Leonard Shelby

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Evil-doer
Full Name	Leonard Shelby
Alias	Lenny
Origin	Memento
Occupation	Insurance agent (formerly) Unofficial investigator Serial Killer
Powers / Skills	Tracking Strength Gunmanship Various memorization techniques to compensate for his anterograde amnesia
Hobby	Recounting the story of Sammy Jankis. Tracking and murdering any potential "John G"s.
Goals	Find "John G". Avenge his wife's death. Retain his delusional illness. Continue his manhunt for every citizen born with the name "John G." (all succeeded).
Crimes	Mass murder Vigilantism Stalking Assault Incrimination Carjacking Kidnapping
Type of Villain	Vengeful Vigilante

“	Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.	„
	~ Leonard Shelby

“	I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just reach over and touch her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't feel time?	„
	~ Leonard mourns his wife and his inability to move on from her death due to his anterograde amnesia.

“	I'm not a killer. I'm just someone who wanted to make things right. Can't I just let myself forget what you've told me? Can't I just let myself forget what you've made me do. You think I just want another puzzle to solve? Another John G. to look for? You're John G. So you can be my John G. Will I lie to myself to be happy? In your case Teddy... yes I will.	„
	~ Leonard vows revenge against Teddy for revealing the truth, preparing to frame him as John G. out of spite.

Leonard Shelby is the main protagonist of the 2000 film Memento. He suffers from anterograde amnesia, which renders him unable to remember anything since the night of his wife's tragic death. He seeks revenge against a "John G.", which triggers the story's plot.

He was portrayed by Guy Pearce, who also played Fernand Mondego in The Count of Monte Cristo, Kendall Duncan in Bedtime Stories, Peter Weyland in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Charlie Rakes in Lawless, Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, The Reverend in Brimstone, Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2019 A Christmas Carol miniseries, Emil Harting in Bloodshot and Thomas Clay in Tom Clancy's Without Remorse.

Biography

Aided by Teddy, Leonard seeks to find a "John G.", one of the criminals that attacked him and murdered his wife prior to the events of the film. But due to his anterograde amnesia, Leonard is forced to keep a record of every note he keeps via Polaroid photographs, tattoos, and other scribed notes.

Throughout the plot, he shares his account of a former client Sammy Jankis who suffered from the same condition and accidentally murdered his wife by her attempts to jog his memory by providing insulin shots. In the meantime, Leonard has been trailing a "John G." which leads him to encountering a resentful bartender named Natalie. She manipulates him into attacking and driving a man named Dodd out of town. He also murders Jimmy Grantz under the impression that he is the "John G." he is seeking and photographs his body.

But as the plot continues, many truths are revealed. Leonard has murdered several individuals by the name of "John G.", helped by Teddy throughout each case. The proof comes from a Polaroid photograph indicating that Leonard has already allegedly killed long before. Teddy also claims that Sammy Jankis' story is really just Leonard confusing his accidental murder of his wife following the attack with the story of a con artist. What's more, Natalie's resentment towards Leonard stems from Leonard driving her boyfriend Jimmy Grantz's car and wearing his clothes. Natalie also reveals that Teddy's real name is John Edward Gammell, leading Leonard to distrust and later kill Teddy as seen in the beginning of the film. In the end, Leonard is left without his one ally in the world and it is noted that he will forget the murder and once again seek a "John G.".

Observations of the Ending

“	I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different. Now, where was I?	„
	~ Leonard's closing monologue regarding existence.

At the end, there are two possible interpretations for Leonard Shelby as a tragic anti-hero/anti-villain. In the former, everyone is suspect in the course of the film. Particularly, there is question regarding Teddy's help to Leonard.

Although revealed to be an undercover officer, Teddy possibly may have used Leonard as a pawn to fish out and kill criminals or those interfering with his plot. His claim that Leonard's accidental murder of his wife via insulin shots might also be suspect as well. Given the narrative's focus on Leonard, the suspicion is given weight due to lack of details. In this instance, Leonard would be a pawn of sorts, possibly freed from killing anyone else on Teddy's behalf.

The other interpretation is arguably more disturbing. One of the film's final revelations is that Leonard himself deliberately blacked out the police accounts of the attack and has burned previous photos of "John G." so as to start all over again. At the very end, Leonard muses that seeking his wife's killer has become his purpose in life, and questions how bad it can be to make one's own life purpose. He is then shown burning the Polaroid of Jimmy Grantz and purposely recreating Teddy as the new "John G." to pursue with notes such as the tattoo of his car's license plate. With that in mind, it is implied that without Teddy to keep him in check, Leonard will seek out and murder other individuals he labels with the alias of "John G.", thus deluding himself further just to give himself a sense of purpose in life following his wife's death.