Characters / Deutschland 83

Martin Rauch (aka: Moritz Stamm/Kolibri)

Played by: Jonas Nay

An East German border guard who is recruited against his will to become a spy.

• The Cynic: Martin was never much of a believer in East Germany, but season 2 sees him become an outright cynic.
• Dead Person Impersonation: The real Moritz Stamm is murdered by the HVA so Martin can take his place.
• Disappeared Dad: Martin grew up without his father, raised only by his single mom Ingrid. Schweppenstette is later revealed to be his father, but Martin doesn't learn until the second season and doesn't trust him. Martin is also a Disappeared Dad to his own son Max, though that is not by choice, as he was forced to stay in Africa for three years.
• Fish out of Water: Martin, who has only known East Germany, finds navigating in the west quite difficult at times.
• Knight in Sour Armour: Martin just wants to go home and be with his mom and son. He's forced to go back into espionage anyway.
• The Mole: He is one of the moles in West German military.
• Naïve Newcomer: Martin is completely new to the world of espionage.

Lenora Rauch

Played by: Maria Schrader

An Eastern German spy, and Martin's aunt.

• Cain and Abel: Shades of this with her sister Ingrid, who has an underground library of forbidden books and protects Martin as best as she can while Lenora is HVA and actively puts Martin in danger.
• Evil Aunt: Recruits Martin into the spy business very much against his will. Is not afraid to force his hand by drugging him and dropping him of in the west, or leaving him to die to save herself. Especially in season 2 Martin doesn't trust her at all. Even more so by Deutschland 89, where she is very much the villain of the piece.
• The Fundamentalist: Truly believes in East Germany and socialism, and is completely resistant to realizing the darker side of her own actions.

Tobias Tischbier

Played by: Alexander Beyer

An East German spy embedded in the West.

• Honey Trap: To Alex.
• Mentor Archetype: Theaches Martin the basics of the spy trade.
• The Mole: At the University of Bonn, and later in the parliament.

Alex Edel

Played by: Ludwig Trepte

The son of General Edel, a young soldier who struggles with West German military and his own sexuality.

• Antagonistic Offspring: His relationship with his father is difficult to say the least.
• Gayngst: Mostly in season 1, where Alex struggles with the fact that he is a gay soldier at a time where that was forbidden.
• Pacifist: Which causes quite a bit trouble given he's a soldier.
• Too Dumb to Live: Shades of this when he kidnaps an American general.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Wants to believe that East Germany is better than the west, to the point of offering himself as a spy.

Yvonne Edel

Played by: Lisa Tomaschewsky

General Edel's daughter, pacifist and singer.

• The Hippie: Spends some time living in a commune.

General Wolfgang Edel

Played by: Ulrich Noethen

Walter Schweppenstette

Played by: Sylvester Groth

• Disappeared Dad: To Martin
• Luke, I Am Your Father: He is revealed to be Kolibri's father, though Kolibri doesn't know it.
• Took a Level in Cynic: Was a true believer in season 1, but is seen to enjoy forbidden western TV in season 2 and just generally seems to have lost his belief. In the final scene of Season 3, he is planning to convert the Stasi headquarters into a museum recounting their crimes, which happened in real life.

Ingrid Rauch

Played by: Carina Wiese

An East German teacher, and Martin's mother.

• Cain and Abel: Shades of this with Lenora
• Good Parents: Martin and her share a close, loving relationship.
• Politically Motivated Teacher: Sort of. She's a teacher, and she also runs an underground library for forbidden books that are considered dangerous by the Stasi.
• Obnoxious Inlaws: Sort of, she doesn't like Annett because Annett is a Stasi member.

Annett Schneider

Played by: Sonja Gerhardt

An East German teacher, and Martin's fiance. In season 2 they have a son named Max.

• Good Parents: Appears to be a good mom to Max.
• The Fundamentalist: Especially in season 2 she is working for the Stasi and genuily believing in the Eastern German state.

Markus Fuchs

Played by: Uwe Preuss

The head of the HVA.

• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Markus Wolf.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He is the only character on the East German side other than Martin to doubt that Able Archer is really a cover for a nuclear attack.