Jim Moriarty (BBC series)

"Well. Here we are at last. You and me, Sherlock. And our problem. The Final Problem. "Staying Alive". So boring, isn't it? It's just... staying. All my life I've been searching for distractions. And you were the best distraction and now I don't even have you. Because I've beaten you. And you know what? In the end it easy. It was easy. Now I've got to go back to playing with the ordinary people. And it turns out you're ordinary. Just like all of them. Oh well."

- Moriarty's famous speech to Sherlock

James "Jim" Moriarty is the main antagonist of Series 1 and 2 of the BBC drama Sherlock. He is a consulting criminal and the archenemy of Sherlock Holmes, and can be considered as the primary antagonist of the whole series.

He is portrayed by Andrew Scott.

Biography
Prior to the events of Sherlock Moriarty's earliest known crime was when he killed a school boy in his year known as Carl Powers, who Moriarty claimed "laughed at him" so stopped him laughing. Putting a poison in Carl's medication this caused the lad to drown in a swimming pool. This occurred in 1989, and this case got Sherlock Holmes interested in crime solving, a man Moriarty would become the arch nemesis of nearly 20 years later.

Moriarty was first mentioned in the first episode of series 1 A Study in Pink when the murderer - a taxi driver - revealed he had a sponsor to Sherlock Holmes and that the person in question was a huge fan. When the taxi driver was shot, Sherlock got him to give a name, which the driver screamed "MORIARTY" before dying. In the second episode The Blind Banker Moriarty saw the safe entrance into Britain for an ancient Chinese gang. In the end Moriarty had the leader of the gang killed when the others where arrested, not wanting to risk his identity getting out.

Moriarty made his first appearance in the third episode of series 1 as Jim from I.T. dating Molly Hooper at the hospital. On first glance Sherlock didn't deduce Jim as being Moriarty, due to him posing as being a possible repressed homosexual. After a series of tasks, Sherlock and Moriarty came face to face at the swimming pool where Moriarty killed Carl Powers. Moriarty had snipers point at both Sherlock and John Watson, telling them they wouldn't be allowed to continue. Sherlock then pointed his gun at an explosive device between him and Moriarty, which ended on a cliffhanger. In the first episode of Series 2, it was resolved when Moriarty got a better offer from Irene Adler and called off the snipers. At the end of the second episode The Hounds of Baskerville Moriarty was seen being released by Mycroft Holmes from custody, and in his cell Sherlock's name could be seen scrawled all over the walls.

In the third episode of series 2 "The Reichenbach Fall" Moriarty appeared to be seen trying to steal the crown jewels but gave himself up. After threatening the jury at his trial for a no guilty verdict, Moriarty began setting up Sherlock as a fraud and tore apart his life over a 24 hour period, and even posed as an actor named Richard Brook in order to fool everyone into thinking Sherlock created Moriarty. Both of the men had a stand off on a rooftop in which Moriarty wanted Sherlock to jump to his death or he will have his friend's killed. Moriarty shot himself in the head in order to make sure he wouldn't have to call off his snipers. Regardless of this, Sherlock managed to fake his death, and spent the next 2 years taking down Moriarty's operation.

In the final scene of Series 3 episode His Last Vow its implied Moriarty may of faked his death as well when pictures of his face began appearing over London with a high pitched voice saying "Did you missed me?". In an after credits seen Andrew Scott as Moriarty turns to look at the audience say "Miss me?"

Trivia

 * James Moriarty is based upon Professor Moriarty who had first appeared in the short story The Final Problem which was to originally mark the end of Sherlock Holmes (the episode The Reichenbach Fall is based upon this story). He also appeared in the fourth novel The Valley of Fear which took place before The Final Problem.
 * Moriarty appeared in The Empty Hearse in flashback and imaginary sequences when some members of the Empty Hearse club came up with theories Moriarty was somewhat involved in Sherlock faking his death. Anderson's theory is that Moriarty was placed at the bottom of the building where Sherlock jumped from wearing a face mask with the likeness of Sherlock. In a fan girl's (obviously dismissed) theory, Moriarty and Sherlock threw a dummy off the roof and proceeded to have a gay affair.
 * In His Last Vow after Sherlock is shot, we see inside his mind palace which shows Moriarty in a cell, bound in a straight jacket. He attempts to taunt Sherlock and tells him to just die, but when Moriarty mentions John being in danger, this causes Sherlock to fight to survive his injury.