Lethal Weapon/Characters

Main Cast

Portrayed by Mel Gibson

Anti-Hero: Type II in every movie but the first.
Ax Crazy: Primarily in the 1st movie, mellows down in the sequels. Hence he's also...
Because You Were Nice to Me Riggs relationship with Murtaugh in general. While on the job Riggs and Roger sometimes get on each other's nerves, Roger and his entire family when not on the job are extremely welcoming and kind to him. Not only does this make him violently protective of them, but it gives him better resolve over his suicidal tendencies.
The Berserker
Byronic Hero: In the original.
Badass
Bunny Ears Lawyer
Cartwright Curse: Until the third movie. Although Lorna does get shot in the climax of Lethal Weapon 3, and for a while there it looks like she may not survive.
Cowboy Cop
Deadpan Snarker
Death Seeker: In the first movie.
Eighties Hair: In every movie except the fourth.
The Gadfly: Enjoys teasing ol' Rog to no end.
Good Is Not Nice
Hair-Trigger Temper: He actually pretends to have this in order to scare his enemies.
Hot-Blooded
Improbable Aiming Skills: Justified. He was a Special Forces Sniper in Laos and Vietnam. He once made a hit that he thinks only ten other people in the world might have been able to make.

Riggs: It's the only thing I was ever good at.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Large Ham: Especially in the first movie. He's become more composed in the sequels.

"Do you really wanna jump?! DO YOU WANNA?!?"

Portrayed by Danny Glover

Badass Mustache
By-The-Book Cop
Catch Phrase: "I'm too old for this shit." Inverted in the fourth movie.
- "Riggs you crazy sonuva b...." as well
- "Go spit, Riggs!"
Character Tic: He cracks his neck before shooting people.
- This is typically followed by a Boom! Headshot!.
Deuteragonist
Heroic BSOD: After killing an old friend of his son's out of self-defence, leading on to...
- Drowning My Sorrows
Overprotective Dad
Papa Wolf
Pepper
Sanity Chain
Retirony: Subverted in the 3rd movie.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Though, he does carry an automatic as a backup weapon.
Younger Than They Look: Danny Glover was only 40 years old when he filmed the first movie despite supposedly being "too old for this shit". Murtaugh was written as an older character (50 in the first movie).

Portrayed by Joe Pesci

Portrayed by Rene Russo

Genius Bruiser: He has a psychology degree.
Hot-Blooded
Large Ham
Meaningful Name: He constantly tries to "butter" his father-in-law up.
Mistaken for Gay: Thanks to Riggs, poor Roger believes Lee swings that way.
My Name Is Not Durwood: Riggs and Murtaugh have major difficulty in getting his name right.
Uncle Tomfoolery: A not too offensive version.
Wretched Hive: Where he had grown up in, and the reason he joined the police force.

Backstab Backfire: Trying to shoot someone in the back when you are surrounded by cops is not a smart idea.
Blond Guys Are Evil
The Dragon
- Dragon Their Feet.
Establishing Character Moment: Allowing the general to burn his arm, while Joshua clenches his teeth and takes it, establishing Joshua's loyalty (and insanity).
Evil Albino
Evil Counterpart: To Riggs in the 1st movie.
Fisticuffs Boss
Psycho for Hire

Big Bad
Evil Brit: Well, played by a British actor, anyway. The character is American.
Dirty Ex-Cop
Hoist by His Own Petard: Killed by the same "Cop-killer" bullets he has stolen and smuggled.