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Film Series
Introduced in The Exorcist:
Chris MacNeil
Chris MacNeil
Portrayed By: Ellen Burstyn (1973, 2023), Sharon Gless (2016)
Appearances: The Exorcist | The Exorcist (series) | The Exorcist: Believer
"You show me Regan's double, same face, same voice, everything. And I'd know it wasn't Regan. I'd know in my gut. And I'm telling you that thing upstairs isn't my daughter. Now, I want you to tell me that you know for a fact that there's nothing wrong with my daughter, except in her mind. You tell me for a fact that an exorcism wouldn't do any good. You tell me that!"
A famous actress temporarily living in Georgetown to complete an ongoing film project. When her daughter Regan shows signs of a Demonic Possession, Chris has an emotional breakdown and eventually turns to Father Karras to exorcise her child.
- Broken Bird: Quickly has an emotional breakdown from Regan's behaviour, Burke's death, and the demonic mayhem causing chaos for her family.
- Death Cry Echo: Has one when Pazuzu implies Regan murdered Burke.
- Determinator: Chris goes through a lot of trauma in the movie, but never stops fighting for Regan.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Quick to anger, she often snaps at those who can't explain what is happening to her daughter.
- Mama Bear: Devoted to her daughter despite her busy schedule, and goes to the ends of the earth to free Regan from Pazuzu's control.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Chris pretends to be dumb so people can explain things to her.
- Screaming Woman: Poor dear does a lot of this, but with good reason.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: In the series she is killed by a possessed Reagan.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In the series she is revealed to have exploited Regan’s possession to save her own failing career and published a book on it, leading to Regan leaving Chris and changing her name. She later returns to reconcile with Regan, and they eventually overcome their differences. Chris is all set to start a new relationship with Regan until a once more possessed Regan kills her.
- That Thing Is Not My Child!: The impression Chris eventually gains when Regan goes crazy. Actually says it word for word when speaking to Karras, convincing him to inspect Regan.
Regan MacNeil
Regan MacNeil
Portrayed By: Linda Blair (1973-1977), Geena Davis (2016)
Appearances: The Exorcist | Exorcist II: The Heretic | The Exorcist (series) | The Exorcist: Believer
Chris' twelve-year old daughter. Introduced as a sweet, innocent girl, Regan starts exhibiting abnormal behaviour after making contact with "Captain Howdy" via a Ouija board. It soon becomes clear that a demon has possessed her, replacing the kind Regan with a foul-mouthed, violent, blasphemous monster hellbent on consuming the girl in body and soul.
- And I Must Scream: The message she writes for Karras while Pazuzu is possessing her body says it all.HELP ME
- Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress: Make that bile-splattered pyjamas. Regan wearing a nightgown that gets covered in green gunge and blood throughout the film.
- Body Horror: As Pazuzu's possession progresses, her body is increasingly mutilated and scarred, her skin becomes flaky and dry, and towards the end her skin turns a sickly grey with numerous cuts and bruises, and empty inhumanly green eyes.
- Break the Cutie: Regan is clearly terrified by her behaviour and Pazuzu's cruelty. Though she forgot or at least suppressed what happened at the end of the film.
- Children Are Innocent: Emphasized in the film through Regan's possession.
- Creepy Child: Becomes one during the film, becoming quiet, eerie, before becoming more aggressive, rude, and eventually is taken over by Pazuzu.
- Demonic Possession: Without a doubt the most famous in cinema history.
- Exorcist Head: The Trope Namer.
- Fighting from the Inside: When Father Karras comes in to look at Regan, Pazuzu gleefully toes the line and refuses to demonstrate absolutely conclusive proof that he is a real demon possessing Regan. The conclusive proof instead comes when the linguist Karras has consulted tells him the tape he made of Regan mumbling "gibberish" is actually perfect English spoken backwards. Immediately thereafter, Sharon summons him to show him the words "Help me" rising out of Regan's skin, in her handwriting, indicating that the subsumed Regan managed to send an undeniably supernatural message out from under Pazuzu. These things are the proof Father Karras needs to immediately request an exorcism.
- Imaginary Friend: Regan treats Captain Howdy as this. She was wrong.
- Nice Girl: In the book especially, which stresses how sweet and innocent she is at first, presumably to make her whole possession all the more horrifying and heartbreaking.
- Split Personality: Chris speculates that Regan has this, the doctors tell her it's very unlikely but suggest that she may be dissociating out of "guilt" over her parents' divorce. They're the ones who explain "somatiform possession" (a person believes he is possessed) and suggest the exorcism. Chris says if Regan feels guilty it's because she killed Burke — a secret that Chris is determined never to reveal until she distraughtly spills it to Fr. Karras. Naturally Regan wasn't the one who killed him.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Regan was very sweet, cheery and innocent before Pazuzu drops in for a visit. In fact, she is somewhat shy and diffident, not the type to even contemplate any of this stuff.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Poor Regan vomits out green bile throughout the film, blowing chunks into Karras' face when he asks Pazuzu what his mother's maiden name is. Does it again when Merrin begins the exorcism.
Father Karras
Father Damian Karras
Portrayed By: Jason Miller
Appearances: The Exorcist | The Exorcist III
A troubled priest and psychiatrist, Father Karras lives in poverty with his mentally ill mother. Leaving her in New York has left him with a Crisis of Faith. He is asked by Chris to investigate Regan's behaviour, prompting him to prepare for an exorcism and regain his faith in God and himself.
- And I Must Scream: After Pazuzu puts The Gemini Killer’s soul inside Karras, Karras is left totally suppressed by the Gemini, forced to watch him kill innocents and his friends and unable to do anything about it.The Gemini Killer: The cruel ones... the Master. He thought my work should continue. But in this body. This body in particular, in fact. Let's call it revenge. A certain matter of an exorcism, I think, in which your friend Father Karras expelled certain parties from the body of a child. Certain parties were not pleased, to say the least. The very least. And so, my friend, the Master, he devised this petty scheme as a way of getting back, of creating a stumbling block, a scandal, a horror to the eyes of all men seeking faith, using the body of this saintly priest as an instrument of, well, you know - my work. But the main thing is the torment of your friend Father Karras as he watches while I rip and cut and mutilate the innocent, his friends, and again, and again, on and on! He is inside with us! He will never get away! His pain won't end!
- Beat the Curse Out of Him: After all of the traditional exorcism techniques fail, and Merrin dies of a heart attack, Karras proceeds to beat up Regan to get Pazuzu to possess him instead. In the book, he hurls sarcastic taunts at Pazuzu, daring him to take on a grown man instead of a little girl.
- Big "NO!": Karras' final word before throwing himself out the window to his death, possessed by Pazuzu and unwilling to harm Regan.
- Break the Cutie: Life seems determined to break him. After constantly witnessing the dark side of humanity, dealing with a Crisis of Faith, and having his mother die, Karras has to deal with a demon who loves to psychologically torture him For the Evulz. Things get worse for him in The Exorcist III, where he gets the Gemini Killer’s soul shoved inside him by Pazuzu in an act of petty revenge.
- Clean Pretty Reliable: In the film, Karras' attempt to peform CPR on Merrin fails, just thumping Merrin on the chest without performing mouth to mouth.
- Covered in Gunge: Gets hit in the face with a load of green bile in the first film’s infamous projectile vomit scene.
- Crisis of Faith: Has one when in DC. His work as a psychiatrist combined with leaving his mother alone in New York has done a number on his faith. Before completing the exorcism, it appears that he's overcome this. In the book, Chris tells Fr. Dyer "You said he had a problem with his faith. I can't believe that. I've never seen such faith in my life."
- Deadpan Snarker: Enough of one to be able to engage both Father Dyer and Lt. Kinderman in Snark-to-Snark Combat.
- Demonic Possession: Karras forces Pazuzu to possess him, then immediately throws himself out a window to his death.
- Despair Event Horizon: While its implied that his mother’s death was the last in a long line of traumatic events, it is the thing that finally causes him to lose his faith.
- Fighting from the Inside: He does this while the Gemini has control of his body, but is only able to take control for brief periods of time. During the climactic exorcism, Karras is able to force Pazuzu out of his body and takes control of his body long enough for Kinderman to shoot him, ending the Gemini's reign of terror.
- Heroic Suicide: Throws himself out Regan's window to save her when Pazuzu possesses him.
- It's All My Fault: Places the blame for his mother’s death squarely on himself.
- Meaningful Name: A guy whose name sounds like "demon" (Damien means "to tame or subdue") ends up possessed by a demon.
- Rage Breaking Point: After being psychologically tortured by Pazuzu for the entire film and having to deal with trauma after trauma otherwise, he finally loses it after Merrin dies and beats the demon out of Regan and forces it into himself, before pulling a Heroic Suicide and jumping out the window.
- Take Me Instead: How he gets Pazuzu to switch bodies.
- Vocal Evolution: His voice is much deeper and raspier in the third film.
Father Merrin
Father Lankester Merrin
"The power of Christ compels you!"
Portrayed By: Max von Sydow (1973-1977), Stellan Skarsgård (2004-2005) Other Languages
Appearances: The Exorcist | Exorcist II: The Heretic | Exorcist: The Beginning | Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist
An elderly priest and archeologist living in Iraq at the beginning of the film. When called upon to save Regan, he joins forces with Karras to rescue her from Pazuzu, whom he previously exorcised from a child in Africa.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's left unclear if Pazuzu killed him, or he just died from a heart attack at the most inconvenient time. The film implies it's the former, with Pazuzu sitting there smugly as Karras discovers the body.
- Conversely, the book strongly implies the latter, with Pazuzu screaming at Merrin in rage for escaping.
Pazuzu: You would have lost and you knew it! You scum, Merrin! Bastard! Come back! - Badass Preacher: Doesn't carry a gun or magical weapons. Just the Bible, a crucifix, and his faith in God to thwart evil.
- Cool Old Guy: He does archeology work at his age in the blazing hot Iraq and also is a determined exorcist who risks his life and health to save Regan. He ultimately dies of a heart attack.
- Good Is Not Nice: While a moral and compassionate man, Father Merrin comes across as quite stern, even overbearing, in his conversations with Karras. He's quite dismissive when Karras tries to offer his own insights into the possession - justified to a large extent since Merrin, unlike Karras, had experience with possessions and exorcism, and with Pazuzu in particular.
- The Mentor: To Karras during their time together.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Father Merrin is loosely based on the Jesuit priest and paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin.
- Sacrificial Lion: He's established as by far and above the most capable person for dealing with Regan's exorcism, so his death during his second attempt immediately sets the stakes as more dire, leaving the shaky Father Karras to deal with the demon himself while lacking the discipline or experience.
Pazuzu
Pazuzu / The Salesman
"What a wonderful day for an exorcism."
Portrayed By: Eileen Hietz (1973), Robert Emmett Lunney (2016)
Voiced By: Mercedes McCambridge and Ron Faber (1973), Karen Knapp (1977), Colleen Dewhurst (1990), Rupert Degas (2004), Mary Beth Hurt (2005), David Hewlett (2016)Other Languages
Appearances: The Exorcist | Exorcist II: The Heretic | The Exorcist III | Exorcist: The Beginning | Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist | The Exorcist (series)
A sinister demon who possesses Regan after posing as her imaginary friend Captain Howdy. He has a history with Father Merrin, having been previously exorcised from another child, and wants revenge against the elderly priest. Pazuzu is a violent, foul-mouthed creature, able to control Regan's body at will and has a variety of supernatural, terrorising powers.
- Adaptational Villainy: In Mesopotamian Mythology, Pazuzu brought famine and drought, but he was also frequently invoked to protect mothers and children from harm. This Pazuzu lacks the good qualities of his counterpart from the original mythology and has zero problems with harming children.note
- Adaptational Wimp: In the original myths, he's a god, or at least a demon lord. Here, he's weak enough that two mortal priests are able to give him the boot.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Or should we say, uncomfortable? Throughout the series, Pazuzu continuously changes appearances; from being a simple man in a business suit, to his disguise to Regan as "Captain Howdy", and in his scenes in the first season finale, a charred humanoid...thing with long fingers ending in points.
- Animal Motifs: Pazuzu loves his locusts.
- Arch-Enemy: To Father Merrin.
- Ax-Crazy: When he possesses Regan he acts savagely all the time, giving a painful Groin Attack to a psychiatrist, throwing around objects, and shouting obscenities at everyone.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: In the first season finale of the series, Angela fights Pazuzu's possession this way. And backed by her family's love and Tomas' prayers, beats the shit out of him.
- Big Bad: Of the book and film series.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Most of his dialogue involves him cursing like a sailor, usually with sexual or blaphemous insults. Amongst his greatest hits:"Stick your cock up her ass, you motherfucking worthless cocksucker!"
- Consummate Liar: As pointed out by Merrin.
- Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally, usually when he tells a joke it's more disgusting and/or terrifying than funny.(Karras enters Regan's room, where he sees her (while possessed by Pazuzu) restrained to her bedpost.)Karras: (To Regan) I'm a friend of your mother's, I'd like to help you.Pazuzu: You might loosen these straps, then.
- Demonic Possession: His speciality.
- Everybody Hates Hades: As noted above in Adaptational Villainy, Pazuzu goes from a dangerous but occasionally helpful demon to a downright evil one. This fits with how, from a Christian perspective, all non-Christian deities (whether benevolent or not) would automatically be understood as being false gods or demons in disguise.
- Eviler than Thou: When Simon and a Pazuzu-possessed Angela finally meet, Simon openly states that he's been preparing for Pazuzu's return. The demon's thanks? Forcing him and the rest of the Friars to bow down, while offhandedly killing other members simultaneously, as well as calling out Maria for being a Spoiled Brat.
- Evil Is Petty: His defining trait. Once someone crosses him in anyway, he will do anything to take revenge. Merrin exorcises him? Gotta kill him. Karras exorcises him? Have a serial killer pull a Grand Theft Me on him. Anyone who, no matter how indirectly, helped Karras to exorcise him from Regan? They gotta die.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Judging by how Regan's voice gets demonic deep when he's in her body, this must be his natural voice.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: He speaks with a raspy voice.
- Exorcist Head: Does it twice. It is implied he may have killed Burke by doing this to him.
- Faux Affably Evil: Acts relatively polite and even chummy to Karras, but this quickly vanishes when Merrin is summoned to remove him.
- For the Evulz: Except wanting revenge on Merrin for having him exorcised from a child's body, he seems to possess people and causing mass killings simply because he likes it.
- Giggling Villain: Pazuzu giggles a lot during the exorcism, particularly when Karras walks in to find Merrin dead. (In the book he doesn't — he rails at Merrin and demands he "come back".)
- Good Wings, Evil Wings: Pazuzu's statue has four bird-like wings.
- Greater-Scope Villain: In III he takes a seat and lets the Gemini run the show, though he takes control of Karras's body at the end to do battle with Kinderman and Father Morning.
- Groin Attack: A rather gruesome, bloody version when he rapes Regan using a crucifix.
- Also attacks a psychiatrist by grabbing his testicles.
- Hate Sink: As one of the most famous portrayals of a demon on film, Pazuzu is a vulgar, disgusting monster without an ounce of charm or likability. Everything he does is played for sickening horror, especially the trauma he inflicts on poor Regan.
- Humanoid Abomination: His "Salesman" form looks human, but his demeanor is most certainly not.
- Immortal Immaturity: Despite being a demon who's been around since at least ancient Mesopotamia, he comes across as more like an overgrown bully who likes to trash talk people and gross them out as much as possible.
- Jerkass: He takes a great enjoyment in tormenting not only Regan but the people close to her.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: After suffering no real consequences for his actions, he is finally severely beaten up and possibly killed by Angela in the series.
- Kick the Dog: Likes doing this to Karras during their encounters, using his guilt for letting his mother die.
- Large Ham: He's prone to screaming, freak outs, and very loud and crass threats.
- Laughably Evil: His constant swearing and snarking makes him come off as this.
- Light Is Not Good: The brief glimpse of him in the original shows he has pale white skin, and he definitely isn't a good guy,
- Madness Mantra: "I am no one. Fear the priest. I am no one. Fear the priest. I am no one. Fear the priest." Spoken backwards for good measure too.
- Mind Screw: Enjoys messing with Chris and Karras, using voices of the dead to torment them.
- Mood-Swinger: Alternates between acting calm and Faux Affably Evil and utterly losing his shit, screaming, growling, and making profane threats and statements.
- Nightmare Face. The few moments he shows himself we see a white pale face with dark rings around his dull, red eyes and brown, crooked, rotting teeth.
- No Name Given: Pazuzu is not actually named onscreen.
- He is named in Exorcist II when Lamont encounters Pazuzu posing as Regan's succubus doppelganger.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Poses as Captain Howdy to possess Regan.
- Pest Controller: The second movie has him attacking people with swarms of locusts.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: The demon seems to prefer possessing young women because it regards them as inherently weak. This just makes the aforementioned No-Holds-Barred Beatdown delivered by Regan herself all the more ironic and satisfying.
- Psychopathic Manchild: He's a seemingly powerful demon who can kill people with his mind, and yet, he likes to spend his time in a little girl's body, and talks like an adolescent.
- Say My Name: Screams Merrin's name at the top of his lungs once he arrives at the McNeils' house.
- Self-Abuse: A rather violent example with Rape by Proxy. He makes Regan stab herself in the genitalia with a crucifix and tries to force her mother to lick her bleeding area.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He's quite foul mouthed.
- Sore Loser: Is he ever. The only reason why he possesses Regan is to kill Merrin in a bid of petty revenge for casting him out of a child in Africa.
- This Cannot Be!: As the demon is being exorcised for good, it expresses shock at the fact that it's being beaten not just by Tomas' prayers, but by Angela, a woman, who it sees as naturally weak.
- Villain Respect: Genuinely seems to admire the Gemini for being as evil as he is.
- Villainous Breakdown: Seems perpetually on the verge of having one, what with all his random freak outs.
- Voice of the Legion: Pazuzu pretends there are numerous demons inside Regan, but Merrin reveals he is lying.
- Would Hurt a Child: He not only causes Regan to harm herself, but he goes into Karras's body so that he could use him to kill her because she was worthless to him now.
- Would You Like to Know How They Died?: Invoked by Pazuzu to Chris, using Burke's voice and manner to tell her Regan murdered Burke.
- You Cannot Grasp the True Form: We only see his pale face for just a second. However, the monstrous winged statue seen at the beginning of the film is based on the actual Pazuzu of Babylonian mythology.
- Your Mom: Often insults Karras' late mother."Your mother sucks cocks in Hell, Karras, you faithless slime!"
Burke Dennings
Burke Dennings
Portrayed By: Jack MacGowran
Chris' friend and an eccentric film director. He is mysteriously killed halfway through the film, falling out of Regan's bedroom window down the infamous flight of stairs below.
- The Alcoholic: Drunk as a skunk during Chris' party.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot : "Cunting" is a particular favourite adjective.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Killed offscreen, but revealed to have fallen from Regan's window, down the steep flight of stairs below, and found with his head twisted around backwards.
- Deadpan Snarker: Even when he is dead.
- It Amused Me: Hounds Chris' butler Karl for being German, referring to him as a Nazi, but admits it was for a laugh.
William Kinderman
Lt. William F. Kinderman
"The whole world is a homicide victim."
Portrayed By: Lee J. Cobb (1973), George C. Scott (1990)
Appearances: The Exorcist | The Exorcist III
"Oh yes... yes, I believe... I believe in death. I believe in disease. I believe in injustice and inhumanity and torture and anger and hate... I believe in murder. I believe IN PAIN. I believe in cruelty and infidelity. I believe in SLIME and stink and in every crawling, putrid thing... every possible ugliness and corruption, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH! I BELIEVE... in you."
A detective investigating the mysterious death of Burke Dennings, and striking up a friendship with Karras in the process. He later serves as the protagonist of the third film.
- Absurd Phobia: Of carp. He gives a monologue to Father Dyer about how his mother-in-law currently has a carp living in their bathtub until it is time to eat it, and how the thing terrifies him so much that he refuses to go into the bathroom out of fear he'll kill it on sight.
- Ambiguously Jewish: It's explicit in the novel Legion, where he frequently drops Yiddish words, bemoans his daughter wanting to change her last name, and remarks to himself how strange his friendship with the Jesuit Dyer is, but it's not discussed in the movies, save for Kinderman calling out a coworker for antisemitism.
- Ascended Fanboy: He’s secretly a big fan of Chris, and asks her for an autograph for his daughter, only to immediately admit it’s for himself.
- Ascended Extra: He serves as the protagonist of the third film.
- Deadpan Snarker: Every word out of his mouth is a sarcastic quip.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With Karras.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: In the third film, he tends to blow up on anyone who pushes his buttons for too long. Justified, since he’s under a great deal of stress, and his friend Father Dyer was brutally murdered.
- Hidden Depths: He is pretty knowledgeable about Macbeth, and gets into a discussion about its themes with one of his colleagues.
- Large Ham: When played by George C. Scott.Kinderman: It is NOT! IN THE FILE! IT IS NOT!
- Nice Guy: Kinderman is friendly, good natured, and amiable with everyone he runs into.
- Plucky Comic Relief: In the first film, both his and Father Dyer’s snarkiness and sense of humor provide what little humor the film has.
- Odd Friendship: Forms one with Father Karras and later Father Dyer.
- Skeptic No Longer: At the end of the third film.
- Stepford Snarker: In the third film, he uses his sarcasm to cover for his stress and constant worrying.
- Took a Level in Cynic: In the third film. All his years on the police force have left him far more cynical, and he’s heavily implied to have lost his faith in God.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed in the third film, but all his up years on the job have left him far more cynical, on edge, and more than willing to insult or scream at anyone who annoys him.
Father Dyer
Father Joseph Kevin Dyer
Portrayed By: William O'Malley (1973), Ed Flanders (1990)
Appearances: The Exorcist | The Exorcist III
A priest and a good friend of both Father Karras and Chris MacNeil.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: After being paralyzed with drugs by the Gemini Killer, he has all of his blood drained from his body and is then decapitated.
- Deadpan Snarker: About on Kinderman’s level of snarkiness, though he mainly uses his quips as an opportunity to make others laugh.
- Good Shepherd: He is kind, caring, and is shown comforting Karras over his mother’s death and trying to help him through his grieving.
- Nice Guy: Kind, caring, the epitome of the Good Shepherd, has a good sense of humor, and cares deeply for the well-being of others.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Killed by the Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III.
Father Kanavan
Father Kanavan
Portrayed By: Tom Birmingham (1973), Harry Carey Jr. (1990)
Appearances: The Exorcist | The Exorcist III
The President of Georgetown University, and the superior of Father Karras and Father Dyer.
- Big Good: In the first film, as he is the one who sends Karras to investigate Regan's case.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He has a minor role in the first film, but he’s the one that sends Karras to investigate Regan’s apparent possession and summons Merrin to perform the exorcism.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Murdered by the Gemini Killer early on in the third film.
Introduced in Exorcist II: The Heretic
Introduced in The Exorcist III
The Gemini Killer
James Venamun/The Gemini Killer
"Am I raving? Forgive me, I'm mad."
Portrayed By: Brad Dourif
An infamous serial killer who killed people whose names began with the letter K as a way to eternally kill his much loathed father, he was executed on the same night Father Damien Karras died. Pazuzu, admiring the Gemini's work and aching for revenge on Karras, placed his soul inside Karras' body and forced Karras' soul to stay. After recovering from the injuries Karras sustained, the Gemini quickly got to work on continuing his killing spree.
- Adaptational Villainy: In Legion, Venamun underwent a serious Trauma Conga Line. His father, in addition to being a fundamentalist, was an alcoholic who abused him and his mentally handicapped brother who was sent to a mental hospital after being traumatized when their father threw him into a dark basement, only to die of frights when a nurse shut off the light in his room, which led to Venamun becoming the infamous Gemini Killer. None of this is mentioned in the movie, except that his father was a religious fanatic.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: A very dark example. He tends to go off on a deranged rant in the middle of a conversation, something he lampshades when he apologizes to Kinderman for going off on a rant about Karras’ Fate Worse than Death.
- Attention Whore: He demands that the papers give him credit for the murders he's committed.
- Ax-Crazy: Even outside of being a Serial Killer, the Gemini goes the extra mile to be as insanely brutal as possible.
- The Bad Guy Wins: After killing everyone involved with Regan's exorcism, he declares as such.
- Berserk Button: Doesn't take well to being told that he's dead.
- Calling the Old Man Out: His killings are designed to shame his Christian fanatic father, as well as to figuratively relive his murder of his father.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The Gemini Killer has no illusions of being a good person and takes a lot of pride in his work, and admits to Kinderman that he, at least partially, does his killings For the Evulz.
- Demon of Human Origin: He was so evil in life that Pazuzu gave him the powers of a demon.
- The Dragon: Serves Pazuzu, doing most of his dirty work for him by killing everyone affiliated with the exorcism from the first movie.
- Evil Sounds Deep: He has a deep, intimidating voice that oozes sinisterness.
- Faux Affably Evil: He acts downright chummy with Kinderman and treats him like an old friend, and gleefully describes the details of his killings and Karras's situation to psychologically torture him, alongside the occasional death threat.
- For the Evulz: He admits to Kinderman that his killings are motivated partially by this, gleefully telling him about how he picks victims at random because he finds it fun.
- Hannibal Lecture: He is the master of this, even more so than the Trope Namer.
- Hero Killer: He murders Father Dyer at the behest of Pazuzu.
- Incoming Ham: When he's told that he's dead.Gemini: (camera shifts from Jason Miller to Brad Dourif) NO, I'M NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
- Jerkass: He's a sadistic madman who really goes the extra mile to taunt Kinderman, at one point provoking him into punching him hard enough to break his nose.
- Kick the Dog: He loves doing this. Whether it be brutally murdering a young boy, forcing Karras to watch as he kills everyone involved with the exorcism and several innocents he just felt like murdering, or taunting Kinderman with disturbing lectures, pretty much everything the Gemini does is designed to make someone innocent suffer.
- Large Ham: Prone to shouting at the top of his lungs and going into unhinged rants. He is well aware of this, sheepishly apologizing to Kinderman after going into one of his rants.
- Mad Artist: He refers to his work as art, and goes on several rants about how he puts in horrific extra touches.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Based directly on the Zodiac Killer, right down to his original span of killings taking place in San Francisco. Amusingly, the real Zodiac once referred to the original movie as "the best saterical (sic) comedy [he has] ever seen."
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He's implied to be a racist, since he murdered a young black boy, decapitated him, and replaced his head with that of the head of a statue of Jesus Christ painted in Blackface.
- Resurrected Murderer: James Venamun, aka the Gemini Killer was a multiple murderer who carved a Gemini symbol into the hands of his murder victims. Venamun's spirit became a body swapping demonic entity upon his death. Now the Gemini killer mutilates and murders people as a spirit like he did well alive.
- Sadist: The Gemini goes the extra mile to ensure his victims suffer. He injects them with a drug that paralyzes them and forces them to watch him slowly kill them as they slowly die of asphyxiation.
- Suicide by Cop: He asks for Kinderman to shoot him in the director's cut, and he's happy to oblige. In the theatrical cut, Karras does it instead after taking back control of his body. This isn't the case in the novel, where after finally convincing Kinderman that he is the Gemini Killer, he simply wills himself into dying, having no more reason to kill after his father dies offscreen.
- Self-Made Orphan: He murdered his father, and his later killings are an attempt to relive this killing.
- Wicked Cultured: Thinks of himself as such, anyway. He's a huge fan of Titus Andronicus.
- Would Hurt a Child: He brutally murdered Thomas Kintry, a young boy, just for shits and giggles.
Father Morning
Father Morning
Portrayed By: Nicol Williamson
A priest and experienced exorcist who Kinderman contacts to help deal with the Gemini Killer.
- Cool Old Guy: He manages to survive two exorcisms and succeeds, without dying.
- Expy: Of Father Merrin. He's an old priest who did an exorcism that nearly killed him in the past, and is summoned towards the end of the film to help stop the demonic antagonist.
- Hero of Another Story: He completed an exorcism that nearly killed him in the past, something that is no easy feat.
- Locked into Strangeness: His white hair is allegedly the result of his previous exorcism.
- Noodle Incident: The exorcism he participated in. All we know is that it turned his hair white and nearly killed him.
- Unexplained Recovery: After Pazuzu rips off large chunks of his skin, he manages to recover enough to get Karras to fend off Pazuzu and temporarily suppress the Gemini Killer. It's implied that it was caused by divine intervention, contrasting the demonic resurrection of the Gemini.
- Uncertain Doom: It's unclear what happened to him after exorcising Karras or if his wounds were fatal or not.
Dr. Temple
Dr. Temple
Portrayed By: Scott Wilson
One of the doctors at the hospital, who is asked by the Gemini to do "favors" for him.
- Death by Adaptation: In Legion he survives the novel, though he is left with severe brain damage after a stroke. In The Exorcist III he is Driven to Suicide.
- Dirty Coward: He does the Gemini favors after he cows Temple with his threats, and Temple kills himself rather than do any more favors.
- Driven to Suicide: Ultimately ends his own life rather than do any more of the Gemini’s sick "favors."
2016 Series
Father Tomas
Father Tomas
Portrayed By: Alfonso Herrera
- The Chosen One: Possibly. In season 1 he was given visions that led him to Father Marcus, and seems to be set upon the road to be an exorcist by divine intervention.
- Crisis of Faith: Has one ongoing over the course of season 1 as he decides whether to continue his adulterous ways and become part of the Corrupt Church, or chose the harder and more righteous path of being an exorcist.
- Expy: Of Father Karras from the films.
- Naïve Newcomer: He certainly seemed to think that the process of exorcism would be a lot simpler and safer than it is.
- Nice Guy: In general, Thomas is very friendly and always selflessly helps his parrish.
- Raised by Grandparents: Was raised by his Abuela in Mexico, while his sister grew up in the US.
- Sexy Priest: Played by the gorgeous Alfonso Herrera, and In-series is the subject of a lot of female interest, and is having an affair with a married woman.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: Played With. While Tomas is still decent and sympathetic the affair is still seen in a negative light despite Jessica being in an unhappy marriage. The affair creates guilt within him which is can be used as a source of manipulation by demons.
Father Marcus
Father Marcus
Portrayed By: Ben Daniels
- Abusive Parents: His father was not a nice guy to say the least, to the point where he murdered his mother.
- Badass Preacher: A exorcist for the church means this is practically his profession.
- Cynical Mentor: Marcus is teaching Tomas how to be an exorcist but his teaching comes reluctantly. At the start of the series Marcus is in a assisted care facility after an exorcism gone wrong made him lose faith with the whole church.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Was raised to be an exorcist by the church after his abusive father murdered his mother. His conduct as an exorcist is the past alluded too as being reckless, to the point where it resulted in the death of a little boy.
- Dysfunction Junction: His father murdered his mother when Marcus was 7. The church then bought him, and raised him to be an exorcist. No wonder he’s a bit prickly.
- Real Men Love Jesus:
- Marcus doesn’t care much for Christianity or the church, but he is devoted to and ready to die for God.
- This is fueled by a vision he had when he performed his first exorcism, and when the demon was banished he saw a brief vision of God's face).
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Marcus in a prickly cynic who initially does everything he can to drive Tomas away, but there are a lot of hints that his Dark and Troubled Past has left him with a lot of mental and emotional scars.
- Training from Hell: It’s implied that the churches exorcist training that Marcus underwent as a child was dangerous and abusive.
Introduced in The Exorcist: Believer
Lamashtu
Lamashtu
A Mesopotamian demon who takes possession of Angela Fielding and Katherine. She is the main antagonist of the film.- The Bad Guy Wins: She is expelled from Angela's body, but she succeeds at taking ownership of Katherine's soul.
- Big Bad: She usurps Pazuzu becoming the main antagonist of the direct sequel to the original film.
- Dragged Off to Hell: After she tricks Katherine's family into allowing their daughter to die, Lamashtu takes her soul.
- Kick the Dog: Much like Pazuzu, Lamashtu mocks her targets the most insensitive being when she taunts Ann over her being forced to abort her unborn daughter.
- Would Hurt a Child: Possesses two girls with the intent of killing one of them after violently possessing them and mutilating their bodies.
