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Main Characters
Mary Sibley
Mary Sibley
Played By: Janet Montgomery
Mary Sibley (née Walcott) is the female protagonist of Salem. She is the wife of George Sibley, former lover of John Alden, and the most powerful Witch in Salem. She became a witch after she sacrificed her unborn baby to Satan in exchange for powers. Throughout the first season her actions have been influenced by not only her love for John Alden but her revenge on the Puritans who she believes took away everything she loved, causing her to make irrevocable choices. When John is put under trial for being a witch, she saves him from being hanged revealing she is a witch. They had planned to run away together but she is forced to stay in Salem and complete the Grand Rite to save the life of their son, who she had been led to believe had died seven years ago.
- Ambiguously Bi: She is in love with John, but she has a lot of homoerotic moments with Tituba, Anne, and Mercy.
- Anti-Villain: Due to her Conflicting Loyalty between furthering the witches' cause, and trying to protect her loved ones.
- Back from the Dead: Tituba and the Essex witches ressurect her after she bleeds to death in the Season 3 premiere.
- Break the Cutie: She was a very different person before the witches got their hooks into her.
- Brought Down to Normal: For her betrayal, the Devil strips her of her powers.
- Character Tic: She’s actually very emotional but keeps it under wraps so she has a habit of frequently shedding a single tear from one eye without the rest of her face moving before quickly wiping it away. The effect is oddly sexy.
- The Chessmaster: Becomes the first witch to complete the Grand Rite, due to her idea of exploiting the Puritans' fanaticism and letting them kill the 13 innocent souls needed under the guise of a witch hunt.
- The Chosen One: A villainous version; the witches consider her the most likely to finally succeed at the Grand Rite.
- Deal with the Devil: The source of her power, as with all witches.
- Death Seeker: After her son is possessed by the Devil, effectively killing him, and her lover is disposed of, all Mary wants to do is die. She's willing to try and take the Countess with her, though.
- Familiar: Mary's familiar is a toad she keeps in George Sibley's throat.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the season 2 finale, after most of her blood is drained by Sebastian, she gives the rest to bring John Alden back from the dead. The episode ends with John waking up beside her body.
- Hot Witch: Very much so, not least in John Alden's view.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: She confident, assertive and sure of herself but self-loathing and frequently suicidal.
- Laser-Guided Karma: She stuffed her toad familiar down George Sibley's throat and used it to control him. In season 3, the Sentinel inserts one of his hive mind millipedes into her ear in order to read her thoughts.
- Marital Rape License: From George Sibley. She makes him pay for it later.
- Meaningful Name: Lampshaded by the Countess in season 2. Just as the Biblical Mary became the mother of the Messiah, Mary Sibley's son is revealed to be the one whom Satan will inhabit after the Grand Rite is completed.
- Missing Mom: Her child with John Alden, supposedly sacrificed during her initiation as a witch, is revealed to have survived and been raised by the coven in the season 1 finale. The episode ends with her meeting her son for the first time.
- In the season 2 finale, despite Satan taking hold of little John, he still wants Mary to love him.
- The Mirror Shows Your True Self: Mary's reflection is that of an old hag, one she claims represents the state of her soul. Or at least that’s how she perceives it.
- Ms. Fanservice: She gets naked quite regularly.
- Pet the Dog: Her love for John Alden (as much as she tries to repress or deny it) and her genuine affection for Isaac, whom she tries to send to safety when the Grand Rite is about to be completed. Unfortunately he tries to be "helpful" to her and so accidentally gets a face full of Red Death.
- Slut-Shaming: A victim of it, after the Marburgs turn on her for letting John Alden escape with their son.
- That Thing Is Not My Child!: Once the Devil possesses her son (essentially killing him) Mary rejects any notion of being around him, even though the Devil still considers her as 'his' mother. It doesn't help that the Devil also wants to make her his queen.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With John Alden, for whom she still has feelings.
- Witch Hunt: She's actually the true architect of the initial witch hunt, manipulating the townsfolk to detract suspicion from herself while eliminating her enemies.
- Woman Of Wealth And Taste: She’s rich and always dressed up to the nines.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She's an immensely powerful witch and doesn't hesitate in taking her revenge on the Puritans she despises. Behind all her vengeful fantasies, however, she wishes to go back to the time that she and John Alden were in love, and is still deeply heartbroken over everything that came between them.
- Xanatos Gambit: Kills Increase Mather, not by directly using her powers to land the killing blow, but by manipulating Isaac and Cotton so that the latter would kill his own father.
John Alden
John Alden
Played By: Shane West
Johnathan "John" Alden is the male lead and one of the main protagonists of Salem. He is the son of John Alden senior and Sarah Alden, former lover of Mary Sibley and a hardened war hero. He returns home to his native Salem, Massachusetts after fighting in the nine years war to find his home town amidst a witch panic but has returned with the sole purpose of being reunited with his former lover and love of his life, Mary — only to discover that she is now married to George Sibley, the very man that had sent him off to die.
- Anti-Hero: He's only heroic in contrast to the fanatical Puritans and the devious witches plotting amongst them. Otherwise, he's a self-professed murderer.
- Becoming the Mask: He was captured by the Mohawk after being wounded in battle. The tribe adopted him as their own, and he later fought on their side, killing many of his former comrades. In the first season finale, the tribe later intervenes just as he's about to be hanged, but not before he gets shot.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Cotton from being murdered.
- Deal with the Devil: In the season 2 premiere, his soul is bound to the Great Spirit, empowering him to be able to hunt the witches down. The downside is that not only will his quest for vengeance consume him eventually, he is also fated to never be able to leave Salem alive.
- Disappeared Dad: He never finds out that Mary was pregnant with his child when he was sent off to war. [The season 1 finale reveals their child has been raised by the witches.)
- Expository Hairstyle Change: His return in the second season has him without his long hair, having been cut off by the Mohawk during the ritual to bind his soul to the Great Spirit.
- Killed Off for Real: Subverted twice. The season 1 finale ends with him getting shot, and his body being carried off by the Mohawk. The season 2 finale begins with him dying from being stabbed in the gut, and ends with him revived after Mary gives what little blood she had left to bring him back.
- Morality Chain: For Mary. He's the only reason she cannot fully commit herself to the witches.
- Mr. Fanservice: Has more than a few Shirtless Scenes.
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather
Played By: Seth Gabel
Driven by secret obsessions and desire, Cotton Mather is the well-educated local aristocrat who fans the flames of Salem’s witch hunt. The foremost expert on witches and malice, Cotton is a Puritan reverend, son of the infamous witch hunter Increase Mather. But even as he is hunting witches, he lives under the shadow of his very famous father and agonizes about living up to him. Cotton is a man of contradiction. He is a God-fearing believer that strives to uphold the law, and yet he has demons inside himself that he is too afraid to exorcise.
- And I Must Scream: In the season 2 finale, he suffers the same fate as George Sibley, courtesy of his own wife Anne. Come season 3 he can move about again, but should he go against Anne's wishes, her familiar Brown Jenkins will eat his insides.
- Anti-Villain: Cotton might be a fanatic who kills innocent people, but he's also a deeply conflicted man.
- Drowning My Sorrows: To the point where he has a reputation for being a drunkard.
- Historical Domain Character: He's based on the real-life Puritan minister.
- Hypocrite: He preaches God's word during the day and sleeps with prostitutes during the night. This is somewhat mitigated in that he actually is in love with Gloriana, the prostitute he regularly sleeps with.
- Self-Made Orphan: Gets manipulated by Mary into killing his own father.
- Prone to Tears: Pretty much red-eyed if not actually crying in every episode.
- Shaming the Mob: Cotton Mather successfully gets a mob to refrain from killing a family suspected of witchcraft. He's a zealous witch hunter, but he does believe suspects have the right to a fair trial and face their accusers.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He and his father Increase have this kind of relationship.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's brutal and overzealous in his effort to hunt down witches, but they do exist, while everything he says about them appears to be true. However, he's also being tricked by them into condemning innocents. For what it's worth, his partnership with John Alden is starting to point him in the right direction.
Anne Hale
Anne Hale
Played By: Tamzin Merchant
She is the daughter of the Magistrate and Countess Marburg, though she believed herself to be the daughter of Mrs. Hale. She takes care of the children in the orphanage after the death of her close friend Bridget Bishop and later discovers she is a Witch. She is also the wife of Cotton Mather and sister to Sebastian Von Marburg.
- Ambiguously Bi: Along with her crush on John Alden and marriage to Cotton,and eventual incest with Sebastian, she has plenty of homoerotic subtext with some of the other ladies.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: She ultimately spares John, and by extension Mary, because of her love of him.
- Born in the Wrong Century: Her values wouldn't be out of place in 21st century America, but are markedly odd in 17th century New England.
- Brother–Sister Incest: After they both have their hearts broken (by Mary and Cotton) Anne and Sebastian decide to seek sexual comfort from each other.
- Depraved Bisexual: Shoves her familiar down Cotton's throat to control him, commits incest with Sebastian, and her homoerotic scenes all have varying levels of Mind Rape.note
- Evil Redhead: Gradually loses her morals over the course of the series, culminating in the grand finale where she takes over as the true Big Bad of the show.
- Face–Heel Turn: Betrays Mary to save Cotton from the Countess, and chooses to enslave Cotton after he learns that she's a witch.
- Fiery Redhead: One of the most opinionated citizens of Salem, in spite of her father's position as Magistrate.
- Jerkass Has a Point: When Alden confronts her about handing Little John over to the Countess in order to be possessed by the Devil, and scoffs when she claims she had no choice, she angrily retorts that Mary caused the deaths of plenty of innocent people, unleashed a plague and conspired to bring the Devil to Earth — all by her own choice.
- She is also entirely right in calling Cotton a hypocrite for judging others (Anne in particular) for their sins, while he himself spends his time over indulging in alcohol and trysting with a prostitute, not to mention his having so many innocents executed.
- I Did What I Had to Do: She gives Little John to the Countess so that he can be possessed by Satan because she threatened Cotton, and when Alden confronts her about it she tells him that she had no choice.
- Missing Mom: The Countess is her real mother.
- Pet the Dog: Saves John Alden and Mary Sibley in the finale, single handily engineering their happy ending.
- Secret Test of Character: In season 3 episode 1, she gives Cotton back his ability to walk telling him she'll trust him, if he trusts her and later that night when she is sleeping he attempts to sneak out the house only for it to be revealed the "Brown Jenkins" her familiar is still inside him and starts ripping at him from the inside and Anne comes out at tells him that he has failed her test and the Brown will tear him up from the inside if he ever tries to betray her.
- Self-Made Orphan: Her fury in refusing to accept that she's a witch causes her powers to break out and end up killing both her parents. She also kills off her biological mother, The Countess, in the series finale.
- The Starscream: Ends up becoming this to every other witch left in the finale. After killing off Mercy and The Countess and sending a blinded and mouth-less Tituba away, she takes over as the head (and only) witch in charge.
- Took a Level in Badass and Took a Level in Jerkass: Gains both confidence and power over the course of the series. Loses her sanity and morality as well.
- Tomato in the Mirror: She's a witch too, like her father having been born one.
- Woman Scorned: After Cotton makes it clear that he is thoroughly disgusted with her, Anne opens the door to Hell on Earth, as well as convince Cotton to doom himself to an eternity in Hell to spare Salem.
Tituba
Tituba
Played By: Ashley Madekwe
Tituba is a Witch and the former handmaiden of Mary Sibley. As a devout disciple of the Devil, she was the one who initiated Mary into Witchcraft, and also had a key role in the development of the situations that have led to the fulfillment of the Ritum Magni. Mysterious and mysteriously ageless, Tituba is the indispensable helper to Mary Sibley, Salem’s most powerful woman. Tituba is ostensibly Mary’s servant in the Sibley household, but in private, behaves as if she’s Mary’s superior. There is a great deal of history between Tituba and Mary – they have experienced unthinkable deeds throughout the years. Although closely tied to Mary, the beautiful and exotic Tituba has powers and secrets all her own.
- Ambiguously Gay: It is clearly shown that she may have romantic feelings for Mary which is why she is so devoted to her and she also has a disdain for men. Even then when they do spells together it looks like their having sex and they have kissed a couple of times the one time was when her and Mary where manipulating George Sibley into thinking he was going to have three way sex with them, but what it was instead was putting the frog down his throat.
- Ambiguously Bi: In Season 2 she attempts to seduce John when she has him captured as part of her plan to try and use him against Mary.
- Childhood Friend: She was this to Mary since Mary's family bought Tituba when they were both children and they loved each other like sisters. Though Tituba seems to want this to become a Childhood Friend Romance.
- The Corrupter: To Mary, at least.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Ostensibly Mary's slave, but she seems to have more clout among the witches that her "mistress". It also helps that she's the one who introduced Mary to the witches in the first place.
- Eye Scream: In the course of hunting down the witch killer in season 2, she eats the eyes of one of his victims. Which makes it somewhat karmic when crows peck out her eyes in the season 2 finale, and eating the eyes of the previous Seer results in her becoming one herself.
- Green-Eyed Monster: She is jealous of anybody who gets close to Mary. She was this way with Mercy often mistreating and telling her that Mary is her mistress not Mercy's.
- Historical Domain Character: The real Tituba was a West Indian slave who was the first to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
- Familiar: A spider which she feeds by letting it bite her neck.
- Ignored Enamored Underling: She is this to Mary.
- Killed Off for Real: As she flees Salem at the end of season 2, she is killed by a murder of crows. Subverted as season 3 reveals that she survived the attack but she has been rendered blind because of having no eyes and she is now the new seer.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She's horrified when she realises that her manipulation of Mary into completing the Grand Rite has doomed the world unless the Devil can be stopped, and quickly sets about trying to make amends.
- Morality Pet: Mary is this to her.
- Secret-Keeper: Kept the survival of Mary's child a secret from her, in order to have leverage should she attempt to leave the witches.
Mercy Lewis
Mercy Lewis
Played By: Elise Eberle
A girl who is believed to be tormented by a witch because she has strange and violent afflictions caused by Mary Sibley. She later becomes a witch and swears to get revenge on Mary for all she has done to her.
- Axe-Crazy: A few days living in the woods sleeping among corpses will do that to you. Her friends getting killed really pushes her over the edge, however.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted big time with her as she first gets her hair cut short and gets many cuts and bruises from her "possession" and gets filthy and dirty from living in the woods. Then of course she gets disfigured from being burned alive.
- The Countess later restores her beauty but retaining it requires Mercy to bathe in the blood of young women and girls — which becomes more difficult when her ability to lure them, and her beauty, is taken from her by Satan.
- Burn the Witch!: Survives being burnt alive, somehow.
- Face–Heel Turn: Goes from being a victim of witchcraft to being a witch herself.
- Familiar: While she was being used by Mary, a snake inhabited her stomach. Somehow, her father was able to exorcise it from her.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Starts out the seasons as a poor girl afflicted by witches, ends the series as a witch ready to command an army of teenagers to take down Mary Sibley and become the true Queen of the Night.
- The Starscream: In the season 1 finale, she plots to take Mary down and become "queen of the night". Although to her mind, Mary betrayed her.
- Unwitting Pawn: At first, Mary uses her as a puppet to accuse innocent people of witchcraft and have them executed. After her familiar is exorcised, the "unwitting" part no longer applies as Mary takes her under her wing.
- Used by the Countess as well to murder girls to add to her power and raise Satan; when the goal of raising Satan is accomplished she was no longer of use, the Countess turns her out at once.
Isaac Walton
Isaac Walton
Played By: Iddo Goldberg
Aliases: Poor Isaac, Isaac the fornicator, Isaac the truth teller, sir Isaac
The town of Salem made an example of Isaac Walton for his indiscretions as a teenager, and he has to live with that reputation every day of his life as "Isaac the Fornicator". A lower class driver, Isaac is responsible for ridding the town of all waste. Handling Salem's dirty work has piqued Isaacs’s interest in the town’s witch hunts and he learns quickly that certain things cannot be unseen.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: He has a bad reputation in Salem for being a "fornicator" for which he got a F branded in his forehead and he is generally treated as an outcast.
- Though in season 2 he becomes known as a truth teller when he gives the residents a "The Reason You Suck" Speech at the church and gets a good reputation in turn, but it is shown he still has some bad publicity; when he tries to save a girl from being killed by Mercy Lewis, the people in the area attack him assuming that he is the one attacking the girl.
- Honest Advisor: Becomes this to the town and Hawthorne when he is given the title of "truth teller".
- Morality Pet: Of Mary Sibley. She genuinely has affection for him, and regrets having to mentally manipulate him in order to allow a plot to proceed. Mary even gives him several fortunes worth of gold and sends him on his way when the Grand Rite is about to be complete. Unfortunately he doesn't follow her instructions on what to do with the Malum, and gets a face full of Red Death for his trouble.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Enforced; his forehead was branded with an 'F' for "fornicator". However, in season 2, Magistrate Hawthorne gives him a new title, as "truth-teller," after he gives Salem's citizens a scathing speech after he finds Dolie's body.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His branding consequently labelled him as "Isaac the Fornicator"
- Too Dumb to Live: He never notices that his employer is a witch, and ignores Mary's instructions on what to do with the Malum, getting a face full of Red Death for his trouble. Subverted in the fact that he survives the pox.
- Made of Iron/Unexplained Recovery: Somehow survives the pox over the course of season 2 and he is nursed back to health by Dollie.
Little John/The Devil
Little John/The Devil
Played by: Oliver Bell
Aliases For The Devil: The Dark Man, Kanaima, Lucifer, Satan, The Dark Lord, The Serpent, The Beast
Little John is the firstborn child of John Alden and Mary Walcott and also a Witch. While he has yet to be given an official name, he is often affectionately called "Little John" by his mother, Mary Sibley. As a baby he was raised by the Essex witches, He is later used as the new vessel for The Devil.
The Devil (or Legion) is the Lord of Chaos and Destruction, proprietor of the Underworld, as well as the primary patron of Witchcraft. While the basis of what and who the Devil is has been a subject of intense debate for thousands of years, most religions, such as Christianity, believe the Devil to be the chief spirit of evil, while other traditions, such as Witchcraft, believe the Devil to be an anti-hero who has been shunned by mainstream society and thus criticized and demonized throughout the millennia. Nevertheless, due to the fact that there are many interpretations of what and who the Devil is, there are many variations of the Devil's identity.
- Affectionate Nickname: "Little John"
- The Antichrist: Little John was kept alive by the Essex witches to become a vessel for the Devil who later completely takes over his body.
- Character Death: Little John dies when the Devil completely takes over his body.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Come on. He's the Devil. Naturally he'll turn on someone at a moment's notice. This even extends to his brother the Sentinel when he vehemently protests at the prospect of the Devil becoming the new God: he orders Tituba to find some way to kill him.
- Creepy Child: Whenever he's possessed. Becomes permanent after being baptized and becomes the Devil.
- Demonic Possession: Little John is plagued by demon possessions which affects his behavior and causes strange things to happen around him such as drawing macabre pictures, birds tending to die by his window, and other bizarre behaviors including him lusting over his own mother.
- After he is "baptized" by the Countess, he is taken over by the Devil himself.
- Dead Guy Junior: After Mary tells him his father's name, he takes it as his own.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He punishes Tituba and Mercy for being liars and betrayers, but a subversion in the fact that it was mostly because of the things they did to his mother Mary.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The Essex witches' actions and the Grand Rite was all done to bring the Devil to Earth.
- Parental Incest: The Devil intends for Mary to be his Queen and does consider her to be his mother as well as Little John's mother. He earlier makes his interest clear when he is possessing John; he kisses her which freaks Mary out.
- Oracular Urchin: Senses the death of several of the elder witches.
- Walking Spoiler: His existence is a massive spoiler for the first season.
- Nature Spirit: The Devil is a very dark version of this. He is believed to be the pagan god of nature by the Essex Witches due to their previous earth-worshipping beliefs.
- I Have Many Names: He has countless names across the world, including Satan, Lucifer, Kanima, the Dark Lord, etc.
- The Old Gods: He is seen as one of them by the witches while the Puritans just viewed him as a fallen angel who deceive mankind.
Sebastian Marburg
Baron Sebastian von Marburg
Played by: Joe Doyle
Baron Sebastian Von Marburg is a powerful cradle witch and son of the Countess Von Marburg.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Has served by his mother's side for centuries, but later becomes obsessed with Mary which results in him sparing her when he was told by his mother to kill her. He eventually turns against his mother when he proves his loyalty to the Devil.
- The Dog Bites Back: Fed up with the constant ill treatment from his mother, disillusioned by what she's forced him to do (including killing Mary) and eager to prove himself to the Devil, he refuses to restore the Countess when she's forced back into her original body and shuts her inside her coffin.
- Hero Killer: Inflicts the stab wound that ultimately kills John Alden, though subverted when John is resurrected by Mary.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Kills Wainwright after having witnessed he and Mary having sex. Later uses the same incident to have her arrested for adultery.
- Parental Incest: Has an extremely close relationship with his mother the Countess, which even involves letting him "taste" her victims by kissing him on the lips.
- Pet the Dog: He spares Mary when he was told to kill her by his mother, and allows her to go be with Alden in his last moments and goes back and tells his mother that she's dead.
- Stalker with a Crush: Is inordinately enamored with Mary, much to his mother's frustration.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Drains Mary's blood under orders from his mother, but keeps her alive enough for her to make her way to John Alden's body.
- The Unfavorite: Was deemed unworthy of the Grand Rite's sacrifice.
The Sentinel
The Sentinel
Played by: Samuel Roukin
The Sentinel is a Fallen Angel - eventually revealed to be Beelzebub - and age-old companion of the Devil, who has escaped from Hell in order to guard and assist his friend on Earth.
- Deadpan Snarker: When the Devil happily claims that their plans have begun, the Sentinel sourly notes that he remembers how their last endeavour, storming Heaven, went. "Forgive me if I hold my tongue this time for a successful end."
- The Dragon: While the Devil naturally regards Sebastian and Anne as subordinates, the Sentinel is much more of a right hand man, as well as a guardian.
- Hidden Depths: His efforts to persuade Mary to commit suicide instead help her to realise that he does actually feel compassion and empathy, since he thought to use her own guilt against her when the Devil never did.
- Instant Expert: He speaks perfect English after listening to the Devil speak it for about half a minute.
- Secret Test of Character: He puts Mary through one by telling the Devil that she passed his interrogation; when she is giving the Devil a bath she stabs him and tries to drown him - and then it turns out that the Devil was actually the Sentinel in disguise, testing her to see if she would make an attempt on his brother's life. Obviously, she failed.
- Shapeshifter: One of his forms is to become a swarm of insects, and he disguises himself as the Devil to test Mary's loyalty.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: Even when annoyed, he never raises his voice too much - and of course, he takes rather too much pleasure in torturing Mary.
- You Are Who You Eat: He initially comes out of the ground looking like an insect-riddled corpse, but after absorbing an unfortunate bystander he immediately forms the appearance of a normal, if threatening, human.
- The Worm That Walks: His true form appears to be a hive mind of insects: "I and the swarm are the same."
Magistrate Hale
Magistrate John Hale
Played By: Xander Berkeley
John Hale was a magistrate and also the chief policemen in Salem, thus being one of the town selectmen. He was also a pureblood witch that crept into high public positions to destroy the Puritans from the inside. He was also Anne's father.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Before he's revealed as one of the witches, Hale comes across as one of the most sensible and good-natured citizens of Salem.
- The Dragon: To Mary Sibley.
- Dragon with an Agenda: He makes no secret of his doubts that Mary is a capable leader.
- Ear Ache: John Alden shoots off his ear, and he subsequently keeps the wound hidden by his long hair.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Hale had a family that he still mourns, and loves his daughter dearly.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By a wooden stake, right on his forehead.
- Killed Off for Real: By his own daughter.
- Papa Wolf: Hale is extremely protective of his daughter.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Subverted as he was only pretending to be this while he was secretly a witch himself.
Recurring Characters
Countess Marburg
Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg
Played by: Lucy Lawless
A rich European countess who takes pity on Salem's destitution and walks among its most powerful citizens. Actually one of oldest witches in existence, who survived millennia and died several times over, seeking only to see the Grand Rite through and revive her Dark Lord.
- And I Must Scream: If her current body is killed, she goes back to her original body, which has somehow survived across millennia. After Satan kills her in the season 2 finale, Sebastian shuts her coffin just as she returns to her old body, leaving her soul trapped inside a desiccated corpse.
- A God Am I: She was once worshiped as the mythological goddess Hecate. She always declared herself to be the bride of The Devil and shall be the future queen of the world.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: She is introduced first as a very powerful witch, before she is recognized by the people of Salem as the Countess.
- Captain Ersatz: Let’s see, an immortal wealthy Vain Sorceress who worships the Devil, is in an incestuous relationship with her offspring and is played by an attractive older woman. Are we talking about Countess Marburg or Evelyn Poole from ‘’Penny Dreadful’’?
- She's a reincarnation of Lilith who in addition to serving the Devil is in love with him and has a rivalry with the heroine, realising that her master intends for her to be his bride. Madam Satan from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina anyone?
- The Corrupter: Does everything to make sure Mary completes the Grand Rite.
- Depraved Bisexual: She really gets up close and personal with both women and men and it is shown that she has a habit of kissing everybody on the lips and even killed a female victim with a spell by kissing her.
- Didn't See That Coming: She didn't account for the Devil fixating on Mary, his host's mother, and desiring to make her his queen, swiftly derailing her plans and hopes.
- Expy: Of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who has legends told of her bathing in the blood of young women to retain her youth and beauty.
- Final Boss: She's resurrected in the final episode to be a threat for John Alden and Anne Hale to face off against and outlasts her master.
- Greater-Scope Villain: She's more invested in the Grand Rite's completion, and also despises the Essex witches which spawned Mary and Tituba.
- Humiliation Conga: The entire season 2 finale is this to her: the Devil scorns her and prefers his birth mother Mary, Mary nearly defeats her in a magical duel, and when she tries to dispose of her rival and ingratiate herself with her lord and master, he turns on her for lying to him and stabs her to death. Sebastian crowns her downfall; when her soul returns to her original, withered body, he refuses to restore her but instead locks her inside her coffin.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She's Anne Hale's real mother.
- Parental Incest: She has an extremely close relationship with her son Sebastian, which includes letting him "taste" her victims by kissing him on the lips."I have loved you [Sebastian] in ways no woman ever has."
- Before Anne is revealed to be her daughter, she also kissed her on the lips as well.
- Really 700 Years Old: She's been alive since the time of Jesus.
- Too Dumb to Live: Did she seriously think trying to trick Satan himself into thinking Mary had killed herself was a good idea?!
- Water Is Womanly: An elegant, ancient sorceress who was worshipped as the goddess Hecate. Of the elements, she an affinity for water, using it several times as a magical conduit.
Gloriana
Gloriana
Played By: Azure Parsons
A prostitute and Cotton's lover.
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Appears to taunt Cotton with this. He Abides.
- Put on a Bus: Banished from Salem by Increase Mather to punish his son.
- The Bus Came Back: Returns in Season 3, heavily pregnant with Cotton's child.
Increase Mather
Increase Mather
Played By: Stephen Lang
Cotton Mather's father and an even more fanatical witch-hunter than his son.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Speaks exclusively in baritone.
- Genre Savvy: Has an uncanny intuition for finding out witches. He even knew Mary was a witch the whole time, and drew out John Alden's incarceration and sentencing, thinking that she would try to save him.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Crossed this a long time ago.
- Jerkass: He's devoted to fighting witches (who are, after all, servants of Satan) but that doesn't make him a nice guy
- Killed Off for Real: By his son Cotton, having been manipulated by Mary.
- Knight Templar: As a merciless witch hunter, who is willing to do what ever it takes to hunt and kill witches.
- Torture Technician: He has many torture devices with which he tortures Tituba to get information about the identity of other witches.
- To the Pain: Likes to tell his victims in agonising detail what he is going to do to them.
- Wicked Cultured: Was educated in Harvard, of all places, and speaks in a refined manner. Uses this to control masses to his will.
Giles Corey
Giles Corey
Played By: Kevin Tighe
A close friend of John Alden.
- "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: As he's being crushed to death by pressing, his last words are "More stones."
- Secret-Keeper: The only other person who knew of Mary's pregnancy, which is one of the reasons she arranges his execution.
George Sibley
George Sibley
Played By: Michael Mulhern
One of the founders of Salem—the last surviving one as of the start of the series, and accordingly the most politically powerful. Had John Alden sent off to war so that he could have Mary all to himself.
- Asshole Victim: He was a brutal, self-satisfied Knight Templar and moral guardian who indulged in Marital Rape License and Murder the Hypotenuse, so it's hard to feel sorry for him when Mary starts working her witchcraft.
- And I Must Scream: Mary uses him as a 'home' for her familiar, rendering him mute, immobile and in constant pain.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: Tries to get a message out regarding Mary's secret by stabbing himself in the thigh. Unfortunately for him, he gets caught.
- Establishing Character Moment: When we first see George, he's burning an 'F' into Isaac's forehead as punishment for fornication.
- Killed Off for Real: Midway through season 2, the Countess kills him while she's trying to convince Mary to work with her in completing the Grand Rite.
- Knight Templar: George is a fervent true believer and Puritan.
- Visual Pun: He has a frog in his throat. Quite literally.
Dr. Wainwright
Dr. Samuel Wainwright
Played by: Stuart Townsend
A doctor investigating the pox afflicting Salem.
- Asshole Victim: Given how Cotton ends up humiliated (and almost murdered) because of him, nobody misses him after he's killed.
- For Science!: Claims science as his only religion.
- He Knows Too Much: Partly the reason he's killed by Sebastian.
- I Love the Dead: Inverted. Everyone thinks he is this, but he is not.
- Kick the Dog: After learning of the existence of witches, he then proceeds to discredit everything that he and Cotton discovered together, handing the latter over to Hathorne without even blinking.
- Mushroom Samba: While having sex with Mary, she puts him in one to give him a taste of the witches' power.
- Seeker Archetype: Curiosity is his most defining trait.
Hathorne
Hathorne
Played by: Jeremy Crutchley
A member of Salem's select men, who aspires to wield political power in Salem, and wants to take advantage of Anne Hale after her parents' deaths.
- Beard of Evil
- Last-Name Basis: Nobody in Salem calls him anything other than Hathorne.
- Love Triangle: In one with Anne Hale and Cotton Mather.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Attempts to have Cotton killed.
- The Rival: Of George Sibley.
- Pet the Dog: After being called out as a hypocrite by Isaac, and punishing the latter for his audacity, he then publicly bestows on him the title of "truth-teller," and even says that Isaac shall no longer be considered as the fornicator.
