Prometheus/Characters

Dr Elizabeth Shaw
""We were so wrong."

Played By: Noomi Rapace"

Shaw is a firm believer that the Engineers not only created humanity but can offer them answers to mankind's very existence. A belief shared by her lover Charlie Holloway.


 * An Axe to Grind
 * Badass: She manages to  If that's not badass, I don't know what is.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Elizabeth wanted to meet her creator,
 * Broken Pedestal:
 * Crisis of Faith: Averted. Despite the horrors she and the crew faces, her faith in a higher power never wavers. In fact when things have really hit the fan she still makes sure to get her father's cross back, after she was forced to hand over it due to quarantine procedure. David even lampshades this, intrigued that she still believes after all that's happened.
 * Determinator: She  David tells her afterward that her survival instincts are very impressive.
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Expy: Her character has been compared favourably to Ripley due to being a strong female character in the Alien universe. Though Noomi Rapace believes that despite some similarities there are clear differences.
 * Hot Scientist
 * Law of Inverse Fertility: She's sterile, something Holloway accidentally reminds he of when he says that creating life is no big deal, and she asks what it means that she can't do it..
 * Hot Scientist
 * Law of Inverse Fertility: She's sterile, something Holloway accidentally reminds he of when he says that creating life is no big deal, and she asks what it means that she can't do it..

Dr Charlie Holloway
"Played By: Logan Marshall-Green"

Charlie, alongside his partner Elizabeth, has long desired to gain answers from the Engineers. When the opportunity to meet and converse with them is provide by Weyland Industries funding it is a dream come true.


 * Drowning My Sorrows: When they find
 * Eye Scream
 * Fantastic Racism: He seems to hate or at least deeply dislike David.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Initially he doesn't come across as a particularly nice guy, especially with his Fantastic Racism towards David making David's choice to experiment on him come across as near reasonable. Subsequently it is made clear he genuinely loves Liz, and then there is
 * That Came Out Wrong: He offhandedly remarks that if they prove they were designed by the Engineers and they too were mortal then creating life isn't such a big deal (in a divine sense) as any living thing can do it. Elizabeth is rather hurt by the suggestion, as she can't have children. However Holloway handles the misunderstanding very swiftly.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Initially he doesn't come across as a particularly nice guy, especially with his Fantastic Racism towards David making David's choice to experiment on him come across as near reasonable. Subsequently it is made clear he genuinely loves Liz, and then there is
 * That Came Out Wrong: He offhandedly remarks that if they prove they were designed by the Engineers and they too were mortal then creating life isn't such a big deal (in a divine sense) as any living thing can do it. Elizabeth is rather hurt by the suggestion, as she can't have children. However Holloway handles the misunderstanding very swiftly.
 * That Came Out Wrong: He offhandedly remarks that if they prove they were designed by the Engineers and they too were mortal then creating life isn't such a big deal (in a divine sense) as any living thing can do it. Elizabeth is rather hurt by the suggestion, as she can't have children. However Holloway handles the misunderstanding very swiftly.
 * That Came Out Wrong: He offhandedly remarks that if they prove they were designed by the Engineers and they too were mortal then creating life isn't such a big deal (in a divine sense) as any living thing can do it. Elizabeth is rather hurt by the suggestion, as she can't have children. However Holloway handles the misunderstanding very swiftly.
 * That Came Out Wrong: He offhandedly remarks that if they prove they were designed by the Engineers and they too were mortal then creating life isn't such a big deal (in a divine sense) as any living thing can do it. Elizabeth is rather hurt by the suggestion, as she can't have children. However Holloway handles the misunderstanding very swiftly.

David
""Big things have small beginnings."

Played By: Michael Fassbender"

David is a new breed of sophisticated androids developed by Weyland Industries. He is designed not only to look human but act like a living person, mimicking a wide range of human emotions and behaviours. This is to allow fellow employees to feel more comfortable around him as he actually lacks human emotions.


 * AI Is a Crapshoot: Played with.
 * Artificial Human
 * Brutal Honesty: Lacks any real tact in this department.
 * Electronic Telepathy / Neural Interface: Whilst people are in stasis pods David can utilise a neural link to access their memories. The moral implications are never discussed as David only reveals he does this to one person,, late on in the film. He apparently sees nothing wrong with it and those he spied on were seemingly unaware of his ability and/or willingness to do it.
 * Just a Machine: He gets this from pretty much everyone. The most notable case being his own creator Peter Weyland, who makes a point of saying that although he's the closest thing he has to a son, he has no soul and is therefore lacking. Interestingly when people bring this up David tends to react negatively, however subtly. Whether he's programmed to be offended by the suggestion, which makes sense if he's trying to blend in, or genuinely insulted by it is anyone's guess.
 * Personality Chip: David's programming allows him to emulate human emotion and body language in order to better fit in around living people.
 * Photographic Memory: Which is no doubt quite useful when learning different languages, human behavior patterns and any other beneficial information he comes across.
 * Uncanny Valley: Invoked and played with.
 * Ridiculously Human Robot
 * Secret Keeper:
 * Servile Snarker
 * Stepford Smiler
 * Stepford Smiler

Captain Janek
"Played By: Idris Elba"

The captain of the Prometheus. Janek is a former military pilot who sees the responsibility of keeping the crew safe his top priority. That being said he is one of the more lighthearted characters aboard the vessel.


 * A Father to His Men: Twice he rushes to the aid of crewmen in danger. When  and when  . Also clear in light of the Undying Loyalty of his co-pilots and friends
 * Badass
 * Cool Starship
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Men First:
 * True Companions: Janek has these in Ravel and Chance..
 * Space Is an Ocean: Described by his actor as being "a longshoreman and a sailor".
 * Refuge in Audacity: How he attempts to woo Meredith. He flat out tells her to stop with the "flimsy" excuses to come up to the bridge and if she wants to get laid just ask. It's notably the only time we see her character genuinely smiling.
 * True Companions: Janek has these in Ravel and Chance..
 * Space Is an Ocean: Described by his actor as being "a longshoreman and a sailor".
 * Refuge in Audacity: How he attempts to woo Meredith. He flat out tells her to stop with the "flimsy" excuses to come up to the bridge and if she wants to get laid just ask. It's notably the only time we see her character genuinely smiling.
 * Refuge in Audacity: How he attempts to woo Meredith. He flat out tells her to stop with the "flimsy" excuses to come up to the bridge and if she wants to get laid just ask. It's notably the only time we see her character genuinely smiling.

Meredith Vickers
""I am Meredith Vickers, and it is my job to make sure you do yours."

Played By: Charlize Theron"

Vickers is the aloof Weyland Industries executive aboard the Prometheus. She has clear misgivings about the missions probability of success and seems to be doing it out of obligation only.

""Are you a robot?""
 * Armor Piercing Question: Janek delivers an unusually playful example of this trope but it does get her to drop her guard.


 * Ambiguously Evil: Clearly has her own agenda and ambition but never so much that you distrust her as much as David nor see her as a monster. After all, she didn't actually want to go to the planet in the first place. Interestingly Theron sees the character as a Villain Protagonist.
 * Ambition Is Evil
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Control Freak: Described as such by Charlize Theron. It doesn't work so well.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Downplayed. She shows, however briefly, a more playful side when Janek starts flirting with her. This is probably in part because not many men would have been that direct with her.  Though she resumes her more frosty personality afterwards.
 * Freudian Excuse: Clear daddy issues. Also seems jealous of David being
 * The other issue being that
 * Ice Queen: At a glance she is cold, distant and more intent on running Weyland's company than chasing off across the galaxy after one of her employer's dreams. Subverted in that in several scenes we see her "unbreakable" demeanor flap.
 * My God What Have I Done: Her face when she . Sure she'd been threatening to do it, but when the issue was forced upon her she was clearly unnerved by what she'd done.
 * Only Sane Man: In something of a Call Forward to Ripley, she
 * Nom De Mom: By implication, since she's presumably using her mother's surname instead of her father's,.

Fifield
"Played By: Sean Harris"

An irritable geologist brought in for his expertise. He is less than thrilled with the notion of going to chase after aliens that allegedly made humans.

"Millburn: "And I thought you were the crazy one.""
 * All There in the Manual: Apparently one too many missions have made him a little on edge.
 * Jerkass: Generally irritable and condescending but still very much right about getting as far away from the alien structure as soon as possible.
 * Despite his initial rebuff of Millburn, he makes a point of asking him to come along back to the ship when he decides he's had enough, and acts almost entirely professional up to that point. They become pretty good friends later.
 * No Kill Like Overkill:
 * Only Sane Man: Much to Millburn's surprise. He's the only one who suggests it's time to get the hell out of there once they find
 * Despite his initial rebuff of Millburn, he makes a point of asking him to come along back to the ship when he decides he's had enough, and acts almost entirely professional up to that point. They become pretty good friends later.
 * No Kill Like Overkill:
 * Only Sane Man: Much to Millburn's surprise. He's the only one who suggests it's time to get the hell out of there once they find


 * Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Averted and actually used as a plot point. Filfield points out he's a geologist and rocks, not creepy alien shit, is what he came here to study. So he decides the ship might be a safer place to go wait.
 * Screw This I'm Outta Here: Soon as he claps eyes on  he decides to head back to the ship and welcomes anyone else to join him.

Millburn
"Played By: Rafe Spall"

A botanist hired by Weyland Industries to go on the mission. Much like Fifield he's skeptical of them finding the Engineers and proving they created mankind.


 * Hydra Problem:
 * Idiot Ball: He has the sense to leave with Fifield when it starts getting weird but not enough to know
 * Nice Guy: Attempts to introduce himself to Fifield to get to know him better but he's in no mood to make a new friend.
 * Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Averted, he's a botanist and out of his depth when xenobiology comes into the mix.
 * Screw This I'm Outta Here: Decides that Fifield's declaration they should leave makes too much sense.
 * Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Averted, he's a botanist and out of his depth when xenobiology comes into the mix.
 * Screw This I'm Outta Here: Decides that Fifield's declaration they should leave makes too much sense.

Chance
"Played By: Emun Elliott"

One of Janek's co-pilots.


 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Ravel.
 * Meaningful Name: A guy called Chance who happens to win a bet.
 * True Companions: Has these in Ravel and Janek..
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek
 * Meaningful Name: A guy called Chance who happens to win a bet.
 * True Companions: Has these in Ravel and Janek..
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek

Ravel
"Played By: Benedict Wong"

The other one of Janek's co-pilots.


 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Chance.
 * True Companions: Pretty much Chance and Janek..
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek.
 * True Companions: Pretty much Chance and Janek..
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek.
 * True Companions: Pretty much Chance and Janek..
 * Undying Loyalty: To Janek.

Peter Weyland
"Played By: Guy Pearce"

The founder of Weyland Corp.


 * Affably Evil
 * Large Ham
 * Shaggy Dog Story
 * Large Ham
 * Shaggy Dog Story