Brody
Sergeant Nicholas Brody
"The fucking CIA thinks I'm working for Al-Qaeda!?"
Played By: Damian Lewis
- Ambiguously Evil: For the most part of Season 1. We, along with Carrie, didn't get to know for certain if Brody was the terrorist turned by al-Qaeda. All we got to see was clues (him praying, fiddeling with his fingers, facing the media) that suggested that he could have been turned, but nothing concrete. Zig-Zagged in that it was eventually revealed that Brody did in fact have contact with Abu Nazir, al-Qaeda's leader, and Brody had sworn to avenge his son's death, whom Brody came to love as if he was his own and who was killed in an American drone strike, which reveals to us that Brody is in fact working with al-Qaeda (rather than for) but has sympathetic motives which makes him a Tragic Anti-Villain rather than outright evil.
- Anti-Villain: He was captured and broken down psychologically by Abu Nazir to be rebuilt to Nazir's liking, making him a very misguided individual. His primary motive after that is to bring justice on Walden on the behalf of the 83 children, including Issa, whose death he was responsible for. His motives are sympathetic, but he takes extreme measures to fulfill them.
- Assassination Attempt: Came close to blowing himself an Walden up but failed when Dana called and changed his mind.
- The Atoner: After realizing that he was manipulated by Nazir and used as a pawn for his malicious intents, Brody helps in bringing him down but is framed for Nazir's posthumous attack on Langley with his suicide video being leaked to the public. With no one but Carrie and her allies to turn to, he goes on a quest to help her and the CIA to take down another high-ranked terrorist leader, and dies as a result because of it.
- Being Good Sucks: When he switches sides and starts working for CIA in bringing down Nazir, it does not make life easier for Brody, as he has to lie even more than even he can handle. Once Nazir finds out about his betrayal, he posthumously frames him for a terrorist attack and Brody has to flee the country. His one last act if heroism is to assassinate another terrorist leader in Iran, and is publicly executed for it.
- Being Evil Sucks: While working for Nazir, he has to lie a lot to his friends and family, which just alienates him from them more and more. He is eventually arrested for his activities when the CIA sees his confession tape.
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil: A part of Abu Nazir's manipulation tactic was to break Brody down physically and mentally to relieve the pain by being nice to him to rebuild him to Nazir's liking.
- Broken Pedestal: To his family, friends and even the whole country, when his suicide video is released to the public.
- Consummate Liar: He's able to beat a lie detector. Close to a deconstruction at several points in that the lies start to take a toll and he just wants everything to be over, even if it means jail.
- Corrupt Politician: He uses his position as a congressman to influence US politics to Nazir's liking and help him out in other tasks.
- Covered with Scars: He has an impressive collection across his chest and back, unsurprisingly given that he was tortured for years.
- Cynicism Catalyst/ Despair Event Horizon: The death of his pupil Issa in a drone attack sets Brody in the path of revenge against the Vice President.
- Another Despair Event Horizon in "Tower of David," in which after the Imam is killed and he's brought back to his prison, he loses his will to fight.
- Dating Catwoman: When he and Carrie develop feelings for eachother. She's a CIA-agent, he's a would-be terrorist.
- Decoy Protagonist: The series began with him being just as important to the main plot as Carrie Mathison. However, he's slowly Demoted to Extra in season 2, and Out of Focus for majority of season 3—until the end where he's once again given a protagonist role, before he's Killed Off for Real during the final episode of season 3.
- Deep Cover Agent: Carrie believes him to be one. He is, but goes to a good version after his Heel–Face Turn.
- Disowned Parent: He becomes this to Dana after she finds out what he really did. When he becomes to mend bridges with her, she tells him never to talk to her again.
- Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: Brody's true allegiance is a mystery from the very start. This doesn't stop even after the CIA turn him into a mole.
- However, Nazir now knows for sure that the CIA has Brody in its clutches. Even so, his hold over Brody is still enough to get a chance to assassinate the Vice-President.
- The end of Season 2 implies that Brody himself was being played. Nazir used Brody's attachment to Carrie to take out VP Walden, then Brody's car was used in the attack during Walden's funeral, then al-Qaeda implicates Brody in the attack.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Even though he was turned by Abu Nazir, he still loves his family. This is even exploited by Carrie when she tells Dana to call Brody when she rightfully believes Brody is about to blow himself and Walden up to make him change his mind, and it works.
- Face Death with Dignity: Accepts his execution without any resistance, staying composed to the very end.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: "To Terrorist" to be exact but still applicable. Becomes an agent of Abu Nazir after his rescue and plans to take out VP Walden for being responsible for a drone strike that killed Issa. When that doesn't work, Brody instead becomes a Corrupt Politician influencing the middle eastern politics to Nazir's liking.
- Heel–Face Turn: Starts working for the CIA after Carrie's interrogation and helps them trying to stop Nazir's plans.
- Heel Realization: When Carrie's interrogates him after his arrest, explaining Brody's circumstances for him, he finally realizes that all this time he was heavily misguided due to his tragic experiences and for being manipulated by Nazir who merely used Brody as a pawn for his terrorist plans. His facial expressions during Carrie's interrogation of him just screams My God, What Have I Done?.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Shortly after his Heel–Face Turn and having helped the CIA catching Abu Nazir, Langley is bombed by Nazir's followers and Brody is framed for it with his suicide video being leaked to the public.
- Heroic BSoD: Had a nervous breakdown and came close to giving himself up to the police after the pressure of being a double agent became too much.
- Heroic Sacrifice: His one last act of heroism is him killing a terrorist leader in Iran to further the CIA's strategic positions and is publicly executed because of it.
- Last-Name Basis: Even to his wife, who has the same surname.
- Like a Son to Me: How he came to view Issa, Abu Nazir's son, when Brody was tasked with teaching him english and grew fond of the boy.
- The Main Characters Do Everything:
- Despite being a prominent and valued public face, he is tasked with an ill-conceived petty errand by the Abu Nazir's organization; the relocation of a bomb-maker.
- And despite mostly being Out of Focus in Season 3, Nicholas Brody is forced by the CIA to complete an assassination mission in Iran to replace an Iranian leader with a compromised puppet for the US.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Carrie helps him realize that he was a manipulated pawn used by Nazir for a terrorist plan that would have brought pain and misery to many.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: In spite of working for Nazir as a congressman he is reluctant in helping out with a terrorist plan that would kill innocent civilians when Roya Hammad first approaches him.
- Papa Wolf: He came to love Issa like a son and he sought to punish those he saw responsible for his death through a suicide bombing.
- Redemption Equals Death: His last act in his redemption arc is to help CIA take out a high-ranking terrorist leader in Iran. After succeeding in doing so, he is captured and executed by Iranian forces.
- Redemption Quest: Season 3 is about him going on a proper redemption arc after his secret is exposed, and does so by helping CIA take out an Iranian terrorist leader for a strategic move and dies hemself as a result of it.
- Red Herring: Zig-Zagged. Two An American soldiers were capturned by Al Qaeda, one of them was killed and the other one was turned. Carrie is convinced Brody must be the one who was turned. It turns out that at the time, it was actually Tom Walker, the presumed deceased soldier who was turned and is now planning a terrorist attack. However, Brody did indeed become turned himself later on and would go on to cooperate with Walker and Nazir to carry out the terrorist attack. Brody did indeed become a terrorist, but he wasn't the one Carrie was looking for at the time.
- Reformed, but Rejected: Has shades of this, even after Abu Nazir falls thanks to him, he's still the guy who wore a vest of explosives.
- Reverse Mole: When working for the CIA, he makes Roya Hammad think he provides her with insight through his affair with Carrie.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: He suffers from nightmares and hallucinations after his return, and is extremely withdrawn in the beginning.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Carrie. She's a CIA-Agent, he's a terrorist. Even when he redeems himself and helps the CIA, it still gets complicated when he has to leave the country after his suicide tape is leaked to the public.
- Suicide Attack: His initial plan was to take out Walden with a suicide-vest, but failed as he changed his mind.
- Tempting Fate: In Season 3 he promises to comeback and repair the relationship with his daughter and be with Carrie permanently after the assassination mission in Iran. Though he completes the mission, Brody ends up getting captured and hung in the end.
- Tragic Villain: After being captured, he was subjected to five years of constant torture by Abu Nazir and developed something of a Stockholm Syndrome for him. After that he was tasked to teach Nazir's son Issa english and Brody bonded well with the boy and came to love him as a son. Issa was later tragically killed in an American drone strike ordered by VP Walden and Brody swore to avenge Issa's death. Once back in the US, the plot was slowly set into motion.
- Villain Protagonist: Goes back and forth on this. He started out as one, then had a Heel–Face Turn in "Q & A". Then, he was forced to have a Face–Heel Turn at least for one mission by Nazir to keep Carrie alive in "Broken Hearts".
- Villain with Good Publicity: Congressman Brody in Season 2, then ambiguously inverted in the finale when he's an Anti-Hero with an inescapable past.
- Villainous BSoD: After Carrie tells him the truth about how Nazir manipulated him, Brody has an emotional breakdown and his facial expressions just screams What Have I Become? and My God, What Have I Done?.
- Villain Killer: He kills Tom Walker, Bassel, Danesh Akbari and, indirectly, Walden.
- War Hero: Deconstructed. The nation, his friends and family sees him as this after returning from 8 years of capture by al-Qaeda. But unlike Carrie, nobody questions the possibility that he might have been turned during that time. His image of this even gives him advantages in his and Nazir's terrorist plot against VP Walden, since nobody wants to question a returned War Hero with this kind of reputation.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Unlike Nazir, who essentially wants the demise of the West and cannot be considered well-intentioned, Brody, before his Heel–Face Turn, wants to specifically punish Americans who he sees as culpable in unnecessarily killing civilians, including a child he came to care for. This does not make him justified, but makes him somewhat sympathetic and fitting this trope. He wants to purify the West, not destroy it.
- Western Terrorists: He is an American who was turned by Al Qaeda.
- What Have I Become?: His realization during Carrie's interrogation of him. What follows is a drawned-out Heel Realization.Carrie: I know that you think that [Abu Nazir] was kind to you. That he saved you. But the truth is: he systematically pulled you apart, Brody. Piece by piece until there was nothing left but pain. Then he relieved the pain and he put you back together as someone else.
- You're Insane!: His standard deflection against Carrie.
Jessica
Jessica Brody, née Lazaro
"I seem to have become one of those women who takes their kids to school in their pajamas."
Played By: Morena Baccarin
- First Girl Wins: A bit of dialogue in Season Two states she and Nicholas have known each other since the latter was fourteen years old. Completely subverted by Season 3 as Nicholas Brody chose to be with Carrie after he found out she was pregnant with his baby. And Jessica moved on with her life believing that getting back with Nicholas was a mistake.
- Proper Lady: Or at least appears like it in public. It's one of the consequences of being the wife of a possible Vice President candidate.
- Stepford Smiler: She's aware she has to be one in public.
Dana
Dana Brody, later Dana Lazaro
Played By: Morgan Saylor
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: She grows out of this during season 1. Completely averted in Season 2. She typically shows more maturity than her parents.
- Broken Bird: It's clear that the drama surrounding her family took its toll on her.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Called out her mother in season 1 for sleeping with her husband's best friend, then her father in season 2 for being such a poor father.
- Disowned Parent: She disowns her father, Brody, after learning about his role in terrorism.
- Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: To Finn Walden and his vehicular manslaughter.
- Meaningful Rename: Adopts her mother's maiden name because she doesn't want anything related to her father's legacy.
- The Millstone: Starting season 3, as a result of her
Romantic Plot Tumor. She has nothing positive to contribute to the main spying plot. The one time her actions do get the CIA involved, that's when she almost blows Carrie and Saul's half-season worth of a long game. - Morality Chain: To Brody. She's able to talk him out of committing the suicide bombing in the Season 1 finale, even though she doesn't realize that's what she's doing.
- Must Make Amends: She tried to apologize to the family her boyfriend hit and run, and then admit fault to the police when that doesn't work out.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Finn Walden. Played with due to the fact that the families are not openly enemies, and only her father has any clue as to the kind of vile snake Finn's father really is.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Or maybe maturity.
- Wise Beyond Her Years: Not so much in Season 3, however.
Chris
Chris Brody
Played By: Jackson Pace
- Out of Focus: Considering he doesn't really have a plotline going on, he is generally just "the other guy in the scene" when he does show up. Judging by his behavior towards the end of Season 3, even his own father seems to have forgotten he exists.
Lois
Grandma Lois
Played By: Joanna Merlin
