Line #12 Characters/Timeless


1	!Main Characters
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder:Lucy Preston]]
6	!!Lucy Preston
7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucy_preston.jpg]]
8	->'''Played by:''' Creator/AbigailSpencer
9	A history professor; provides the group with her knowledge.
10	----
11	* AlternateTimelineAncestry: Played with in the pilot. Lucy continues to exist despite her [[spoiler:putative]] father never meeting her mother, but her sister Amy is [[RetGone erased from existence]]. This results in Lucy's realization that she and Amy must have had different fathers before the time travel stuff even started.
12	* BatmanGrabsAGun: In "The Murder of Jesse James", Lucy kills him to make sure he doesn't escape from prison, to keep the timeline intact. The experience traumatized her, later on.
13	* GuileHeroine: She's good at using her historical insight to manipulate and persuade historical figures the group encounters.
14	* SecretLegacy: In the season 1 finale, [[spoiler:it turns out that her entire maternal family are long-time members of Rittenhouse. Since her biological father also comes from such a family, this makes her near royalty in the organization, according to her mother]].
15	[[/folder]]
16
17	[[folder:Wyatt Logan]]
18	!!Wyatt Logan
19	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wyatt_logan.jpg]]
20	->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattLanter
21	A U.S. Army Master Sergeant and Delta Force operative; serves as the muscle for the group.
22	----
23	* AbusiveParents: His father was abusive and forced him to assist in his crimes; causing Wyatt ran away from home in his late teens.
24	* CrazyJealousGuy: Towards Lucy in season 2 [[spoiler: when it appears she has a romance brewing with Flynn]], despite being in a relationship with [[spoiler: his resurrected wife Jessica]]. He gets called out on his jealous attitude due to being a taken man. In Season 2, we also see in flashbacks that he was like this to Jessica when they were married, although it was to abusive standards. He gets better, though.
25	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Manly Man to Rufus's Sensitive Guy.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Rufus Carlin]]
29	!!Rufus Carlin
30	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rufus_carlin.jpg]]
31	->'''Played by:''' Creator/MalcolmBarrett
32	One of the engineers who developed the Lifeboat; pilots it during missions.
33	----
34	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:He's killed in "Chinatown", but brought back to life when Flynn undoes Jessica's resurrection, therefore preventing his death by her later on]].
35	* BlackAndNerdy
36	* NerdsSpeakKlingon: He's an engineer, loves sci-fi and understands Klingon.
37	* NiceGuy
38	* RagsToRiches: "Riches" might be overstating it, but he came from a poor, gang-infested neighborhood in Chicago before he was discovered by Connor at a science fair at a young age. As a result, he was able to do actually do something with his life and leave his "poor" life behind.
39	%%* ScienceHero
40	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Sensitive Guy to Wyatt's Manly Man.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Garcia Flynn]]
44	!!Garcia Flynn
45	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garcia_flynn.jpg]]
46	->'''Played by:''' Creator/GoranVisnjic
47	The initial villain of the series; a former NSA agent who steals the Mothership and, along with a group of accomplices, uses it to travel through time and sabotage major historical events.
48	----
49	* AntiVillain: He does some atrocious things throughout history, but it's to rid the world of a secret organization that killed his family and continues to control the country.
50	* BigBad: At first, at least, until Rittenhouse takes over that role.
51	* BoxedCrook: He spends some time as this for the Lifeboat team in the beginning of Season 2, feeding them information about Rittenhouse, until [[spoiler:they break him out and make him an official member of the team]].
52	* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler:In the series finale, he uses the upgraded Mothership from the future to travel back in time and kill Jessica, undoing Rufus' death. He then sets the ship to go back to the present, allowing the effects of traveling within your own timeline to kill him, peacefully watching his family have a happy moment together before they had died]].
53	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
54	** His true goal is to undo the murders of his wife and daughter.
55	** In "Space Race", [[spoiler:he does what Wyatt has been wanting to do for his wife since the start of the series and uses his knowledge of the future to undo the death of his older brother, who died of an allergic reaction to a bee sting years before Flynn was born. Why? Because he saw how sad his mother always was because of losing her first child.]]
56	* EvenEvilHasStandards:
57	** {{Zigzagged\|Trope}} in "The Capture of Benedict Arnold, where he is conflicted about [[spoiler:killing David Rittenhouse's young son in order to definitively cut off the head of his organization. At first, he is unable to go through with it, but soon musters up the ability to finally do the deed. However, at that point, the boy has run away]].
58	** Played straight in Party at Castle Varlar, where he tells Lucy that the fact he has to work with ''Nazis'' to stop Rittenhouse sickens him, but [[IDidWhatIHadToDo the ends justify the means]].
59	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:He officially joins the Lifeboat crew in Season 2]].
60	* NoPlaceForMeThere: He has no intention of going back to his wife and daughter when he's managed to bring them back because of the horrible things he's done in order to make it happen.
61	* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: In "The Capture of Benedict Arnold" the backward attitudes of the people around him frustrate him - when Lucy (because she's a woman) and Rufus (as a black man) are excluded from an important meeting, he gets angry.
62	* WellIntentionedExtremist: It's hard to disagree with him about Rittenhouse, but undoing the history of his own country definitely counts as extreme.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	!Supporting Characters
66
67	[[folder:Connor Mason]]
68	!!Connor Mason
69	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/connor_mason.jpg]]
70	->'''Played by:''' Creator/PatersonJoseph
71	CEO of Mason Industries, the company that created the Lifeboat.
72	----
73	* AmbiguouslyEvil: Throughout the first season, he works on behalf of Rittenhouse and pushed Rufus into doing some questionable things. [[spoiler:Ultimately, he turns out to be on the side of good and to have been plotting against them]].
74	* EvilBrit: [[spoiler:Subverted; he was secretly working against Rittenhouse the whole time]].
75	* RichesToRags: In Season 2, his association with Rittenhouse has resulted in him losing his company and most of his financial assets.
76	* TrappedInVillainy: [[spoiler:Rittenhouse bailed his company out during a financially difficult time and he's been stuck serving them ever since]].
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Denise Christopher]]
80	!!Denise Christopher / [[spoiler:Dhriti Siristavana]]
81	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/denise_christopher.jpg]]
82	->'''Played by:''' Creator/SakinaJaffrey (and Creator/KarenDavid in the past)
83	A Homeland Security agent and the one in charge of the task force.
84	----
85	* DisappearedDad: Her father was killed when she was a child.
86	* LipstickLesbian: She's a lesbian who's married to a woman and has children with her, who is mostly shown in business attire or more feminine clothing at times, with long hair.
87	* MeaningfulRename: She changed her last name to that of the female cop who comforted her after she saw her father get killed.
88	* MyBelovedSmother: Her mother, who is quite conservative, was extremely uncomfortable with her becoming a cop when she was younger. She also was closeted about her lesbianism in those days, for fear of how her mother would react. Denise states later though she came out, with her mother eventually accepting this.
89	%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
90	* TwoferTokenMinority: She's a threefer-a woman, of Indian descent, and also a lesbian.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Anthony Bruhl]]
94	!!Anthony Bruhl
95	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anthony_bruhl.jpg]]
96	->'''Played by:''' Creator/MattFrewer
97	A senior scientist involved in the time machine project; was recruited by Flynn in his war against Rittenhouse.
98	----
99	* FakedKidnapping: When Flynn and his team took the Mothership, they pretended to kidnap Anthony at gunpoint to cover up his involvement with them.
100	* ShipperOnDeck: In his first scene, he is shown to be aware of Rufus' attraction to Jiya and encourages him to try and get closer to her.
101	* TokenGoodTeammate: By far the most moral member of Flynn's team and the one shown to be the most conflicted about the morality of their actions.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Benjamin Cahill]]
105	!!Benjamin Cahill
106	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/benjamin_cahill_7.jpg]]
107	->'''Played by:''' Creator/JohnGetz
108	An initially unnamed representative of Rittenhouse.
109	----
110	* ArchnemesisDad: He is secretly Lucy's biological father.
111	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He returns from prison in "The Miracle of Christmas" at the behest of Agent Christopher to help them find Emma, who by then has taken over Rittenhouse (or rather, what little remains of it) so that they can recover the Mothership and use it to save Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus and Jiya. When Emma asks what they promised him, he simply responds that he's doing it to help save Lucy from her (and to get protection for his teenage son), and that despite everything, he still cares about her.
112	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite all the bad things he'd done for Rittenhouse, he still cares for his family (particularly his children), and agreed to help Agent Christopher because he didn't want Emma to kill Lucy.
113	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivers an ''epic'' one to Emma in the GrandFinale, when explaining why he agreed to help Agent Christopher save Lucy (along with Wyatt and Rufus), hitting her right where it hurts.
114	-->"It's a family thing, Emma. Something you'll never have or understand."
115	* MouthOfSauron: One of the few members of Rittenhouse shown in the open and the one who speaks for it for most of Season 1.
116	* ThickerThanWater: A big part of Rittenhouse's M.O., and his reason for helping Agent Christopher find Emma so she could save Lucy. He invokes it in his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Emma, telling her that's what Rittenhouse is really about, and why she'll never understand his decision to help stop her.
117	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In his public life, he is a respected pediatric surgeon.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Jiya]]
121	!!Jiya
122	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jiya_timeless.jpg]]
123	->'''Played by:''' Creator/ClaudiaDoumit
124	A Mason Industries employee who worked on the time machine; becomes Rufus's girlfriend during the first season.
125	----
126	* NerdsSpeakKlingon: She's a scientist and can read and write Klingon, like Rufus.
127	* {{Seers}}: After travelling with the team in the lifeboat while it's only fitted for three, she becomes able to see the future.
128	* TookALevelInBadass: In the Season 2 finale, in part [[spoiler:due to having to fend for herself in the rough 1880s San Francisco for two years]], she becomes tougher than she was before. She proudly declares that she's not the same Jiya she was before. [[spoiler: When the gang comes to rescue her, she's seen breaking the hand of a man trying to harass her and warning him to back off.]]
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Amy Preston]]
132	!!Amy Preston
133	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amy_preston.jpg]]
134	->'''Played by:''' Creator/BaileyNoble
135	Lucy's (half-)sister.
136	----
137	* DeaderThanDead: In Season 2, Emma mentions that she went on a series of time travels to ensure that Amy would definitely stay non-existent.
138	* FirstEpisodeTwist: Her being wiped out of history is revealed almost at the end of the pilot episode.
139	* RetGone: Her existence is undone as a result of the events of the group's first travel in time, prompting Lucy to try and restore it.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Carolyn Preston]]
143	!!Carolyn 'Carol' Preston
144	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carolyn_preston.jpg]]
145	->'''Played by:''' Creator/SusannaThompson
146	Lucy's mother.
147	----
148	* ArchnemesisMom: [[spoiler:She serves essentially as a BigBad for Season 2 and is Lucy's mother]].
149	* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:For Season 2, together with Nicholas Keynes]].
150	* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:In the Season 1 finale, it is revealed that she and her entire family line are long-time members of Rittenhouse]].
151	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:In spite of their differences in Season 2, she usually does what she can to protect Lucy, though it seems to be in no small part because she's hoping that she will join Rittenhouse]].
152	* JealousParent: [[spoiler: She claims as she's dying that she willfully had Amy erased so she could have more time with Lucy.]]
153	* ThickerThanWater: [[spoiler:Holds this view as a Rittenhouse member and uses it as her reason for trying to recruit Lucy to Rittenhouse and bringing Nicholas to the present.]]
154	* WalkingSpoiler: It's difficult to talk about her much without giving away a huge spoiler for Season 1.
155	* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:She desperately hopes for Lucy to join Rittenhouse and embrace her legacy]].
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Nicholas Keynes]]
159	!!Nicholas Keynes
160	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nicholas_keynes.png]]
161	->'''Played by:''' Creator/MichaelRady
162	A soldier of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and the original architect of Rittenhouse's plan to use time travel to alter history for its own benefit. Also [[spoiler:Lucy's mother's grandfather]].
163	----
164	* BigBadDuumvirate: Together with [[spoiler:Carol Preston]] in Season 2.
165	* BunnyEarsLawyer: In his first episode in the present, he prints out ''the entirety of Website/{{Wikipedia}}'' because reading it on a tablet strained his eyes too much and he keeps asking for pickled eggs. He is, however, still valued by the organization as a visionary leader.
166	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: He must have been born in the late 19th century, but spends most of his time in the series in the present.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Emma Whitmore]]
170	!!Emma Whitmore
171	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emma_whitmore.jpg]]
172	->'''Played by:''' Creator/AnnieWersching
173	One of Rittenhouse's most loyal soldiers.
174	----
175	* AbusiveParents: She had a physically abusive father, and still has the scars to show for it. Her mother eventually took Emma and fled.
176	* DragonAscendant: [[spoiler:In the Season 2 finale, she kills Carol and Nicholas after getting fed up with their insistence on sticking to bloodlines to decide Rittenhouse's leadership and Carol's continued protection of Lucy even when she continues to fight them. She then intends to take control of Rittenhouse herself, being the only one left on their side who can pilot the time machines]].
177	* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[EnemyMine She temporarily joins forces with the Lifeboat team]] in "Mrs. Sherlock Holmes", in which Rittenhouse tries to prevent the passing of the 19th Amendment, which allowed American women to vote, because she values female independence too highly to let that happen.
178	* EvilRedhead: She has red hair and almost exclusively works for bad people.
179	* GeniusBruiser: A very competent fighter who also studied at Caltech and is able to pilot the Mothership.
180	* SelfMadeWoman: She takes pride in making it into Rittenhouse on her own merits rather than relying on family connections; this also makes her resent Lucy, who belongs to one of the organization's most prominent families and is constantly being wooed to join.
181	* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Pulls this on Carol and Nicholas when she gets fed up with Rittenhouse's "bloodline crap".]]
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Jessica Logan]]
185	!!Jessica Logan
186	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessica_logan.png]]
187	->'''Played by:''' Creator/TonyaGlanz
188	Wyatt's wife, who was murdered years ago by an unknown person. [[spoiler:In Season 2, her death is undone]].
189	----
190	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Her death is undone in "Hollywoodland"]].
191	* TheLostLenore: For Wyatt, [[spoiler:before her murder was undone]].
192	* TheMole: [[spoiler:She was recruited by Rittenhouse when they saved her brother from dying of leukemia in the 1980s]].
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	!Historical Characters
196
197	[[folder:John Wilkes Booth]]
198	!!John Wilkes Booth
199	->'''Played by:''' Creator/KellyBlatz
200	->'''Appeared in:''' "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln"
201	The assassin who killed UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln in 1865.
202	----
203	* AwesomeButImpractical: He insists on using a single-shot pistol native to his time instead of the far more practical ones Flynn brought from the present because he thinks the former is more dramatic.
204	* DudeWheresMyRespect: He's said to have lived in the shadow of his more successful older brother and clearly resents it.
205	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: When he starts working with Flynn, he gets portrayed more like an egotistical dope than the cold-blooded killer you'd expect.
206	** More or less TruthInTelevision: if Booth had just shot Lincoln and then slunk out the back door, there is a ''very'' good chance we would have no idea who killed Old Abe to this very day. Instead, Booth, being a showman at heart, jumped off of the balcony Lincoln was seated on so he could land on the stage and give a BondOneLiner, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard breaking his leg in the process]] and allowing him to be easily identified. This subsequently led to his [[KarmicDeath brutal death]] at the hands of a posse of law enforcers.
207	[[/folder]]
208
209	[[folder:Ian Fleming]]
210	!!Creator/IanFleming
211	->'''Played by:''' Creator/SeanMaguire
212	->'''Appeared in:''' "Party at Castle Varlar"
213	A British spy working for [=MI6=] (and future writer of a [[Franchise/JamesBond certain series of spy novels]]) encountered by the Lifeboat group in Nazi Germany during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
214	----
215	* EveryoneHasStandards: He's a professional, fairly cold-blooded spy, but [[spoiler:even he is willing to kill Wernher von Braun because of his involvement in the Blitz bombings on London, which killed his brother]].
216	* GentlemanSnarker:
217	-->'''Fleming:''' I swear, you Americans, you couldn't stand out more if you tried!\
218	'''Rufus:''' ''[steps in holding a gun]'' Don't move!\
219	'''Fleming:''' ''[casting a glance at [[NoEqualOpportunityTimeTravel the black man in the middle of Nazi Germany]]]'' I stand corrected.
220	* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: When the team returns to the present after their encounter with Fleming, it turns out that the mission served as the direct basis for one of his books, ''Weapon of Choice'', which in turn was made into a Bond movie released in 1964.[[note]]In real life, ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' was the Bond movie released that year[[/note]]
221	* ItsPersonal: His brother, Michael, was killed by a V-2 rocket that hit Britain during the Blitz.[[note]]As specified in the ArtisticLicenseHistory [[ArtisticLicenseHistory/{{Timeless}} page]], the actual Michael Fleming died under different circumstances in real life[[/note]]
222	[[/folder]]
223
224	[[folder:Wernher von Braun]]
225	!!Wernher von Braun
226	->'''Played by:''' Creator/ChristianOliver
227	->'''Appeared in:''' "Party at Castle Varlar"
228	A German aerospace engineer who helped them develop their rocket weapons during World War II. He was later recruited by the Allies and did the same kind of work for the United States, becoming a major figure in UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace.
229	----
230	* DoctorVonTurncoat: Like his real-life counterpart, he goes on to work for Allied countries in rocket development.
231	* ForScience: His ultimate goal with his work is said to be to eventually take mankind to the moon and he couldn't care less about who he works for to get there. Unfortunately, he also doesn't care about the people his work kills along the way.
232	* KarmaHoudini: His capture by Fleming and later recruitment by Operation Paperclip is portrayed as this.
233	* LackOfEmpathy: He admits that he doesn't give the people killed by his work a single thought.
234	[[/folder]]
235
236	[[folder:Benedict Arnold]]
237	!!Benedict Arnold
238	->'''Played by:''' Creator/CurtisCaravaggio
239	->'''Appeared in:''' "The Capture of Benedict Arnold"
240	The American Continental Army commander who became infamous for defecting to the British.
241	----
242	* DudeWheresMyRespect: His betrayal is said to have been caused by him sacrificing a lot for the sake of the Continental Army without being recognized for it and his resentment led to him joining the British.
243	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In addition to his infamous real life betrayal, here he is also a founding member of a secret conspiracy.
244	[[/folder]]
245
246	[[folder:Bass Reeves]]
247	!!Bass Reeves
248	->'''Played by:''' Creator/ColmanDomingo
249	->'''Appeared in:''' "The Murder of Jesse James"
250	A sheriff in the old West said to have become a major inspiration for Radio/TheLoneRanger character.
251	----
252	%%* BlackAndWhiteMorality
253	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: One of the most honest and upstanding lawmen of his time.
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow]]
257	!!Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
258	->'''Played by:''' Creator/JacquelineByers (Bonnie) and Creator/SamStryke (Clyde)
259	->Appeared in: "The Last Ride of Bonnie and Clyde"
260	A couple of outlaws active in the South during the Depression.
261	----
262	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: They're devoted to each other.
263	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Unlike the real Bonnie and Clyde, the ''Timeless'' versions are portrayed more sympathetically and avoid hurting innocent bystanders, while the real ones were more homicidal and violent.
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:David Rittenhouse]]
267	!!David Rittenhouse
268	->Played by: Creator/ArminShimerman
269	->Appeared in: "The Capture of Benedict Arnold"
270	A figure from early American history;[[note]]Astronomer, member of the American Philosophical Society, first ever director of the U.S. Mint[[/note]] in the show, however, he was secretly the founder and namesake of Rittenhouse.
271	----
272	* ClocksOfControl: Clocks become a character motif for him, representing his organization's secretive methods of control.
273	* DirtyOldMan: Decides to kill most of the group - except Lucy, whom he wants to [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty use for breeding first]].
274	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: He's practically the polar opposite of the real David Rittenhouse.
275	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Is portrayed as incredibly racist and misogynistic, even by the standards of his time.
276	[[/folder]]
277
278	[[folder:Grace Humiston]]
279	!!Grace Humiston
280	->'''Played by:''' Creator/SarahSokolovic
281	->'''Appeared in:''' "Mrs. Sherlock Holmes"
282	The first female Special Assistant United States Attorney as well as a skilled and observant detective. She helps the Lifeboat team in New York 1919.
283	----
284	* TheCynic: She's dismissive of the suffragette movement's political activism because she doesn't think such "speeches and marches" will ever produce results. [[spoiler:After seeing the reality of the marches up close, she is inspired to join them and becomes a prominent figure in the history of the suffragette movement in the new timeline]].
285	* GreatDetective: Portrayed as such.
286	* SelfMadeWoman: She worked hard to get to her current position. Unfortunately, this initially makes her less sympathetic towards the suffragette movement, believing that [[HardWorkFallacy if she could make it into "the boy's club", they can as well]].
287	* SherlockScan: She pulls off a couple of these; once when she assesses Lucy and Wyatt's relationship when they meet and once when she [[spoiler:prevents a Rittenhouse sleeper agent from pulling off a murder]].
288	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / Timeless