The characters of Ridley Scott's epic and Darker and Edgier version of the legendary story of Robin Hood.
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The Outlaws
Robin Longstride (a.k.a. 'Robin of the Hood', a.k.a. Robin Hood)
Played by: Russell Crowe
- Act of True Love: Robin deciding to stick around in Nottingham (where he could easily be found by Godrey and his mooks) and robbing the Corrupt Church of the grain to plant Nottingham's fields could easily be seen as this. Yes, he wanted Walter to tell him about his past and help the people of Nottingham, but the look on his face when he told Marion what he'd done and she thanked him said it all. He mostly did it for her.
- Been There, Shaped History: Various versions of the tale have given Robin Hood questionable degrees of historical importance, but few have gone so far as to credit him with delivering the first draft of the Magna Carta (written by his own father) to the barons who petitioned King John for its signature.
- Berserk Button: When Godfrey takes down Marion in the final battle scene. Robin utters a Big "NO!" and proceeds to finally end it by shooting Godfrey through the neck with an arrow.
- Bow and Sword in Accord: He is skilled with both.
- Deadpan Snarker: He occasionally makes dry quips at situations he finds amusing or silly.
- Robin (pointing at his shirtless companions) My men at arms. This is about as courtly as they get.
- Dead Person Impersonation: He impersonates Marion's late husband Sir Robert Loxley who died in a French ambush While escorting King Richard's crown back to England, firstly to ensure safe passage back to England for himself and his men, and then to help Marion keep her land from the clutches of the Sheriff.
- Defector from Decadence: He and his companions deserting from the crusades is portrayed this way.
- Honor Before Reason: He will go to extreme lengths to fight against what he perceives to be injustices against the common man.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Mostly justified as he's Robin Hood and it's a big part of the legend.
- The Leader: To his Merry Men and the people of Nottingham. He's the melancholic in the Four-Temperament Ensemble - always thinking, very progressive and a natural leader.
- Lovable Rogue: Again, he's Robin Hood, the original lovable rogue!
- Love Confession: "I love you, Marion."
- Male Gaze: He watches Marion disrobe behind a thin, gauzy drape before looking suitably guilty and turning away.
- Nice Guy: He is presented in a righteous, kind-hearted light.
- Romancing the Widow: Robin's pursuit of Marion.
- Romantic Fake–Real Turn: What started out as a ruse to convince the masses became genuine affection between Robin and Marian.
- Rousing Speech: Robin gets to expound on civil liberties vis-a-vis the duties and obligations of a King.
Lady Marion Loxley (a.k.a. Maid Marian/Marion)
Played by: Cate Blanchett
- Action Girl: This version of Marion is no Damsel in Distress for most of the time. She has Improbable Aiming Skills with a bow and arrow, she ploughs fields and shoes horses and the end even sees her armor clad and leading the orphan boys of Nottingham into battle against the French. Many eyes rolled at this inclusion, though one ballad
has Marion disguise herself as a page and duel Robin with swords "for at least an hour or more". - Attempted Rape: Marion fights off one from one of Godfrey's French mooks by stabbing him in the neck and kicking him in the face no less!
- Chastity Dagger: She threatens Robin with one when they first share a bedchamber as part of his pretense to be her husband. Unsurprisingly, it later turns out she wasn't making it up.
- Cry into Chest: After Walter's death, Marion finally breaks down and cries into Robin's chest.
- Damsel in Distress: Even though Marion has proven that she is quite capable of saving herself, she is still often a damsel in distress that Robin has to save from time to time. For example: When Robin and Marion encounter a group of peasants trying to free a ram that was stuck in a mud, Marion tries to free a ram stuck in the quicksand-like mud on her own without help or safety measures, but she falls in mud and only manages to herself stuck along with ram. Marion assures Robin and rest of the peasants near the bog that she is fine and that she does not need help to be rescued from being stuck in the mud. But she quickly realizes she is stuck and that she now needs help to be rescued from being stuck in the mud as she is now helpless to do anything on her own. Leading to Robin going to rescue both Marion and ram, showing just how beneath him Marion is. Fortunately, Marion is not in any danger of sinking deeper into mud to her death while being stuck in mud, she's just too stuck to free herself from the mud and has a hard time getting out of the mud. And after Robin rescues ram from mud, he also rescues Marion from mud as well.Marion: "Stop! You'll break its neck." (Marion swings off her horse, she quickly gathers her hair and tucks it down the back of her shirt and also gathers and hikes up her skirt to that her legs are bare to the thighs. She takes a hoe staff one of the peasants gives her and starts walking carefully forward into the bog, while testing the ground of the bog ahead of her for it's firmness before each step with a hoe while keeping her eyes mostly on the tricky grounds)Robin: "Marion." (Marion ignores him and keeps trying to make forward progress, Robin then also swings off his horse. Marion starts to slowly wade and sink into the muddy water with the hoe she is holding as her boots are stepping into the mud)Marion: "Easy." (And as Marion is slowly approaching ram that is stuck in the mud and testing the bottom in front of her, she suddenly gasps as the hoe staff she was holding suddenly plunges all the way in the mud, taking Marion with it. Marion loses her footing and starts falling into the mud. Marion pinwheels her arms to keep herself away from falling further and deeper into the mud. Eventually, Marion falls into the mud, getting herself stuck up to her shoulders in mud. Marion makes a rather big and loud splash of muddy water that gets her tucked dark-brown hair and hiked up clothes all wet and drenched up in muddy water after she falls and gets herself stuck in mud. Marion manages to right herself with her arms from which drops of muddy water start falling, keeping one hand above and near the mud while briefly raising her other hand from the mud, while her skirt starts trailing in the mud. But all Marion manages to do is to get herself stuck in mud along with ram)Marion:' "I'm alright." (Marion holds one hand near the mud while raising one hand in the air to try to regain her balance and wave away peasants's concern for her. Robin then pulls the garment off and slungs it across his saddle, where it would stay clean and goes to rescue Marion and ram who are now both stuck in mud. When Marion tries to stand back up, the quicksand-like bottom grabs her for her legs and now holds her tight, causing Marion to sink low to her shoulders and to realize that she can't move her legs and how she now needs help to be rescued from being stuck in the mud as she is now helpless to do anything on her own at all) "Uh, I can’t move me legs." (Marion is rather embarrased and annoyed about how she got herself stuck in mud, then she turns towards the shore to tell Robin and peasants that she is stuck in mud and needs help to be rescued from mud). "I can’t move me legs!" (Marion looks at Robin at shore who is placing a rope on his shoulders and going to rescue her and ram)
- Deadpan Snarker: She definitely has shades of this, especially towards Robin. The incredibly sarcastic way she 'invites' him to her chamber and "Oh, is it my turn now?" when Robin is about to rescue her from quicksand-like mud being prime examples.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Marion isn't exactly an 'Ice Queen' but she does act quite coldly towards Robin at first until she noticably thaws towards him later.
- Friend to All Children: Nottingham's band of feral children act aggressively towards everyone else but Marion. The only time they try to rob her doesn't end too well as she scolds them and even drags one off by his ear! The younger ones even seem perfectly happy to sit in her lap.
- Never a Self-Made Woman: Who else but Marion? She even ends up as the camp mom at the end.
- Romantic Fake–Real Turn: What started out as a ruse to convince the masses became genuine affection between Robin and Marian.
- Samus Is a Girl: An extra rider wearing a face-concealing helmet arrives at the battle just before the final charge. You probably didn't even need to highlight this to know that it's Marion, did you?
- The Smurfette Principle: She is the only female character of significant importance to the story in Nottingham.
- Team Mom: She is a mother figure to Nottingham's feral orphans who's fathers have died in The Crusades.
- The Worf Effect: She experiences a nonlethal case of this against Godfrey.
- Xenafication: She is a lot tougher here than in some adaptations, though not as tough as others.
Little John
Played by: Kevin Durand
- The Big Guy: Little John, as usual, is the biggest and broadest of the merry men.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He's big, brash and lecherous but kind, good humoured and completely loyal to Robin.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric - patient enough to wait for Robin's signal to go into fights as he is infantry, but never hesitates when it's time to fight, is the big guy of the team, and can be fairly cruel with his jokes.
- Has a Type: He takes an instant liking to a woman who’s nearly as tall as him.
- Loveable Rogue: He's the most rogueish of all of the merry men, but arguably also the most loveable.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Since the traditional tale of him being named "John Little" until Robin renames him is not used. When Friar Tuck asks him about the moniker, he responds, "What are you getting at I'm proportionate!"
- Violent Glaswegian: He's a rowdy rough man who speaks with what most resembles a Scottish accent, suggesting he comes from the border.
Allan A'Dayle
Played by: Alan Doyle
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic - quiet when he's not singing, generally follows along with anything the others want without argument.
- Wandering Minstrel: Allan is a musician who is as ready to sing a rousing ditty as he is to go into battle as an archer
- Warrior Poet: He has a sharp blade and smooth tongue.
Will Scarlet
Played by: Scott Grimes
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Little John jokes that Will Scarlet "co-habits with sheep" and mimes sheep-shagging. In the film, Will's accent and red hair likely marks him as a Welshman, noteworthy as author Stephen Lawhead hypothesizes that the historical Robin Hood and his band were Welshman fighting against invading Normans whose legend the English later appropriated for themselves.
- Colourful Theme Naming: In this version Will has red hair rather wearing red clothing.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine - the most social of the four, quick to make jokes, but also the one to verbally panic when the group approaches London.
- Race Lift: Due to his hair and accent, he seems to be Welsh rather than English like he traditionally is.
- Redhead In Green: A ginger haired man who wears green all the time.
Friar Tuck
Played by: Mark Addy
- Badass Preacher: Not only does he use the Bee-Bee Gun, see below, but also wears armor and goes into battle against the French.
- Bee-Bee Gun: The Friar locks up a bunch of French soldiers inside his small church and throws two beehives in to keep them company. This is a rare case of Chekhov's Bee Bee Gun, as he earlier comments on the dangers of angering a hive.
- Big Fun: A portly man with quite the sense of humor.
- Warrior Monk: He dons a suit of armor and takes part in the final battle against the French.
The Royals
King Richard the Lionheart
Played by: Danny Huston
- Bait the Dog: The setup for Richard asking Robin what he thinks of his crusade implies he'll reward him for his honesty. Instead he puts him in stocks with his gang.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He is boisterous and larger than life, growling dramatically like his namesake when he washes in the morning and rides in battle.
- Brutal Honesty: When King Richard asks for his opinion of the crusade, Robin answers honestly that it was a pointless waste of life. From the setup in the previous scene, it almost seems that King Richard was going to reward Robin for his honesty and set himself as a Reasonable Authority Figure. Instead he puts Robin and his gang in the stocks for their trouble.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: When Robert Loxley is calling for a physician to tend to Richard's fatal neck wound, Richard asks, "why Robert, are you ill?"
- Cool Crown: Wears his crown on his helm into battle.
- Cool Helmet: His signature crowned helm, seen on the right.
- Fiery Redhead: As red-haired as he is fierce and boisterous. In contrast to Scott's earlier depiction of him in Kingdom of Heaven, he has long curly hair resembling a lion's mane.
- Frontline General: Leads from the front and is beloved by his men for it. It also gets him killed.
- Historical Domain Character
- King Incognito: He dons a cloak and hood and mingles among his men.
- Large Ham: Danny Huston certainly has fun hamming it up in this role. "THEY DO IT FOR THE LIONHEART!"
- Modest Royalty: The only decoration he ever wears is his crowned helm.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Subverted especially compared to Richard's portrayal in other Robin Hood stories. Aside from planning to lock his mother and brother up when he gets home, his first scene paints him a relatively likable. Right after this he asks Robin to be honest with him even if he doesn't like what is said, then locks him and his friends up when Robin criticizes him ordering the massacre of innocent men, women and children at Acre. He isn't even portrayed as a good king in spite of this as his Crusade is framed as meaningless glory seeking which stripped the land of it's wealth and led most of its fit men to their deaths.
Prince/King John
Played by: Oscar Isaac
- Ambiguously Brown: John is played by Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac and his mother and brother are played by pale-skinned English actors.
- Bling of War: Wears golden mail and rich clothes into the battle on the beach.
- Cool Crown: In addition to the crown he normally wears as king, he also wears Richard's crowned helmet.
- Cool Helmet: Wears the same crowned helmet as Richard into battle.
- Et Tu, Brute?: John, upon learning of Godfrey's betrayal (the last of the royal court to learn of it), flies into a rage and nearly stabs his wife, who has informed him. Then he breaks into tears and gets a Cooldown Hug. May also qualify as a literal Villainous Breakdown, but he's not the chief villain of the movie.
- The Evil Prince: Mostly averted as he's actually King for a majority of the movie, in contrast to other versions of the Robin Hood myth.
- Frontline General: Insists on leading the battle from the front, despite Marshal's protests. He actually holds himself pretty well in combat and survives through it.
- Historical Domain Character
- Jerkass: He's brash, selfish, ridiculously cold-hearted towards his first wife and simply will not listen to reason from his mother or William Marshal. He also refuses to sign the treaty at the end despite having already sworn on his mother's life to do so, and he outlaws Robin seemingly because he's jealous of the loyalty he inspires in other people.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- If his first wife is infertile (he could be lying, though), then getting a new one is necessary, since all of his brothers are dead and it will fall to him to sire children in order to ensure the family doesn't die with him.
- His rant at his mother over Richard's follies, such as going off to play war and having to shell out an exorbitant ransom to get him back, requiring the hefty taxation he's always been vilified for in previous iterations simply to be financially responsible.
- Kick the Dog: To his lawful wife. He constantly cheats on her since she is, in his own words, as 'barren as a brick'.
- Large Ham: "I DECLARE HIM TO BE AN OUTLAWWWWWW!"
- Naked on Arrival: John and his French mistress (and to-be-wife) are interrupted in bed by his mother. The film is PG-13, so Modesty Bedsheets are present.
- The Unfavorite: He lampshades this multiple times throughout the film when speaking to his mother, accusing her of loving Richard more than him.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Played by: Eileen Atkins
- Historical Domain Character
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful women in her time, though her role in reinforcing her son's rule is suitably behind the scenes. She also raised no objections to John's decision to annul his first marriage, and fully supported his choosing Isabella as his second wife.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She seems remarkably down to earth and wise compared to her sons, listening to William Marshal's sage words of advice and convincing Isabella of Godfrey's threat.
Isabella of Angoulême
Played by: Léa Seydoux
- Age Lift: And a rather thankful one. The historical Queen Isabella was only twelve (though some argue she may have been as old as fourteen) when she married John.
- Everyone Looks Sexier if French: She's your typical beautiful, sensual young French 'pastry' (as named by Eleanor) who John finds infinitely more appealing than his 'barren as a brick' English wife.
- Historical Domain Character: She was John's real-life queen.
- Historical Downgrade: The real Isabella was every bit as short-tempered as John, which is one of the reasons he became attracted to her in the first place.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Isabella, in spite of being a bit of a bitch (sleeping with a man whilst his wife is just outside the door listening), truly seems to love John in spite of his many faults.
- Morality Pet: John's affection for her does seem to be genuine and stands out in comparison to his other hostel or dysfunctional relationships.
- Token Good Teammate: Isabella with regards to the French (despite being a member of their royal family). Her loyalty is entirely to her husband and although she takes part in adultery, she's not shown as outwardly evil. She also shows anger at John for refusing to sign the treaty.
Sir Godfrey
Played by: Mark Strong
- Bad Boss: In the Final Battle, he kills one of his French Mooks so he can take his horse and run away.
- Bald of Evil: Both Godfrey and his Chief Mook (who tries to rape Marion) are bald and clean shaven in contrast to most other men in the film.
- Big Bad: King Philip is the Greater-Scope Villain though.
- Canon Foreigner: Godfrey (along with Sir Walter Loxley) is an Original Character who doesn't appear in any of the source Robin Hood legends.
- Captain Ersatz: A knight with a French name starting with 'G' who acts as a senior henchman and suffers from Chronic Backstabbing Disorder? It's not Gisbourne, it's Godfrey!
- Dirty Coward: He's quick to run away when challenged and only takes the offensive against poorly armed villagers and ambushed soldiers.
- The Dragon: To both King John and the French King at the same time.
- Evil Chancellor: To King John. His title really is Chancellor. Also Treacherous Advisor.
- Evil Is Petty: He never hides the fact that he is a disgusting Jerkass.
- Evil Sounds Deep: He has a rather deep, imposing voice.
- Glasgow Grin: Robin manages to give Godfrey half of one with an arrow in France.
- Go Out with a Smile: When Robin shoots him through the neck with an arrow, he gets a disturbing grin on his face as he chokes on his blood.
- The Heavy: He may not be the Greater-Scope Villain (that's King Philip) but his actions drive the main plot of the movie.
- It's All About Me: Selfish doesn't even begin to describe him. He wants power and influence, no matter that his actions will result in the death of hundreds (and potentially thousands) of innocent people and plunge a whole country into war with itself.
- It's Personal with the Dragon: King Philip is the leader of the army trying to invade England, but it's Godfrey who committed all the atrocities on English soil. He notably killed Sir Walter, earning him the ire of Robin and Marian.
- Manipulative Bastard: He manages to convince his childhood friend King John to give him a small army of men to collect taxes from the northern Barons when in reality he has an even bigger army of French soldiers at the ready to dispose of them and rape and pillage their way through the North, causing unrest and nearly plunging England into civil war.
- Would Harm a Senior: Seen as he mercilessly kills Walter Locksley.
William Marshal
Played by: William Hurt
- Cool Old Guy: He's in his 50s by the time of the film and still fully fit to go into battle. To boot, he is sensible, noble and considerate.
- The Good Chancellor: In comparison to Godfrey's Evil Chancellor who takes over Marshal's role once John 'resigns' him.
- Historical Domain Character
- Historical Hero Upgrade: While renowned in his time as a soldier and statesman and called after his death "the flower of chivalry" and "the greatest knight who ever lived", he gets to help fight off an French invasion that didn't happen until years later and under different circumstances. See the Hollywood History entry on the main page.
- Old Friend: He's a dear friend of Walter Loxley.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: Stays loyal to King John despite his actions, though he tries to steer the king in the right direction.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The only person in the royal court who is on the side of our heroes. He was one of the men who signed Thomas Longstride's original treaty calling for more rights for the common man and he tries to advise King John to sign the treaty and truly earn the loyalty and respect of his people, to no avail.
- The Spymaster: His spies keep him informed of the French forces' movements throughout the film.
King Philip of France
Played by: Jonathan Zaccaï
- Affably Evil: He is polite, respectful, and appreciative of Sir Godfrey's aid.Sir Godfrey: At your service, Majesty.King Philip: It is I who is indebted to you.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Godfrey is working on his behalf, though for entirely selfish reasons.
- Historical Domain Character: Based on real King Philip II of France.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Played with. In the movie, he leads an invasion that never happened, making him a Greater-Scope Villain of the Robin Hood story (which he's not in the mythos).note However, given the fact that his kingdom and England were fighting each other during the reigns of Richard and John, and he led several assaults on English fiefs note , him attacking England in the movie doesn't exactly make him any more or less villainous than his real-life counterpart. So it's more Historical Antagonist Upgrade.
Nottingham
Sir Walter Loxley
Played by: Max von Sydow
- Canon Foreigner: Sir Walter (along with Sir Godfrey) is an Original Character who doesn't appear in any of the Robin Hood legends.
- Dirty Old Man: This scene:Walter: I woke this morning with a tumescent glow. Eighty-four! A miracle.Marion: [as Robin smirks] I'd always wondered at the private conversations of men...
- Old Soldier: Sir Walter isn't afraid to swing a sword at his enemies, despite being 84 years old and nearly blind.
- Papa Wolf: Upon learning the man before him was his son's murderer, he flew into a rage against him, despite being very old and blind. He was even able to wound Godfrey before he was taken down.
- Sacrificial Lion: He is killed mercilessly by Godfrey.
The Sheriff of Nottingham
Played by: Matthew Macfadyen
- Adaptational Wimp: In the Robin Hood mythos, he is one of the protagonist's most feared enemies - here, he's reduced to a minor role, and is portrayed as a sycophantic coward.
- Demoted to Extra: Whilst he is typically remembered in legend as Robin's most direct adversary, has a very minor role in the film and barely comes into conflict with Robin at all. His later role in the legend is only hinted at in the very end.
- Evil Sounds Deep: A given, knowing Matthew Mac Fadyen's deep, melodious voice.
- Harmless Villain: In comparison to the other villains in the film, especially Godfrey.
- The Quisling: Instead of trying to protect his villagers from the French invasion, he instead tries to save his own behind by currying favour with the marauding soldiers by claiming that he is half-French on his mother's side.
- Smug Snake: This film does not portray him as the sinister and ruthless adversary of legend, but as a lecherous coward of a man who will do anything to save his own skin at the expense of others.
- Villainous Crush: On Marion. He constantly acts lecherously towards her and even gives her a Forced Kiss, to which she bites his lip and spits at his feet.
