This page is about the incarnation of Hannibal Lecter from the TV series. The mainstream version can be found here: Hannibal Lecter.
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| “ | Morality does not exist. Only morale. | „ |
| ~ Hannibal Lecter |
| “ | Psychopaths are not crazy; they are fully aware of what they do, and the consequences of those actions. | „ |
| ~ Hannibal to Franklyn Froideveaux |
Hannibal Lecter is the titular main antagonist (and occasionally the anti-hero) of the NBC television series Hannibal. He is a brilliant psychiatrist who leads a double life as a serial killer known as The Chesapeake Ripper, and the archenemy of Will Graham.
He was played by Mads Mikkelsen, who previously portrayed Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and Kaecilius in Doctor Strange.
Past
Having been orphaned and lost his beloved younger sister Mischa, Hannibal was adopted by his late uncle but raised by his aunt by marriage, Lady Murasaki, after his uncle's death. Hannibal immigrated to USA to study at John Hopkins medical center. He briefly worked as a surgeon before switching his specialty to psychiatry. He became the teacher of Alana Bloom (who later had an intimate relationship with him). However, Alana is sometimes frustrated by his unorthodox methods as a psychiatrist. At some point during his career, Hannibal became the patient of his colleague, Bedelia Du Maurier. He is a member of Baltimore, Maryland's social elite, and enjoys fine cuisine, wine, and high culture. He is fond of giving elaborate, ornate dinner parties featuring gourmet cuisine that he himself cookes. Beneath his cultivated facade, however, he is a cannibalistic serial killer dubbed "The chesapeake Ripper", who kills people he considers "rude".
Personality
Hannibal was deeply traumatized by the event with his family. He witnessed his mother, father and sister's murder. He was especially traumatized by the murder of his sister (whom he held very dear) due to the fact that he was forcibly fed her remains. This experience made him extremely cold, bitter and cynical towards humanity. There is no doubt that this triggered his killing spree. Although this offers an explanation on his killing spree and cannibalistic methods, it simply does not explain his severe psychopathy. For psychopathy to be as extreme as it is with Hannibal, it must have been present before going through that event.
Hannibal is at first glance, seen as a courteous man, a man of class and sophistication. He is charming, intelligent and extremely glib. This is a good observation, as Hannibal truly believes himself to be all those things and wants everyone else to share this opinion. In realty though, he is a master at manipulation and is an extremely good con artist. Hannibal is a sociopath and a calculating sadist. He has no remorse or empathy for his victims. That being said, he has a warped set of morals as he prefers to kill people he deem as 'rude'. He view himself as a godlike entity and feels he is above everyone else which hints at his very narcissistic personality. He does not hesitate in disposing of people interfering with his work however, evidenced by the murder of Abigail and murder attempt at Jack Crawford.
Biography
Season 1
Hannibal murdered his victims including his patient Jeremy Oldstead and he uses their organs as ingredients in his recipes. When Jack Crawford visited Lector whilst he is conducting a therapy session with a patient, and asks him to help Will Graham, a troubled Criminal profiler who has struggled to come to terms with his hallucinations of the victims of serial killers. He joined the FBI investigation of the murders of college girls committed by Garret Jacob Hobbs who lives with his wife and daughter. Alana enlists her colleague Will the help of Hannibal who takes a keen interest in the case. During the investigation, Hannibal killed Cassie Boyle and prepared her lungs as meat for his dinner, Will thought it was a breakthrough for the case. Hannibal visited Will's house, during which Hannibal brings breakfast for him. Will spilled to Hannibal about his thoughts that the killer had a daughter of own, thinking that his victims were golden tickets as Hannibal continued to psychoanalyze Will.
They visited the Constitution site and found Garrett Jacob Hobbs' file where Hobbs worked but quit his job due to issues and to spend time with his family. Hannibal sneaked into the office and finds Hobbs' number and calls it. Abigail answer the call and gives the phone to her father. Hannibal informed him that FBI will arrest him, which caused Hobbs to breakdown and kill his wife. Then Hobbs attempted to kill his own daughter as Hannibal followed Will at a distance. Will slammed the door of Hobbs's houses and kills Hobbs by shooting him, just before he could prevent Hobbs from slitting his own daughter's throat. Abigail survived and was placed into a coma, during which Hannibal and Will sat beside her for a while.
Will was haunted by the encounter with Garret Jacob Hobbs and it continued to have an affect on him, so he visited Lecter. The two are able to engage in very candid conversation about Crawford's theories that Abigail may have been involved as an accomplice in her father's murders but they are also burdened by the sense of obligation or guilt to look after her as orphan.
Hannibal invited Jack over for a gourmet dinner during which they discusse Will's mental illness and he can't resist letting Jack trust him. Jack tells Lecter that Will already had his psych evaluation.
After Will shot Eldon Stammets by saving Abigail from being kidnapped and continued his therapy at Hannibal's office discussing his own psyche and asking him about seeing Hobbs' ghost. Will surmised Hobbs was haunting him.
After Abigail Hobbs awoke from coma after having nightmares of slaughtering a stag with her father, she was questioned by the police about her involvement with murders committed by her father and faced death thre in Minnesota for being a murderer's daughter. When Freddie enter Abigail's room asking about direct information and to warn her about Will and Hannibal as they entered room. Hannibal and Alana had talked with Jack about the issues of Abigail's crimes, manipulation or state mind.
Hannibal, Will and Alana took Abigail to visit crime scene in House who is vandalized as "Cannibals" as Hannibal watches from a distance, silent to hide his crimes. Only Abigail's friend Marissa Shurr believed that Abigail didn't committed her crimes, but was harassed by Nicolas Boyle whose sister is Hannibal's victim. But Hannibal was displeased to see troublesome relationship between Marissa and her mother as He and Will searched of Nicolcs in the forest, he seizes on the opportunity by leaving his shoe behind on rock and killed Marissa. Will tried recreate the crime at Hobbs' cabin, when suddenly, blood dripped and Abigail was horrified to see her friend Marissa impaled, hanging on a rack of antlers which soon make Nicholas as a suspect of the copycat killer.
Horrifying about her friend's demise, Abigail rushed back to her house and was confronted by a crying Mrs. Shurr, who angrily blamed Abigail for her daughter's death. While Hannibal comforting Mrs. Shurr, Abigail went to her house and shockingly found out that a pillow in her house was filled with human hairs. Suddenly, Nicholas Boyle rushed to Abigail, desperately to explain that he did not murder Marissa. Horrified, Abigail accidentally stabbed Nicholas with the kitchen knife, killing him. When Hannibal and Alana went into the house, Hannibal saw Abigail walk upstairs with blood covered her hands. Hannibal immediately ambushed Alana and punched her unconcious, then he went to see Nicholas' corpse with Abigail. Hannibal helped Abigail buried Nicholas in somewhere, and he lied to Jack, Alana and Will as soon as Alana awoke. Then, Jack suspected Nicholas as the copycat and also believed he was at large.
Back in his office, Hannibal sat at his desk writing notes before he greeted Abigail. She asked how he knew, and he told her the hospital called to inform him she climbed the wall. She was clearly overwhelmed by her murder, and Hannibal acknowledged her distress. Abigail told Hannibal she did not want to sleep, and he told her she could not anticipate her dreams. Abigail confronted him about the call to the house, as she knew it was him. Hannibal deflected her assertion but promises he'll keep her secret. In turn, Abigail promised the same.
Hannibal visited Will's house is full of pet dogs while he was way on case of kidnapped boys whose families were murdered by a woman as known as mother. While Abgiral is statyed with Alana who help her to seems recovered Alana consults with Lecter over Abigail's treatment and finds his suggestions. Lecter invited Jack for 'rabbit' dinner and revealed about his suspicious on Abigail as accomplice and Will counited his seasons with Lecter about kidnaped boys were brainwashed and kill each other. Against Alana's wishes, Hannibal bring Abrigil out of hospital discusses and encourages her to drink a tea made from psilocybin mushrooms to replaced her traumatic memories.
After Will saved a young boy and his family by shooting the nefarious woman kidnapper to injury by Beverly, Alana become angry on Hannibal for releasing Abigail but she sees who seems happy.
Will suffered from sleepwalking about Stigs, he told Dr Lecter about his post traumatic disorder caused to sleepwalking. Will and Jack was tasked to investigation of gilsy murders of a couple in a hotel. They're both in a traditional prayer position and flesh were mutilated by Elliot Buddish.
Jack brings his wife Bella for foie gras course dinner which made by Hannibal but Bella dislikes as vegeterian and need an appointment with Dr Lecter about their marriage and Jack starters of his work whom she overwhelmed, Will visited him at office to converse about his latest case. Jack become worried about Hannibal's influence on will , Bella visiting Hannibal about her recent suspicions of her infidelity and confessed that she battle with lung cancer, Will was anxious about his sleepwalking as Hannibal smells his scent, leaving Will confused.
Season 2
Hannibal visted Will in the Baltimore State Hospital for Criminally Insane and Will gave him a threat of "There will be a reckoning".
As Jack feeling upset about Will, Hannibal forged a plan to "save" Will. To achieve that, he killed the judge who deemed Will to be guilty. Meanwhile, doubting Hannibal to be the Ripper, Beverly Katz went to Hannibal's home and she found James Grey the muralist's kidney. She then found a secret basement beneath Hannibal's home. She went into the basement and saw something that made her shocked - Abigail Hobbs who were still alive (as Fuller later comfirmed). At this time, Beverly went back home. He found and killed Beverly, strangling her and sliced her into thin pieces, placing them in the same observatory where Miriam's arm was found and Chilton was nearly mutilated.
After knowing Beverly's death, Will saw how beastly Hannibal really is and sent his "admirer" named Matthew Brown to Hannibal and attempted to kill him and revenge Abigail and Beverly. However, Abel Gideon overheard their plan and told Alana everything. Jack and Alana went to save Hannibal and arrested Matthew.
This season is often seen as a "seduction" Will probed on Hannibal; Giving the Cannibal a view that Will trusted him and even killed and served his victims for him. (Will killed Randall Tier and pretended to kill Freddie Lounds for Hannibal).
Hannibal and Will find a common enemy in Mason Verger, whom they both despise for emotionally and sexually abusing his twin sister Margot. Hannibal takes on Mason as a patient as part of a plan to kill him, but Mason becomes suspicious of him and kidnaps him, intending to feed the doctor his prize pigs. Hannibal escapes, however, and takes Mason hostage to Graham's house. There, he feeds Mason a cocktail of hallucinogenic drugs and "influences" him to peel off his own face and feed it to Graham's dogs. With Graham's tacit approval, Hannibal breaks Mason's neck with his bare hands, rendering him a horribly disfigured quadriplegic.
In the season finale, Will finds Abigail Hobbs alive with Hannibal, who tells Will he let "him see his true self" and he couldn't leave without Will behind when the profiler told him he should have ran off when they could. Heartbroken, he proceeds to gut Will in his abdomen and cutting Abigail's neck open, leaving the both of them and showing that he escaped the U.S with Bedelia.
Season 3
While Hannibal Lecter is now fugitive for his crimes along with Bedelia as his co-partner or hostage , Will met Chiyoh, the servant of Hannibal's aunt Lady Murasaki, who got information about his whereabouts for finding Hannibal. While in Italy, Will tells Hannibal he forgives him. Hannibal captures Will after their reunion and plans to cut his head open and eat him in front of Jack Crawford, however agents working for a vengeful Mason kidnap Hannibal and Will and take them back to the US to Mason's farm. Mason plans to have Hannibal slowly dismembered by henchman Cordell Doemling so Mason can eat parts of Hannibal. Hannibal manages to convince Alana Bloom to save him, and in return he will get sperm from Mason who her and Mason's sister Margot can have a child and also promises to rescue Will. Alana complies and Hannibal saves Will from having his face cut off by Cordell, and in return kills Cordell, removes his face and puts it on the face of an unconscious Mason. Hannibal stimulates Mason's prostate with a cattle prod causing him to ejaculate and leaves him behind for Alana and Margot to kill. Will later awakens but refuses to have anything to do with Hannibal, telling him he does not want to know where Hannibal is anymore and tells him to leave, but Hannibal hands himself into the police. Hannibal escapes the death penalty and is sent to a mental hospital where Alana is now administrator.
Three-years later Will returns to Hannibal in order to catch a serial killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (real name Francis Dolarhyde). Near the end of the season Hannibal agrees to be used as bait to lure the killer out and is transferred to another facility. Dolarhyde kills the police escort, and Hannibal and Will team up to track him down. A revelation during the series also reveals that Hannibal is in love with Graham and Graham himself aches for it.
Hannibal and Will both attack and kill Dolarhyde together and Hannibal tells Will it is all he wanted for him. The pair embrace near a cliff but Will pulls him and Hannibal over the edge and into the waters below. It is unknown if they survived, however Bedelia with her leg removed at a dinner table, with it set for two more guests, hinting that Will and Hannibal possibly survived their fall. The two seats are empty which could mean that Bedelia is just waiting for the two to arrive in vain. Showrunner Bryan Fuller revealed that the intent was to suggest they survived, but unless a Season 4 happens their fate will remain ambiguous.
Known Victims
- 1: Jeremy Oldstead
- 2: Cassie Boyle
- 3: Marissa Schurr
- 4: Andrew Caldwell
- 5: Michelle Vocalson
- 6: Darrell Ledgerwood
- 7: Christopher Ward
- 8: Franklyn Froideveaux
- 9: Tobias Budge
- 10: Carson Nahn
- 11: Georgia Madchen
- 12: James Gray
- 13: Judge Davies
- 14: Beverly Katz
- 15: Sheldon Isley
- 16: Dorene Ibale
- 17: Harold Innedeton
- 18: David R. Illes
- 19: Lester Lonnoti
- 20: Abel Gideon
- 21: Abigail Hobbs
- 22: Mr. Fell
- 23: Mrs. Fell
- 24: Cordell Doemling
- 25: Francis Dolarhyde
Video
Gallery
Trivia
- Hannibal's suits are made by Garrison Bespoke.
- In the books and movie, he was described as small and wiry.
- In the third season, Hannibal is the main villain of the first half of the season and an anti-hero of the second half, due to the main villain of the latter season being the Tooth Fairy.
- Although Hannibal does act as the villain, Mason Verger is more likely considered the Big Bad in the first half of season 3 as both Hannibal and Will are put in peril at his hands.
- Even though he acts as an antagonist during the second half of season 3 during the "Red Dragon" story arc, he does become the anti-hero near the end of the final episode as he and Will team up to kill Francis Dolarhyde.
- Therefore in the two story arcs of season 3, he starts off as the secondary antagonist and develops into the anti-hero.
- His fall from the cliff with Will Graham mirrors the fate of Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes short story "The Final Problem".
- Hannibal is omnisexual (pansexual), according to the series writer Bryan Fuller.
- He is known in his fanbase to be an avid fan of cannibal puns.
- It is shown in Season 3 that Hannibal can ride a motorcycle.
- Other interview with director Bryan Fuller tells that Clarice Starling, Hannibal's object of love in the books and films, was replaced by Will Graham.
- Hannibal is the only cannibal in cinema that makes dishes from human flesh looks extremely good like a high quality and exquisite normal haute dishes.
 Villains
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