History Characters / Snowpiercer

[[WMG:[[center:[-''Series/{{Snowpiercer}}'' '''Main Character Index'''\\
[[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Engine The Engine]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020First First Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Second Second Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Third Third Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Tail The Tail]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Staff Staff of Snowpiercer]] |[[Characters/Snowpiercer2020BigAlice Big Alice |-]]]]]

[[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Engine The Engine]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020First First Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Second Second Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Third Third Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Tail The Tail]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Staff Staff of Snowpiercer]] |[[Characters/Snowpiercer2020BigAlice Big Alice ]]]]]

[[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Engine The Engine]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020First First Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Second Second Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Third Third Class]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Tail The Tail]] | [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020Staff Staff of Snowpiercer]] |-]]]]]

[[/index]]

[[index]]

* [[Characters/Snowpiercer2020 Series]]

[[/index]]

* [[Characters/Snowpiecer2020 Series]]

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%% Zero Context Examples are not allowed. Please do not re-add unless with proper context.
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!!!'''Film:'''


Characters from the 2013 SummerBlockbuster ''Snowpiercer''.
-----

[[foldercontrol]]

!Tail Section Passengers

[[folder:Curtis]]
!!Curtis Everett
[[quoteright:179:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curtisss_8948.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:179:"We go forward."]]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/ChrisEvans
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/HiroshiTsuchida (Japanese dub)

Curtis is the designated leader of the tail end revolution, although he struggles to accept the role that has been forced upon him.
----
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: For the atrocities he committed as a teenager in the first months on the train. Ultimately, he helps end the corrupt system and break the circle, he fulfills his promise towards Tanya, finally sacrifices his arm for another, and in the end gives his life for Yona and Timmy, along with Namgoong.]]
* AnArmAndALeg: A key theme to his character development: he still has both his arms, but feels guilty for this because [[spoiler:it means he wasn't strong enough to cut it off himself and give it to the other starving tail section passengers. He eventually sacrifices his left arm at the end of the film to stop the engine and allow Timmy to escape through the machinery]].
* AnAxeToGrind: The axe battle on the Yekaterina bridge.
* BadassBeard: The only main character who's unshaven, and a very effective fighter.
* CelibateHero: He has no love interest. It's even commented on by Gilliam and Wilford.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: Saving Edgar (his best friend) or catching Mason (whom he can use as a hostage to make the enemy surrender). [[spoiler:He chooses to capture Mason... and Edgar is killed.]]
* TheHero: The leader of the revolution, and the film's protagonist.
* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler: Dies at the end of the film in a HeroicSacrifice]].
* HeroicBSOD: He has one when [[spoiler:Gilliam is executed]], and another when [[spoiler:he realizes that his revolution was all for naught.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He and Namgoong serve as human shields for Yona and Timmy in the trainwreck.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:At the beginning of the train's history, the tail section were starving and had to eat each other to survive and some soon learned that babies tasted the best. He was about to eat baby Edgar before Gilliam stopped him.]]
* NiceHat: As illustrated in the image.
* ThePromise: He promises Tanya that he'll get her son back [[spoiler:after she's been mortally wounded. Later, seeing Tanya's son being used as slave labor in Wilford's engine is what snaps him out of his HeroicBSOD. He and Namgoong end up sacrificing their lives to shield Timmy and Yona from an explosion.]]
* ShooTheDog: Attempts to keep Edgar at arms length despite the fact that Edgar admires him. It's later revealed that [[spoiler:Curtis killed his mother and attempted to eat Edgar when he was baby.]]
* TeensAreMonsters: [[spoiler: As a teenager, in the early days of the train, he cannibalized people, murdered Edgar's mother, and nearly ate Edgar as an infant. Though his actions were driven by desperation, as everyone in the tail end was starving, rather than sadism.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether[=/=]PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Wilford offers him to take his place at the end of the film. But it could be just Wilford's way to manipulate him. Curtis, broken by his experiences and the revelations about Gilliam, almost accepts the offer. It takes Yona revealing that Wilford uses child slaves as substitute engine parts to snap Curtis out of it.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Namgoong]]
!!Namgoong Minsoo
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nam_4143_1_2226.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Song Kang-Ho
->'''Voiced By:''' Kazuhiro Yamaji (Japanese dub)

Previously an engineer of the Snowpiercer, now a Kronol-addicted convict, Namgoong Minsoo sells his technical knowledge for the drug, allowing the group to move forward.
----
* EruditeStoner: He's addicted to Kronol and owns the world's last pack of cigarettes, yet he's one of the most intelligent and informed of the good guys. [[spoiler:And unlike the others, he actually has a plan that goes beyond "reaching the front section".]]
* FunctionalAddict: [[spoiler:The only reason he got addicted to Kronol in the first place was because he wanted to collect it to make a bomb.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He and Curtis serve as human shields for Yona and Timmy in the trainwreck.]]
* TheIdealist: Surprisingly, [[spoiler: as he was planning on escaping from the train altogether.]]
* KnightInSourArmor: Presents a gloomy and selfish facade, while he is a very devoted father and ultimately the only person with a plan for the future. [[spoiler: Even getting Yona addicted to Kronol was in order to prevent her integration into the corrupt system he intended to destroy, and protect her from it's harsh realities.]]
* TheLostLenore: In a subtle way. The Inuit woman who lead the Frozen Seven is implied to be Yona's mother in the film, and confirmed to be by WordOfGod, and she appears to be a large part of what inspired [[spoiler:his quest to leave the train.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: In Korean, at least. The translation machine did bother to translate it though.
* ThouShaltNotKill: He refuses to let Yona kill, even in moments where her intervention may save him.
* TheUnpronounceable: Enforced by the director, who wanted a hard-to-pronounce name for the character.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yona]]
!!Yona[[quoteright:185:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yona_3682.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Ko Ah-sung
->'''Voiced By:''' Yuka Maruyama (Japanese dub)

Yona is Namgoong's Kronol-addicted daughter. Her apparent precognition serves to alert the revolutionaries to danger. While always caught in the eye of the storm, Namgoong keeps her out of the action and strives to turn the journey forward into an educational experience for her.
----
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Franco the Younger smears his blood on her face after she accidentally delivers the killing blow onto him.
* CantHoldHerLiquor: After getting hold of a wine bottle in the night club, she indulges herself heavily and passes out drunk in front of the last door.
* JunkieProphet: Her powers of clairvoyance, [[InexplicablyAwesome which may or may not be related]] to her Kronol addiction, allow her to know what's behind the train's doors before her father opens them. [[spoiler:They also allow her to discover Timmy hidden below the floor, working on Wilford's engine.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Curtis wonders if she is psychic. Bong Joon-ho's explanation is that all train babies develop an animalistic sense of hearing.
* MissingMom: According to Bong Joon-ho, her mother was the Inuit leader of the Frozen Seven.
* TheOphelia: She has the messy hair, the powers that tie her closer to earth, and the mental illness given her addiction.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Her poor English does limit her ability to communicate with the other passengers, but Yona also seems to take rather perverse joy from informing the tail-enders the long tunnel is coming up, way after it would have been helpful.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:She and Timmy are the only characters left alive after the train crash.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gilliam]]
!!Gilliam[[quoteright:185:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssgilliam_135_1_444.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:185:''"I am a shadow of my former shadow. My day was decades ago."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/JohnHurt
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka (Japanese dub)

The elderly leader of the tail end of the Snowpiercer.
----

* AmbiguousSituation: He was no doubt [[spoiler:conspiring with Wilford to keep the train's population in check. However, after the rebellion manages to move past where Wilford expected them to be cut down, Gilliam tells Curtis not to listen to whatever Wilford has to say whenever they meet, to cut his tongue out. Was he saying that to stop Curtis from learning the truth about him, or to make sure he is able to kill Wilford before [[BreakThemByTalking he breaks Curtis with the truth]], so that the rebellion can succeed?]] We'll never know, since [[spoiler:Gilliam gets executed halfway through the story.]]
** Actually, for a second ambiguous situation, there ''is'' a doubt [[spoiler: Was he really a traitor, or was Wilford just lying to break Curtis's spirt after having found out everything through listening devices rather than calls from Gilliam]].
* AnArmAndALeg: The reason for this is [[spoiler:because he cut off one of his arms to save Edgar as a baby.]]
* BigGood: He's the leader of the tail end section with Curtis being his NumberTwo. [[spoiler:Then Wilford reveals he was never "good" at all.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Seemingly the wise and benevolent leader of the tail end, [[spoiler: we learn after his death that he orchestrated the entire rebellion with Wilford in order to keep the population in check.]]
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: Is executed by Franco the Elder while Curtis and company are forced to watch through a security feed]].
* BrokenPedestal: Curtis practically worships him after [[spoiler:Gilliam cut off his own arm to feed to the starving tail enders rather than let the teenage-Curtis eat the infant-Edgar. This only makes it more devastating for Curtis when he finds out that Gilliam was in league with Wilford the entire time, and stirred up rebellions with the intention of them failing as a form of population control.]]
* CoolOldGuy: Presents this facade to the tail end, as a friendly approachable man who gave an arm and a leg for his community. [[spoiler: He becomes a bit less cool when after his death we learn that he was working with Wilford]].
* DeadpanSnarker: He mocks Curtis's desire to amputate himself, and openly talks back to Mason.
%%* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans
* TheMentor: He mentors Curtis to groom him for leadership when he's no longer around. [[spoiler:Then it turns out Gilliam and Wilford really conspired to turn Curtis into a successor for Wilford.]]
* TheMole: [[spoiler:For Wilford, who describes him as a friend.]]
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler:The leader of the tail section and the brains behind a few failed rebellions turns out to be an ally of Wilford who intended all his past rebellions to fail as a form of population control.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: He serves as a father figure to Edgar.
* PassingTheTorch: Plans to do this with Curtis, who he believes should be the next leader.
* SupportingLeader: He's the actual leader of the tail enders and their rebellion, though he stays behind to let Curtis and his group assassinate Wilford.
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: [[spoiler:Wilford's forces manage to regain control of the tail end, and Gilliam is executed by Franco the Elder without much fanfare.]]
* TeamDad: WordOfGod described him as a father for the tail section passengers.
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler:Wilford describes him as a friend, and mentions that he'll miss his long talks with Gilliam at night. Not that this stopped Wilford from executing Gilliam for failing him.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler:Knowing too much about him not only spoils his death, but it ruins the last act twist that Gilliam had been working for Wilford and the rebellions he inspired were always designed to fail.]]
* WastelandElder: Is very old and and is living in a post apocalyptic society.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: His exact motives for what he did are unclear since he's dead by the time they come to light, but Wilford seems to think Gilliam agreed with his ideology that sacrificing tail enders was necessary to ensure humanity's ultimate survival via population control.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler: Wilford explains to Curtis that the ''true'' reason why he had Gilliam ("a friend" according to himself) killed is because he failed to keep the rebellion under control.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Edgar]]
!!Edgar[[quoteright:183:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edgar_78_9215.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/JamieBell
->'''Voiced By:''' Yasushi Iwaki (Japanese dub)

A young man raised on the train, Edgar is Curtis's most loyal ally.
----

* BigBrotherWorship: Though not related by blood, Edgar is nearly two decades Curtis's junior and looks up to him, acting as his most loyal ally and supporter. [[spoiler: This becomes much more disturbing in light of Curtis admitting that, as a teenager, he murdered Edgar's mother and was going to cannibalize Edgar as an infant, until Gilliam stopped him by cutting off his own arm to feed him that instead.]]
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Once he realizes that Curtis can't save him, he calmly accepts his fate and attacks his killer out of spite before being killed.]]
* HeroWorshipper: Greatly admires Curtis, to the latter's dismay, and wonders why he refuses leadership.
* HotBlooded: As shown with his surfing stunts and enthusiasm in battle.
* HumanResources: [[spoiler: Narrowly avoided, as Gilliam saved him from a hungry teenage Curtis.]]
* InTheBack: [[spoiler: Franco the Younger stabs him in the back, killing him.]]
* KidSidekick: A rather dark example, given Curtis's past with him.
* TheLancer: Edgar is Curtis's best friend and most loyal supporter.
* MissingMom: [[spoiler: Unbeknownst to him, Curtis stabbed his mother and intended to eat Edgar as a baby, until Gilliam stopped him.]]
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent[=/=]UnexplainedAccent: Since he's lived on the train his whole life, you wouldn't really expect him to have a specific regional accent, but he does anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler:The first of the main cast to die, at the Yekaterina Bridge.]]
* TheSnarkKnight: Gets rather snippy towards Namgoong regarding his drug addiction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tanya]]
!!Tanya
[[quoteright:166:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tany5650_3958.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/OctaviaSpencer
->'''Voiced By:''' Misaki Saisho (Japanese dub)

Tanya is a revolutionary allied to Curtis. When her train baby son Timmy is taken to the front end, her main goal becomes to find him at all costs.
----

* ActionMom: She brawls as well as anyone else, holding her own against waves upon waves of armed forces.
* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler: She dies in the sauna battle, after having Curtis promise to find Timmy.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:She calmly accepts her death after being mortally wounded, believing that Curtis will uphold his promise to save her son.]]
* LastRequest: [[spoiler: Hers is that Curtis find Timmy.]]
* MamaBear: Tanya will cut through anyone who gets in the way of finding her son.
* PietaPlagiarism: One shot has her holding [[spoiler: Andrew]] in such a fashion.
* TragicKeepsake: She keeps a charcoal drawing of Timmy, gifted by the Painter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Andrew]]
!!Andrew
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssadrew_2861_5370.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Ewen Bremner
->'''Voiced By:''' Osamu Kaneko (Japanese dub)

A tail end father whose son was taken to the front end, similar to Tanya's situation.
----
* AfroAssKicker: He has thick curly hair and he still kicks ass even after losing an arm.
* AnArmAndALeg: Loses his right arm after throwing a shoe at the woman in yellow.
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:How the Teacher kills him.]]
* TheChewToy: Things rarely go right for Andrew. His son is abducted by Wilford's men, his arm is frozen solid than shattered as punishment for throwing a shoe at a front end passenger, [[spoiler: then he ends up shot in the head by the teacher. His son, Andy, also ends up so broken by Wilford that Curtis can't save him like he can Timmy.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: His arm is frozen and shattered by Wilford's men in retribution for Andrew throwing a shoe at the woman in yellow. Also, the only reason why he threw the shoe in the first place was because she was ''kidnapping his son''.
* HandicappedBadass: Even losing an arm isn't enough to stop him from fighting in Curtis's rebellion in the hopes of getting his son back.
* PapaWolf: His entire motivation to push ahead is to get his son back.
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: [[spoiler: He's shot in the head out of nowhere by the Teacher]].
* TragicKeepsake: The Painter gives him a picture of Andrew.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Grey]]
!!Grey
[[quoteright:232:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grey_9939.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/LukePasqualino

Gilliam's greatest devotee, sent along with Curtis to the front of the train.
----

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Franco stabs a knife through his hand, ''snaps his arm'', and then ''slowly'' drives the knife into his chest.]]
* FacialDialogue: His facial expressions aid him in communicating, along with his tattoos.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Attacks Franco the Elder as he is about to kill Curtis. Franco ends up killing him instead]].
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Shows himself to be freakishly accurate with his signature throwing knives.
* MayDecemberRomance: If you consider his relationship with Gilliam to be canonical.
* NoShirtLongJacket: No doubt makes it easier to show a tattoo when needed.
* TenderTears: Is quite openly emotional, possibly to compensate for being non-verbal. [[spoiler: He cries when Gilliam is killed, and when realizing his own impending death.]]
* TheVoiceless: Communicates through tattoos on his skin.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Painter]]
!!The Painter
->'''Played By:''' Clark Middleton

A passenger of the tail section who is often seen drawing other passengers/events.
----

* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: Is gunned down by Egghead when he starts massacring the members of the tail section.]]
* MauveShirt: Gets a decent amount of screentime in the first half of the movie, [[spoiler: and dies as easy as the rest of them when the slaughter of the tail section starts.]]
* NiceGuy: Is unfailingly kind to everybody: he even has the decency to draw Andrew and Tanya pictures of their children after they get taken to the front.
* NoNameGiven: We never learn his name.
* NonActionGuy: He never joins the fighting.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Paul]]
-> '''Played By:''' Paul Lazar
A tail-section passenger locked alone in a room that processes protein blocks, processing them and repairing the parts while being forced to get a good look at what goes into them.
----
* {{Courier}}: Receives, and passes on the messages instructing the rebels.
* TalkativeLoon: He's fairly chatty, lily due to having spent weeks to years locked up completely alone with no one to talk to.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: His fate after Wilford's men retake the tail section and the train crashes is unclear]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Gerald]]
-> '''Played By:''' Robert Russell
A tail section passenger and former concert violinist.
----
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: He's encountered in an oblivious, apparently drugged, state playing for the front end later in the movie.
* GildedCage: He's dragged away from his wife and forced to entertain the front end passengers, living in the front, but as a prisoner, away from his family.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Timmy]]
-> '''Played By:''' Marcanthonees Reis
Tanya's son.
----
* StreetUrchin: In a sense, he's seen playfully taking protein bars, running around and being reluctant to trade them back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The boy with the matches]]
-> '''Played By:''' Griffin Seymour (?)
A tail end child.
----
* BadassAdorable: A little kid who makes a very important charge.
* BigDamnHeroes: He's the first to run with a torch to bring light to the tunnel fighters.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Disappears after the middle of the film.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Andy]]
-> '''Played By:''' Karel Vesley
Andrew's son.
----
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Possibly, he's seen mechanically [[spoiler: working on the engine, and login outside the train to his apparent death]].
[[/folder]]

!Front Section Passengers

[[folder:Wilford]]
!!Wilford
[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilford_677.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:218:''"Have you ever been alone on this train?"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/EdHarris
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/TakayukiSugo (Japanese dub)

The creator of the Snowpiercer and the caretaker of the engine. He's worshipped as the savior of humanity by the front passengers but the tail enders view him as a tyrant that needs to be overthrown.
----

* BaldOfEvil: Is bald and very, very evil.
* BigBad: He created the Snowpiercer train and is responsible for the caste system that keeps the tail enders in such nightmarish conditions. [[spoiler:He also uses Gilliam to causes rebellions that are intended to fail as a means of population control, with Curtis's being only the most recent.]]
* TheChessmaster: Manipulates almost everyone around him, [[spoiler:even arranging Curtis's rebellion through Gilliam.]]
* TheCorrupter: He even managed to [[spoiler: corrupt Curtis, and would have succeeded in turning him over to his side if Yona hadn't revealed Timmy being used as a child slave.]]
* CultOfPersonality: For saving at least some of humanity from extinction, Wilford is worshipped as a god by people at the front end of the train with their children indoctrinated in this belief in school.
* EvilGenius: Wilford built a very impressive train that is supporting all humanity, has withstood [[CoolTrain extreme temperatures]], and has been running non-stop for 18 years!
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: When the bomb is about to explode, Wilford sits drinking his wine, sees Minsoo and Curtis's prepared sacrifice, and simply says, "Nice."]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Wilford has a calm, genial way about him even when he's casually informing you that [[spoiler:he just had most of your friends murdered.]]
* AGodAmI: Has a whole cult of personality devoted to him among the front-section passengers who worship him like a messiah for saving what remains of humanity.
* IcyBlueEyes: A specialty of Creator/EdHarris. His eyes fit his personality as an ultimately evil, cold-hearted man. [[spoiler:Curtis's eyes are similar, which is highlighted when Wilford tries to tempt him [[WeCanRuleTogether into becoming his successor.]]]]
* LackOfEmpathy: Wilford just flat-out doesn't care about the suffering he causes. He views everyone in terms of whether they can contribute to the Snowpiercer's ecosystem or if they're a burden, [[spoiler:regularly orchestrating "cullings" of people in the tail and front end both as a means of population control.]]
* AManOfWealthAndTaste: Wilford was already an extremely rich man before the disaster, hence how he was able to build his spectacular train.
* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: [[spoiler:When Curtis finally reaches him, Wilford just keeps cooking up his dinner and sits down with him.]]
* NoOneSeesTheBoss: He never leaves his engine and passes up most to all opportunities to speak to the train over the intercom. Until the last twenty minutes of the movie the audience could be forgiven for wondering whether or not he's an InventedIndividual.
* NonActionBigBad: He never actually gets his hands dirty, although his utter ruthlessness still makes him a very big threat.
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Presents himself as this on the grounds that the train's passengers have to be kept at a certain level in order to maintain what is left of humanity, [[spoiler:but later discoveries and his own actions suggest that he's more interested in maintaining power for himself and his own vision than actually helping the human race as a whole]].
* TheSociopath: Oh, yeah. He's more than willing to have people killed, being [[BadBoss his men]] or innocent bystanders, or [[spoiler: using childrens as part of his locomotive's engine]] in order to carry on his train's operations.
* TheStoic: The only time he yells is when Claude nearly shoots the engine by accident. Otherwise he remains completely relaxed and calm about everything, even when [[spoiler: [[FaceDeathWithDignity the train is about to explode.]]]]
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: He's perfectly happy with killing hundreds of people if it means stability for the rest of the train. He sees people only in how valuable they can be, even to the point where he'll [[spoiler:enslave children to use as substitute engine parts.]]
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler:He claims to have viewed Gilliam as a friend and says he'll miss their long talks at night. Not that this stopped Wilford from ordering Gilliam's death once Curtis's rebellion is more successful than intended.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether[=/=]PassingTheTorch: Tries to do this with Curtis.
* WouldHurtAChild: He would even [[spoiler:use them as manual labor for his train!]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mason]]
!!Mason
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssmason_3901.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:212:''"Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/TildaSwinton
->'''Voiced By:''' Miyuki Ichijou (Japanese dub)

Wilford's right hand, the second in command on the train and the official spokesperson for Wilford to the tail end.
----

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: It's really satisfying to see Curtis kill her.]]
* TheBaroness: Of the Rosa Klebb variety.
* BoomerangBigot: According to WordOfGod, Mason used to be a tail-ender who was called to the front as a cleaner, then got noticed by Wilford and rose to the position of minister. In spite of that, she holds nothing but contempt for her former traveling companions that she haughtily admonishes to [[{{Hypocrite}} keep their places]].
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: How an enraged Curtis kills her]].
* CatchPhrase: "So it is."
* DirtyCoward: When confronted one-on-one, she's a pleading, pathetic mess.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Although Wilford is the BigBad, Mason is the MouthOfSauron and most seen antagonist, ordering his troops to stop the heroes' advance upon the engine so it comes as a surprise when [[spoiler:she's killed off halfway through]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Her polite rambling attempts at breaking villain speeches are meant to mock and demoralize.
* GenderBlenderName: Mason is a unisex name (the script even described Mason as a "middle-aged man" before Tilda Swinton took the role).
* GenderIsNoObject: Mason was scripted as a man, but casted with a female actor without any change, even being referred to with male pronouns. Tilda Swinton claims she did not play Mason as a woman and tends to hesitate on the pronouns to use.
* GenkiGirl: A grown-up version.
* {{Jerkass}}: Mason is utterly vile, viewing everyone with contempt (except for Wilford).
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: After acting condescending and smug to the tail-enders she ends up being killed by one]].
* KlingonPromotion: When she finds out the rioters intend to assassinate Wilford, she cheerfully offers to help. It's not clear whether this is out of genuine ambition or an insincere attempt to barter her loyalty for her life. [[spoiler: She dies before it becomes an issue.]]
* LargeHam: She's tremendously over the top, shouting every other word.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: She is basically a psychopathic version of UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher. Although the jury is still out in many academic circles as to whether or not the real Margaret Thatcher was a psychopath, so Swinton's portrayal could be seen as a terrifyingly accurate imitation.
* NumberTwo: She's Wilford's right-hand woman.
* OlderThanTheyLook: She has false teeth.
* OopNorth: Her accent.
* PsychopathicManChild: To a T. She reacts to the violent fight with the ax-soldiers with the giddiness of a child watching a play, taking out her opera glasses-night vision goggles to watch it all unfold. Her speeches about knowing one's place lose themselves in strange metaphors which circle back to the cruel oppressive narrative of the train. Then when she's escorted into the classroom, she starts singing the propaganda songs along with all the children.
* SinisterMinister: As Minister Mason, she coldly oversees Andrew's punishment while giving the tail-enders a sermon about keeping their predetermined place on Wilford's "train of life". Later during the Yekaterina Bridge battle, after lecturing them once again on their ungratefulness toward Wilford, she proceeds to watch gleefully the massacre unfold. Her devotion to the "sacred engine" doesn't stop after her capture and she never wastes an opportunity to praise the way the train is organized.
* SmugSnake: When she has the upper hand, she snobbily looks down her nose at others and is incredibly arrogant. She becomes a pathetic, quivering mess when she loses the advantage.
* VillainsWantMercy: Fits into this with her being a DirtyCoward. Her begging manages to save her life by working out a deal with Curtis's group after they capture her, [[spoiler:the first time at least, the second time Curtis just shoots her in the head.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Franco the Elder]]
!!Franco the Elder
[[quoteright:331:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snowpiercer_franco_5716.gif]]
->'''Played By:''' Vlad Ivanov

One of Mason's henchmen who works with his younger brother.
----

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: By far the most satisfying death, especially considering how many times he refused to bite it.]]
* BadBoss: Has no problems killing his subordinates for minor reasons.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He's the elder Franco and loves his little brother. [[spoiler:His brother's death sends him on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.]]
* TheBrute: Neither Wilford nor Mason are fighters so Franco serves as the main physical threat of the movie.
* TheDeterminator: Has an impressive tolerance to pain. Also, getting simultaneously stabbed by Curtis and choked by Minsoo doesn't stop him from [[NotQuiteDead getting back up later]] and going for seconds against Minsoo.
* TheDragon: Wilford's most physically imposing servant, who gives the heroes constant trouble as they try to reach the engine and [[spoiler:the final obstacle to Namgoong destroying the door]] to the outside world.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Genuinely cares for his younger brother and is devastated when he dies. Presumably this motivates his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* HairTriggerTemper: His short temper causes him to shoot his soldiers, might be justified by his younger brother's death earlier.
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Franco the Elder is the deadliest opponent that Curtis's group faces. He defeats Curtis and Minsoo in straight-up fights, comes close to killing several major characters, and successfully kills Gilliam, Grey and Tanya]].
* ImplacableMan: Nothing can stop this guy, and mortal wounds only seem to slow him.
* MookLieutenant: He has less authority than Mason, but has authority over common soldiers. Surprisingly, he manages to be the biggest HeroKiller in the movie.
* NeckSnap: [[spoiler: How he ''finally'' dies for real at the hands of Minsoo.]]
* NotQuiteDead: After being stabbed and strangled at the same time he comes back for more in the climax of the movie.
* TheQuietOne: Bordering on SilentAntagonist; he has one line of dialogue in the entire movie.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After his younger brother is killed he acts as the deadliest and most persistent antagonist Curtis's group faces, all in an attempt to kill Yona in revenge. He even guns down front end passengers and his own men if they get in the way, [[spoiler: and successfully kills Gilliam, Grey and Tanya]].
* SiblingsInCrime: He works with his younger brother to serve as Wilford's enforcers.
* TeamKiller: Shoots one of his escort soldiers for calling him out on [[WouldNotShootACivilian shooting a front-section passenger]] in the sauna car by mistake and would have shot the other who didn't say anything if not for [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets his gun running out of ammo]].
* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:During his final fight he's been beaten and stabbed twice, and while he's still tough, he's moving considerably slower than back when he confronted the heroes at the sauna.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Franco the Younger]]
!!Franco the Younger
->'''Played By:''' Adnan Haskovic

One of Mason's henchmen who works with his older brother.
----

* AssholeVictim: Just like his brother.
* BeardOfEvil: Sports a goatee, the traditional beard of evil.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His bond with his older brother is genuine. [[spoiler:After he dies, his brother goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: How he dies.]]
* TheQuietOne: Even more so than his brother; his one line of dialogue is muted.
* SiblingsInCrime: He works with his older brother to serve as Wilford's enforcers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Claude]]
!!Claude/The Woman in Yellow
->'''Played By:''' Emma Levie

An employee of Wilford.
----

* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: She's killed when a bomb goes off right next to her on the train.]]
* ColorCharacter: Her name is Claude but she's also known as the Woman in Yellow.
* DarkMistress: Claude is implied to be Wilford's lover, which is confirmed by WordOfGod.
* DissonantSerenity: Her expression doesn't change when she takes Timmy and Andy away [[spoiler:to serve as living engine parts]], even taking it in stride when their parents' threaten her and Andrew throws a shoe at her head hard enough to draw blood.
* FatBitch: Downplayed. She's only a little overweight but is definitely a bitch.
* {{Jerkass}}: She's a basic bitch to the tail-end passengers.
* NumberTwo: For Wilford.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Teacher]]
!!The Teacher
->'''Played By:''' Creator/AlisonPill

A kindergarten teacher on the train.
----

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Seems bubbly and cheerful... until she pulls out a gun.
* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: Grey throws a knife into her neck.]]
* LargeHam: Really chews the scenery in her short screentime. Justified as she's teaching kindergarten students.
* PregnantBadass: Is pregnant [[spoiler: yet still manages to engage in a shootout with Curtis's group, successfully killing Andrew.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Egghead]]
!!Egghead
->'''Played By:''' Creator/TomasLemarquis

An unusual employee of Wilford who hands out eggs for the New Year celebration.
----

* BaitTheDog: He's introduced as a strange man giving out eggs to everyone, much like the man who produces the protein bars, an eccentric doing their job in the face of all the craziness. He gives out eggs to children, the rebels, and even the workers doing their part in gardening. When he get's to the tail end passengers he starts giving out eggs [[spoiler:before revealing that bullets aren't extinct, gunning down several rebels including the painter, and then freeing and arming the captured soldiers]].
* BaldOfEvil: Is completely bald (hell, it's even there in his credited name) and has no problem with [[spoiler: gunning down countless numbers of civilians on Wilford's orders.]]
* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: Presumably dies along with most of the rest of the train's inhabitants when it explodes and flies off the tracks.]]
* DissonantSerenity: While [[spoiler: killing the tail section passengers.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Maintains a chipper and almost ''polite'' demeanor while [[spoiler: massacring the tail section.]]
* NoNameGiven: Even his credited name isn't actually said in the movie.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: Pauses in the midst of [[spoiler: the massacre of defeated tail-ender civilians]] to eat one of the boiled eggs himself.
* SpannerInTheWorks: His appearance [[spoiler:is what ends up crushing the rebellion when the soldiers regain weapons]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fuyu]]
-> '''Played By:''' Steve Park
An officer who serves under Mason.
----
* FriendOrIdolDecision: He's the friend in this scenario for Mason when he's taken hostage. She doesn't budge and he gets a slit throat.
* KnowWhenFoFolldEm: Surrenders when captured by Gray.
* MookLieutenant: Doesn;t have much authority in the running of the train but leads a bunch of soldiers with the Franco's.
* PornStache: Has a thin mustache.
[[/folder]]