Leverage/Characters

Nathan Ford: The Mastermind
""I'm a functioning alcoholic. The trick is not to get hung up on the "alcoholic," but celebrate the "functioning" part of the sentence.""

Former insurance investigator at IYS Insurance turned leader of a band of thieves. Played by Timothy Hutton.

Tropes associated with Nathan: "Hardison: Going to Plan B? Nate: Technically that would be Plan G. Hardison: How many plans do we have? Is there a Plan M? Nate: Yeah, Hardison dies in Plan M. Eliot: I like Plan M."
 * Addiction Displacement: In season 2, Nate goes on the wagon, and starts drinking a lot of coffee. And running very scary cons.
 * The Alcoholic
 * Anti-Hero
 * Hurting Hero
 * Amicably Divorced: He and Maggie are about as amicably divorced as you can get.
 * Batman Gambit: Being The Chessmaster, Nate is very good at these.
 * The Big Bad: If this is a Five-Bad Band, anyway.
 * Byronic Hero
 * Catch Phrase: "Let's go steal (something crazy)." Examples:
 * "a miracle."
 * "a fashion show."
 * "the man on the street...in Africa."
 * "Parker."
 * "a country."
 * "the future."
 * "a mountain." Twice.
 * "We're going to steal the wake?" "Have some respect. We're going to BORROW the wake."
 * "The Department of Defense." "Isn't that treason?" "Well, we're going to give it back."
 * "a potato."
 * The Chessmaster
 * Crazy Prepared
 * Dead Son: His son Sam, who contracted a rare disease...and died when IYS wouldn't fund the experimental treatment Nate found.
 * Functional Addict: He's a functional alcoholic, most of the time. There are a few jobs where it screws him up, but not many.
 * Good Is Not Nice
 * Guile Hero
 * The Hero: If this is a Five-Man Band, anyway.
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation: While he does fine dealing with people when he is manipulating them or when dealing with the team, he is often incapable of dealing with normal people, most notably shown in "The Boys Night Out Job"
 * Jerkass Woobie
 * The Leader: Type I--he's even called The Mastermind.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Normally he leaves this part of the planning to Sophie, but when he wants to, Nate can be a very good manipulator in his own right. He's not such a good actor, but can even use that to his advantage.
 * Mission Control: Shares this with Hardison.
 * Official Couple: With Sophie.
 * The Shill: To Sophie's Roper.
 * Smart People Play Chess
 * Team Dad
 * Time for Plan B: According to Word of God, "When Nate gets past Plan G, things start to get very hairy."
 * In the pilot:

"Nate: That was Plan M. Hardison: Don't I die in Plan M?
 * In season 4, episode 10:

Nate: Yeah, usually. Yeah.

Hardison: Whatchu mean usually? How many plans do I die in?

Nate: C, F, and M through Q.

Hardison: Hold up, C? Man, that's a bit close to home man. Need to switch that up. How many plans does Eliot die in?

Nate: Uh, none. (turns to Parker) And none. (turns to Sophie) And...(Beat. Turns back to Eliot) But there is one where you come out with a scar."


 * Token Good Teammate: Early on, Nate was the only team member who was genuinely interested in helping people. By partway through, this is no longer the case, as everyone else has lightened up.
 * UST: With Sophie and Maggie
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: In a weird, kinda twisted and ruthless way, as seen in "The Three-Card Monte Job."
 * Played more straight (and tragic) in "The Radio Job", when
 * Will They or Won't They?: He and Sophie for most of the show.
 * Would Hit a Girl: Cold cocks a nun in "The Boys Night Out Job."

Sophie Devereaux: The Grifter
""Thieves find entrances, but grifters? Mm-mm. We make them.""

Terrible actress and world-class confidence trickster. Played by Gina Bellman.

Tropes associated with Sophie: "Eliot: "She can't act. Nate: "She can act... When it's an act.""
 * Ambiguously Brown: Uses it to her advantage in cons, portraying an enormous variety of nationalities.
 * Bad Bad Acting: Any time she's not conning someone. When she's not conning someone, she is absolutely terrible. So terrible that she should be the patron saint of Bad Bad Acting.

"Sophie: I'm a grifter. If I'm doing my job right, they just...turn the alarm off for me."
 * Con Man: She was a confidence trickster before the team formed.
 * The Dragon: If this is a Five-Bad Band, anyway.
 * Femme Fatale: Channels this in most of her cons.
 * Giftedly Bad: As an actor.
 * Guile Hero: Everything she does is about using her brain to manipulate people into doing what she wants. The show even gets into the psychology behind her manipulations.

"Sophie: "Meat" should never be used as an adjective."
 * The Heart: Ironically, as Nate was the "honest man" who got everyone to work together, she's become Nate's moral compass and the emotional center of the group.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Whoa, what if Jane was just one of Sophie's cons? She lived in London (i.e. near museums and Buckingham Palace), she had a job that required a helicopter, and no one ever suspects the dumb one.
 * Hypno Fool: Her use of neuro-linguistic programming on others verges on this.
 * Journey To Find Herself: Second half of season 2.
 * The Lancer: If this is a Five-Man Band, anyway.
 * Lost in Character
 * Male Gaze: Sophie's wardrobe, even when not on a con, seems almost calculated to appeal to this.
 * Manipulative Bitch: It's part of her job. She doesn't always mean for it to become a part of her personal life, but it occasionally does.
 * Mysterious Past: We know practically nothing about her from before she met Nate.
 * No Name Given: "Sophie" is one of many, many aliases. The audience doesn't know her real name yet, and Nate... forgot it. In bed.
 * Official Couple: With Nate.
 * Omniglot: Speaks Chinese and Serbian and presumably other languages. Justified because she is a world traveler with a professional need to speak local languages.
 * Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Gina Bellman has been doing an incredible job, but considering the number and scope of the accents she has to do, it was inevitable that eventually she'd slip on a couple. Her Southern Belle has been specifically mentioned.
 * Picky Eater:

"Hardison: "We trust Nate to come up with the plan. We trust you to make sure we're all taken care of.""
 * Real Life Writes the Plot: Bellman's pregnancy forced the Journey To Find Herself.
 * The Roper: Generally plays this role, though sometimes she switches it up with Nate.
 * She's Got Legs: This seems to be something of a default wardrobe for her.
 * Team Mom:


 * UST: With Nate

Eliot Spencer: The Hitter
""Does anybody wanna do my job, huh? I get punched and kicked!""

"Retrieval specialist" and mercenary. Played by Christian Kane.

Tropes associated with Eliot: "Nate: Hardison's gonna pretend to break into the vault. Eliot: Yeah, well, hopefully the Russians will only pretend to kill him."
 * The Atoner: Very much so, though he doesn't seem to hope for his personal redemption as much as he tries to fix what he put wrong in the past. He'll do whatever it takes, too.
 * Awesome By Analysis: Very much so. He tell the make of a gun by the sound it makes when it fires, can tell that the Mooks are ex-CIA/Marine/dirty cops by the way they stand, their haircut, their shoes. Can we say Genius Bruiser?
 * Badass: A colossal one.
 * Badass Long Hair
 * The Big Guy: If this is a Five-Man Band, anyway.
 * Which is funny because he's the shortest guy in the group. Shortest person in the group, when the girls are wearing their heels.
 * Brains and Brawn: When partnered with Hardison he's the Brawn.
 * The Brute: If this is a Five-Bad Band, anyway.
 * The Casanova: If we take his claims about his own love life to be truth. To put things in perspective, he also claims to grow his own food and sleep ninety minutes a day.
 * Then again, he's been shown to pick up women quite easily, so it's pretty likely he's telling the truth.
 * Then again, he's only claimed to have dated one neurologist and having slept with one flight attendent, which is very possible.
 * Don't forget the supermodels.
 * Catch Phrase: "Dammit, Hardison!" and "It's a very distinctive (impossibly small detail he can use to identify something or someone)."
 * Given that it was recently used as an identity verification, "We'd be the cavalry" may now qualify.
 * Not to mention "I used to date a (random career)" as a reason for knowing details about a specific job. Examples include flight attendants, neurologists and supermodels.
 * He's claimed to have been with only one of each of those, but it could still count since he's said it twice.
 * Chef of Iron
 * Cryptic Background Reference: We don't know what Eliot did when he worked for . This is almost certainly for the best.
 * We're also still waiting to find out about the monkey.
 * Deadpan Snarker


 * Dirty Business: Both his current career and his Mysterious Past are full of it. Little has been given in detail, but he has clearly done some awful, awful things.
 * Does Not Like Guns

"Eliot: What are you talking about. I only use violence as an appropriate response. Sterling: Hello Nate. Eliot's nostrils flare, his eyes narrow, and he punches Sterling in the face. He doesn't stop there."
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: In a pretty obvious way.
 * Friend to All Children: Surprisingly. He has particular compassion for kids who've drawn the short stick of life, but even spoiled rich kids love him. Then there's the hissy fit he throws in "The Morning After Job" until Hardison agrees to detour from a job to stop a domestic dispute because there could possibly be children involved. Non-fluffy reasons for this have been strongly hinted.
 * Genius Bruiser: Word of God compares Eliot to Batman.
 * Guttural Growler
 * Handsome Lech: We hardly ever see him actually hook up, but he is indubitably this.
 * Hates Being Touched: Portrayed subtly, but confirmed by Word of God. Played for laughs.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Kane played Lindsay on Angel.
 * Also Robert Duvall's younger self in Secondhand Lions.
 * Hidden Depths: Out the wazoo. And he keeps uncovering more.
 * Hired Guns: An ex-mercenary
 * Invincible Hero: For a while early on, Eliot didn't even fight anyone who gave him a challenge. Since then, he's taken a few serious beatings, but has yet to actually lose a fight. It certainly makes him immune to The Worf Effect.
 * Until The Carnival Job...
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Omniglot: Speaks Hebrew and Arabic and possibly other languages. Justified because he is a world traveler with a professional need to speak local languages.
 * Papa Wolf: Eliot has a tendency to find various strays that strike a chord with him for whatever reason. He becomes extremely (read: scarily) protective of them for the rest of the job. (Safe to say, if you're a child, a soldier or ex-soldier, or a working-class stiff, he'll probably be kindly-disposed towards you.)
 * Real Men Wear Pink: He takes his cooking very seriously. (And he actually is shown wearing a pink shirt several times.)
 * Salt and Pepper: Frequently detailed to work with Hardison.
 * Supreme Chef
 * Tin Man: Particularly in the first season. He is developing a sense of compassion and empathy, though.
 * Technical Pacifist: Refuses to kill people. Has no problem kicking their knees backwards to make them scream like a girl.
 * Also, seriously, start tallying the number of innocent people just doing their job he has to wade through just to keep the team safe. If he did kill instead of merely incapacitate/knock out, the crew would probably lose any hope of that "good guy" status they're trying to maintain.
 * As Damien Moreau's thugs could testify (from the afterlife) Eliot is not only entirely willing to kill you if he has no other option, he's extremely good at it. His Technical Pacifism is largely a measure of 'most people I punch during the course of my work don't deserve to die' and 'a trail of bodies makes the policemen all flustered and stern'.
 * Violence Is the Only Option: Subverted, for the most part

"Hardison: I just have to spoof the IP address and overlay a digital duplicate on the wi-fi— Eliot throws a rock at the camera Hardison: —Or that. Eliot: Let's go. Hardison: I'm sorry it was too far away for you to punch, I'm sure that really frustrates you."
 * Occasionally Eliot does this for laughs: like in Season 1, Episode 2.


 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Hardison.
 * Would Hit a Girl: But only if she hits him first.

Alec Hardison: The Hacker
""Age of the geek, baby. We run the world.""

Computer expert and technologist. Played by Aldis Hodge.

Tropes associated with Hardison: "Hardison: Hey, Eliot, what is that blocking your button cam? Oh yeah, it's your ego."
 * Accidental Aiming Skills: In "The 12-Step Job" he takes out a loan shark's engine block while aiming for the man's leg. This probably helped more in the end.
 * Badass Bookworm: He's no Eliot, but Hardison is more than capable of handling himself in a fight.
 * Beta Couple: With Parker.
 * Black and Nerdy: He's a hacker. What do you expect?
 * Brains and Brawn: Often plays the Brains to Parker or Eliot's Brawn.
 * Brilliant but Lazy: He has shades of this in season 1, most notably in the Mile High Job, but he gets over it as the series progresses.
 * Butt Monkey: More and more so recently. Probably because the production crew is taking advantage of the fact that Aldis Hodge knows how to act as one in an especially funny way.
 * Catch Phrase: "Age of the geek, baby."
 * Used just as often is "Oh, hell no!" (his stock dismayed/indignant reaction).
 * "Oh, hell no!" is a recent development - before that it was "Seriously!? Seriously!?"
 * Character Development: By the third season, he's started thinking about some day running his own crew.
 * Cowardly Lion: While he often complains about the situations he is involved in, he never backs down,
 * Deadpan Snarker:

"Hardison: You're wondering if I have an answer? I do! BAM!"
 * Dude in Distress: So far, he's had to be rescued the most out of everyone of the team.
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: In a less obvious way than Eliot, but the costume director sure likes to show off Aldis Hodge's fine figure in a suit or tank top.
 * Evil Genius: If this is a Five-Bad Band, anyway.
 * Happily Fostered: He calls his foster mom "Nana" and speaks of her with great fondness. She was apparently a powerfully positive influence in his life.
 * Genius' Sweet Tooth: He's a technological genius who pretty much runs solely on orange soda and gummi frogs.
 * Hollywood Hacking
 * Insufferable Genius: Interestingly, he's so charismatic by nature that he's generally easy to forgive when he gets into a bragging spiel. The other characters aren't quite as charmed as the audience, though.

"Sophie: You monitor all of us the whole time? Hardison: And analyze your actions and provide intel. Beat. You didn't think I did all that did you? Does no one respect the van?"
 * Last-Name Basis: Everybody else is called by their first names, but the creators loved the sound of "Dammit, Hardison!"
 * Mission Control: Often holed up somewhere safe, hacking and providing support.
 * But no one seems to appreciate his contributions.


 * RIP Lucille.
 * Again.
 * Mr. Exposition: Usually the one who briefs the mission. Shares the role with Nate.
 * New Skills As The Plot Demands: While everyone on the show necessarily expands their skill-sets, Hardison is the one who usually gets called upon to do things completely outside the team's experience. In addition to being a hacker, he can make spot-on forgeries and land planes.
 * Playful Hacker
 * Proud to Be a Geek: "For the Horde!" *fistbump*
 * Rapid-Fire Typing
 * Renaissance Man: Paints, sculpts, hacks, plays violin, and he's a decent actor to boot. Oh, and he taught himself a crash course in creating period-looking art that holds up to pretty amazingly close inspection.
 * Also lawyering on the fly.
 * Salt and Pepper: Frequently detailed to work with Eliot.
 * Science Hero
 * Sharp-Dressed Man: When he wants to, Hardison cleans up very nicely.
 * The Smart Guy: If this is a Five-Man Band, anyway.
 * Techno Babble: So. Much.
 * Techno Wizard
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Orange soda and gummi frogs. He needs his gummi frogs.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Parker. A bit more one-sided than some cases, as she's pretty hesitant about it, but he's willing to wait.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Eliot.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Eliot.

Parker: The Thief
""Looks like Parker's gonna have to crawl through the air duct again. God forbid anyone else would have to learn how to fricking crawl on their stomach through a tiny space. It's not rocket science, people.""

The world's greatest thief. Played by Beth Riesgraf.

Tropes associated with Parker: "Parker: What is it with women and shoes? Sophie: There's something wrong with you. Eliot: That's what I said."
 * Action Girl: Can definitely hold her own, as seen in the "The Stork Job".
 * Adult Child: Has a few vague traces of this, espeically of the "emotionally stunted" variety.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Beta Couple: With Hardison.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Not especially evil, but she is a professional thief, and probably the most ruthless member of the team after Eliot.
 * Or more, given her sociopathic tendencies; she's simply not much of a fighter.
 * Brains and Brawn: Sometimes plays the Brawn to Hardison's Brains.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Word of God is that Parker may have Asperger's Syndrome.
 * Cannot Spit It Out: But Hardison understands.
 * He's her pretzel.
 * The Chick: If this is a Five-Man Band, anyway. Although Sophie fits many of the requirements as well, despite generally serving as The Lancer.
 * Classy Cat Burglar: Well, a cat burglar, anyway...she has the look, but none of the attitude.
 * Cloudcuckoolander

"Parker: (Discussing a woman with whom Hardison is flirting) Did you do a background check on her? She could be a spy, or a terrorist. Hardison: She's not. She's just a nice girl who needs our help. Parker: She looks like a terrorist."
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Bordering on Hilariously Abusive Childhood at some points.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: She wears a lot of comfy black clothes, even when she's not on the job.
 * The Dark Chick: If this is a Five-Bad Band, anyway.
 * Dawson Casting: Beth Riesgraf is 33, Parker is probably not.
 * Friend to All Children: Not just orphans, either. In "The Wedding Job," she is seen teaching a young girl how to pick a lock. There are pretty specific reasons she is drawn to kids.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: She becomes jealous when Hardison is a little too friendly with other women. This was most notable in "The Double-Blind Job."

"Eliot: She is hot. Hardison: Hot. Parker: Hot. (Beat) Parker: Warm? Cold? Why are we staring?"
 * Later she shatters a beer bottle with her bare hands in a jealous rage.
 * Heroic Comedic Sociopath
 * In Harm's Way: She's a heck of an adrenaline junkie.
 * Literal-Minded

""Sophie's been arrested, Hardison's definitely been arrested, Eliot's been in prison in a lot of places where due process isn't a big part of the culture, Parker's never been caught.""
 * Money Fetish: "I don't like stuff, I like money."
 * No Social Skills
 * Only One Name
 * Phantom Thief: According to Word of God, Parker alone of the group has never been caught.
 * From John Rogers' blog, post-"The Ice Man Job":

"Tara: You're really strong. Parker: I hang from buildings with my fingertips."
 * But she has been in Juvie.
 * Required Secondary Powers: Mentioned in The Maltese Falcon Job


 * Shameless Fanservice Girl: Wastes no time switching between disguises, to Hardison's chagrin. Or joy.
 * Sticky Fingers: The girl's a kleptomaniac.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Hardison.
 * When She Smiles: Parker is quite pretty regardless, but something about her smile/laugh is just so ridiculously charming and heartwarming (especially when paired with moments of her being goofy). It's grown steadily more frequent as she adjusts to being on the team.
 * She's also rather adorable when she pouts.
 * She's also rather adorable when she pouts.

Maggie Collins
""Nate, you can't just make people do what you want.""

Nate's ex-wife, expert in art. Played by Kari Matchett.

Tropes associated with Maggie:
 * Amicably Divorced: She still tries to be friends with Nate.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Despite what one would expect, given that she's a main character's ex, no. Not even close.
 * Hot Mom: Or she would be.
 * Hot Art Expert
 * UST: Still seems to have some with her ex-husband.
 * UST: Still seems to have some with her ex-husband.
 * UST: Still seems to have some with her ex-husband.

Tara Cole
Grifter who must have owed Sophie a pretty big favor. Played by Jeri Ryan. While little is known about her, a few details are clear. She worked for the army, and was trained by either the FBI, or the Marines. Since Sophie returned, she and her have been meeting off-screen, but did not work together due to their clashing styles.

Tropes associated with Tara:
 * Action Girl
 * Blondes Are Evil: Ruthless criminals anyway.
 * Con Man: She's a fabulous grifter, but tends to play characters that are completely different from any of Sophie's.
 * Hidden Depths: "The Girls' Night Out Job" reveals that she was trained at Quantico.
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Put on a Bus: When Sophie's bus came back.
 * The Bus Came Back: In "The Girls Night Out Job."
 * Replacement Scrappy: For a while, an in-universe example, until the team learns to trust her.
 * Sixth Ranger: While Sophie is on her Journey To Find Herself, Tara fills in as the Grifter.

Archie Leach
Retired thief who was Parker's teacher in the arts of theft. He was formerly known as the "World's Greatest Thief" Played by Richard Chamberlain.

Tropes associated with Archie:
 * Affectionate Pickpocket: Parker's original introduction to him and her way of introducing herself to him.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being a thief, he is the first to point out what a monster the villian of the week is.
 * Fake Brit
 * Faking the Dead
 * Gentleman Thief
 * Grandpa What Massive Hotness You Have
 * Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
 * Papa Wolf: Don't disrespect Parker in front of him. He might just taser you.
 * Retired Badass
 * Shout-Out: Archie Leach is the real name of Cary Grant, who, among many other roles, played the (retired) Gentleman Thief in It Takes a Thief.

Patrick Bonanno
Police detective with whom the Leverage group occasionally crosses paths. Played by Robert Blanche.

Tropes associated with Bonanno:
 * Friend on the Force
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Word of God notes that
 * In "The Boys Night Out Job," Bonanno reveals that he's definitely well-aware of Nate's activities (even knowing about Nate's escape from prison) but isn't particularly interested in bringing Nate down. He's even on good enough terms with Nate to join him for a poker game at Nate's place.

FBI Special Agents Taggert and McSweeten
Two FBI agents Leverage Consulting & Associates tends to come across from time to time. They're not aware of the Leverage group, however, as they believe that Parker and Hardison are FBI superiors. Played, respectively, by Rick Overton and Gerald Downey.

Tropes associated with Taggert and McSweeten:
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Played with, as they have a conversation at one point about seeing other partners.
 * Hidden Depths: They may appear to be your run-of-the-mill bumbling cops, but in season 3, Taggart is revealed to be a Krav Maga instructor for the FBI.
 * Agents Lestrade: To some extent. Leverage works alongside them as if they were FBI agents sent as reinforcements; Leverage delivers the bad guys so they can make the arrest.
 * Put on a Bus: Taggert. The latest appearances of McSweeten always had him offhandedly mention a reason why Taggert couldn't be with him.
 * Those Two Guys

Jack Hurley
An investment banker with a large number of addictions, he steals from a charity in a flawed attempt at helping them, making himself the target of one of Leverage's cons. He proves to be an alright guy underneath everything, and returns in a later episode. Played by Drew Powell in "The 12-Step Job" and "The Boys' Night Out Job."


 * The Alcoholic: Formerly. As of his second appearance in "The Boys Night Out Job," he's been sober for two years.
 * Anti-Villain: He wants to help people, he just has no idea how.
 * Big Fun/Fat Bastard: Toyed with. He tries to be the former, appears to be the latter, and falls somewhere in the middle.
 * Heel Face Turn: In his second appearance.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: He notes in his second appearance that he has bought a cat.

Peggy
A friend of Parker's whom she met while on jury duty, Peggy is the only person outside of the team whom Parker regularly talks to. Appears in "The Juror #6 Job" and "The Girls' Night Out Job."


 * Badass Adorable: Briefly becomes one when she whales on a would-be assassin with a frying pan. The fact that she caught him totally by surprise probably had a lot to do with it.
 * Berserk Button: Don't ruin her kitchen knives. A Venezuelan assassin tried to stab her with one of them, and she was angrier about the damage to the knives than the fact that he tried to kill her.
 * Foil: Literally everything Parker is not.
 * Frying Pan of Doom: Beats a Venezuelan bomber up with one.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: Meets guys through websites about cats. One of the flat-out nicest people to ever appear on the show.
 * Locked Out of the Loop: Thought Parker was a bookkeeper and than a spy; has no idea she's good friends with the world's greatest thief.
 * Nice Girl: If rather frustrated when it comes to dating. Oh, and don't touch her kitchen knives.

Victor Dubenich


The first antagonist of the series, Victor Dubenich of Bering Aerospace brings the Leverage team together to steal files from a rival of his, while claiming that they were originally his. His attempt at murdering the team to cover up his own tracks makes him the victim of their first con;. Played by Saul Rubinek.


 * Best Served Cold:
 * The Bus Came Back:
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Fat Bastard
 * It's Personal: With Pearson Aviation
 * The Man Behind the Man:
 * The Mark: By partway through the first episode.
 * Out-Gambitted: Come on Victor, did you really expect Nate and Sophie to lose control of the situation for more than a minute?
 * The Rival: Seems to see Pearson as his personal rival as well as a financial one.
 * Smug Snake
 * Starter Villain
 * Took a Level in Badass:
 * Out-Gambitted: Come on Victor, did you really expect Nate and Sophie to lose control of the situation for more than a minute?
 * The Rival: Seems to see Pearson as his personal rival as well as a financial one.
 * Smug Snake
 * Starter Villain
 * Took a Level in Badass:
 * Took a Level in Badass:

James "Jim" Sterling
""You know your entire plan depended on me being a self-serving, utter bastard.""

Formerly an insurance investigator at IYS, now member of Interpol (which, in the Leverage universe, is akin to UNCLE or S.H.I.E.L.D.). Played by Mark Sheppard.

Tropes associated with Sterling:
 * Ambition Is Evil
 * Badass: Sterling. Never. Loses.
 * Berserk Button: Don't even think about . He will hire the best team in the world to get you and you won't like it.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Evil Brit
 * Evil Counterpart: "He's like Nate... Evil Nate."
 * Guile Hero: Guile Anti-Hero if one views him as the good guy. The creators do.
 * Hero Antagonist: Depending on how you look at it.
 * Interpol Special Agent
 * Karma Houdini: Keeps getting promoted through the hard work of Leverage Consulting and Associates. Also, Sterling. Never. Loses.
 * Last-Name Basis: Even Nate, who has known Sterling a long time, never calls him "Jim."
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Despite what Sterling says, his one-upmanship with Nate is treated as a game of wits -- not the pursuit of some high ideal.
 * Villain with Good Publicity
 * We Used to Be Friends: Though Nate would beg to differ. Sterling later admits that he no longer recognizes the person Nate has become.
 * Wild Card: Whose side he's on generally depends on which side will serve him best. So basically his own.
 * Worthy Opponent: Even Nate concedes that Sterling has integrity -- even if he's not awash in the kinder human traits.
 * Wild Card: Whose side he's on generally depends on which side will serve him best. So basically his own.
 * Worthy Opponent: Even Nate concedes that Sterling has integrity -- even if he's not awash in the kinder human traits.

Did I mention that Sterling. Never. Loses?

Colin "Chaos" Mason
""Hardison? I heard you sucked! Guess I was right.""

A hacker with skills that rival Hardison's. Initially hired by Marcus Starke, he betrays Starke and sets off on his own. Played by Wil Wheaton in "The Two Live Crew Job" and "The Ho-Ho-Ho Job."

Tropes associated with Chaos:
 * Beard of Evil
 * Brains and Brawn: With Quinn in the Season 4 finale.
 * Card-Carrying Villain: In the most fun way possible. He honestly seems to beleive Evil Is Cool.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He backstabs Starke, Dooley, and his own henchmen, all in the space of two episodes.
 * The Cracker
 * Enemy Mine:.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Hardison
 * Evil Genius
 * Geek: To Hardison levels.
 * Proud to Be a Geek
 * Hollywood Hacking
 * Insufferable Genius
 * Jerkass: To pretty much everybody, eventually betraying his own crew. He's not the most evil guy in the show, but he's a good contender for biggest jackass.
 * Large Ham: You really can tell that Wil Wheaton has had a lot of fun playing Chaos.
 * Mad Bomber: Tries to blow up both Sophie and Starke.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: His handle advertises his Chaotic Evil status.
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Out-Gambitted: By Nate in "The Two Live Crew Job" and Hardison in the "The Ho-Ho-Ho Job." He himself inflicts this on Marcus Starke in the former, and the entire Leverage crew during the first part of the latter.
 * Rapid-Fire Typing
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives a pretty nasty one to Marcus Starke, telling him flat out that Sophie's the one people were really afraid of.
 * Recurring Character
 * The Rival: To Hardison.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl:
 * Smug Snake
 * Villain of the Week: Twice
 * Villain of the Week: Twice

The Italian


Name unknown, origin unknown. What is known is that she has a lot of behind-the-scenes power (she can keep Nate out of jail and in Boston after he has escaped a Massachusetts state prison), and has blackmailed the team into taking down the world's most powerful criminal banker. Played by Elisabetta Canalis.

Tropes associated with The Italian:
 * Ambiguously Evil: She's certainly not someone to trust, but her actual motivations have yet to be revealed. Crosses over with Hidden Agenda Villain.
 * The Chessmaster: Heavily implied.
 * Everything Sounds Sexier in Italian: Oh yes. More mysterious too.
 * Femme Fatale
 * Hidden Agenda Villain: We know she wanted Moreau out of the way. What we still don't know is why. She could be anything from a Knight Templar looking to see him arrested to a rival Big Bad scheming to take his place.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Mysterious Employer
 * Myth Arc: She kicked it off.
 * No Name Given: As stated above, name unknown, origin unknown.

Damian Moreau


The world's most feared criminal banker and target of Season 3's Myth Arc. Played by Goran Visnjic.

Tropes associated with Damian Moreau: "Moreau: Who are you?!"
 * Big Bad: Of Season 3.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Seems to keep trying to figure out why the Leverage team are ruining his life without considering that maybe he just deserves it.
 * Well, he also has no idea who they are. Which triggers Fridge Logic given the team's reputation in "The Two Live Crew Job".
 * In "The Two Live Crew Job" the rival crew was fellow thieves, Moreau is a money launderer who has no reason to keep tabs on thieves.
 * Actually a money launderer has every reason to keep tabs on thieves, as such people often need to get their money laundered. However, the Leverage crew still falls into his blind spot because in their solo careers only Parker and Hardison were actually stealing stuff that would need washing, and Parker doesn't actually spend the money she steals and Hardison was his own money launderer -- a job he also filled for the Leverage team, meaning they'd never need to outsource that service to anyone.
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Dr. Kovac!
 * The Man Behind the Man: To several villains of the week and President Ribera of San Lorenzo.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast
 * Paid Harem: Surrounds himself with a travelling parade of women in bikinis.
 * Praetorian Guard: Every single one of his henchmen have innocent blood on their hands.
 * Run for the Border: In the Season Finale, he's fled to the tiny nation of San Lorenzo, which has no extradition treaties, and the President is in his pocket.
 * Sinister Shades
 * Smug Snake: Moreau's smarter than most of the marks that the team goes after, but for the most part he relies on his money and connections to keep him out of prison. He has no idea how to cope with the unexpected, and his inability to adjust once Nate sets his sights on him contributes immensely to his downfall.
 * The Unseen: Until The Big Bang Job.
 * Villainous Breakdown: Slowly but does break down over the course of his story arc as he realizes a handful of people he's never heard of  are destroying everything he's built.

Jack Latimer


A professional investor who's been keeping tabs on Leverage Consulting since their run-in with Dubenich, Latimer repeatedly tries to get the team to work for him. A recurring menace, he is played by Leon Rippy throughout Season 4.


 * Big Bad Wannabe: He thinks he's the real power in his relationship with but it's the other way around. Latimer
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Disc One Final Boss: Is set up as The Big Bad of Season 4, but he's actually.
 * Evil Old Folks
 * The Man Behind the Man: To Earnshaw Pharmaceuticals, DuberTech, Wakefield Agricultural, and Merced Financial, all of whom were exposed by the Leverage team.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Smug Snake
 * Smug Snake

The Butcher of Kiev
"Hardison: "Have you ever been to Kiev? The Cake Maker of Kiev could whup all our asses, and this is The Butcher.""

A hulking giant from the Russian Mafia, with a grudge against Eliot, a penchant for using cooking ware as weaponry, and a very ugly reputation in the underworld. Appears in "The Wedding Job."


 * Badass Moustache
 * The Brute: A nearly unintelligible psycho who's too stupid to be The Dragon, and relies entirely on his size to overpower his opponents, he escapes being a mere Giant Mook by virtue of his reputation.
 * The Butcher: Lampshaded by Hardison and justified by the fact that he favours cleavers and kitchen knives as weapons. His fight with Chef of Iron Eliot is truly hilarious.
 * The Dreaded: Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker have all heard of him, and are tempted to abort the mission when he shows up alongside the other Russians. See the page quote.
 * Dumb Muscle: He certainly doesn't do much to demonstrate his intelligence, spending almost all his onscreen time ranting "I kill you!"
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
 * Eye Scream: Eliot defeats him by shoving appetisers in his eyes. The lemon juice does bad things to them.
 * The Giant: He's huge.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: His last encounter with Eliot left him with some very evil burn scars on one cheek.
 * Improbable Weapon User: His and Eliot's fight using a large amount of kitchenware, including knives and his trademark cleaver.
 * Ironic Echo: "It burns!" Shouted in flashback when Eliot smacked him in the face with a burning piece of plywood, shouted in the present when lemon juice is sprayed into his eyes.
 * It's Personal: With Eliot
 * Knife Fight: With Eliot, complete with the requisite fighting for control of the blade.
 * Knife Nut: Uses butcher knives and a meat cleaver as his Weapon of Choice (though it's quickly established that he's perfectly capable bare-handed as well).
 * The Mafiya: A career killer for Sergei of the Russian Mob.
 * Muscles Are Meaningful: Very large, very bulky, and portrayed as frighteningly strong.
 * Professional Killers: A world-class killer in Nate's words.
 * Revenge: Why he attacks Eliot.
 * Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: Both he and his boss, Sergei.
 * Slasher Smile: Only has two facial expressions--grimacing and this.

Mr. Quinn
""They told me you'd be tougher than this.""

A nondescript mercenary employed by Sterling in "The First David Job", Quinn ambushes Eliot and gives him an absolutely brutal beating, before being taken down himself. Portrayed by Clayne Crawford.


 * Affably Evil/Faux Affably Evil: He's got the attitude but we haven't really seen enough of him to determine which one it is.
 * Attack Hello
 * Badass: He's the first person we see inflict any damage on Eliot. Definitely a Badass.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: He's dressed like some yuppie banker.
 * Hidden Badass: Eliot really didn't see that one coming.
 * Pop-Cultured Badass: Quotes Tombstone in the middle of a fight.
 * Brains and Brawn: With Chaos in the Season 4 finale.
 * The Brute: He's got just enough personality to escape being a Giant Mook or Elite Mook, but isn't important enough to Sterling's plan to qualify as The Dragon. Definitely this.
 * Casual Danger Dialogue
 * Combat Pragmatist: Sucker punches Eliot at the start of the fight, then proceeds to Kick Them While They Are Down. Definitely.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Very much so.
 * Foil: He's very similar to Eliot, but with higher-class tastes, a sauver demeanour, and greater amorality. See Lightning Bruiser below for how their fighting styles mirror one another.
 * Hired Guns: Sterling actually refers to him as "not as good as advertised."
 * Kick Them While They Are Down: Literally. Quinn uses his first punch to knock Eliot to the floor, than proceeds to try and kick him into submission.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Of the "hard-hitting Fragile Speedster" variety, as opposed to Eliot's "fast-moving big bruiser." Quinn's fast and can really dish out the damage, but can't seem to swallow the same level of punishment as Eliot.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * One-Scene Wonder: Shows up out of nowhere, gives Eliot his toughest fight to date, and then vanishes from the show. It's been noted that this is exactly how Eliot himself probably appears to your average Mook.
 * Only in It For the Money: He has no personal stake in this, and doesn't even seem particularly sadistic (especially when compared to The Butcher or Roper). He's doing this because Sterling pays his bills, nothing more, nothing less. This is given further credence in "The Last Dam Job" when Quinn is shown to be on perfectly amicable terms with Eliot and even willing to work with him when it's not his job to kick Eliot's ass.
 * Punched Across the Room: Does this to Eliot.
 * Punch Clock Villain: Shades of this, along with Only in It For the Money, as seen above.
 * Smug Snake: Has an arrogant bearing and displays a very cocky attitude throughout the fight.
 * Talk to the Fist: Belts Eliot mid-threat.
 * "Wake-Up Call" Boss: Very much so. He's the first person in the show to genuinely threaten Eliot's life, and his attack (much like the rest of Sterling's plot in that episode) serves to demonstrate that the show is about to get serious.
 * Why Won't You Die?: Demands to know why Eliot won't go down and stay down.
 * "Wake-Up Call" Boss: Very much so. He's the first person in the show to genuinely threaten Eliot's life, and his attack (much like the rest of Sterling's plot in that episode) serves to demonstrate that the show is about to get serious.
 * Why Won't You Die?: Demands to know why Eliot won't go down and stay down.
 * Why Won't You Die?: Demands to know why Eliot won't go down and stay down.

Ian Blackpoole
Nate's former boss at IYS, and the man who let his son die. Serves as the final mark of Season 1. Played by Kevin Tighe.


 * The Collector: An art nut.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Evil Old Folks
 * It's Personal: For Nate it is.
 * Lack of Empathy: He has no empathy for Nate, dismissing his son's death (and all the other deaths he's responsible for) as good business.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * The Mark
 * Out-Gambitted: Underestimated Nate's brains and Maggie's complicity, and overestimated Sterling's loyalty.
 * Rules Lawyer: Takes every opportunity he can to default on policies, even if it means people die.
 * Smug Snake: More high-functioning than your average mark, but not nearly as smart as Nate or Sterling.
 * Wicked Cultured

Marcus Starke
A superb grifter and forger who operates out of Europe. He shows up in "The Two Live Crew Job," where his and Nate's cons cross paths. He plays both The Mastermind and The Grifter on his team. Portrayed by Griffin Dunne.


 * The Chessmaster
 * Horrible Judge of Character: He trusted Chaos. Not the best move there, buddy.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Out-Gambitted: By Chaos and Nate in rapid succession.
 * Sharp-Dressed Man
 * Similar Squad: His team is set-up along very similar lines to Leverage Consulting & Associates, though the lack of a Sophie counterpart shakes things up a little. He's The Big Bad, ex-mercenary Mikel Dayan is The Dragon, Colin "Chaos" Mason is The Evil Genius, and world class thief and infiltrator Apollo is The Dark Chick.
 * Smug Snake: Of the "failed Magnificent Bastard" variety. He's very good, but just not up to Nate's (or presumably Sterling's) level, and makes the key mistake of trusting Chaos.

Mikel Dayan
A former Mossad agent who serves as The Hitter in Marcus Starke's crew. Has a Foe Yay-filled confrontation with Eliot. Portrayed by Noa Tishby in "The Two Live Crew Job."


 * Badass Israeli
 * Blood Knight
 * Interplay of Sex and Violence
 * Chained Heat: She and Eliot end up handcuffed together.
 * Cold Sniper
 * Combat Stilettos
 * Dark Action Girl
 * The Dragon: To Marcus Starke
 * Foe Yay: With Eliot.
 * Hired Guns: Currently employed as a mercenary.
 * Hot Amazon
 * Improvised Weapon: Once killed a man with a mop.
 * Only in It For the Money

Apollo
Starke's Thief, Apollo specialises in infiltration, corporate espionage, and bypassing physical security. Played by Apollo Robbins in "The Two Live Crew Job."


 * Beard of Evil
 * The Danza: Played by Apollo Robbins, the show's consultant on theft.
 * The Dark Chick: Of Marcus Starke's crew.
 * Five-Finger Discount: Engages in a pickpocketing battle with Parker.
 * Gentleman Thief
 * Hired Guns: A corporate spy and infiltrator for hire.
 * Nice Hat
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Only One Name
 * Phantom Thief
 * White Collar Crime: Nate lists this as his specialty.

Bradford Culpepper III
The Mayor of Belbridge, Massecheussets and apparent Final Boss of Season 2. Played by Richard Kind in "The Three Strikes Job" and "The Maltese Falcon Job."


 * Dirty Coward
 * Disc One Final Boss: Episode 1 Final Boss anyway. He's set up to be the season's toughest challenge, much as Ian Blackpoole was in Season 1. Yet it's quickly revealed that he's an imbecile and that Kadjic is the real brains of the operation.
 * The Mark
 * Mayor Pain
 * Permanent Elected Official: He's a third-generation corrupt mayor. Thanks to his connections with the FBI and his own spin machine, other people inevitably take the fall for his actions.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Uses his status as an FBI snitch to stay abreast of state police investigations into his activities and keep law enforcement away from Kadjic's business.

Tony Kadjic
Mayor Culpepper's partner-in-crime and the real brains of the operation, Kadjic makes his living running guns from Third World countries to American gangs. Portrayed by Paul Blackthorne in "The Three Strikes Job" and "The Maltese Falcon Job."


 * Arms Dealer: Uses his shipping business to move weapons from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia to street gangs and militias in the States.
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * Lack of Empathy: Had a cop gunned down, listens to Culpepper's "death" without batting an eye, tries to cut a deal with Nate's character (who supposedly offed Culpepper)...not a lot of empathy going on there.
 * The Man Behind the Man: They look like a Big Bad Duumvirate but scratch the surface and Kadjic's control over Culpepper becomes very apparent.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * The Mark: Becomes this after the revelation that he and Culpepper is not the Final Boss of the season.
 * Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: Albanian and without a conscience.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Uses Culpepper's status as mayor and job as an FBI informant to keep police away from his shipping business.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome: Has the look, though with a personality like that...
 * True Final Boss: Of Season 2 (unless you want to give that position to Sterling).

Doctor Anne Hannity
A psychotic doctor in the employ of Wakefield Agricultural who conspires to unleash a blight on the world's wheat so that the company can benefit. Portrayed by Lisa Brenner.


 * Axe Crazy: She practically vibrates in every scene she's in.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Possibly the most evil villain the team has yet to face.
 * Blue Eyes
 * Lack of Empathy
 * Mad Scientist
 * The Mark
 * Only in It For the Money: Seeks to engineer a genocide so she can profit from it.
 * Smug Snake: God yes.
 * The Sociopath

Jimmy Ford
Nate's father, and a former South Boston bookie, loan shark, and fixer, Jimmy has a strained relationship with his son. He appears as the villain of the "Three Card Monte Job," and is played by Tom Skerritt.


 * Abusive Dad: Emotionally abusive if nothing else.
 * Always Someone Better: The cause of Nate's "Well Done, Son" Guy persona.
 * Arson, Murder, and Admiration: For the way Nate set him up.
 * The Chessmaster: Played with. Nate states that his father's game is Three-card Monte, not chess, and Jimmy is nothing if not opportunistic, keeping his cards close to his chest and improvising as need be. That said, he does have an overall plan, and it's very near as detailed as one of Nate's.
 * Con Man
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Clearly cared very deeply for his late wife.
 * Evil Old Folks
 * The Fixer: Moved up from con-games, loan sharking, and book-making to be the best fixer in the neighbourhood, linking up bad guys and henchmen for the Three Families.
 * Graceful Loser
 * In the Blood: Manipulative Bastard clearly is.
 * The Irish Mob: Worked for the Three Families for thirty years.
 * Loan Shark
 * The Mafiya: Was working with the Russians when the Leverage team encountered him.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * One Last Job: How he views his scheme. He wants his payout from the Three Families, and then he's thinking about moving back to Ireland.
 * Out-Gambitted: By Nate.
 * Refuge in Audacity: Tries to.
 * So Proud of You: See Arson Murder and Admiration, above.
 * Southies: The area of Boston that the team operates out of was his neighbourhood back in the day.
 * Taking the Heat: Went to prison because the Three Families needed him to. Their refusal to pay him what was owed him for this plays a major role in "The Three-Card Monte Job".
 * Taking the Heat: Went to prison because the Three Families needed him to. Their refusal to pay him what was owed him for this plays a major role in "The Three-Card Monte Job".

Roper
""The great Eliot Spencer, heh.""

A nasty piece of work who seems to have some history with Eliot, he appears in "The Carnival Job", where he provides the muscle for the Russian Villain of the Week. Played by Urijah Faber.


 * Badass Long Hair
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * The Brute: Seems to have this role in the Villain of the Week's gang. He's probably the most dangerous member of the group, but isn't her Number Two, and would appear to have been hired solely for his skill as a leg-breaker.
 * Combat Pragmatist: He engages a concussed, injured Eliot in a carnival funhouse filled with disorienting mirrors, and even then makes sure to bring back-up and have a hostage.
 * Evil Gloating: Take the opportunity to taunt Eliot while the latter is lying flat on the floor, bleeding.
 * Evil Laugh: Gives a few, which reverberate throughout the funhouse.
 * Hired Guns
 * It's Personal: Implied.
 * The Mafiya: Works for them in "The Carnival Job" though he's clearly not a member of their organisation.
 * Mysterious Past: He and Eliot obviously know each other from somewhere, but we're darned if we know where.
 * Psycho for Hire: One gets this vibe from him.
 * Villainous Cheekbones
 * Would Hurt a Child