Fringe/Characters/Amber

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Amber Universe - The Altered Timeline

A set of characters whom appear in the slightly altered/rewritten timeline throughout Season 4. Only characters who are substantially different, or play different roles compared to their prime timeline selves will be listed here.

Lincoln Lee


Portrayed by Seth Gabel "First Appearance: Season 3, Episode 17: "Stowaway""

A minor character in the original timeline, where his first experience with Fringe division was solving the case and mystery behind Dana Gray's apparent immortality. Despite his inexperience with dealing with the strangeness that Fringe Division deals with daily, he quickly demonstrated himself as a brilliant investigator and ally, establishing a close friendship with Peter.

In the amber timeline, he joins Fringe Division after the death of his partner.

Tropes associated with Special Agent Lee: "Lincoln: Agent Broyles, if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is our plan to kill Gus? Broyles: (Beat) Olivia: ...That's Walter's name for the organism."
 * The Ace
 * A Day in the Limelight: Season 4 episode "Everything in Its Right Place".
 * Awesomeness By Analysis
 * Badass: The season 4 premiere right off the bat sets him up as one: Do not fuck with Lincoln.
 * Badass Bookworm: The glasses certainly qualify him as one.
 * The Comically Serious: Has shades of it. It's really played for laughs directed at him however - going into Fringe division, he believes it's best with a fully opened mind, which includes accepting all the strangeness with as little personal bias as possible.


 * The Determinator: Especially when it comes to investigating his partner's death.
 * Dogged Nice Guy
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait
 * Odd Friendship: with Canaan the shapeshifter.
 * Smart People Play Chess: He's Walter's favored chess opponent.
 * The Stoic
 * Promoted to Opening Titles: Has become a main character as of Season 4.
 * Smart People Play Chess: He's Walter's favored chess opponent.
 * The Stoic
 * Promoted to Opening Titles: Has become a main character as of Season 4.

Walter Bishop


Portrayed by John Noble "First Appearance: Season 3, Episode 22: "The Day We Died""

The brilliant scientist who once worked with William Bell, Walter has spent 17 years maximum security mental institution but now he works with Fringe Division. The death of his son (and the subsequent death of alternate Peter) has been eating away at him for decades, and he has now become something of a paranoid trainwreck who refuses to leave the safety of his Harvard lab.

Tropes associated with Walter:
 * The Atoner
 * Badass Grandpa:  Badass.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Hikkikomori: He is a complete shut in.
 * I See Dead People: He has been seeing hallucinations of Peter all over his lab. As a result, he tried to lobomize himself.
 * Mad Scientist
 * Sanity Slippage: Walter is already pretty crazy. Season 4's Walter cranks it Up to Eleven.
 * 4x19.

"Walter: Resistance must take place at any opportunity. We are insurgents and this... You do the math.
 * Odd Friendship: With Fauxlivia.
 * Papa Wolf: Harm Olivia
 * Properly Paranoid: Seeing his dead son pop up from another timeline has freaked him the hell out. Because of his past mistakes and guilt, he utterly refuses to have anything to do with Peter.
 * The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized
 * cue *"


 * Took a Level in Badass / Took a Level in Jerkass:
 * Voice with an Internet Connection: He makes Astrid do all of the field analysis while he looks through a camera.

Secretary Walter Bishop / "Walternate"


Portrayed by John Noble "First Appearance: Season 3, Episode 22: "The Day We Died""

The current Secretary of Defense, the alternate Walter Bishop is the direct head of Fringe Division. He has begrudgingly accepted cooperation between the two sides to fix the problems of their worlds, but he still seems to be keeping some secrets...

Tropes associated with Walternate: " "I must say, that was a brilliant performance. You almost looked genuinely surprised to see me, which we both know is not the case. " "
 * The Chessmaster
 * Combat Pragmatist: The way in which he exposes and disposes of was downright efficient.
 * Consummate Liar: Peter was rather impressed by his ability to lie through his teeth to his wife.


 * Enemy Mine: He feels Peter is the only person he can trust because he is truly neutral, and as such, wants him to be the rope that binds the two universes against the new shapeshifters.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Properly Paranoid: He has a gut feeling somewhere that his men were slowly being replaced with human-based shapeshifters.

David Robert Jones


Portrayed by Jared Harris "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 8: "Back To Where You've Never Been""

Biological terrorist extraordinaire. Not much is known about him, except that he is the one behind the human based shapeshifters, and that he is slowly replacing high-clearance individuals with his copies.

Tropes associated with Jones:
 * A God Am I: His goal is to be the god of an advanced race, the Fringe Agents presume.
 * Back from the Dead: In the displaced timeline, Peter was never there to kill him, hence his spree of terror continues.
 * Body Horror: Oh, he's still a big fan of it - this time using a gas that melts people alive. But at the same time, is somewhat a victim of it. While still healing, his teleporation from Germany has left him quite scarred.
 * Big Bad: Of Season 4.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Creating Life Is Bad: Is growing his own shapeshifters in test tubes.
 * Diabolical Mastermind / Evil Genius
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He claims to love his shapeshifter creations. It doesn't stop him from killing them, however.
 * Evilutionary Biologist
 * Immune to Bullets: Disintegrating and reintegrating has a few "fringe benefits", as Olivia finds out.
 * Mad Scientist: The guy was making upgraded shapeshifters without anyone knowing.
 * Omnicidal Maniac:
 * Spot of Tea: He expresses and shows his affinity for the beverage frequently, at one point musing that "Matcha is one of the few things I'm going to miss."
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: He played both Fringe Divisions with the same ease and skill as Miles Davis plays the trumpet.
 * Omnicidal Maniac:
 * Spot of Tea: He expresses and shows his affinity for the beverage frequently, at one point musing that "Matcha is one of the few things I'm going to miss."
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: He played both Fringe Divisions with the same ease and skill as Miles Davis plays the trumpet.
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: He played both Fringe Divisions with the same ease and skill as Miles Davis plays the trumpet.

The Shapeshifter / "Nadine Park"


Portrayed by Michelle Krusiec "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 1: "Neither Here Nor There""

A key agent of the new human-based shapeshifter force. Their agenda is unknown.

Tropes associated with the Shapeshifter:
 * Badass
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * Charles Atlas Superpower: The new shapeshifters seem even stronger than Walternate's.
 * Consummate Liar: She's damned good at lying about her family and daughter to get a bio-chemist to repair her.
 * Dark Action Girl
 * Enigmatic Minion
 * Shapeshifting: Is able to change into anyone she kills. Unlike the earlier shapeshifters, she's a complete human and not bio-mechanical.

Philip Broyles / "Dopple-Broyles"


Portrayed by Lance Reddick "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 8: "Back To Where You've Never Been""

The head of Fringe division on the alternate side.

Tropes associated with Broyles:
 * Bald Black Leader Guy
 * Da Chief
 * Death Glare
 * Subverted. As.
 * The Mole
 * Subverted. As.
 * The Mole
 * The Mole
 * The Mole

Brandon Fayette / "Evil Brandon"


Portrayed by Ryan McDonald "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 8: "Back To Where You've Never Been""

The chief scientist of the Department of Defense. Or would be, if he wasn't replaced by a shapeshifter. Is rather quickly disposed of and dissected by Walternate.

Tropes associated with Brandon:
 * The Mole
 * Spot the Imposter
 * Shapeshifting
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: He was on screen for barely a minute before Walternate death rays him.

Nina Sharp


Portrayed by Blair Brown "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 1: "Neither Here Nor There""

The CEO of Massive Dynamic following William Bell's death. She is close to Olivia, and has raised the Dunham sisters since they were children, but has a stormy relationship with Walter. She's keeping quite a few secrets from Olivia...

Tropes associated with Nina:
 * Ambiguously Evil:
 * Army of Lawyers: Nina's response to being accused of dosing Olivia with cortexiphan. It made her look remarkably guilty.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Walter strongly believes her to be this.
 * Jerkass Facade: Treats Etta like crap in their first scene
 * Manipulative Bitch: Seems to be a lot more shady than her original incarnation, even from the first season.
 * Mysterious Past: Walter strongly blames her for the death of alternate Peter in attempting to stop him from crossing over.
 * Parental Substitute: Following the deaths of their parents, Nina raised both Olivia and Rachel herself.
 * Portal Cut: She lost her arm this way.
 * Parental Substitute: Following the deaths of their parents, Nina raised both Olivia and Rachel herself.
 * Portal Cut: She lost her arm this way.

Nina Sharp / "Meana"


Portrayed by Blair Brown "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 7: "Wallflower." Probably."

Nina Sharp from the alternate universe. For some reason, she has allied herself with David Robert Jones with the goal of activating Olivia's unique abilities, pretending to be the real Nina who was kidnapped by Jones. They succeeded, but at the cost of pretty much all of their men and one of their hideouts.

In the end however, she was betrayed by Canaan and arrested.

Tropes associated with Meana:
 * Ambiguously Evil
 * Artificial Limbs: Has the same bionic arm as Nina.
 * Big Bad Duumvirate: With Jones.
 * Subverted. She thinks she's this. Knowing Jones she's more likely to be The Dragon.
 * Evil Costume Switch: Wears her hair darker and straighter than the other Nina. She is also a Lady in Red, while her alternate always wears black.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: This is why breeding Shapeshifters is a bad idea.
 * Jerkass: Sure sounds like one.
 * Manipulative Bitch
 * Spot the Impostor
 * Unwitting Pawn: She's starting to get the hint.

William Bell


Portrayed by Leonard Nimoy "First Appearance: Season 4, Episode 19: "Letters of Transit"

Walter's old partner. He was thought to have died seven years ago of Lymphoma (or rather, chose to die in a car crash instead), but is revealed to be very much alive, and in charge. David Robert Jones is revealed to be truly working for him in an effort to collapse the two universes to create a new one. ...Or so he thought. Knowing William, he has has something bigger in store. He also bears an interesting connection to The Man In The X T-Shirt...

Tropes associated with Bell: ""The art of chess…the art, is knowing when a piece is most valuable. And then, in that very moment being willing to sacrifice it. For in the vacuum created by the loss of what is most precious, opportunity abounds.""
 * A God I Am: "If we are capable of being Gods, it is our destiny to do so."
 * Ambiguously Evil
 * And I Must Scream:
 * Badass Boast: "Even if you deny it now, you always been Playing God. I am."
 * Bigger Bad
 * Big Bad Friend
 * The Chessmaster: Quite literally. He compares his schemes, and all of the people involved to a game of chess.


 * Cult: Has his own cult dedicated to creating a new and superior species through guided evolution and mutation by design. Just one of his schemes.
 * Diabolical Mastermind
 * Evil Former Friend
 * Evil Old Folks
 * Faking the Dead
 * Mad Scientist
 * The Man Behind the Man: The one behind everything.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Nanomachines: One of his master inventions are self-replicating nanites that are designed to overheat and cause spontaneous combustion in their victims..
 * Omnicidal Maniac
 * A strange aversion. He's more of along the lines of Humans Are the Real Monsters. He wants life to thrive, but of his own design, and without humans.
 * Utopia Justifies the Means
 * This Is Unforgivable!: Sometime before 2015, he did something to Olivia which has made Walter absolutely, terrifyingly furious with him. Astrid didn't seem too forgiving either (then again...one of his mooks did .)
 * Thirty Xanatos Pileup: Has several schemes executed near simultaneously: Dosing Olivia with cortexiphan, infecting people with nanites, hijacking satelites, breeding a mutant army, collapsing two universes together, etc etc... It probably doesn't even come close to ending here.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Almonds.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: