Hannibal Lecter

Created by writer Thomas Harris in his first book of the Lecter tetrology, Red Dragon, Hannibal Lecter is a skilled and deeply disturbed sociopathic killer. His modus operandi, cannibalism, is probably his most famous trait.

Personality and Biography
Born in the wake of World War II on the Eastern Front, Lithuania. Hannibal Lecter was born of a count and at first led a pleasant life. When the war was ending, Nazi turncoats and others fleeing the Russian advance into Germany.

Hannibal possesses a very convoluted personality. It is impossible to determine exactly what mental illness he suffers from though the incompetent Doctor Chilton incorrectly diagnoses him as a psychopath. It seems more likely that he is a sociopath however while most sociopaths are misanthropic and only superficially charming, Hannibal is genuinely charming and kind to those whom he likes. Like many evil geniuses is impeccably cultured and sophisticated despite his vicious tendencies. Rather than simply killing for fun, he kills those who exhibit poor taste or bad manners, fine taste and good manners being both an obsession and a compulsion to him--similar to the villain Jigsaw. He also kills those whom he finds morally repulsive such as pedophiles, being quite protective of children as the result of seeing the brutal murder of his beloved younger sister Mischa when he was a child which was the catalyst for his mental illness.

Despite his cordial and refined personality and good manners, Hannibal is a sadist who derives great pleasure and amusement from killing his victims, usually in a particularly gruesome manner. Hannibal is possibly the most intelligent man alive, possessing an IQ of 200. He is an expert in psychology and is able to frighten, manipulate and bend others to his will with mere words. He is also able to use his immense presence and commanding but subtle personality to great effect.