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Why do you keep resisting me?! You awoke this gift in me. You of all people should understand that we have to do this mission together.
~ Finster trying to convince Barry Flynn of his "mission".

Carl Finster is a major antagonist in the crime drama TV series Criminal Minds. He is a mentally ill and delusional vigilante who was born with a rare condition where he can literally see peoples' words as they speak, and the main antagonist of the Season 8 episode "Magnificent Light".

He is portrayed by Raphael Sbarge, who also portrayed Wayne Hankett in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Davis Scolfield in Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.

Biography[]

Carl Finster was born with a neurological condition known as synesthesia. The condition manifested itself as the ability to see peoples' words in colors. In both childhood and adulthood, Carl was very socially inept because of it and regarded as abnormal or not wired right. When he was ten, he had a dream that his condition was a superpower and he was a vigilante who murdered evil people along with a partner. The dream made Carl feel alive, however, because his condition made him feel like an outcast, he tried to hide it and even cover it up, wearing blinders, but nothing helped. As an adult, Carl eventually began to think the color of the words related to what type of person the speaker was, with red being evil, green being envious, orange being liars, and white being good.

One night while Carl was in a bar, he saw a man whose words were red and was in his own words "the epitome of evil". He tried to warn the police about the man, but they hung up on him. Six hours later a carjacker killed a mother and her baby. Hearing about it in the news, Carl was convinced that it was the man from the bar. However, it wasn't, and another criminal was captured and confessed to the murder. Despite this, Carl deluded himself into believing that it was the man from the bar, and that he could have saved the mother and baby, had he just killed the man himself.

At some point in his life, Carl got a job as an accountant at a bank. However, his condition caused him to judge the people over the phone and when he would see their words as red, he'd lose his temper with them. One of his co-workers filed a complaint against him and he was fired. Feeling like a loser, Carl contemplated suicide until he discovered a motivational speaker named Barry Flynn whose words encouraged him to use his condition to help others. Carl took this as to mean he should become what he was in the dream, a superhero who kills evil people. Sometime when attending a Barry Flynn seminar, Carl saw a man named Lincoln Bell whose words appeared as red, interacting with Barry. After the show, he followed the man home and slashed his throat, leaving red paint on the wall that said "Hear Your Evil, See Your Evil".

In "Magnificent Light"[]

Carl goes to another Barry Flynn seminar and finds an "evil" woman, Cynthia Strobl, interacting with Flynn. Afterwards, he follows her home and slashes her throat, leaving the same message on her wall.

He later kidnaps Flynn and holds him prisoner in his apartment, refusing to let him go until his hero "understands" him. He explains his condition and "mission" to Flynn; when Flynn asks when this "mission" will end, Carl replies that it never will.

Carl goes to his former workplace and gathers up all the names and contact information of the people who called him, determined to kill the "evil" ones. His former boss intercepts him to prevent a scene and tries to talk him out of the building, but Carl sees the man's words, and accuses him of being jealous before leaving.

Carl takes Flynn to the home of Janet Dodd, one of the "evil" customers, and breaks in after until her husband leaves; he then shoots her dead, over Flynn's desperate objections. He then leaves a new message behind: "Hear your red, see your red."

Meanwhile, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) investigates the murders, initially suspecting Flynn himself. When Flynn is kidnapped, however, they realize that killer is one of his fans, who has an erotomanic obsession with him. They profile the killer as a single, emotionally immature man in his late 30s or early 40s who has poor social skills who religiously attends Flynn's seminars. They theorize that he has trouble holding down a job, and that his obsession may have been triggered by getting fired; they then deduce that he killed his first two victims out of jealousy after seeing them interacting with Flynn. When the killer leaves behind the "see your red, hewar your red" message, Agent Spencer Reid realizes that he associates red with evil, and may suffer from synasthesia. Technical analyst Penelope Garcia cross-references recent firings in the area with the guest lists of Flynn's seminars, and finds Carl. The rest of the BAU talks with Carl's boss, who shows them Carl's color-coded logs of customer calls, and they realize that they have found the killer.

Flynn tries to convice Carl that he understands his mission so Carl will let him go, but Carl insists that he witness one more killing. They go to target Howard Jeffson's house, only to discover that Jeffson has moved and sold the house to Stephen Caldwell and his his wife and children. Caldwell tries to get rid of Carl by promising not to call the police, but Carl decides to kill him after seeing his words in orange, meaning he is lying. Flynn begs Carl not to kill them, but when Carl sees his words in red, he becomes convinced that Flynn is evil and stabs him. Fortunately, the BAU arrives in time to stop Carl from killing Flynn, with Agent Derek Morgan telling him that the first man he killed was not in fact the carjacker. Carl sees Morgan's words in white, and realizes what he has done. Stricken with remorse, he drops the knife, and allows the BAU to arrest him. He is then imprisoned for life.

Victims[]

  • Lincoln Bell - Throat slashed, stabbed thirty times post-mortem.
  • Cynthia Strobell - Throat slashed, stabbed thirty times post-mortem.
  • Janet Dodd - Throat slashed.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Carl is inspired by multiple real-life criminals:
    • James Homes, the American perpetrator of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting at a movie theater, similar in psychological illness, appearance, and background.
    • Robert Liberty, a.k.a. “The Candlelight Killer”, an American mentally deranged serial killer who travel the country with accomplices, decorating murder scenes with candles and leaving messages scrawled on walls for police.
    • Arthur Richard Jackson, the Scottish stalker and attempted murderer of American actress Theresa Saldana, with similar delusions of grandeur and M.O. of assault while targeting a public figure he was fixated on.
    • John Hinckley, Jr, the attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan, which instead killed one of his aids, modeled off Taxi Driver, a movie staring Jodie Foster, who he stalked since college and wanted to impress.
    • Mark David Chapman, the assassin of John Lennon, who he killed in New York City after a failed attempt to meet him in person.
    • Douglas Breen, the main antagonist of the 1977 book and 1982 film adaptation The Fan, a serial killer and stalker of actress Sally Ross obsessed with impressing her, them taking his rage out on her.
    • Travis Bickle, the protagonistic villain of Taxi Driver, a vigilante rampage killer on a citywide spree in New York City motivated by rescuing a sex worker from her pimp.
  • He is the sixth villain in Criminal Minds to suffer from erotomania. The others being: Vincent Shyer, Maggie Lowe, Mike Hicks, Ben Bradstone, Bill Rogers, Diane Turner, Dana Seavers, and Kevin Peck

External Links[]

Navigation[]

           Criminal Minds LogoCategory:Criminal Minds Villains

Season 1
Adrian Bale | Bruno Hawks | Clara Hayes | Cory Bridges | David Walker | Donald Curtis | Eddie Mays | Edward Hill | Hassan Nadir | Jackson Cally & His Tribe | Jacob Dawes | L.D.S.K. | Maggie Lowe | Mark Gregory | Mary Mays | Michael Russo | Pablo Vargas | Richard Slessman | Ted Bryar | The Fisher King | The Footpath Killer | The Fox | The Keystone Killer | The Seattle Strangler | The Tommy Killer | The Vigilante | Vincent Perotta | Vincent Shyer | Will Sykes


Season 2
Amber Canardo | Carl Buford | Charles Holcombe | Frank Breitkopf | Hayden Rawlings | Jamal Abaza | Jeffrey Charles | Joe Mulford | Kenneth Roberts | Lyov Lysowksy | Marcus Younger | Michael Earlson | Mulford Brothers | Nathan Harris | Rodney Harris | Ronald Weems | Roy Woodridge | Sarah Danlin | Steven Foster | Terrance Wakeland | The Fisher King | The Hollow Man | The Mill Creek Killer | The Stripping Bandit | Tobias Hankel | Tony Canardo | Vincent Stiles | William Lee


Season 3
23rd Street Killers | Anna Begley | Charlie Wilkinson | Chester Hardwick | David Smith | Francis Goehring | Gary and Ervin Robles | Glen Hill | Henry Frost | Jason Clark Battle | Jeremy Andrus | Joe | Joe Smith | Lucky | Mike Hicks | New York Terrorist Cell | Owen Savage | Peter Redding | Phillip Hensen | Richard Jacobs | Robert Wilkinson | Ryan Phillips | Stanley Howard | Steven Fitzgerald | Susan Jacobs | The Blue Ridge Strangler | The Campus Killer | The Have-You-Seen-Me Murderer | True Night


Season 4
Adam Jackson | Animal | Armando Ruis Salinas | Ben Abner | Benjamin Cyrus | Chad Brown | Chloe Kelcher | Claire Bates | Danny Murphy | "Diablo" | Eric Ryan Olson | Floyd Hansen | Gary Michaels | Henry Grace | Hugh Rollins | Ian Coakley | Leo Kane | Lucas Turner | Mason Turner | Megan Kane | New York Terrorist Cell | Paul Silvano | Robert Parker | Roderick Gless | Romani Family | Sam | Separatarian Sect | Shara Carlino | Sid Rutledge | Steven Baleman | The Angel Maker | The Reaper | The Road Warrior | Tommy Wheeler | Vincent Rowlings | William Harris


Season 5
Anita Roycewood | Arthur Malcolm | Bill Hodges | Bosola | Boyd Schuller | Connor O'Brien | Dale Schrader | Darrin Call | Earl Bulford | Gina King | Joe Belser | John Vincent Bell | Juliet Monroe | Miranda Dracar | Omar Morales | Owen Porter | Patrick Meyers | Prince of Darkness | Ray Campion | Robert Burke | Robert Johnson | Roger Roycewood | Ronald Boyd | Samantha Malcolm | The Fox | The Hollow Creek Killer | The Reaper | The Reimanns | Turner's Group | Wade Hatchett | William O'Brien | Will Summers


Season 6
Ben Foster | Bill Thomas | Blake Wells | Brandon Stiles | Colby Bachner | Drew Jacobs | Greg Phinney | Hollis Walker Jr. | Ian Doyle | James Barrett | James Stanworth | James Thomas | Jane Gould | Jeremy Sayer | Kaman Scott | Lucy | Michael Kosina | Prince of Darkness | Ray Donovan | Rhett Walden | Robert Bremmer | Shane Wyland | Shelley Chamberlain | Steve | Sydney Manning | Syd Pearson | The Butcher


Season 7
Ben Bradstone | Bill Rogers | Caleb Rossmore | Chase Whitaker | Chloe Donaghy | Chris Shelton | Clark Preston | Colonel Ron Massey | Curtis Banks | Donald and Linda Collins | Dylan Kohler | George Kelling | Harvey Morell | Herman Scobie | Ian Doyle | Izzy Rogers | James Heathridge | J.B. Allen | Jeffrey Collins | Jimmy Hall | Lachlan McDermott | Lewis Ramsey | Lieutenant Shockley Tawes | Luke Dolan | Malcolm Ford | Margaret Hallman | Matthew Downs | Mike Janeczko | Randy Slade | Robert Adams | Rodney Garrett | Roscoe Gulch | The Face Cards | The Piano Man | The Womb Raider | Travis James | Trevor Mills


Season 8
Adam Rain | Arthur Rykov | Bryan Hughes | Carl Buford | Carl Finster | Chad Mills | Darlene Beckett | David Roy Turner | Diane Turner | Donnie Bidwell | Ellen Russell | Emma Kerrigan | Jason Nelson | John Nelson | Johnny Ray Covey | Larry Feretich | Mark Jackson | Matt and Josh Moore | Paul Westin | Peter Harper | Phillip Connor | Raoul Whalen | Rodney Harris | Russell Smith | Sera Morrison | Tess Mynock | The Replicator | The Silencer | Toby Whitewood | Tory Chapman | Willie Kestler


Season 9
Alan and Judith Anderson | Anton Harris | Carla Hines | Cesar Jones | Charles Johnson | Clifford Walsh | Colin Bramwell | Daniel Milworth | Daria Samsen | David Wade Cunningham | Eddie Lee Wilcox | Edward Ray Stokes | Eric Carcani | Ian Little | Jesse Gentry | Joe Bachner | John Nichols | Justin Mills | Leland Duncan | Marvin Caul | Michael Feehan | Michael Hastings | Michelle Fader | Nicole Jones | Owen McGregor | Ronald Underwood | Sam Russell | Sheila Harrison | Sue Walsh | Tanner Johnson | Tivon Askari | Wallace Hines | Wayne Gulino | William Harding | Woodsman Killer


Season 10
Alex Zorgen | Allen Archer | Benton Farland | Brian Stiller | Claire Dunbar | Colin Dupley | Colton Grant | Dale Shavers | Danny Stokes | Dinah Troy | Don Black | Donna Mangold | Donnie Mallick | Ellen Connell | Frank Cosgrove | Hayman Vasher | Jack Westbrook | James Burke | Jerry Tidwell | John David Bidwell | Jon Kanak | Justin Leu | Kyle Zorgen | Leo Jenkins | Marc Clifford | Miles Hendrick | Mr. Tidwell | Mr. Scratch | Patrick Butler | Patrick Jon Murphy | Peter Folkmore | Randall Jefferson Jones | Steven Parkett | Taras Yudin | The Mirror Man | Weeks


Season 11
Al Eisenmund | Andrew Meeks | Antonia Slade | Benjamin Wade | Betty Wilson | Brian Cochran | Chazz Montolo | Claude Barlow | Dana Seavers | Edgar Solomon | Eric Rawdon | Flora Martin | Flora Martin's Rapist | Giuseppe Montolo | Jacob DuFour | James O'Neill | Jillian Carter | John Bradley | Johnson | Joseph Berzon | Leonard Ennis | Lester Turner | Matthew Franks | Michael Clark Thompson | Michael Lee Peterson | Ms .45 | Mitchell Crossford | Mr. Scratch | Patrick Sorenson | Paul Larson | Randy Jacobs | Robert Boles | Sam Burnett | Skull Tattoo Man | The Bomber | The Chemist | The Sniper | Tommy Larson | William Cochran | William Duke Mason | William Taylor


Season 12
Alan Crawford | Bea Adams | Ben Davis | Bryce Jarvis | Calvin Shaw | Cormac Burton | John David Bates | John Malone | Jonathan Rhodes | Kevin Decker | Kyle Ecklund | Lindsey Vaughn | Lionel Wilkins | Mark Tolson | Mr. Scratch | Ms .45 | Sara McLean | Stuart Barker | The Bone Crusher | The Crimson King | The Day/Night Killer | The Henson Twins | The Womb Raider | Zeke Daniels


Season 13
Asclepius | Caleb Sands | Cheryl Kaline | Desi Gutierrez | Gabriel Merza | Irene Jacobs | Jake Logan | Jess Carney | Josh Martin | Justin Franco | Kevin Peck | Kevon Winters | Lawrence Coleman | Leonard Hagland | Linda Barnes | Lindsey Vaughn | Lucky | Marcus Manning | Mark Henshaw | Mary Meadows | Melissa Miller | Michelle Gorman | Mr. Scratch | Mr. X | Sal Capilano | The Believers | The Horseman | The Central Park Ripper | The Messiah | The Neon Terror | Wick Rollins | William Lynch


Season 14
Arthur Brodie | Casey Allen Pinkner | David Smith | Dorothy and Karl Elgin | Douglas Knight | Dustin Eisworth | Edward Addison | Eduardo Ramos | Elizabeth Rhodes | Emmanuel Rask | Galina Kadlec | Grace Lynch | Jacob Wallace | James and Marcus Wells | Jeremy Grant | Jordan Halloran | Lindsey Vaughn | Mary Meadows | Roberta Lynch | Robert Smith | Stephanie Carter | The Believers | The Chameleon | The Messiah | The Tall Man | Varnville Unsub | Wayne Hollis


Season 15
Beaumont Unsub | George Kyle Peters | Grace Lynch | Hayes Cullinan | Juliette Weaver | Lindsey Vaughn | Louie's Gang | Louis Chaycon | Ms .45 | Roberta Lynch | Sebastian Hurst | Shelby Mattson | The Manner Street Killer | The Chameleon


Criminal Minds: Evolution
Arthur Kiel | Benjamin Reeves | Cyrus Lebrun | Elias Voit | Frank Scelsa | Gael and Jude Bruneau | Mitch Nevins | Robert Harris | Rory Gilcrest | Silvio Herrera | Tawny Smith


Books
Daniel Dryden | David Yarno and Becker Chapin | Herman Kotchman | Suzanne and Lawrence Silvan


Suspect Behavior
Clark Earle Page | Davis Scolfield | Deirdre Norris | Indianapolis Unsub | Jason Wheeler | Kelvin Cornwell | Leonard Keane | Marcus Lee Graham | Matthew Keane | Margaret McKenna | Michael Vinoda | Rachel Lancroft | Rawlins | Richard Stahl | Thomas Luca | Trevor Norris | Veronica Day | William Meeks


Beyond Borders Season 1
Abu Hakim Al Badi | Antonio Cayetan | Curtis Miller | Hasina | Klahan | Marion Codwell | Natalie Knox and Nick Jamison | Neith Ghannam | The Butcher of Paris | Paul Ntombi | Pretorius | Rafael Acosta | Samraj Sabah | Saraphina Labeau | The Tuareg Brothers | Xavi and Simon Alonso | Yukio Aito


Beyond Borders Season 2
Al Gui | Bangladeshi Unsub | Bishop | Brunswick Mission Church | Damien Andrews | Elijah Ward | Lee Geon-woo | Giannis Petrou | Ian Wilson | Ivan Kozar | Linda Barnes | Metal Fang | Michael Huang | Nazmi Dushku | Onario Alighieri | Rosa Fernandez | The Gonzalez Sisters | The Monster of Florence | The Sticker | Scott Davis | Yoo Su-bin |


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