Despite creating arguably one of the most iconic serial killers in fiction, there is a certain irony that pervades Thomas Harris’ literary work. The irony is that once he created Hannibal Lecter, he found himself almost completely unable to create antagonists with the same degree of brilliance. From Mason Verger’s cartoonishly over the top list of psychoses to the infamous Cannibal Nazi deserters, all of the villains in the Manhunter series are mechanically arranged mixes of childhood traumas and archetypes. Buffalo Bill is a serial killer who comes closer to escaping the formula, but he still pales dramatically compared to Lecter. The closest any of Harris’ villains come to having a story and motivation compelling enough to take the attention away from the man in the box is The Tooth Fairy (or Red Dragon, whichever moniker you prefer), played before by Tom Noonan, Ralph Fiennes, and now Richard Armitage.
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