This is a list of fictional characters in the British psychological crime drama television series Luther, its international remakes and film continuation.
Overview Character Portrayed by Series Film 1 2 3 4 5 DCI John Luther Idris Elba colspan="6" Alice Morgan Ruth Wilson colspan="2" colspan="1" DCI Ian Reed Steven Mackintosh colspan="5" Zoe Luther Indira Varma colspan="5" Mark North Paul McGann colspan="2" colspan="2" DSU Rose Teller Saskia Reeves colspan="5" DS Justin Ripley Warren Brown colspan="3" colspan="2" DCI/DSU Martin Schenk Dermot Crowley colspan="6" DS/DCI Erin Gray Nikki Amuka-Bird colspan="2" colspan="3" Jenny Jones Aimee-Ffion Edwards colspan="4" Baba Pam Ferris colspan="4" Toby Kent David Dawson colspan="4" Mary Day Sienna Guillory colspan="2" colspan="3" DSU George Stark David O'Hara colspan="2" colspan="3" DS Benny Silver Michael Smiley colspan="3" colspan="2" DCI Theo Bloom Darren Boyd colspan="3" colspan="2" DS Emma Lane Rose Leslie colspan="3" colspan="2" Megan Cantor Laura Haddock colspan="3" colspan="2" George Cornelius Patrick Malahide colspan="3" colspan="2" DS Catherine Halliday Wunmi Mosaku colspan="4" Jeremy Lake Enzo Cilenti colspan="4" Vivien Lake Hermione Norris colspan="4" Palmer (hitman) Anthony Howell colspan="4" DCI Odette Raine Cynthia Erivo colspan="5" David Robey Andy Serkis colspan="5"
Main characters John Luther
Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, portrayed by Idris Elba, works for the Metropolitan Police Service, in the Serious Crime Unit. He is a legendary figure on the force both for his dedication and his ingenious approaches to solving cases. However, the horrors of Luther's job have given rise to emotional demons which often put him at odds with colleagues and loved ones. Because of this, he constantly breaches protocol and uses unorthodox (and sometimes illegal) methods, such as breaking into properties without warrants to find clues or violently threatening suspects or witnesses. He is also given to belligerent fits of anger. Nevertheless, he is known to hate firearms, and he refuses to kill or directly cause the death of suspects.
Luther studied English at University, where he met future spouse Zoe.
Luther returns from leave to investigate the double murder of Alice Morgan's parents, and quickly realises that she committed the crime. However, Morgan's methodical destruction of evidence keeps Luther from conclusively proving her guilt. A peculiar relationship develops between Luther and Morgan, and Luther approaches her for help on occasion. Morgan insinuates herself into Luther's relationship with Zoe with the intention of helping their marriage, yet her means only further complicate Luther's personal problems.
When Zoe is shot and killed by Luther's best friend, the corrupt Detective Chief Inspector Ian Reed, Luther – known for his violent temper – is blamed for the murder because Reed sets up the crime scene to implicate him. Luther subsequently becomes the focus of a citywide manhunt. Events transpire during which Alice kills Reed during a confrontation between him, on one side, and her, Luther, and Zoe's boyfriend Mark on the other, at a deserted Waterloo station. After providing proof that Reed murdered Zoe, Luther is allowed to return to the service, where he has now been assigned to the reorganised Serious and Serial Crime Unit, headed by DSU Schenck.
At the start of the second series, Luther has moved into an unmaintained flat at the Aylesbury Estate and shows suicidal tendencies. Luther also desires to leave the Met. He is approached by Caroline Jones, the wife of one of his former suspects, who asks him to locate her delinquent daughter, Jenny. When Luther tracks down Jenny and rescues her from a pornography shoot, the production's backers, Toby Kent and his grandmother, "Baba", violently pressure the inspector to hand her back. Rather than doing so, Luther strikes an illegal deal to provide them with information, in exchange for setting Jenny free. When Jenny kills Toby in self-defence, Luther manages to cover up her crime and threatens Baba with a visit from Alice if she continues to harass Jenny and her mother.
In Series 3, Luther is secretly being investigated by anti-corruption for his involvement in previous criminal activities. Ripley is persuaded to wear a wire and give testimony against Luther behind his back but instead chooses to exonerate him. As this is going on, Luther begins to fall in love and date a woman named Mary. Conflict escalates when Luther deals with the increasing pressure of anti-corruption nearly ruining his relationship and the threat of vigilante killer Tom Marwood. Seeing potential to reason with him, Luther chooses to give a deadline to try and prove Marwood’s beliefs of criminals needing to die wrong. This ends up backfiring and in the resulting aftermath, Marwood ends up killing Ripley and attacking Mary, pinning Luther as an accomplice to both. Working alongside a returning Alice, Luther is able to defeat Marwood and despite losing the love of Mary and plagued by the death of Ripley, decides to pursue a relationship with Alice.
In Series 4, Luther takes a leave of absence out of London, still mourning Ripley, when he is brought back by the news of the death of Alice, seemingly being killed in a botched criminal diamond deal in Europe. Luther tracks down and captures crime lord George Cornelius, who was responsible for the plot and ties him to a radiator. After interrogating him, Luther is forced to assist with a criminal investigation when the presiding detective is killed in an explosion, while Cornelius escapes and plans a scheme against Luther. Luther tracks down the killer and later gives the stolen diamonds to Cornelius to settle their score with each other, as he is left emotionally cold from the death of Alice.
In Series 5, as Luther deals with one overarching disturbing case alongside new partner Catherine Haliday, he is forced to deal with a returning Cornelius who wants to locate his kidnapped son. Luther is surprised to find a somehow alive Alice concocted the scheme and deals with increasing consequences as Cornelius hunts them down, torturing and later having an enforcer kill Benny and later framing him for the murder of said enforcer. Alice, increasingly upset with Luther, turns against him, killing Haliday and engaging in a fight across a railing which leads to Alice seemingly falling to her death.
In Luther Fallen Sun, Luther is arrested for his involvement in the previous deaths. With him previously investigating the circumstances of murders enacted by psychopath millionaire David Robey, Luther’s previous corruption is brought up to the public and with the other supporting evidence, he is found guilty and imprisoned for multiple years in jail. Urged to return to the case, Luther breaks out of jail and proceeds where he left off on the case without any police support, actively hunted down by them. Eventually, Luther defeats Robey and in lieu of being sent for jail, a MI5 operative meets with him, seemingly with a job.
Idris Elba said of his character, "You know when you watch the news and someone has killed their children? And your instinct is to be like, 'Oh, if I got my hands on them'? Well, his instinct is to do that but he's a police officer. And when he does get his hands on them, he doesn't necessarily follow procedure. He will be as vindictive as the criminal".
Alice Morgan
Alice Morgan, played by Ruth Wilson, is a research scientist with a genius-level IQ. When first introduced, Alice has murdered her parents – and their dog – in such a calculated fashion, that not even Luther is able to prove her guilt, of which he is absolutely certain. Alice's core belief, that nothing in life ultimately matters, comes into direct conflict with Luther's own beliefs. She frequently insinuates herself into Luther's professional and personal life, both as an enemy and ally, with behaviours ranging from stalking him and those close to him, to helping him avoid criminal prosecution. She also provides Luther with a unique insight into the criminal mind. Luther describes Alice as a malignant narcissist.
At the beginning of Series 2, Alice is in a mental institute following the events of Series 1 (she had confessed to killing Ian Reed). Luther goes to visit her, whereupon it is revealed she tried to kill herself by cutting her wrist. While visiting, Luther offers Alice an apple. She declines it, but after he leaves, he throws his half-eaten apple over the wall of the mental institute's gardens in which Alice is walking. When she picks the apple up, it is revealed that Luther has stolen a swipe card and given it to Alice to help her escape.
After escaping, she visits him one last time, asking Luther to come away with her to travel overseas. However, he refuses, as he cannot shake his dedication to being a police officer, and – he says: "I am who I am, and you are who you are". Alice then leaves him behind. She returns in the Series 3 season finale, when Luther is wrongly accused of arranging for DS Ripley's murder by a killer vigilante. After freeing him from police custody, Alice aids Luther in proving his innocence, and in the vigilante's capture. Having made her interest in developing a relationship with Luther clear, after again evading arrest, she meets up with Luther, and the episode ends as they debate what to do next.
Alice's apparent death in Belgium is announced in the first few minutes of Series 4. It is revealed that she and Luther have secretly been in regular communication by burner phone, and had been planning to flee to São Paulo. Her apparent death, and Luther's investigation of it, is a key component of the two-episode series.
Morgan is eventually revealed to be alive in Series 5, having faked her death when she realized Luther was never truly going to run away with her. Luther attempts to protect her and himself from Alice's robbery of crime boss George Cornelius, but eventually their relationship reaches its inevitable destruction when Morgan murders DS Catherine Halliday. Ultimately culminating in a struggle with Luther and Morgan falling to her apparent death and Luther's arrest for the deaths of Morgan, Halliday, and Benny Silver. Series creator Neil Cross later confirmed that Alice survived the fall. She is set to return in an unspecified capacity in Luther 3.
Justin Ripley
Detective Sergeant Justin Ripley, played by Warren Brown, is a young policeman eager to be partnered with a detective like Luther, but he doesn't quite realise what doing so will entail.
After Luther is framed for Zoe's murder and flees, Ripley is the only one who believes that he is innocent and aids Luther in destroying the main piece of evidence against him. Ripley is arrested at the end of Series 1, after saving a fugitive Luther's life from a police marksman. For this action, he is put back in uniform and told he will remain in uniform for two years (though he keeps his rank of sergeant). At the beginning of Series 2, Luther has Ripley reinstated as a detective and puts him back on his team. DS Gray remarks that DS Ripley was a rising star but has now tarnished his career. At the end of Series 2 episode 1, Ripley is kidnapped by Cameron Pell, who tortures him throughout the next episode before Ripley manages to escape and aid in Pell's arrest.
In Series 3, Ripley is questioned by DSU George Stark and DCI Erin Gray, who are attempting to bring down Luther. At first, Ripley seems to be helping them, but he later tells them he has been honoured to work with Luther. In episode 3, Ripley chases the vigilante killer Tom Marwood into an alleyway and corners him. Despite Marwood's insistence, Ripley refuses to back down, so Marwood fatally shoots him. His death is avenged when Marwood is captured by Luther in episode 4.
Post death, Ripley is briefly seen talking to Luther in a flashback at the start of Season 4.
Martin Schenk