Line #38 Characters/Metropolis


1	Characters present in both the 1927 silent film ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'' and in the Thea von Harbou's original novel of the same name.
2
3	'''Warning''': Unmarked spoilers below.
4
5	!!The Upper Class
6
7	[[foldercontrol]]
8
9	[[folder:The Upper Class in general]]
10	!!The Upper Class in general
11
12	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/verklassen21.jpg]]
13	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Although sitting as immovable as statues, of which only the writing fingers of the right hand stirred, yet each single one, with sweat-bedewed brow and parted lips, seemed the personification of Breathlessness."'']]
14	The free people of Metropolis. They live in a huge, futuristic city with enormous skyscrapers, elevated driveways and a sky filled with biplanes.
15	----
16	* AccompliceByInaction: How the workers feel about them.
17	* TheHedonist: Most of the rich people, who don't seem to have any real jobs and spend most of their time partying.
18	* MrFanservice: The runners at the stadium, who are all shirtless.
19	* SharpDressedMan: They often wear black business suits.
20	* TheBeautifulElite: Most of them are quite good-looking.
21	* PunchClockVillain: Many of them are simply people who want to earn a paycheck, and don't know or care about the fact that they are a part of an oppressive class society.
22	* UnwittingPawn: The False Maria is manipulating them just as easily as she manipulates the workers.
23	* UpperClassTwit: Most members of the upper class seem to be this.
24	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Every unnamed upper class member seem to disappear at the end of the film, even the large crowd of partygoers who hung out with Futura. It's possible that most people stayed inside because of the power outage and the rioting workers, and that Futura's entourage were scared away/knocked unconscious/killed by the workers.
25
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Freder]]
29	!!Freder Fredersen / Eric Masterman
30	-->'''Played by:''' Gustav Fröhlich
31
32	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/freder.jpg]]
33	[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanted to look into the faces of the people whose little children are my brothers, my sisters..."'']]
34
35	The son of the master of Metropolis. He is blissfully unaware of what goes on underneath the city, until he gets to experience it first-hand and decides to do something about it.
36	----
37	* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel, Freder was an AntiHero struggling with his own morality who attacked his father in a fit of rage, but regretted it immediately. In the movie, he is unambiguously good.
38	* AlliterativeName: A more subtle example, as his full name is never stated. However, it is implied that it is "Freder Fredersen."
39	* CassandraTruth: None of the workers (except maybe Georgy) believe him when he says that Maria has been replaced by an imposter. In the novel, Grot doesn't believe him at first when he claims that the workers' children have been saved, either.
40	* {{Determinator}}: Never worked a day in his life but successfully completes one of the hellish ten hour shifts of the workers when he substituted for one of them.
41	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version changed his name to "Erik."
42	* GadgeteerGenius: It's stated in the book that he spends most of his time in his workshop, where he is building some kind of machine. This aspect of him was removed in the movie.
43	* TheHeart: He becomes the mediator, who is outright called this in the story's ArcWords.
44	* HeroWithBadPublicity: He is attacked by the workers and, in the novel, Grot for being Joh Fredersen's son.
45	* IdleRich: Starts out this way, enjoying the Club of the Sons as much as all the other privileged young men, but soon takes a real interest in the workers' welfare and starts trying to help them.
46	* IncomingHam: ''"YOU ARE NOT MARIA!"''
47	* LargeHam: He ''is'' a protagonist in a silent film, after all.
48	* LoveAtFirstSight: He pretty much falls in love with Maria as soon as he sees her.
49	* MadOracle: He comes off a bit like this, due to his constant thematically appropriate visions and rather HotBlooded nature.
50	* MadScientist: Though unlike Rotwang, this doesn't have any huge impact on the plot, and it was completely removed in the film with no major changes to the story.
51	* MessianicArchetype: Comes complete with a CrucifiedHeroShot.
52	* SanitySlippage: He has a somewhat disturbing tendency to hallucinate.
53	* PygmalionPlot: His love for the machine he built in the book borders on MachineWorship, to the point that he feels like he is cheating on it when he falls in love with Maria. This is despite the fact that it apparently looks more like a MechanicalHorse than a human, and that he hasn't even activated it yet.
54	* ReluctantPsycho: In the novel, he genuinely starts to worry about his own sanity when he assaults his own father after seeing him embrace what he thinks is Maria.
55
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Josaphat]]
59	!!Josaphat / Joseph
60	-->'''Played by:''' Theodor Loos
61
62	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/josephat17.png]]
63	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Do you know what it means to be dismissed like that by Joh Fredersen?"'']]
64
65	An assistant working for Joh Fredersen and a close friend of Freder. After Fredersen fires him, he agrees to help with Freder's effort to learn more about the workers' world.
66	----
67	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: He would rather die by his own hand than work himself to death at a machine.
68	* BewareOfTheNiceOnes: Normally, he is a very friendly man, but he can get ''really'' angry if you push him too far. In the book, this extends to killing people in cold blood.
69	* BigDamnHeroes: He and Freder save the workers' children by helping them break through a gate.
70	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version changed his name to "Joseph."
71	* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Freder are this. [[AmbiguouslyGay Probably.]]
72	* InterruptedSuicide: He tries to take his own life to avoid being sent down to the workers' city, but Freder stops him.
73	* JanitorImpersonationInfiltration: He disguises himself as a common worker to hide from the Thin Man.
74	* TheLancer: He is this to Freder.
75	* NoSell: He refuses to accept any of the Thin Man's bribes, as that would mean betraying Freder.
76	* TakingAThirdOption: After losing his job, he decides to shoot himself in the head rather than becoming a worker. Fortunately, Freder saves him from both fates by hiring him himself instead.
77	* UndyingLoyalty: Again, he has this towards Freder. Probably justified by the fact that Freder hired him after he was fired by Joh Frederson.
78
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Joh Fredersen]]
82	!!Joh Fredersen / John Masterman
83	-->'''Played by:''' Alfred Abel
84
85	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joh_fredersen11.jpg]]
86	[[caption-width-right:350:''"From today on I wish to be kept precisely informed of my son's every move..."'']]
87
88	The ruler and creator of Metropolis. He sees Maria and her followers (including his own son) as a threat, and wants to stop them at any cost.
89	----
90	* AdaptationalHeroism: On one hand, his goals are less destructive in the movie than in the book. He is only trying to strike down against a revolution, not destroy the city. The city is still damaged by the workers' attack, but this doesn't seem to be a part of his plan, judging by his reaction. He isn't trying to use {{Gaslighting}} on his son, either.
91	** His counterpart in the Pollock translation takes this further. Here, he only wants to use The False Maria as a PropagandaMachine, meaning that the rebellion is all her doing. Later, he orders Grot / Number 7 to hold off the workers and capture the robot, not to open the gate for them as he originally did.
92	** AdaptationalVillainy: On the other hand, his goals are more selfish in the movie, as he is only trying to stay in charge, rather than improving his society. He also doesn't get as much CharacterDevelopment, making it more ambiguous if his HeelFaceTurn is genuine. The removal of the Hel subplot in the Pollock version can also make him come off as less sympathetic.
93	* AmbiguouslyHuman: In the book, he has become a case of this InUniverse, with some people even seeing him as a god.
94	* TheAtoner: In the novel, he becomes this after his HeelFaceTurn.
95	* BigBad: He is the main antagonist for most of the story.
96	* DeathGlare: Gives one to Josaphat shortly before firing him.
97	* DiseaseBleach: Exaggerated. His hair goes from black to white in a matter of minutes when he sees his son fight Rotwang on the roof of the cathedral. Doubles as an ExpositoryHairstyleChange, as this also shows the final step in his HeelFaceTurn.
98	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version changes his name to "John Masterman."
99	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: For all his faults, he genuinely cares about his family.
100	* EasilyForgiven: PlayedWith. When the workers find him and realise who he is, they are ''pissed'' at him. However, once they find out that their children are still alive they seem to forgive him instantly, even though it ''was'' partly his fault that they were in danger, and he didn't do anything to save them either. Not to mention that he was also responsible for their terrible living and working conditions, and for kidnapping Maria and replacing her with an impersonator.
101	** Not quite as much in the book, where Fredersen is worried that he might become ReformedButRejected. Though the fact that the workers are willing to give him a second chance by letting him stay in charge might be an example of this trope in and of itself.
102	* ExactWords: As part of his {{Gaslighting}}, he tells Freder that "there was neither a woman nor any other living soul" in the room. A RidiculouslyHumanRobot is technically neither.
103	* {{Gaslighting}}: He does this to Freder in the book by saying that there was no girl in the room and that he was just imagining things. His goal is just to make Freder forget about it, but unfortunately it convinces Freder that he can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality, which doesn't do wonders for his mental health.
104	* HeelRealisation: He realises the error of his ways when he accidentally places himself in the exact same position as the workers by putting both his own son and their children in deadly danger.
105	* TheNeedless: In the novel, it is said that he never seems to eat, drink or sleep. How he accomplishes this isn't stated, but it does make some people wonder if he is even human.
106	* NonActionBigBad: Subverted. He ''seems'' like he would be this, given that he is a middle-aged, suit-wearing industrialist who lets his cronies do all the work. However, upon hearing Rotwang's gloating to Maria, Fredersen breaks into the house and overpowers the inventor -- who would later give the much younger and more muscular Freder a run for his money on the cathedral roof.
107	* RestartTheWorld: In the novel, he wants to do this on a smaller scale with the city of Metropolis. Interestingly enough, he is trying to destroy his own idea of an utopia so that his son Freder, the hero of the story, can turn it into a paradise.
108	* TheStoic: The emotions he does show are quite subtle. Especially compared with [[WorldOfHam the rest of the cast.]]
109	** NotSoStoic: During the climax of the film, he shows some rather intense emotions. He gets furious at Grot for disobeying his orders, and breaks down completely during his TraumaCongaLine. Doubles as OOCIsSeriousBusiness.
110	* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: This trope pretty much sums up his philosophy.
111	* VillainousWidowsPeak: He sports one.
112	* WellIntentionedExtremist: He genuinely thinks that he is doing what is best for the workers by locking them up underground and forcing them to work themselves to death.
113
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Rotwang]]
117	!!C.A. Rotwang
118	-->'''Played by:''' Rudolf Klein-Rogge
119
120	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rotwang6.jpg]]
121	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Only one time in life did I forget something: that Hel was a woman - and you a man..."'']]
122
123	An inventor with a questionable morality and sanity. He is willing to work for Joh Fredersen, but is still mad at him for having a relationship with his lover, Hel, many years ago who died giving birth to Freder.
124	----
125	* AdaptationalVillainy: He was already a villain in the novel, but he didn't go as far as trying to destroy an entire city full of innocent people.
126	** AdaptationalHeroism: The Pollock version instead gave him this by having him say that he had lost control over his creation, meaning that his robot (and Mr. Masterman's poor judgement) was completely to blame for the revolution. Though he still kidnaps Mary and later tries to kill her, as he knows that he will be blamed for the robot's actions otherwise.
127	* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a pentagram, which is constantly referred to as "The seal of Solomon" in the novel, on his front door. He is also implied to use dark magic, which - historically - was a common stereotype of Jews. A large inverted pentagram is mounted on the wall above the robot's chair.
128	* ArtificialLimbs: His right hand - in the book, the entire arm - is cybernetic.
129	* BreakThemByTalking: Tries to do this in the book, where he tells Maria that Freder will soon find himself a different girl and forget all about her.
130	* {{Determinator}}: Losing a hand didn't stop him from finishing his robot. On a darker note, by the end of the story he doesn't let anything stop him from making love to the woman he thinks is Hel, [[AttemptedRape not even her lack of consent.]]
131	* DisproportionateRetribution: In the movie, he wants to destroy the city of Metropolis purely out of spite towards its ruler for taking his girlfriend away from him twice, with the first time leading to her death in childbirth. (No, this isn't a typo.)
132	* DiseaseBleach: As with Joh Fredersen, his hair has prematurely turned white due to trauma.
133	* TheEvilGenius: He is definitely the brains of the operation.
134	* ExactWords: In the movie, the claim in his letter to Joh Fredersen that his robot is perfectly loyal isn't actually a lie. Rotwang just conveniently forgets to mention that she is only loyal to him.
135	* {{Expy}}: He is [[Literature/TheFutureEve the Professor X to his robot's Hadaly]], down to his mild sexism and his dabbling with magic. However, he is far more slobby than his inspiration, looking more like a worker than his fellow upper class members.
136	* EvilCounterpart: To Freder, especially in the novel. They are both HotBlooded [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]] who have an intense hatred of Joh Fredersen and fall in love with the robots they have built, only to abandon them and develop an obsession with Maria. The difference between them is that while Freder reconciles with his father, Rotwang doesn't, and ends up fighting him in a battle to the death (though both survive.) Freder also manages to woo Maria, making their relationship consensual, while Rotwang ends up trying to rape her.
137	* GeniusCripple: He is a scientific pioneer, and he has a prosthetic hand.
138	* {{Magitek}}: It is implied that he is using a mix of magic and technology. Often, it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.
139	* MaritalRapeLicense: Seems to believe in this, as he tries to force himself onto the clearly unwilling Maria, believing her to be Hel.
140	* NeverMyFault: In the novel, he refuses to accept any blame from Maria for kidnapping her and keeping her imprisoned, saying that Joh Fredersen is the only one to blame. This is despite the fact that he was the one who told Joh Fredersen that the robot could make human form. If he hadn't done that, there wouldn't have been any reason for him to capture Maria in the first place.
141	* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Inventing, building and programming a RobotGirl from scratch all by himself - apparently without any previous research on the subject existing - would already qualify him for this trope, but he also invented a chemical formula that makes walls completely soundproof, built himself a working prosthetic hand, and quite possibly sculpted an enormous memorial and studied the dark arts too.
142	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He has some rather bigoted ideas about the opposite gender. In the book, for instance, he tells Maria that women are not capable of feeling love.
143	* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: He is one of only two villains in the movie who dies (the other being his robot) and the only character the otherwise pacifistic Freder kills.
144	* RedHerring: At first, the book seems to imply that he is the same wizard who built the house he lives in. It is made pretty clear that this isn't the case when he tells Joh Fredersen of how he found the old magician's corpse.
145	* {{Robosexual}}: He has quite an obsession with his mechanical woman, though this mostly comes from the movie. In the book, he referred to her as his daughter.
146	* TheStarscream: Both the book and the movie has him planning to betray Fredersen, albeit in different ways.
147	* TragicVillain: He only became evil because his beloved left him for another man and then died.
148	* VillainousBreakdown: After waking up from being knocked unconscious by Joh Fredersen, he loses all of his remaining sanity, believing that he is dead and that Maria is his beloved Hel.
149
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:The Machine Man]]
153	!!The Machine Man / Hel / The False Maria / Parody / Futura / Robotrix / Delusion / Efficiency
154	-->'''Played by:''' Brigitte Helm
155
156	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/futura.jpg]]
157	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Let the machines starve, you fools! Finish them off!"'']]
158	[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:The Machine Man's human form]][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/parody1.jpg]][[/labelnote]]]]
159
160	A robot built by Rotwang to replace his lost love, Hel. Is turned into a duplicate of Maria as part of Joh Fredersen's plan. Rotwang however, instead wants her to betray Fredersen.
161	----
162	* AdaptationalVillainy: Downplayed. She is evil in all versions, but her Pollock incarnation is not JustFollowingOrders as her other selves ([[PsychoForHire happily]]) did, but rather betraying her masters ForTheEvulz.
163	* AIIsACrapshoot: Subverted. She is both evil and insane, but she is also perfectly loyal and working just as she should. Unfortunately, her masters aren't exactly saints, either.
164	** The Pollock cut of the film subverts it in a different way. She genuinely does betray her masters, but she only became untrustworthy because they didn't give her a soul.
165	* AndroidsArePeopleToo: PlayedWith. Rotwang insists to Joh Fredersen that she is a "who" and not a "what," but he calls her an "it" in the very next sentance anyway. He also says that "The mechanism of her brain is as infallible as that of [his] own...", which might imply that she is sentient. However, he has no problem with the idea of her looks or personality being altered as her master sees fit, or that she will pretty much be used as a slave. Then again, Joh Fredersen already uses human slaves to run his city...
166	* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: She is strongly implied to be the Whore of Babylon.
167	* CombatSadomasochist: She comes off like this during the climax of the film, as ''nothing'' stops her from [[LaughingMad Laughing hysterically.]] Not being subdued by a much stronger man. Not being pulled by the hair. Not even ''[[KillItWithFire being burned alive!]]''
168	* DragonTheirFeet: She pretty much becomes the ''de facto'' BigBad by carrying out Joh Fredersen's and Rotwang's orders after they have been taken out of commission by their respective [[VillainousBreakdown Villainous Breakdowns.]] (Rotwang remains a threat - and is the last person to be fought - but he is too insane at this point to involve himself with her rebellion.)
169	* TheDreaded: Joh Fredersen, Jan, the monk Desertus and, in the movie, Josaphat are all terrified of her. Freder also seems scared of her when he sees her dance, though he is brave enough to confront her later.
170	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version has Rotwang ask Masterman (Fredersen) what he would like to call her. Masterman suggests "Efficiency," a name she didn't have in the original cut of the film nor in the book it was based on.
171	* EvilCounterpart: To Maria, obviously, but also to Hel (both being women taken from Rotwang by Joh Fredersen) and to the harem girls (as they are also constantly smiling, female servants dressed in revealing outfits who do as they are told.)
172	* EvilLuddite: Pretends to be one as part of her BastardlySpeech.
173	* ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow: One of the more subtle differences between her human form and the real Maria.
174	* {{Expy}}: She could be seen as an evil version of Olimpia from Literature/TheSandman1816 ([[TheQuietOne quiet]], RobotGirl performer with UncannyValley mannerisms, introduced as a MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter) and/or Hadaly from Literature/TheFutureEve ({{Fembot}} partially created by magic, transformed into a {{Doppelganger}} of a girl her creator's client is bothered by, meets our protagonist at an ancient underground burial site, has - more or less - UndyingLoyalty towards her creator). In return, [[FountainOfExpies she has inspired quite a few expies of her own.]]
175	* FauxActionGirl: She likes seeing people suffer, she seems pretty excited about destroying the machines during her speech, and she later leads the revolution like a FrontlineGeneral, but the only thing she actually does herself during it is pulling a lever. Also, despite being a robot she is taken down by a single, unarmed man (albeit a strong one.) Arguably justified in that she wasn't built for combat.
176	* {{Fembot}}: She starts out like this, but she is turned into a RobotGirl halfway through the story.
177	* GlowingMechanicalEyes: In the Moroder version, her eyes light up when she opens them for the first time.
178	* HumanoidAbomination: See "BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy" above.
179	* LackOfEmpathy: Unlike the other antagonists, she never shows any compassion to anyone else. [[{{Sadist}} In fact, she actually seems to get a kick out of watching people die.]]
180	* NotSoStoic: She gradually goes all the way from [[EmotionlessGirl not showing any emotions whatsoever]] to ChewingTheScenery.
181	* ObviouslyEvil: She does a good job of masquerading as a real (if rather quirky) woman, but she isn't even trying to make anyone think that she is a good person.
182	* PsychoForHire: She is this to Joh Fredersen, though if anyone is getting paid for her services it's Rotwang, and even that isn't certain.
183	* TheQuietOne: She is a SilentAntagonist for most of the movie. It's only early on in the third act that she finally talks, by giving a motivational speech that convinces all of the workers to start their revolution.
184	* RoboticPsychopath: Possibly the TropeMaker.
185	* TheSoulless: The Pollock version clearly states that she doesn't have a soul (with the implication that Rotwang could have given her one if Mr. Masterman had wanted to - and if Rotwang had known ''how'' to do it.)
186	** This makes her an interesting {{Foil}} to one of her inspirations - Hadaly from Literature/TheFutureEve - a BenevolentAI [[InstantAIJustAddWater who was said to have gotten a soul in a way her creator did not understand.]]
187	* ThisWasHerTrueForm: She turns back into a {{Fembot}} right after she dies. It's not entirely clear if it happens ''because'' of her death or if her skin just happened to burn off at that moment.
188	* TheVamp: Lampshaded in an English programme from 1927, [[http://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/metropolis/ where she was actually referred to as "The Vamp Robot."]]
189	* VirtualCelebrity: With the twist that her fans don't know that she is not human.
190	* WickedWitch: She has a very hammy, witch-like personality, and the workers actually accuse her of witchcraft. It's debatable if she has any actual magical powers, but she is definitely wicked.
191
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:The Thin Man]]
195	!!The Thin Man / Slim
196	-->'''Played by:''' Fritz Rasp
197
198	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slim8.jpg]]
199	[[caption-width-right:350:''"You still don't seem to have grasped who sent me here..."'']]
200
201	Joh Fredersen's right-hand man. He is ordered by his boss to keep an eye on Freder and report anything suspicious to him.
202	----
203	* AdaptationalHeroism: Done inadvertently in the Pollock cut of the movie, where most of his villainy was left on the cutting room floor, making him come off like a CreepyGood SatelliteCharacter.
204	* TheDragon: To Joh Fredersen.
205	* EvenEvilHasStandards: For all his menacing skulking about, he's first in line to call out Joh Fredersen when it becomes apparent that the latter's plans will lead to the deaths of hundreds of children.
206	* EvilWearsBlack: Except for his white shirt, he dresses entirely in clothes that are -- at the very least -- dark enough to look black in grayscale, and he is rather villainous, even if he has some noble qualities.
207	* FauxAffablyEvil: Freder describes him like this in the book.
208	--> "Slim loves all his victims. Which does not prevent him, as the most considerate and kindly of executioners, from laying them before my father's feet."
209	* IncrediblyObviousTail: He isn't exactly a subtle spy, not helped by the fact that he dresses like a stereotypical secret agent. He doesn't try to hide his face either, even though - according to the book - his target knows him personally. Georgy, however, doesn't notice him, being too distracted by being out in the city for the first time.
210	* NewspaperThinDisguise: He hides his face this way while spying on Georgy.
211	* NobleTopEnforcer: He is a ruthless and somewhat sadistic interrogator, but he genuinely seems to care about the well-being of both Freder and Joh Fredersen. He also calls Fredersen out once he realizes that Fredersen's plan may well lead to the deaths of the workers' children.
212	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He is only credited as "The Thin Man" in most versions of the movie. Averted in the Pollock version, the Moroder version [[AllThereInTheManual and the book,]] where he is named [[MeaningfulName "Slim."]]
213	* SecretPolice: He is something inbetween this and an amoral HardboiledDetective.
214	* SmugSnake: During his interrogations of Georgy and Josaphat, at least. He loses this attitude later when it becomes clear that the lives of Freder and the workers' children are in danger.
215
216	[[/folder]]
217
218	[[folder:Hel]]
219	!!Hel
220	-->'''Possibly modeled after:''' Thea von Harbou
221
222	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hel.png]]
223	[[caption-width-right:350:''"I am with you always, even unto the end of the world!''"]]
224
225	The former lover of both Joh Fredersen and Rotwang. Also the mother of Freder. She died giving birth to him.
226
227	* AdaptedOut: Every mention of her was removed in the Pollock cut. She was put back again in the Moroder version and the 2001 and 2010 Kino restorations.
228	* CreatorCameo: Maybe. It has been pointed out that her bust resembles script writer Thea von Harbou (who could, [[HalfTruth in a way,]] really be said to be Freder's mother).
229	* CynicismCatalyst: In the book, Rotwang claims that her death was what turned him evil.
230	* TheLostLenore: To both Fredersen and Rotwang.
231	* MeaningfulName: She was named after the goddess of death from Myth/NorseMythology. (Not after {{Hell}}, as some might think.)
232	* PosthumousCharacter: By the time the story begins, she has been dead for many years.
233	* ShrineToTheFallen: Rotwang has an ''enormous'' bust of her hidden behind a curtain in his house, complete with a plaque stating that she belonged to him and that Joh Fredersen was to blame for her death.
234	* TheUnfairSex: Both Rotwang and Joh Fredersen's mother blame Fredersen for making her leave Rotwang, event though she claimed in her letter that she genuinely liked Fredersen better. NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead might be a factor.
235	* WriteBackToTheFuture: In the book, she wrote a letter to Joh Fredersen that was to be read once he had realised the error of his ways, realising that this would be after her death. He finally gets to read it at the very end of the book.
236
237	[[/folder]]
238
239	[[folder:September]]
240	!!September
241
242	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/september_1.jpg]]
243	[[caption-width-right:350:"My dear sir, the lion is also a cat. Maohee is a drug: but what is a cat beside a lion? Maohee is from the other side of the earth. It is the divine, the only thing—because it is the only thing which makes us feel the intoxication of the others."]]
244
245	The owner of the Yoshiwara nightclub. He is a mysterious character and a somewhat morally dubious one, but he can still be helpful when it comes to giving out information.
246
247	* AdaptedOut: He does not appear in the movie.
248	* FantasticDrug: He hands out one called Maohee to his customers, which lets them experience each other's emotions. He is willing to keep on doing this and even cover up its very existence despite knowing that it can have some nasty side effects if a sufficiently depressed person is hooked up to the HiveMind.
249	* JapanesePoliteness: He is very polite to Slim, even when he threatens to have the police shut down September's less than legal activities.
250	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Uses this to keep his drug a secret. Apparently, every time someone drinks a glass of water or wine (and presumably, any other liquid,) they will instantly forget everything they know about it.
251	* MysteriousPast: Nobody knows where he comes from, or even why he is called September.
252	* NonSpecificallyForeign: He seems to be a mixure of several different nationalities. No one InUniverse can guess which ones, and he isn't telling.
253	* {{Omniglot}}: He can speak a number of different languages fluently.
254	* TwoferTokenMinority: He is the only person of colour in the story who is given any focus, and he is said to be of mixed race.
255	* ViolentGlaswegian: It's implied that he's got some Scottish ancestry, and that this is where his barely supressed anger comes from.
256	* YellowPeril: Downplayed. He runs a Japanese nightclub, but he is only partially Asian, and he is more of an amoral, greedy businessman than an outright villain. Compared with Joh Fredersen, Rotwang or even Slim, he is completely harmless.
257
258	[[/folder]]
259
260	[[folder:The Monk Desertus]]
261	!!The Monk Desertus
262	-->'''Played by:''' Fritz Rasp
263
264	[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/desertus5.jpg]]
265	[[caption-width-right:336:''"Verily, I say unto you: the days of which the Apocalypse speak draw nigh!"'']]
266
267	A monk who controls the Gothics and also preaches in the cathedral. He does not like Joh Fredersen, due to his very low opinion of religion, and regularly sends him hate mail.
268
269	* AdaptedOut: His only scene in the movie was cut for its international release, and is one of the movie's few deleted scenes that is still thought to be missing. A couple of photos are all that remains of Fritz Rasp's portrayal of the character (not counting the later dream scene where the Thin Man turns into him.)
270	* CompositeCharacter: Maybe. He is played by the same actor who portays the Thin Man, and they both have similar scenes where they warn people about terrible things to come. However, they are never stated to be the same person, and this could just be done to emphasize the similarities between them, to provide some {{Foreshadowing}} to Maria's EvilKnockOff, or just to make the dream scene where the Thin Man transforms into the monk easier to film.
271	* CrucifiedHeroShot: Invoked InUniverse during the climax. Desertus leaves his cathedral on a huge cross, carried by his followers. It's not stated whether he actually got himself crucified or not, but it seems disturbingly plausible, given what his followers are doing at the moment.
272	* DemotedToExtra: Even if you ignore the fact that his scene is missing, his role is still very much reduced in the film, where he comes off like a random paranoid preacher.
273	* HijackedByGanon: He starts out as basically Joh Fredersen's archnemesis. By the climax of the book, he is reduced to being only a minor player in the events.
274	* IdenticalStranger: He looks exactly like the Thin Man, due to being played by the same actor.
275	* SelfHarm: When they think that the world is ending, his gnostic followers engage in this, giving themselves ATasteOfTheLash.
276	* TheEndIsNigh: His one scene in the movie has him preaching at the altar about the upcoming EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
277	* NoNameGiven: He is only called "The Monk" in the film.
278	* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Tends to talk like this.
279
280	[[/folder]]
281
282	[[folder:Joh Fredersen's mother]]
283	!!Joh Fredersen's mother
284
285	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/house_4.jpg]]
286	[[caption-width-right:350:"Joh Fredersen came to his mother's house. It was a farmhouse, one-storied, thatch-roofed, overshadowed by a walnut tree and it stood upon the flat back of one of the stone giants, not far from the cathedral."]]
287
288	Joh Fredersen's elderly mother. She is trying to act as a voice of reason for her son, but she has been estranged from him after seeing the suffering that he is causing, and his refusal to do anything about it.
289
290	* AdaptedOut: She does not appear in the movie.
291	* AntagonisticOffspring: Joh Fredersen is this to her. However, all of her scenes are essentially told from his perspective, making her a HeroAntagonist of sorts.
292	* CoolOldLady: She is one of very few people who can make Joh Fredersen feel ashamed, so she certainly counts.
293	* FriendlyEnemy: She and her son are this, to a degree. They are capable of having a perfectly civil conversation, and Joh still has a strong respect for her, but she despises the man he has grown up to be.
294	* HandicappedBadass: She may be an almost completely paralysed old lady confined to a wheelchair, but her mind and her tongue are still as sharp as ever.
295	* KeepingTheEnemyClose: She isn't an outright enemy, but she's not on Joh Fredersen's side either, and it's implied that this may have been part of the reason why Joh forced her to move into the city.
296	* MoralityChain: Subverted. She is ''trying'' to be this, but Fredersen is to far gone to listen to her advice. This pushes them apart, and they only reconcile after his HeelFaceTurn.
297	* NoNameGiven: She is only ever referred to as "Joh Fredersen's mother."
298	* ParentalSubstitute: It's implied that she has been a bit of a mother figure for Freder. Especially when his father hasn't been there for him.
299	* TheUnfairSex: She blames her son completely for seducing Hel and (accidentally) killing her, putting no blame at all on Hel for leaving Rotwang.
300
301	[[/folder]]
302
303	[[folder:The Magician]]
304	!!The Magician
305
306	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magiker.png]]
307	[[caption-width-right:350:''"The man who built this house was an orderly and careful person. Only once did he omit to give heed, and then he had to pay for it."'']]
308
309	The man who originally built Rotwang's house. Believed to be a powerful wizard, he was feared and hated by his community. One day he simply disappeared, and his house remained empty until Rotwang moved in.
310
311	* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted. The book implies that his body was relatively well-preserved, as Rotwang can read his facial expression. In the movie, he is a skeleton that doesn't even have a face left.
312	* AmbiguouslyJewish: He was a mystic who put a pentagram - referred to as "The seal of Solomon" InUniverse - on his door. Rotwang outright says that he certainly wasn't a Christian in life.
313	* DemotedToExtra / AdaptedOut: The film keeps the scene where Maria finds his corpse, but doesn't tell us anything about who he was in life. He is briefly mentioned in the Moroder version, but it's still not stated that the skeleton belonged to him.
314	* EvilSorceror: He was seen as this by his contemporaries, who accused him of bringing a plague to the town and putting a curse on his house.
315	* FaceDeathWithDignity: He seems to have done this, if his calm expression is any indication.
316	* HeelFaithTurn: Rotwang believes that he converted to Christianity right before his death.
317	* IconicItem: His red shoes. Rotwang only realized who he was because of them.
318	* NeverFoundTheBody: Subverted. His body was eventually discovered in the catacombs by Rotwang centuries after his death.
319	* NoNameGiven: His name seems to have been lost to history.
320	* PredecessorVillain: To Rotwang, [[DesignatedVillain at least in theory.]]
321
322	[[/folder]]
323
324	[[folder:Jan]]
325	!!Jan
326	-->'''Played by:''' Olaf Storm
327
328	[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/den_riktige_jan_2.png]]
329	[[caption-width-right:288:''"I am Jan! I am Jan! I am the faithful Jan! Hear me, at last, Maria!"'']]
330
331	One of Freder's friends from the Sons' Club. He bears witness to the False Maria's dance and is, in the novel, the one who tells Freder about it. He is later killed by the False Maria during the climax. In the movie however, he is killed in a duel by a friend, who later commits suicide out of guilt.
332
333	* CassandraTruth: Freder doesn't believe him when he says that he saw Maria in two places at once. Of course, neither one of them knows about her {{Doppelganger}}.
334	* DeathByAdaptation: He dies earlier in the movie than in the book.
335	* DemotedToExtra: The movie keeps the scene where he watches the False Maria dance in terror, but his exposition scene is given to Josaphat.
336	* {{Determinator}}: Being burned alive by her doesn't actually stop him from following Futura, still acting like a LoonyFan.
337	* DisproportionateRetribution: He is brutally killed by Futura for being mildly annoying.
338	* ForgottenFallenFriend: Nobody seems to think about him again after his death.
339	* KickTheDog: The False Maria kills him ForTheEvulz.
340	* ManOnFire: His clothes catch fire when the False Maria hits him with a burning torch. This eventually leads to him plummeting off an elevated walkway, killing him.
341	* MrExposition: This is essentially his role in the story. He meets Freder and tells him about Futura's dance number and that another friend of theirs has committed suicide.
342	* NotNamedInOpeningCredits: The actor playing Jan in the movie is not credited at all (presumably because it was such a small part). However, according to IMDB, he was portayed by [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0832605/ Olaf Storm, a Danish silent film actor.]]
343	* TheVoiceless: The movie doesn't give him a single line of dialogue.
344
345	[[/folder]]
346
347	[[folder:The Master of Cermonies]]
348	!!The Master of Cermonies
349	-->'''Played by:''' Heinrich Gotho
350
351	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mstaren.png]]
352	[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Which of you ladies shall today have the honour of entertaining Master Freder, Joh Fredersen's son?"'']]
353
354	The man who organises the parties in the Eternal Gardens. When Maria and the children show up, he orders the guards to throw them out. Freder then asks him who she was, to no avail.
355
356	* BaldOfEvil: He is not really evil, but he acts antagonistically towards Maria and he is balding.
357	* BerserkButton: He doesn't take it well when the peace is disturbed by working class people.
358	* DirtyOldMan: He could be interpreted as one, considering that he has a job where he is surrounded by attractive women in skimpy outfits. He also asks one of them to turn around twice to really get a good look at her dress... and also her exposed back.
359	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He is only ever referred to by his title, never by his name.
360	* GrumpyOldMan: He is pretty jovial at first, but he gets quite angry when Maria and the children show up.
361	* TheJeeves: His role seems to be roughly the same as that of a butler.
362	* LargeHam: He gets pretty animated when he orders Maria and the children to leave.
363	* NerdGlasses: Wears some pretty dorky [[CoolShades (but still neat)]] hexagonal glasses.
364	* ObsessivelyOrganized: He wants the harem girls to look perfect, and fixes up their make-up himself when he is unsatisfied with it. When things don't go according to plan (i.e. when the uninvited guests show up,) he throws a fit.
365	* StarterVillain: He's less of an actual villain and more of just an angry old man, but he is the first person Freder meets that shows actual contempt for the workers, which motivates him to travel down to the workers' city.
366
367
368	[[/folder]]
369
370	[[folder:The Harem Girls]]
371	!!The Harem Girls
372
373	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harem25.jpg]]
374	[[caption-width-right:350: ''"...handsome, well-trained female servants for whose training more time was requisite than for the development of new species of orchids."'']]
375
376	Women specifically trained to serve and entertain the richest young men in the city. Freder is hanging out with one of them when he first meets Maria. In the book, it is stated that they are the ones who takes care of the workers' children after they are taken to the Sons' Club.
377
378	* AlmostKiss: Freder is just about to kiss one of them when he is distracted by the arrival of Maria.
379	* {{Bowdlerise}}: Some versions of the movie never states that they are... "pleasure servants" and instead implies that they are simply rich women wearing somewhat risque outfits (for the 20s). The Pollock version notably cuts out the scene where the master of ceremonies asks which one of them who would like to entertain Freder, and changes Maria's line to "These are your brothers ''and sisters.''"
380	* CostumePorn: An almost literal example.
381	* GoodCounterpart: To the False Maria. She tries to drown the workers' children, while they take care of them once they have been saved.
382	* HappinessInSlavery / StepfordSmiler: An odd combination of both tropes. They are trained to smile all the time, but unlike the workers they don't seem to be miserable or really mind their position, and they share a seemingly genuine laugh with their masters at one point.
383	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Unlike Futura, they don't seem to be particularly bad people.
384	* RomanticFalseLead: The girl Freder almost kisses. They chase each other around in a rather romantic-looking scene, but Freder abandons her as soon as he sees Maria and she never appears again.
385	* RoyalHarem: They are highly trained female servants who are only available to the sons of the richest people in the city. Apparently, they are mostly there as "decoration", but they are also referred to as prostitutes.
386	* MsFanservice: Their outfits are rather skimpy.
387	* NakedFreakOut: Subverted. One of them ''acts'' as if she has lost all of her clothes, but she has really just lost her facemask.
388
389	[[/folder]]
390
391	[[folder:Rotwang's Servant]]
392	!!Rotwang's servant
393
394	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/assistent.jpg]]
395	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Joh Fredersen..."'']]
396
397	A man who seems to work for Rotwang. He appears in only one scene to tell him that Joh Fredersen has arrived.
398
399	* AscendedExtra: Well, not really that ascended, but he is given ''slightly'' more lines in the Moroder version, where he says "Joh Fredersen wants to speak with you." instead of just "Joh Fredersen."
400	* BearerOfBadNews: Rotwang clearly sees him like this, as he is on bad terms with Joh Fredersen.
401	* CanonForeigner: He never appeared in the novel.
402	* NoNameGiven: His name is never mentioned, and his actor isn't credited, either.
403	* PunchClockVillain: Maybe. He never does anything evil, but that might be mostly because he barely does anything in the first place.
404	* SatelliteCharacter: He pretty much only exists to give Rotwang an EstablishingCharacterMoment where it's shown that he hates Joh Fredersen, and to set up a DescriptionCut.
405	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: He is clearly nervous about telling Rotwang about his guest.
406	* TheIgor: Subverted. He is a servant working for a MadScientist, but he isn't a hunchback and his master seems to do most of the work himself.
407	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He is never seen or mentioned again after his introductory scene.
408	* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: It's really hard to determine what his job is. He seems like he might be an assistant or a doorman, but later in the movie he neither answers the door for Rotwang or helps him with his experiments.
409
410	[[/folder]]
411
412	!!The Workers
413
414	[[folder:The Workers in general]]
415	!!The Workers in general
416
417	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arbetare.jpg]]
418	[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Deep beneath the earth lay the City of the Workers."'']]
419
420	The underclass who keep the city running. They are locked up in a city they are not allowed to leave and forced to work at Joh Fredersen's machines.
421
422	* AxCrazy: All of the participants in the revolution.
423	* DressCodedForYourConvenience: Men, women, boys and girls have their own identical, equally plain clothes. The men wear dark uniforms with caps, the women wear simple dresses, the boys wear shirts and pants while the girls wear shirts and skirts.
424	* HumanSacrifice: They are figuratively slaves whose lives are slowly sacrificed to their gods, the machines.
425	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: In the book it is said that they all have the same face. This is probably meant to be symbolic, to show their lack of individuality.
426	* {{Mooks}}: They serve this role for the False Maria (and later Grot) during the climax.
427	* {{Morlocks}}: They seem to be partially based on the TropeNamers. They are still undeniably human, but they tend to act like mindless drones when kept in check, and like brutal savages when they aren't.
428	* [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawn]]: They are all tricked into destroying the Heart Machine - and by extension, their own city - by Futura.
429	* YouAreNumberSix: In the book, they are supposed to have numbers instead of names, but they still have regular names given to them by their parents. In the movie, they seem to have both.
430	* WeHaveReserves: Twelve of them are killed/seriously injured in an explosion at the M-Machine, only to be taken away and immediately replaced with a fresh crew.
431	* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: We see the men work at the machines, but it's never shown what the women and children actually ''do'' in their city. Maria is a priest who preaches sermons, but that probably doesn't count, as they are illegal. The closest thing we get to a mention of it is the False Maria's speech in the book, where the workers say that their wives are starving, that their children are crying and that they are all miserable.
432
433	[[/folder]]
434
435	[[folder:Maria]]
436	!!Maria / Mary
437	-->'''Played by:''' Brigitte Helm
438
439	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maria.png]]
440	[[caption-width-right:350:''"HEADS and HANDS need a mediator!"'']]
441
442	A worker's daughter who functions as both a leader and a teacher for the workers as well as for their children. She doesn't like the way the city is run, but doesn't want a revolution either. Instead she is waiting for the arrival of someone who can act as a liaison between the workers and elite.
443
444	* ActionSurvivor: She is not quite an ActionGirl, but she still has to put up with a lot of danger.
445	* CompositeCharacter: She combines aspects of Mary, mother of Jesus, and John the Baptist.
446	* CustomUniform: She wears a dress that is lighter and slightly more elaborate than the ones worn by the other female workers. Though it's apparently not ''completely'' unique, as Rotwang doesn't seem to have any problems finding an identical one for his robot. It could be related to her role as a spiritual leader. On a meta level, it makes her (and her duplicate) easier to spot in crowd scenes.
447	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version changes her name to Mary. This might be a form of CulturalTranslation, as "Maria" is the German name for the Virgin Mary, whom she is named after.
448	* HeroWithBadPublicity: She gets blamed for her duplicate's actions, and nearly gets executed for it.
449	* HoldingOutForAHero: She doesn't want the workers to start a revolution, as she hates violence. Instead, she prefers to wait for a mediator from the upper class who will come to them and make things better. The workers are slowly losing their patience, though.
450	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: She is probably the most unambiguously good character in the entire story. Even Freder and Josaphat could be seen as slightly anti-heroic compared to her.
451	* TheParagon: Her goal is to bring some culture to the workers' lives, teach them about peace and try to improve their conditions peacefully. She is also personally responsible for motivating Freder to become the Mediator.
452	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She doesn't want a violent rebellion, and would prefer if the workers and the upper class could come to a peaceful compromise.
453
454	[[/folder]]
455
456	[[folder:Georgy]]
457	!!Georgy 11811 / George
458	-->'''Played by:''' Erwin Biswanger
459
460	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georgy.jpg]]
461	[[caption-width-right:350:''"...the machine! There needs to be someone at the machine!"'']]
462
463	One of the workers who keeps the Paternoster Machine running. Freder trades places with him and lets him leave the city of the workers. However, he is captured by the Thin Man and gets sent back down again.
464
465	* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the book, he is a TalkativeLoon who is clearly going crazy. In the movie he is a pretty normal guy who simply has an exhausting job.
466	* AssimilationBackfire: In the book, he ingests a drug that hooks him up to a MindHive designed to make all of it's participants experience each others happiness. However, he is ''so'' miserable that he instead causes everyone else to feel mental and physical pain.
467	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: He has ''very'' nice hair for a poor worker performing slave labour in an underground city. This might be an EnforcedTrope, as he wouldn't be able to impersonate a member of the upper class otherwise.
468	* CloudCuckoolander: He believes that he is a machine, or perhaps {{Satan}}, and that his machine, or his boss, is {{God}}, or possibly that his machine is his boss.
469	* DeathByAdaptation: He is killed by the same knife wound in both the book and the movie, but in the book, he survives long enough to leave the room and follow Freder and Josaphat for a while. In the movie, he dies in less than a minute.
470	* DemotedToExtra: The scene where he visits Yoshiwara was completely removed in the Pollock version. Averted with the 2010 restoration, which put his scenes back into the story.
471	* DevilComplex: At one point in the novel, he claims to be the Devil. Unusually for this trope, this isn't meant as a BadassBoast. Instead, he means that he is in great pain and will share it with everyone.
472	* DistinctiveAppearances: He is the only blond male worker that we see.
473	* DubNameChange: The Pollock version changes his name to George.
474	* HeroicSacrifice: He throws himself in front of a knife meant for Freder and suffers a fatal stab wound.
475	* PrinceAndPauper: He briefly trades places with Freder by switching clothes with him.
476	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: He was never evil per se, just self-serving and risk-taking, but he ''did'' betray Freder's trust by going to Yoshiwara instead of going to Josaphat's apartment as he promised. This indirectly leads to Josaphat being assaulted by the Thin Man. Georgy more then makes up for this when he sacrifices his own life to save Freder's.
477	* SanitySlippage: In the novel, it's clear that constantly working on the Paternoster Machine has not been good for his sanity.
478
479	[[/folder]]
480
481	[[folder:Grot]]
482	!!Grot / Number 7
483	-->'''Played by:''' Heinrich George
484
485	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grot.jpg]]
486	[[caption-width-right:350:''"If the Heart-Machine perishes, nothing in the Machine-District will be left standing!"'']]
487
488	The foreman of the workers and the guardian of the Heart Machine. He tries to defend the Heart Machine from the workers during the revolution, but fails. Later, he leads them in their search for the False Maria.
489
490	* AntiHero: He is outright gleeful about executing a woman who can't defend herself in a really painful way, and he would have likely done the same thing to Joh Fredersen if he hadn't been stopped. However, he considered both of them to be ''major'' AssholeVictims who truly deserved it.
491	* BadassNormal: Takes down a robot with nothing but brute strength.
492	* TheBrute: Played with. He doesn't actually support Joh Fredersen's plan and tries to stop Futura from destroying the city, but he ''is'' working for Fredersen and he ''does'' oppose the heroes of the film, so he counts.
493	* GoThroughMe: He throws himself in front of the Heart Machine, armed only with a wrench, ready to defend it from a huge crowd of workers all by himself. They actually hesitate for a while, but they attack him once Futura gives the order.
494	* HeroAntagonist: His goal is simply to avenge the death of the workers' children. He just doesn't know right away that it wasn't the real Maria who told the workers to destroy the Heart Machine, or that Freder, Maria, and Josaphat have already brought the children to safety.
495	* HeWhoFightsMonsters: He hates the False Maria for being a sadistic murderer, and ends up murdering her while showing signs of sadism himself.
496	* LargeAndInCharge: He is the foreman of the workers, and by far the biggest one of them.
497	* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The workers knock Grot out and dump him at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Heart Machine. As it overloads, he barely avoids being fried by the electric arcs grounding out everywhere and crushed by the debris falling from the ceiling.
498	* OnlySaneMan: He points out to both Joh Fredersen and the workers that destroying the Heart Machine would have disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, they don't listen to him.
499	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Well, more reasonable than Joh Fredersen or the Machine Man, at any rate.
500	* RevengeByProxy: In the book, he tries to kill Freder at one point, as killing Joh Fredersen's son would be the second best thing to killing the man himself. It makes a bit more sense when you consider that, as far as Grot knows, Joh Fredersen is indirectly responsible for the death of his daughter.
501	* YouAreNumberSix: In the Pollock version, he is given a number instead of a name, much like Georgy.
502
503	[[/folder]]
504
505	!!Hallucinated/ Imagined Characters
506
507	[[folder:The Machine Gods]]
508	!!The Machine Gods
509
510	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moloch.jpg]]
511	[[caption-width-right:350:''"The machines of Metropolis roared; they wanted to be fed."'']]
512
513	Gods from several different religions that the machines are compared with. The workers are seen as their [[HumanSacrifice human sacrifices]] that are killed to appease them.
514
515	* AdaptedOut: Moloch is the only one of them to appear in the movie.
516	* CrossoverCosmology: Their numbers include the Ammonite god Moloch, Thor from Myth/NorseMythology, and Ganesha from UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}.
517	* TheDreaded: Freder is quite frightened of them.
518	* FireAndBrimstoneHell: The inside of the Moloch Machine in the movie, where it looks like an enormous oven.
519	* GodOfEvil: What else do you call "gods" that constantly require humans to basically be tortured?
520	* KillTheGod: They are destroyed by the workers towards the end of the story.
521	* MachineWorship: Some of the workers have literally started to worship the machines. Freder, on the other hand, acts more like a NayTheist towards them.
522	* PoweredByAForsakenChild: More like "Powered by a forsaken working class."
523	* ToServeMan: The movie shows Moloch literally devouring the workers.
524	* UnexpectedCharacter: In the movie. An Ammonite god is probably not something you would expect to see in a science-fiction film (albeit as a vision.) Slightly less so in the book, which has obvious religious symbolism from the get-go, even before Moloch shows up.
525	[[/folder]]
526
527	[[folder:The Creative Man]]
528	!!The Creative Man
529	-->'''Played by:''' Fritz Alberti
530
531	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grubblare.jpg]]
532	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Come, let us build us a tower whose top may reach onto the stars!"'']]
533
534	A character from Maria's retelling of The TowerOfBabel. He was the one who suggested building the tower. Later, he oversaw its construction.
535
536	* BigBad: Of Maria's "Tower of Babel" story.
537	* HistoryRepeats: His story is Maria's attempt to avert this trope.
538	* JacobMarleyWarning: Sort of. Maria uses his story as a way to warn the workers of what could happen if they don't find a mediator.
539	* LightIsNotGood: From the point of view of his workmen.
540	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: InUniverse, it's likely that he was a thinly veiled {{Expy}} of Joh Fredersen.
541	* NoNameGiven: His name is never revealed. Considering that he is just a character in a (not quite accurate) retelling of a story from Literature/TheBible, he might not even have one.
542	* NotNamedInOpeningCredits: His character name just appears in the opening with no mention of the actor who played him.
543	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: He found himself on the recieving end of this. It's strongly implied that his workers killed him.
544	* VisionaryVillain: Though perhaps more uncaring than outright villainous.
545	* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The workers quickly grew to hate him and eventually tore down the tower.
546
547	[[/folder]]
548
549	[[folder:Death and the Seven Deadly Sins]]
550	!! Death and the Seven Deadly Sins
551
552	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dden.jpg]]
553	[[caption-width-right:350:''"The seven Deadly Sins danced along behind Death, who was playing the flute."'']]
554
555	The AnthropomorphicPersonifications of, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well]], [[TheGrimReaper Death]] and the SevenDeadlySins. They stand as statues in the cathedral, and appear in one of Freder's nightmares.
556
557	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: In the novel, Death grows into a giant large enough to sit down on top of the New Tower of Babel. In the film, Freder hallucinates that Death becomes tall enough to tower over the cathedral's immense arched doorway.
558	* DemBones: As in many other stories, Death is portrayed as a living skeleton.
559	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Death uses a bone as a flute.
560	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: All of their statues have helpful labels above them, making it clear to both Freder and the audience who they are.
561	* {{Living Statue}}s: They take the form of their statues from the cathedral, which Freder visited earlier.
562	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In the book, it is stated that Freder returned to the cathedral and found the statue of TheGrimReaper missing, as if he hadn't returned from his nightly killing spree. Though he points out that it may just have been removed for repair.
563	* NotNamedInOpeningCredits: Their actors are not credited.
564	* ScaryBlackMan: The Seven Deadly Sins, before they reveal their true form.
565	* {{Silent Antagonist}}s: They are not given any dialogue.
566	* SinisterScythe: Carried by TheGrimReaper, of course.
567
568	[[/folder]]
569
570	[[folder:The Flood]]
571	!! The Flood
572
573	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/versvmmning.jpg]]
574	[[caption-width-right:350:''"I am clasping you around your breast, but it no longer stirs me. I want your throat and your gasping mouth!"'']]
575
576	The water that floods the Worker's City at the climax. In the book, Maria hallucinates that it starts talking to her.
577
578	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: It seems to represent Maria's fears. (Namely, of being violated, murdered and failing to save people whose lives she was trying to protect.
579	* DemBones: It claims that the dead are rising from their graves.
580	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: It boasts to Maria of how it's stroking her ankles, and says that it's looking forward to embracing her hips and breasts.
581	* GodIsEvil: It claims that God doesn't care about the people who pray to Him, and hasn't done so since He flooded the world in the Literature/BookOfGenesis.
582	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: It seems to be lusting for Maria even more than Rotwang.
583	* ImaginaryEnemy: Maria imagines it taunts her.
584	* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: Implied. It mentions hearing the screams of every mother who drowned when it covered the entire planet in Literature/TheBible, and it doesn't seem all that bothered by it.
585	* NatureAdoresAVirgin: PlayedWith. It seems to be outright lusting after Maria, and wants to "correct" the fact that she is a virgin by itself before killing her.
586	* SoftSpokenSadist: Comes off like one.
587	* TheGreatFlood: It claims to be THE Great Flood from Literature/TheBible, having returned to cause more death and misery.
588	* WouldHurtAChild: It says that it will kill all of the children in the City of the Workers, and mocks Maria's attempts at saving them.
589

Context Characters / Metropolis