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| “ | If one does what God does enough times, one will become as God is. | „ |
| ~ Lecktor on power. |
| “ | Do you know how you caught me? The reason you caught me, Will, is we're just alike! You want the scent? Smell yourself! | „ |
| ~ Lecktor taunting Will Graham. |
Dr. Hannibal Lecktor is the overarching antagonist of Michael Mann's 1986 psychological thriller film Manhunter.
He is a notorious serial killer who brutally murdered nine college girls and left two survivors permanently hospitalized. When he was caught and his heinous crimes were exposed by FBI Agent Will Graham, he brutally attacked Will, nearly killing him.
He is now incarcerated, but continues to psychologically torture Will from behind his cell, and even tries to help Francis 'The Tooth Fairy' Dolarhyde kill Will's family by providing Dolarhyde with Will's address.
He is notably far more evil and unsympathetic than any other incarnation of the character, as he lacks any of the sympathetic and redeeming qualities of the novels, Anthony Hopkins' film version, or Mads Mikkelsen's TV version, and takes sadistic pleasure in psychologically torturing Will and trying to get his family killed.
He was portrayed by Brian Cox, who also portrayed Logan Roy in Succession, Ward Abbott in the Jason Bourne film franchise, William Stryker in X2: X-Men United, Agamemnon in Troy, Mr. Kreeg in Trick 'r Treat, Lionel Starkweather in Manhunt, Pariah Dark in Danny Phantom: Reign Storm, Scolar Visari in Killzone, General Hemmer in Battle for Terra, Conrad in Bob the Builder, Hermann Goering in Nuremberg, Killearn in Rob Roy, Kostas Becker in The Simpsons, Niander Wallace, Sr. in Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and Dark Yabu in Vexx.
Biography[]
Previously to his arrest and incarceration, Dr. Hannibal Lecktor was a respected psychiatrist and member of Baltimore, Maryland's social elite. However, it was later discovered that he was a serial killer who tortured and murdered numerous college girls. Upon being arrested by FBI Agent Will Graham, he attacked and nearly murdered him.
Lecktor is first seen in the film speaking to Will from behind bars. Will believes Lecktor has information that could lead to the arrest and capture of a new serial killer, "The Tooth Fairy". Instead, Lecktor taunts Will that the only reason Will caught him was that they were one in the same. Lecktor also demands access to case files, and requests Will's home phone number, which Will promptly rejects.
Embittered by this, Lecktor requests access to the prison phone, and secretly manages to convince an unwitting secretary to hand him Will's phone number. He then gives this information, to Francis Dolarhyde, the "Tooth Fairy" whom Will is trying to capture, requesting Dolarhyde to "spare himself" and "kill them all", requesting that Dolarhyde not only kill Will but his wife and young son as well. This immediately forces Will and his family to relocate.
In his final appearance in the film, he calls Will shortly after Dolarhyde's brutal torture and murder of tabloid reporter Freddie Lounds, taunting him that he must be glad to be rid of Lounds, who had been harassing him. He then tells Will that the "Tooth Fairy" murders people because it makes him feel like God; he then insinuates that Will exercised such power himself when he antagonized the killer to the point that he murdered Lounds.
Will eventually confronts and kills Dolarhyde before reuniting with his family, finally being allowed to peacefully retire and be rid of Lecktor's malevolent influence.
Personality[]
This version of Lecktor is subtler but also more twisted than any other incarnation. He presents a calm exterior and a polite facade, but beneath that exterior is a cruel, manipulative psychopath who kills because it gives him a sense of God-like power, and who also delights in getting into people's heads and playing sick mind games with them that inflict great emotional (and sometimes physical) harm.
Notably, Lecktor is the only version of the character who is not portrayed as a cannibal.
Trivia[]
- Cox based his performance on infamous Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel, noting how ordinary he seemed, and how such evil could hide behind such a "normal" facade.
External links[]
- Hannibal Lecktor on the Hannibal Wiki
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 Villains
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