrelated murder, he spent twenty-five years in prison, and is now using his apprentice, Paul Ellis, to kill those he missed back then.
----
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He does seem genuinely angry about Paul's mother forcing him to watch her with her clients.
* EvilCripple: Reduced to being on an oxygen tank in his old age.
* EvilMentor: To Paul Ellis.
* EvilOldFolks: In his seventies and still capable of being repulsive.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To Paul Ellis.
* RetiredMonster: He was one, until Paul tracked him down and asked for his advice.
* SerialKiller: A retired one.
* SoftSpokenSadist
* WouldHitAGirl: Only targeted women.

!!'''Tom Marwood'''
->Played by Elliot Cowan

A vigilante who attempts to gain public support for his campaign by murdering criminals on the internet, giving his audience the chance to vote on whether they should live or die. He is the final antagonist of Series 3, and the show as a whole.
----
* ArcVillain: His arc is the show's final one.
* AttentionWhore: Desperate for the public to love him.
* [[spoiler:CopKiller: Kills Ripley in Series 3's third episode. He then murders George Stark in episode four, and tries to kill both Gray and Luther.]]
* [[spoiler:CruelMercy: Luther saves his life so that he is denied martyrdom and trapped in prison with the very people he loathes.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: The murder of his wife, and the inability of the justice system to do anything about it. Though it ends up being quite subverted as he himself ends up with a very idealized view of the world that results in his rampage.
* DeathSeeker: Aims to commit SuicideByCop, becoming a martyr to his cause.
* EvilCounterpart: His actions echo Luther's own more morally grey choices.
* FinalBoss: Of Series 3 and the show as a whole.
* GloryHound: Alice comments that his desire for the public's adoration is driving him as much as his desire for revenge.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: By the end of the series, Marwood has become a deranged, hateful man, who is willing to threaten to rape and murder a pregnant woman if it gets him his revenge.
* Hypocrite: His threatening to murder a pregnant woman unless her husband murders Milan Knizac (the man who killed his wife); even though his wife's murder led to his StartOfDarkness he's willing to inflict the same pain to get his revenge.
* IHaveYourWife: Does this to try and force a prison doctor to help him.
* NeverMyFault: When Marwood does something he himself acknowledges is bad he's quick to try and shift the blame to the police department, or anybody else he can think of.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: What he thinks he's doing and he holds to it until after trying to lynch a paedophile in front of an angry mob.
* {{Revenge}}: Aims to have it on the man who raped and murdered his wife.
* SadisticChoice: Tries to force Luther to choose between [[spoiler:Alice]] or Mary being executed.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Uses a shotgun as his WeaponOfChoice.
* StartOfDarkness: His wife's rape and murder, which makes his own kidnapping of a pregnant women and threat to kill her even more hypocritical.
* VigilanteMan: Realistically deconstructed [[spoiler:after the attempt at lynching a paedophile fails he targets one other criminal without killing him and ends up killing police, targeting loved ones of police and prison doctors. All because they're in the way of his moral crusade and can't see that he's right.]] During his final standoff with Justin, Justin flat out points out that if society does things Tom's way than inevitably innocent people will get hurt as well.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Killing Ripley triggers one as he starts to slide from his idealized, heroic, moral crusader to just a rampage killer with a desperate need for approval]]
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Plays this card after killing [[spoiler:Ripley]], blaming the police for confronting him.
* WouldHitAGirl: Goes after Mary [[spoiler:and Alice]], and kidnaps a prison doctor's pregnant wife.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Police officers]]

!!'''DSU (retired) George Stark'''
-> Played by David O'Hara
-->''Do you know what your problem is? You've spent your whole life thinking you're the whirlwind. While you're not. I'm the whirlwind, John. I'm the whirlwind.''

An obsessive internal affairs officer who was brought out of retirement in Series 3 for the specific purpose of bringing Luther down. In sharp contrast to the likes of Schenk, Stark is willing to break just as many rules as the people he is investigating, so long as he gets his man.

* CowboyCop: Hilariously, Stark breaks just as many rules and plays just as loosely with the law as Luther.
* CreepyMonotone
* TheHeavy: He's not a villain per se, but the conflict he instigates drives most of Series 3's non-case related action, with life-altering consequences for Luther and Ripley among others.
* HeroAntagonist: He means well, though one might question whether the lengths he goes to move him out of the "hero" category.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Stark's remarkably willing to violate procedure and the rule of law in order to bring in other coppers who do the same.
* InspectorJavert: Pursues Luther relentlessly throughout the final season.
* InternalAffairs
* ItsPersonal: He makes it personal with Luther, trying to destroy his relationship with Mary Day just to unsettle him.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Luther describes him as "a bit of a prick, but he means well."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Tom Marwood.]]
* MoralMyopia: When Luther violates procedure, it's bad. When Stark violates procedure, it's necessary.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Criminals]]

!!'''Owen Lynch'''
->Played by Sam Spruell

An Afghan war veteran whose father was incarcerated for murdering a police officer in a brawl, Owen goes on a killing spree, targetting police men in an attempt at forcing them to free his father in the second episode of Series 1.
----

!!'''Baba'''
->Played by Pam Ferris

A London crime boss and human trafficker who forces Luther to work for her by threatening Jenny and Caroline Jones. Her attempts at getting Luther to violate the law on behalf of her and her grandson, Toby, are a recurring plot thread beginning in the second episode of Series 2.

* TheBigBad: Her plotline runs throughout Series 2, and drives almost all of Luther's actions that are unrelated to the specific cases he is working on.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Does seem to care about her grandson.
* EvilOldFolks: Well into her old age, and still evil.
* KarmaHoudini: Luther's able to force her to leave he and Jenny alone, but she's never punished in any meaningful way.
* LondonGangster

!!'''Toby Kent'''
->Played by David Dawson

Baba's psychopathic grandson, Toby is a gangster, a human trafficker, a murderer, and an attempted rapist. He acts as one of his grandmother's enforcers, and is without a doubt the most repulsive member of her organization.

* AttemptedRape: Of Jenny Jones.
* AxeCrazy
* CoDragons: To his grandmother, alongside Frank Hodge.
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Uses his belt as a set of brass knuckles on Jenny.
* DrugsAreBad: Mixes cocaine and alcohol with predictably bad results.
* EnfanteTerrible: Informs Jenny that when he was eight he cut open a cat to see if there were kittens inside.
* {{Ephebophile}}: Tries to rape teenage Jenny.
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath: Knifed by a girl he was trying to rape.]]
* KickTheDog: His interactions with, and subsequent attempted rape of, Jenny Jones are one giant KickTheDog.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Killed by Jenny when he tries to rape her.]]
* LondonGangster
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Always well turned out.
* TheRival: He and Frank hate each other, and strive to outdo one another in his grandmother's esteem.
* SmugSnake
* TheSociopath: One of the more obvious examples on the show.

!!'''Frank Hodge'''
->Played by Alan Williams

A former corrupt cop who now acts as one of Baba's top henchmen. He's far saner than Toby, and spends a lot of time getting the younger man out of trouble.

* CoDragons: To Baba, alongside Toby.
* DirtyCop: Originally. By the time we meet him he's a retired dirty cop, and is working full time for Baba's human trafficking ring.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Lectures Toby about how he's misunderstood their relationship with Luther when the latter dismisses the DCI as a dirty cop,[[spoiler: falsely foreshadowing the latter's death, implying it will be at Luther's hands.]]
* EvilOldFolks
* FramingTheGuiltyParty: Luther [[spoiler:frames him for Toby's murder.]]
* KarmaHoudini: He has to [[spoiler:leave town, but he's still not punished in any real way for his crimes.]]
* TheRival: To Toby, whom he loathes but has to protect.

!!'''Robert & Nicholas Millberry'''
->Played by Stephen Robertson

A pair of identical twin killers engaged in a game to see who can kill the most people with the most primitive weapons. With each kill, the brothers earn experience points, which they use to upgrade their arsenals, graduating to more lethal weapons and greater massacres. The hunt for them takes up the second half of Series 2.

* ArcVillain: Of the second half of Series 2.
* AxeCrazy: Though quietly so.
* BadassBiker: Robert assaults three motorcycle couriers and steals one of their rides.
* BackUpTwin: The arrest of Robert leads to the reveal that Nicholas exists.
* BatterUp: Another one of the weapons they can use at the "starting level".
* ChallengeGamer: A very screwed up version.
* CreepyMonotone: When they do speak.
* CreepyTwins: Incredibly creepy twins.
* DeadManSwitch: The bomb on Nicholas' chest is rigged up to one. If he dies and releases the detonator it goes off, killing everyone within a hundred foot radius. Getting him to [[spoiler:deactivate the switch of his own free will]] is part of Luther's plan to stop him.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Robert is one within their arc, with his arrest serving to set them up for the appearance of Nick.
* DropTheHammer: One of the weapons they'll allow themselves to use as part of their game, using them to bludgeon people, smash windows, and vandalize cars.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: '''Robert:''' "When you do catch my brother, tell him I love him."
* FatalFlaw: Luther tries to use the twins' need to play games against them. It fails against Robert (who rolls a different result than what Luther was hoping for), but succeeds against Nicholas, letting Luther maneuver him into a position from which [[spoiler:he can be more easily taken out by snipers.]]
* FinalBoss: Nicholas is one for Series 2. He himself views Luther as one, who has to be defeated so that he can ascend to the "next level."
* {{Hikikomori}}: Luther references the term when describing the total emotional isolation the twins have inflicted on themselves.
* KnifeNut: Robert uses a knife to kill the three motorcycle couriers, and Nicholas uses one during his first attack in a shopping mall, wounding numerous people, and knifing one man to death onscreen.
* LackOfEmpathy: Totally void of any emotional affect.
* MadBomber: Nicholas straps a bomb to his chest to force the police to leave him alone.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Luther describes the twins as suffering from a "shared psychosis", and their total emotional withdrawal from society and unwillingness to make decisions without rolling their dice is indicative of something more than garden variety psychopathy.
* NiceHat: Both brothers favour baseball hats.
* {{Serial Killer}}s: Engaged in a twisted game of one upmanship no less.
* SiblingsInCrime
* SilentAntagonist: The twins barely communicate, and never speak while hunting.
* SingleMindedTwins: Robert and Nichoals come off as two halves of the same psychopathic individual.
* SlasherSmile: Nicholas cracks one out during his last confrontation with Luther.
* TheStoic: Show no emotion on their faces and speak in a CreepyMonotone when they do deign to talk.
* TrueFinalBoss: Nick for their arc and Series 2 as a whole, upstaging both his brother, and series BigBad Baba (whose defeat is comparatively anticlimactic).
* WaterGunsAndBalloons: Use plastic water guns loaded with hydrochloric acid as one of their starting weapons.
* WouldHitAGirl: Attack men and women with equal fervour.

!'''Paul Ellis'''
->Played by Kevin Fuller

The son of a murdered prostitute, Paul Ellis grew up to be a deeply disturbed man, who apprentices himself to retired serial killer the Shoreditch Creeper, picking up where the older man left off. He targets victims Carney missed, as well as several employees from the nursing home before being stopped by Luther. The hunt for him occupies the first half of Series 3.
----
* AbusiveMom: His prostitute mother locked him in a closet so that he could watch her with clients. This left him ''very'' screwed up.
* ArcVillain: For the first half of Series 3.
* BaldOfEvil
* ClarkKenting: Wears a wig and glasses in civilian life.
* CopKiller: Kills retired DCI Ronnie Holland, who knew who he and Carney were.
* EnfanteTerrible: Had already started creeping on the neighbours as a child.
* FreudianExcuse: His mother made him watch her with her clients; he then saw the Shoreditch Creeper torture, rape, and murder her. This has left him with a fundamentally broken attitude towards women, sexuality, and the world in general.
* HeManWomanHater: Hates women due to his treatment by his mother.
* SerialKiller: Kills four people and tries for three more.
* SilentAntagonist: Never speaks in either of the episodes he appears in.
* WouldHitAGirl: All his chosen victims are female, though he's willing to attack Luther and murder Craig Lane when they get in the way.

!!'''William Carney'''
->Played by Ned Dennehy

An old man in a nursing home, who is later revealed to have been the original Shoreditch Creeper (a serial rapist and murderer active from 1979-1983). Arrested for an unrelated murder, he spent twenty-five years in prison, and is now using his apprentice, Paul Ellis, to kill those he missed back then.
----
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He does seem genuinely angry about Paul's mother forcing him to watch her with her clients.
* EvilCripple: Reduced to being on an oxygen tank in his old age.
* EvilMentor: To Paul Ellis.
* EvilOldFolks: In his seventies and still capable of being repulsive.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To Paul Ellis.
* RetiredMonster: He was one, until Paul tracked him down and asked for his advice.
* SerialKiller: A retired one.
* SoftSpokenSadist
* WouldHitAGirl: Only targeted women.

!!'''Tom Marwood'''
->Played by Elliot Cowan

A vigilante who attempts to gain public support for his campaign by murdering criminals on the internet, giving his audience the chance to vote on whether they should live or die. He is the final antagonist of Series 3, and the show as a whole.
----

[[folder:Civilians]]

!!'''Jenny Jones'''
->Played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards

A teenaged prostitute and porn star, Jenny is rescued from the control of Baba and her family by Luther, who allows her to live at his home. Baba and Toby both attempt to use her as leverage against Luther, forcing Jenny to grow up along the way.
----
* TheCynic: She likes to think she is, though contact with Luther and Mark North softens her considerably.
* TheDogBitesBack: When Toby tries to rape her Jenny [[spoiler:drives a knife into the back of his head.]]
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Jenny's not a bad person, just a deeply messed up one with some spectacularly bad choices under her belt.

!!'''Mary Day'''
->Played by Sienna Guillory

A TemporaryLoveInterest for Luther, introduced in Series 3. She ends up right in the middle of George Stark's investigation, and suffers for it accordingly.
----
* DistressedDamsel: Manipulated by Stark and threatened by Marwood.
* GrewASpine: Manages to [[spoiler:stop Marwood from killing Alice]] in the end.
* NiceGirl: Her main character trait.
* UnwittingPawn: Stark uses her like a sock puppet as part of his attempt to unsettle Luther.
[[/folder]]

* [[Characters/LutherMain Main Characters]]

!!'''Alice Morgan'''

->Played by Ruth Wilson
[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvtropes_3179.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:260: The Black Hole to his Burning Sun ]]
-->'''Luther:''' I'm coming for you.
-->'''Alice:''' Not if I'm coming for you first.

A narcissistic astrophysicist who managed to get away with killing her parents in the first episode of Series 1, Alice develops a twisted crush on Luther after he works out how she did it. Deciding that the two of them are friends, Alice repeatedly interferes in Luther's life, frequently making things worse in her attempts to "help" him.

* Main/AffablyEvil
* AntiHero: When she's helping Luther.
* BadAss
* BadassBookworm: She did make a physics doctorate before her 20s, after all.
* Main/BerserkButton: Arguably Luther, whenever something stays in the way of their "friendship".
* BiTheWay: Alice casually mentions that she wouldn't mind female "companionship" since she's in a woman's mental hospital but all of her options are psychotic.
* CrazyPrepared
* Main/EvilCannotComprehendGood: Alice can't empathise with others, and has a great deal of trouble understanding why people do the things they do.
* EvilRedhead
* FemmeFatale
* Main/ForTheEvulz: What could you say about a woman who [[spoiler: murdered her two parents who raised her]] just to see if she could get away with it? She tends not to be restrained and seems amused about John and his ''morals''.
* FriendlyEnemy: With Luther.
* GoodIsDumb: Would argue this.
* Main/KnifeNut: When they're heading out on a job, Luther packs a gun. Alice empties her cutlery drawer.
* LackOfEmpathy
* Main/ManipulativeBastard
* TheMentallyIll: Alice's narcissism is treated as a mental illness rather than a personality flaw. Luther notes that it isn't her fault that she is what she is, and when she takes the rap for him at the end of Season 1, she ends up in a psychiatric facility, not jail.
* {{Narcissist}}: Profiled by Luther as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism malignant narcissist]], a nasty form of narcissism that combines narcissistic personality disorder with traits of antisocial personality disorder, leading to grandiose behaviour, sadism, rationalized antisocial activities, and an inability to identify with any but the most powerful and sadistic of authority figures. That last part goes a long way to explaining Alice's identification with, and attraction to, Luther.
* OddFriendship: Considers Luther her only real friend. Also ends up spending a lot of time with Mark, who she initially hates out of loyalty to Luther.
* PoisonousFriend
* {{Sadist}}: Comes with being a malignant narcissist. Hers is of a more psychological than physical bent.
* SelfMadeOrphan
** And now also a BlackWidow, if she was telling the truth.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Rarely speaks above a whisper.
* StalkerWithACrush: Almost certainly.
* StrawNihilist
* TakingTheHeat: Takes all of the blame for [[spoiler:Ian Reed]]'s murder, keeping Luther and Mark North out of it.
* TokenEvilTeammate
* UndyingLoyalty: She flat out admits that she would never betray Luther.
* TheUnfettered
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Luther, even tried to get him to run off with her to see the world.
* VillainousCrush: On Luther.
* {{Yandere}}: Arguably this.

!!'''Owen Lynch'''
->Played by Sam Spruell

An Afghan war veteran whose father was incarcerated for murdering a police officer in a brawl, Owen goes on a killing spree, targetting police men in an attempt at forcing them to free his father in the second episode of Series 1.
----

!!'''DCI John Luther'''
[[quoteright:279:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvtropes1_7626.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:279: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”]]

->Played by Creator/IdrisElba

-->"Why did I come here? 'Cause I wanted to tell you I know you kept the gun, and sooner or later I'll find it."

The titular character, Luther is a brilliant cop with some serious personal issues. After a case involving a child murderer ends with the culprit in a coma, Luther comes under intense scrutiny from the higher ups in the department, who are just waiting for him to screw up.

* AntiHero: John is relatively good, but dangerous. John has proved that he will go beyond the law and beyond 'good' to do what he needs to ultimately.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
** BadassBeard
** BadassMoustache
%%* BatmanGambit
* BerserkButton: Threatening Zoe.
* CowboyCop
* DeathSeeker: If he's not outright suicidal, he's got a major adrenaline addiction.
* DefectiveDetective: A brilliant copper - whose personal life outside work is nonexistent and who frequently finds ways to put himself in life-or-death situations. The fact that Alice is his only 'confidant' says a lot.
* DirtyCop: Possibly the only heroic protagonist to be this. Luther's definitely one of the good guys, but he's also pretty corrupt, though not in the traditional, bribe-taking sense. No, he's dirty in the sense that he's willing to go to any lengths to secure justice (or protect his friends), no matter what proper police procedure or the letter of the law require. Which basically means that he's not above planting evidence on people who are clearly guilty, nor using extremely underhanded tactics to produce evidence, consulting with a murderer, or letting a child murderer fall to his death [[spoiler: (though he didn't die, at least not by Luther's hand)]]. Lastly, and probably most importantly, [[spoiler: Luther is willing to help Ian Reed cover up all his crimes (murder, taking of bribes, conspiracy, etc.) out of friendship, until, of course, Reed kills Zoe.]]
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Right in the pilot: The very first thing he does after he extorted important information from a kidnapper who was responsible for the death of several abduceted children - [[KickTheSonOfABitch makes him fall down from a bridge]]. From there it's quite clear that this isn't your usual "by the book"-tv cop.
* FairCop
* FearlessFool: Big time. You could say it almost overlaps with DeathSeeker, because he almost always arranges situations were he's alone with the suspect with little backup.
* FriendlyEnemy: With Alice.
* GeniusBruiser: Luther is large, can take a beating and throw a good punch. He can also exchange ideas on logic and philosophy with a genius sociopath.
* GoodIsNotNice
* GreyAndGrayMorality: He will bend rules to the breaking point. [[spoiler: Help bury bodies and frame other criminals. Threaten witnesses to protect someone under his care.]] Hence his {{AntiHero}} status.
* GuileHero
* HeroWithBadPublicity: John is helping people but all the people he works with just see rage issues and unreliability...
** DudeWheresMyRespect: ...and yet, he manages to [[AvertedTrope avert this trope]]. Everyone acknowledges that he's a brilliant cop - his boss responds with "he's back" when Luther sees through Alice in one conversation; Schenk admits that while he'll sack him on charges of improper conduct without blinking, he'll also do that to a good man and policeman; and Zoe immediately trusts him when told that she's in danger without any evidence at all, solely based on Luther being Luther.
* HotBlooded: Alice warns him that this is his biggest weakness in the first season finale.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Luther tends to tower over most of the women he's seen with.
* ILetGwenStacyDie
* LimitedWardrobe: A rack of nigh-identical outfits is another sign of how much work dominates his life.
* MagneticHero: Interactions with him inspire Alice's and Justin's UndyingLoyalty to him. [[spoiler:Also, in the last episode of the first series he manages to convince Mark North, who until their meeting thought he was the one who murdered Zoe, not only of his innocence, but also to help him with his plan to bring down Ian Reed.]]
* MoralityPet: A loose one to Alice. He is the only person outside of herself that she cares for and is willing to curb her more bloody and self interested tendencies for.
* OddFriendship: With both Alice, [[{{FortheEvulz}} the woman who murdered her parents to see if she could]] and Mark, the man who used to sleep with John's wife.
* PapaWolf: Has shades of this with Jenny Jones.
* ScaryBlackMan: Over 6 feet tall and with some serious anger issues just waiting to get out. Henry Madsen tried to escape him at all costs for a reason.
* TrueCompanions: By the end of the second series, he's one with [[SociopathicHero Alice]], [[TheLancer Justin]], [[FireForgedFriends Mark]] and [[DaChief Schenk]].
* TheUnfettered
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Alice.
* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: He's not too much easier to piss off than most people. The difference is when he gets pissed off, he breaks things, like doors, windows, and people.

!!'''DS Justin Ripley'''
->Played by Warren Brown

A young detective assigned to work with Luther in the pilot episode. He becomes one of Luther's closest and most loyal allies.

* TheApprentice: He fills this role for Luther. At one point Luther tells him that soon he'll be ready to do his job, and have his own Little Ripley's.
* TheLancer: To Luther.
* NiceGuy: One of the most friendly and agreeable characters on the show.
* PromotedFanboy: Apparently he was a big fan of Luther's work as a detective, before being assigned to work with him.
* [[spoiler: SacrificialLion: He's tragically killed by the vigilante killer in the second to last episode.]]
* ShipTease: With Erin Grey. [[spoiler: He's killed off before anything can happen though.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Throughout the whole series.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Luther. First shown during Season 1 when [[spoiler: Luther is framed for killing Zoe.]] and later in Season 3 when he refuses to sell him out to Stark and Grey, despite the pressure they force on him.

!!'''DCI Ian Reed'''
->Played by Steven Mackintosh

Luther's oldest and closest friend on the force, Reed has some secrets of his own that he is doing his best to keep covered up.

* [[spoiler:BigBadFriend: To John Luther]]
* [[spoiler:BitchInSheepsClothing: A genuinely awful person hides behind Reed's friendly demeanour.]]
* BlackBestFriend: Inverted. He spends the early part of the show as Luther's underdeveloped, white best friend, before taking centre stage in Episode 5.
* [[spoiler:DeathSeeker: Does everything he can to force Luther to kill him in the end. Alice and Mark do it for him.]]
* DirtyCop: Pretends to be one in Episode 3 of Series 1 order to lure out Lucien Burgess.[[spoiler: We later learn he was involved in diamond theft]]
* [[spoiler:FinalBoss: Of Series 1, as revealed in Episode 5.]]
* [[spoiler:ItsPersonal: With Luther, after he kills Zoe]]
* [[spoiler:KillerCop: Murders a number of people, including Zoe, to try and cover up his criminal actions.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this reaction after [[spoiler:killing Zoe to frame Luther]].
* NeverMyFault: Blames [[spoiler:Luther for his crimes]] rather than accepting responsibility.
* OnlyFriend: In Series 1 he is Luther's only friend, unless you want to count [[FriendlyEnemy Alice]].
* SuicideByCop: Tries to force [[spoiler:Luther]] to kill him. When he refuses [[spoiler:Alice steps in]].
* VigilanteMan: Luther becomes worried about Ian turning into one of these.
* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler: Mostly because of his abrupt FaceHeelTurn at the end of the first season.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and [[spoiler:Luther]] were actually friends at some point, but it hasn't been true on [[spoiler:Ian's end]] for a long time.
* [[spoiler:WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Blames Luther for making him kill Zoe and for making him attack him at the end.]]
* [[spoiler:WithFriendsLikeThese: Not only slept with Luther's wife in the backstory, but murdered her in the present, framing Luther for it.]]

!!'''DSU Rose Teller'''
->Played by Saskia Reeves

Luther's boss in Series 1, Rose Teller is a no-nonsense cop who nonetheless is willing to tolerate Luther due to his ability to get the job done.

* BenevolentBoss
* DaChief

!!'''DSU Martin Schenk'''
->Played by Dermot Crowley

An internal affairs officer investigating Luther in Series 1, Detective Superintendent Martin Schenk becomes Luther's boss in Series 2 & 3 as head of the new Serious & Serial Crimes Unit. He is dedicated to ridding the force of corrupt police officers, which to his dismay, may include Luther.

* BenevolentBoss: In Series 2.
* CoolOldGuy
* InspectorJavert: In Series 1, though of a far more sympathetic variant than many.
* InternalAffairs: A positively portrayed version.

!!'''DS (later DCI) Erin Gray'''
->Played by Nikki Amuka-Bird

A new detective assigned to Serious & Serial Crimes in Series 2. She is distrustful of Luther from the start, and after several bad experiences with him and Ripley transfers to InternalAffairs, where she's partnered with George Stark as part of a plot to bring down Luther.

* {{BST}}: Has a fair amount with Ripley.
* ByTheBookCop: Which causes her immense friction, first with Luther, and then with Stark.
* FakeOutMakeOut: With Ripley in Series 3 when she sees Luther spying on them.
* HeroAntagonist: Erin genuinely does mean well, and wants to see bad coppers brought down. She just also has a serious bone to pick with Luther which clouds her judgement.
* {{Hypocrite}}: For all her problems with Luther's rule-breaking she's very tolerant of Stark's (though in her defence she still does call him out on some of it).
* InspectorJavert: In Series 3.
* InternalAffairs: Transfers there after Ripley ruins her career in Serious & Serial.
* ItsPersonal: With both Luther and Ripley in Series 3.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Even though she left the Serious & Serial Unit in disgrace, she was still allowed to be kept on the force and even got promoted to Detective Chief Inspector (the same rank as Luther), never the less she feels the need to go after Luther.

!!'''DSU (retired) George Stark'''
-> Played by David O'Hara
-->''Do you know what your problem is? You've spent your whole life thinking you're the whirlwind. While you're not. I'm the whirlwind, John. I'm the whirlwind.''

An obsessive internal affairs officer who was brought out of retirement in Series 3 for the specific purpose of bringing Luther down. In sharp contrast to the likes of Schenk, Stark is willing to break just as many rules as the people he is investigating, so long as he gets his man.

* CowboyCop: Hilariously, Stark breaks just as many rules and plays just as loosely with the law as Luther.
* CreepyMonotone
* TheHeavy: He's not a villain per se, but the conflict he instigates drives most of Series 3's non-case related action, with life-altering consequences for Luther and Ripley among others.
* HeroAntagonist: He means well, though one might question whether the lengths he goes to move him out of the "hero" category.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Stark's remarkably willing to violate procedure and the rule of law in order to bring in other coppers who do the same.
* InspectorJavert: Pursues Luther relentlessly throughout the final season.
* InternalAffairs
* ItsPersonal: He makes it personal with Luther, trying to destroy his relationship with Mary Day just to unsettle him.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Luther describes him as "a bit of a prick, but he means well."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Tom Marwood.]]
* MoralMyopia: When Luther violates procedure, it's bad. When Stark violates procedure, it's necessary.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Criminals]]

!!'''Alice Morgan'''

->Played by Ruth Wilson
[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvtropes_3179.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:260: The Black Hole to his Burning Sun ]]
-->'''Luther:''' I'm coming for you.
-->'''Alice:''' Not if I'm coming for you first.

A narcissistic astrophysicist who managed to get away with killing her parents in the first episode of Series 1, Alice develops a twisted crush on Luther after he works out how she did it. Deciding that the two of them are friends, Alice repeatedly interferes in Luther's life, frequently making things worse in her attempts to "help" him.

* Main/AffablyEvil
* AntiHero: When she's helping Luther.
* BadAss
* BadassBookworm: She did make a physics doctorate before her 20s, after all.
* Main/BerserkButton: Arguably Luther, whenever something stays in the way of their "friendship".
* BiTheWay: Alice casually mentions that she wouldn't mind female "companionship" since she's in a woman's mental hospital but all of her options are psychotic.
* CrazyPrepared
* Main/EvilCannotComprehendGood: Alice can't empathise with others, and has a great deal of trouble understanding why people do the things they do.
* EvilRedhead
* FemmeFatale
* Main/ForTheEvulz: What could you say about a woman who [[spoiler: murdered her two parents who raised her]] just to see if she could get away with it? She tends not to be restrained and seems amused about John and his ''morals''.
* FriendlyEnemy: With Luther.
* GoodIsDumb: Would argue this.
* Main/KnifeNut: When they're heading out on a job, Luther packs a gun. Alice empties her cutlery drawer.
* LackOfEmpathy
* Main/ManipulativeBastard
* TheMentallyIll: Alice's narcissism is treated as a mental illness rather than a personality flaw. Luther notes that it isn't her fault that she is what she is, and when she takes the rap for him at the end of Season 1, she ends up in a psychiatric facility, not jail.
* {{Narcissist}}: Profiled by Luther as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism malignant narcissist]], a nasty form of narcissism that combines narcissistic personality disorder with traits of antisocial personality disorder, leading to grandiose behaviour, sadism, rationalized antisocial activities, and an inability to identify with any but the most powerful and sadistic of authority figures. That last part goes a long way to explaining Alice's identification with, and attraction to, Luther.
* OddFriendship: Considers Luther her only real friend. Also ends up spending a lot of time with Mark, who she initially hates out of loyalty to Luther.
* PoisonousFriend
* {{Sadist}}: Comes with being a malignant narcissist. Hers is of a more psychological than physical bent.
* SelfMadeOrphan
** And now also a BlackWidow, if she was telling the truth.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Rarely speaks above a whisper.
* StalkerWithACrush: Almost certainly.
* StrawNihilist
* TakingTheHeat: Takes all of the blame for [[spoiler:Ian Reed]]'s murder, keeping Luther and Mark North out of it.
* TokenEvilTeammate
* UndyingLoyalty: She flat out admits that she would never betray Luther.
* TheUnfettered
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Luther, even tried to get him to run off with her to see the world.
* VillainousCrush: On Luther.
* {{Yandere}}: Arguably this.

!!'''Owen Lynch'''
->Played by Sam Spruell

An Afghan war veteran whose father was incarcerated for murdering a police officer in a brawl, Owen goes on a killing spree, targetting police men in an attempt at forcing them to free his father in the second episode of Series 1.

* AbusiveDad: His father, Terry, emotionally and physically abused him, leaving him totally dependent upon his father's approval.

* BerserkButton: Insulting his or his father's military record.
* ColdSniper
* CopKiller: Specifically targets the police.
* DrivenToSuicide: Tries to kill himself at the end of the Russian Roulette game, but is stopped by Luther.
* FreudianExcuse: He was abused relentlessly by his father. He served in Afghanistan and was discharged due to mental health problems. This caused his father to step up the abuse, leaving him the ruin we meet.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Was discharged from the army due to mental health issues.
* RussianRoulette: Plays a game with himself and Luther.
* SerialKiller: With a double digit bodycount, all of them police officers.
* ShellShockedVeteran: His experiences in Afghanistan only further unbalanced his already damaged psyche.
* SociopathicSoldier: Sociopathic ex-soldier, anyway.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* WellDoneSonGuy: Owen is utterly dominated by his father, who he desperately needs to impress.
* WesternTerrorists: His case is turned over to the antiterrorism unit.

!!'''Lucien Burgess'''
->Played by Paul Rhys

An owner of an occult bookshop who was investigated for murdering a woman ten years before, Lucien Burgess was beaten by the police, and parlayed that beating into a successful autobiography. A decade later, he tries to repeat his success, kidnapping another woman to replicate the pattern in the third episode of Series 1.

* BerserkButton: Being disrespected.
* BloodLust: Obsessed with blood, drinking it after draining it from his victims.
* ControlFreak: If Lucien isn't in control it bothers him badly, and he'll do anything to get it back.
* [[Cult]] Used to be the head of one.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He got his victims to come with him by threatening to murder their children. While it looks like he's going to kill them anyway he does in fact keep his word and leave the infants unharmed.
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* ItsAllAboutMe: Lucien wants to be famous and doesn't care who he hurts to get there.
* LackOfEmpathy
* {{Sadist}}: Of both the physical and psychological variety, draining his victims slowly of blood and feeding on their terror, while daring the police to come after him.
* SerialKiller: Albeit a very slow one, with three victims spread across thirty years.
* ShoutOut: To AleisterCrowley
* SmallNameBigEgo: Obsessed with getting respect.
* TheSociopath: Hits all of the requirements.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* VillainousBreakdown: After Luther outmaneuvers him.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Loves playing this card for the press.

!!'''Graham Shand'''
->Played by Rob Jarvis

A former taxi driver and mechanic with erectile dysfunction, Graham Shand begins murdering young women when he discovers that his wife is cheating on him, using the rush he gets from the murders in order to get it up. His pattern of murder rapidly escalates throughout the fourth episode of Series 1, using his guise as a cabbie to locate victims.

* DropTheHammer: He normally kills by strangulation, but when prostitute Layla hides in the bathroom, he uses a hammer to break down the door. [[spoiler:His wife kills him with it in the end of the episode.]]
* EvilIsPetty: Graham is a fundamentally pathetic character, which his wife calls him out on in the end.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Killed by his wife in the end]]
* LaughingMad: When finally arrested he gives off a series of insane laughs, that then collapse into tears.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Graham's prone to fits, mood swings, and violent breakdowns.
* MoodSwinger
* SerialKiller: Has five victims, plus his wife's lover, and the attempt on Layla.
* VillainOfTheWeek
* WouldHitAGirl: His entire MO revolves around killing women.

!!'''Daniel Sugarman'''
->Played by Ross [=McCall=]

A professional criminal from the USA, hired by Tom Meyer to kidnap James and Jessica Carrodus in episode 5 of Series 1. He proves to be completely without scruples, maiming Jessica to make a point, and threatening to cut her apart piece by piece until the police give him the diamonds he wants.

* BoomHeadshot: How [[spoiler:Reed kills him.]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: Of Jessica and later Tom Meyer.
* FingerInTheMail: Sends them Jessica's tongue in the mail.
* {{Greed}}: Money is Sugarman's primary motivation.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Why [[spoiler:Reed kills him]].
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Ian Reed]]
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Claims all he wants are the diamonds.
* PsychoForHire
* RuthlessForeignGangsters: He and his wife, Evangeline, are far more ruthless than their British counterparts.
* WouldHitAGirl: Cuts out Jessica's tongue, and subsequently [[spoiler:guts her for the diamonds when he finds out she swallowed them]].
* UnholyMatrimony: Married to one of his fellow kidnappers.
* VillainOfTheWeek

!!'''Cameron Pell'''
->Played by Lee Ingleby

An art student with a flair for the dramatic, Cameron Pell turns to murder in order to gain the publicity he wants, aiming to become a legend along the lines of Springheel Jack or Jack the Ripper. The hunt for him takes up the first half of Series 2.

* ArcVillain: Of the first part of Series 2.
* AttentionWhore: Absolutely has to be the centre of attention, mugging for CCTV cameras, putting one of his murders on the internet, and undergoing a FreakOut when he's ignored.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Of Justin Ripley, whom he manages to kidnap.
* CoolMask: Wears a Punch mask and cannot bring himself to kill without it on.
* DirtyCoward: Ultimately revealed as a coward and a weakling who cannot kill without his mask on.
* EvilIsPetty: His ex-wife sums him up well, if ineloquently when she describes him as "a freaky little freak." For all his delusions of grandeur, Cameron is a pathetic, sad little man trying to gain notoriety.
* GloryHound: Looking to be famous, in the same way that his idols were.
* KnifeNut: Makes all of his kills with knives.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Was at one point seeing a psychiatrist for treatment of his obsession with "legendary" serial killers. He hasn't been fixed, and his obsession remains.
* SerialKiller
* SmallNameBigEgo
* VillainousBreakdown: Loses it when Luther ignores him during their last confrontation. It makes him less dangerous, rather than more, and he's practically sobbing by the time Justin knocks him out.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: If you believe his {{motive rant}}s to Luther and Ripley, Cameron believes that he is going to shock the city of London out of its malaise and fix all of society's problems by giving them something to be really scared of. It's ridiculous, but he's not a mentally well man.
* WouldHitAGirl: His early victims are all women.
* WouldHurtAChild: His master plan revolves around kidnapping fourteen children, [[spoiler:killing them, and dissolving the bodies, creating a mass disappearance that he hopes will become legendary.]]

!!'''Baba'''
->Played by Pam Ferris

A London crime boss and human trafficker who forces Luther to work for her by threatening Jenny and Caroline Jones. Her attempts at getting Luther to violate the law on behalf of her and her grandson, Toby, are a recurring plot thread beginning in the second episode of Series 2.

* TheBigBad: Her plotline runs throughout Series 2, and drives almost all of Luther's actions that are unrelated to the specific cases he is working on.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Does seem to care about her grandson.
* EvilOldFolks: Well into her old age, and still evil.
* KarmaHoudini: Luther's able to force her to leave he and Jenny alone, but she's never punished in any meaningful way.
* LondonGangster

!!'''Toby Kent'''
->Played by David Dawson

Baba's psychopathic grandson, Toby is a gangster, a human trafficker, a murderer, and an attempted rapist. He acts as one of his grandmother's enforcers, and is without a doubt the most repulsive member of her organization.

* AttemptedRape: Of Jenny Jones.
* AxeCrazy
* CoDragons: To his grandmother, alongside Frank Hodge.
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Uses his belt as a set of brass knuckles on Jenny.
* DrugsAreBad: Mixes cocaine and alcohol with predictably bad results.
* EnfanteTerrible: Informs Jenny that when he was eight he cut open a cat to see if there were kittens inside.
* {{Ephebophile}}: Tries to rape teenage Jenny.
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath: Knifed by a girl he was trying to rape.]]
* KickTheDog: His interactions with, and subsequent attempted rape of, Jenny Jones are one giant KickTheDog.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Killed by Jenny when he tries to rape her.]]
* LondonGangster
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Always well turned out.
* TheRival: He and Frank hate each other, and strive to outdo one another in his grandmother's esteem.
* SmugSnake
* TheSociopath: One of the more obvious examples on the show.

!!'''Frank Hodge'''
->Played by Alan Williams

A former corrupt cop who now acts as one of Baba's top henchmen. He's far saner than Toby, and spends a lot of time getting the younger man out of trouble.

* CoDragons: To Baba, alongside Toby.
* DirtyCop: Originally. By the time we meet him he's a retired dirty cop, and is working full time for Baba's human trafficking ring.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Lectures Toby about how he's misunderstood their relationship with Luther when the latter dismisses the DCI as a dirty cop,[[spoiler: falsely foreshadowing the latter's death, implying it will be at Luther's hands.]]
* EvilOldFolks
* FramingTheGuiltyParty: Luther [[spoiler:frames him for Toby's murder.]]
* KarmaHoudini: He has to [[spoiler:leave town, but he's still not punished in any real way for his crimes.]]
* TheRival: To Toby, whom he loathes but has to protect.

!!'''Robert & Nicholas Millberry'''
->Played by Stephen Robertson

A pair of identical twin killers engaged in a game to see who can kill the most people with the most primitive weapons. With each kill, the brothers earn experience points, which they use to upgrade their arsenals, graduating to more lethal weapons and greater massacres. The hunt for them takes up the second half of Series 2.
----
* ArcVillain: Of the second half of Series 2.
* AxeCrazy: Though quietly so.
* BadassBiker: Robert assaults three motorcycle couriers and steals one of their rides.
* BackUpTwin: The arrest of Robert leads to the reveal that Nicholas exists.
* BatterUp: Another one of the weapons they can use at the "starting level".
* ChallengeGamer: A very screwed up version.
* CreepyMonotone: When they do speak.
* CreepyTwins: Incredibly creepy twins.
* DeadManSwitch: The bomb on Nicholas' chest is rigged up to one. If he dies and releases the detonator it goes off, killing everyone within a hundred foot radius. Getting him to [[spoiler:deactivate the switch of his own free will]] is part of Luther's plan to stop him.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Robert is one within their arc, with his arrest serving to set them up for the appearance of Nick.
* DropTheHammer: One of the weapons they'll allow themselves to use as part of their game, using them to bludgeon people, smash windows, and vandalize cars.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: '''Robert:''' "When you do catch my brother, tell him I love him."
* FatalFlaw: Luther tries to use the twins' need to play games against them. It fails against Robert (who rolls a different result than what Luther was hoping for), but succeeds against Nicholas, letting Luther maneuver him into a position from which [[spoiler:he can be more easily taken out by snipers.]]
* FinalBoss: Nicholas is one for Series 2. He himself views Luther as one, who has to be defeated so that he can ascend to the "next level."
* {{Hikikomori}}: Luther references the term when describing the total emotional isolation the twins have inflicted on themselves.
* KnifeNut: Robert uses a knife to kill the three motorcycle couriers, and Nicholas uses one during his first attack in a shopping mall, wounding numerous people, and knifing one man to death onscreen.
* LackOfEmpathy: Totally void of any emotional affect.
* MadBomber: Nicholas straps a bomb to his chest to force the police to leave him alone.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Luther describes the twins as suffering from a "shared psychosis", and their total emotional withdrawal from society and unwillingness to make decisions without rolling their dice is indicative of something more than garden variety psychopathy.
* NiceHat: Both brothers favour baseball hats.
* {{Serial Killer}}s: Engaged in a twisted game of one upmanship no less.
* SiblingsInCrime
* SilentAntagonist: The twins barely communicate, and never speak while hunting.
* SingleMindedTwins: Robert and Nichoals come off as two halves of the same psychopathic individual.
* SlasherSmile: Nicholas cracks one out during his last confrontation with Luther.
* TheStoic: Show no emotion on their faces and speak in a CreepyMonotone when they do deign to talk.
* TrueFinalBoss: Nick for their arc and Series 2 as a whole, upstaging both his brother, and series BigBad Baba (whose defeat is comparatively anticlimactic).
* WaterGunsAndBalloons: Use plastic water guns loaded with hydrochloric acid as one of their starting weapons.
* WouldHitAGirl: Attack men and women with equal fervour.

!'''Paul Ellis'''
->Played by Kevin Fuller

The son of a murdered prostitute, Paul Ellis grew up to be a deeply disturbed man, who apprentices himself to retired serial killer the Shoreditch Creeper, picking up where the older man left off. He targets victims Carney missed, as well as several employees from the nursing home before being stopped by Luther. The hunt for him occupies the first half of Series 3.
----
* AbusiveMom: His prostitute mother locked him in a closet so that he could watch her with clients. This left him ''very'' screwed up.
* ArcVillain: For the first half of Series 3.
* BaldOfEvil
* ClarkKenting: Wears a wig and glasses in civilian life.
* CopKiller: Kills retired DCI Ronnie Holland, who knew who he and Carney were.
* EnfanteTerrible: Had already started creeping on the neighbours as a child.
* FreudianExcuse: His mother made him watch her with her clients; he then saw the Shoreditch Creeper torture, rape, and murder her. This has left him with a fundamentally broken attitude towards women, sexuality, and the world in general.
* HeManWomanHater: Hates women due to his treatment by his mother.
* SerialKiller: Kills four people and tries for three more.
* SilentAntagonist: Never speaks in either of the episodes he appears in.
* WouldHitAGirl: All his chosen victims are female, though he's willing to attack Luther and murder Craig Lane when they get in the way.

!!'''William Carney'''
->Played by Ned Dennehy

An old man in a nursing home, who is later revealed to have been the original Shoreditch Creeper (a serial rapist and murderer active from 1979-1983). Arrested for an unrelated murder, he spent twenty-five years in prison, and is now using his apprentice, Paul Ellis, to kill those he missed back then.
----
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He does seem genuinely angry about Paul's mother forcing him to watch her with her clients.
* EvilCripple: Reduced to being on an oxygen tank in his old age.
* EvilMentor: To Paul Ellis.
* EvilOldFolks: In his seventies and still capable of being repulsive.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To Paul Ellis.
* RetiredMonster: He was one, until Paul tracked him down and asked for his advice.
* SerialKiller: A retired one.
* SoftSpokenSadist
* WouldHitAGirl: Only targeted women.

!!'''Tom Marwood'''
->Played by Elliot Cowan

A vigilante who attempts to gain public support for his campaign by murdering criminals on the internet, giving his audience the chance to vote on whether they should live or die. He is the final antagonist of Series 3, and the show as a whole.
----
* ArcVillain: His arc is the show's final one.
* AttentionWhore: Desperate for the public to love him.
* [[spoiler:CopKiller: Kills Ripley in Series 3's third episode. He then murders George Stark in episode four, and tries to kill both Gray and Luther.]]
* [[spoiler:CruelMercy: Luther saves his life so that he is denied martyrdom and trapped in prison with the very people he loathes.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: The murder of his wife, and the inability of the justice system to do anything about it. Though it ends up being quite subverted as he himself ends up with a very idealized view of the world that results in his rampage.
* DeathSeeker: Aims to commit SuicideByCop, becoming a martyr to his cause.
* EvilCounterpart: His actions echo Luther's own more morally grey choices.
* FinalBoss: Of Series 3 and the show as a whole.
* GloryHound: Alice comments that his desire for the public's adoration is driving him as much as his desire for revenge.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: By the end of the series, Marwood has become a deranged, hateful man, who is willing to threaten to rape and murder a pregnant woman if it gets him his revenge.
* Hypocrite: His threatening to murder a pregnant woman unless her husband murders Milan Knizac (the man who killed his wife); even though his wife's murder led to his StartOfDarkness he's willing to inflict the same pain to get his revenge.
* IHaveYourWife: Does this to try and force a prison doctor to help him.
* NeverMyFault: When Marwood does something he himself acknowledges is bad he's quick to try and shift the blame to the police department, or anybody else he can think of.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: What he thinks he's doing and he holds to it until after trying to lynch a paedophile in front of an angry mob.
* {{Revenge}}: Aims to have it on the man who raped and murdered his wife.
* SadisticChoice: Tries to force Luther to choose between [[spoiler:Alice]] or Mary being executed.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Uses a shotgun as his WeaponOfChoice.
* StartOfDarkness: His wife's rape and murder, which makes his own kidnapping of a pregnant women and threat to kill her even more hypocritical.
* VigilanteMan: Realistically deconstructed [[spoiler:after the attempt at lynching a paedophile fails he targets one other criminal without killing him and ends up killing police, targeting loved ones of police and prison doctors. All because they're in the way of his moral crusade and can't see that he's right.]] During his final standoff with Justin, Justin flat out points out that if society does things Tom's way than inevitably innocent people will get hurt as well.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Killing Ripley triggers one as he starts to slide from his idealized, heroic, moral crusader to just a rampage killer with a desperate need for approval]]
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Plays this card after killing [[spoiler:Ripley]], blaming the police for confronting him.
* WouldHitAGirl: Goes after Mary [[spoiler:and Alice]], and kidnaps a prison doctor's pregnant wife.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Civilians]]

!!'''Zoe Luther'''
->Played by Indira Varma

Luther's ex-wife, Zoe works as a human rights lawyer. She is incredibly indecisive, regularly going back and forth between Mark North and Luther.
----
* AmicableExes: Ultimately subverted, as her continued relationship with Luther only brings them both down.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Ian Reed.]]
* LoveTriangle: The centre of one involving herself, Luther, and Mark North.
* [[spoiler:ReallyGetsAround: If you believe Reed.]]
* [[spoiler:StuffedInTheFridge: Her main role in the plot is to be terrorized and then killed in order to raise the stakes in Luther's conflicts with Alice and Reed.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Cheated on Luther with Mark, and then on Mark with Luther. We later learn that [[spoiler:she had an affair with Ian Reed as well, and Reed suspects that there were many, ''many'' others.]]

!!'''Mark North'''
->Played by Creator/PaulMcGann

Luther's ex-wife's new boyfriend, Mark is a nice guy who finds himself pulled into Luther's increasingly screwed up world, as his relationship with Zoe draws anger from Luther, and worse from Alice Morgan.
----
* BewareTheNiceOnes: It's Mark, not Luther, who finally [[spoiler:tells Alice to kill Ian Reed]].
* ButtMonkey: He's really just an ordinary guy who's caught up in the insanity of Luther's life.
* TheEveryman
* FireForgedFriends: With [[spoiler:Luther, following the events of the Season 1 finale]].
* ItsPersonal: With [[spoiler:Ian]].
* NiceGuy: He really is.
* TookALevelInBadass: When he [[spoiler:steals the diamonds from Ian Reed's locker]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Vanishes after helping Luther halfway through Season 2.

!!'''Jenny Jones'''
->Played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards

A teenaged prostitute and porn star, Jenny is rescued from the control of Baba and her family by Luther, who allows her to live at his home. Baba and Toby both attempt to use her as leverage against Luther, forcing Jenny to grow up along the way.
----
* TheCynic: She likes to think she is, though contact with Luther and Mark North softens her considerably.
* TheDogBitesBack: When Toby tries to rape her Jenny [[spoiler:drives a knife into the back of his head.]]
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Jenny's not a bad person, just a deeply messed up one with some spectacularly bad choices under her belt.

!!'''Mary Day'''
->Played by Sienna Guillory

A TemporaryLoveInterest for Luther, introduced in Series 3. She ends up right in the middle of George Stark's investigation, and suffers for it accordingly.
----

* BatmanGambit

* VigilanteMan: Realistically deconstructed [[spoiler:after the attempt at lynching a paedophile fails he targets one other criminal without killing him and ends up killing police, targeting loved ones of police and prison doctors. All because they're in the way of his moral crusade and can't see that he's right.]]

* RevengeBeforeReason: Even though she left the Serious & Serial unit in disgrace, she was still allowed to be kept on the force and even got promoted to Detective Chief Inspector (the same rank as Luther).

* EvanEvilHasStandards: Lectures Toby about how he's misunderstood their relationship with Luther when the latter dismisses the DCI as a dirty cop,[[spoiler: falsely foreshadowing the latter's death, implying it will be at Luther's hands.]]

* EvilOldFolks: In his seventies.

* CynicismCatalyst: The murder of his wife, and the inability of the justice system to do anything about it.

* GloryHound

* PayEvilUntoEvil: What he thinks he's doing.

* VigilanteMan

* WouldHitAGirl: Goes after Mary [[spoiler:and Alice]], and kidnaps a prison doctor's wife.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Right in the pilot: The very first thing he does after he extorted important information from a kidnapper who was responsible for the death of several abduceted children - [[KickThatSonOfABitch makes him fall down from a bridge]]. From there it's quite clear that this isn't your usual "by the book"-tv cop.