Mr. Robot is one of the most unique television dramas of the last several decades. While the notion of “auteur-centric” television has steadily been on the rise, Mr. Robot has the look and feel of a film made for the big screen. A majority of the episodes are written and directed by Sam Esmail, the show’s creator. Esmail seems to be less influenced by current television dramas, as his style is deeply rooted in anti-authoritarian independent cinema. It feels strange to compare Mr. Robot to shows like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones when it has more in common with films like The Matrix, Fight Club, Taxi Driver, Pi, and Blade Runner.
Although Mr. Robot reached its conclusion in 2019, the series has had a considerable impact on all of its participants. In the midst of filming the series, its star Rami Malek went on to star in the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Esmail has been involved as a producer on a few acclaimed series, including Homecoming and Gaslit. He is now taking his talents to the big screen with his adaptation of the acclaimed novel Leave The World Behind, which hails from Barack and Michelle Obamas’ production company, Higher Grounds Productions. Although Esmail and Malek will certainly go on to find more success in the industry, they will always have Mr. Robot to thank for putting them on the map. Here is every main character in Mr. Robot, ranked.
Mr. Robot
TV-MACrimeDramaThrillerRelease Date June 24, 2015 Cast Rami Malek , Christian Slater , Carly Chaikin , B.D. Wong , Grace Gummer , Portia Doubleday Main Genre Drama Seasons 49 Whiterose
Played by BD Wong
Whiterose (BD Wong) is easily the most powerful character in the Mr. Robot universe, and arguably its most ruthless. Publically, Zhi Zhang is the minister of China’s State Security, and imposes deadly economic policies on international territories. These cripple the United States’ economy in the aftermath of the 5/9 hack. Secretly, Zhang is also known as “Whiterose,” a cyber-terrorist that leads the hacktivist group known as “the Dark Army.” Whiterose’s obsession with time makes her compelling, even though she often puts Elliot Alderson (Malek) and his friends in danger.
Although Whiterose is one of the most villainous characters in the show’s rouge gallery, it is great to see Wong get another great role. He has been an underrated actor ever since his breakthrough role as Dr. Wu in Jurassic Park. The ending of Jurassic World Dominion didn’t give Wu much to do, so it’s nice to see that Wong was able to give a proper conclusion to another character.
8 Joanna Wellick
Played by Stephanie Corneliussen
Among the many themes that Mr. Robot tackle the wealth disparity. Stories about how the wealthiest members of society seem to operate on their own plane of existence are always relevant, and Mr. Robot exemplifies the “eat the rich” mentality. Joanna Wellick’s (Stephanie Corneliussen) fortune gives her a considerable advantage, but she doesn’t like to personally hold positions of power. Joanna uses her influence to help her husband, Tyrell (Martin Wallström) rise to the top of E Corp’s hierarchy. She is essentially the “Lady Macbeth” of the Mr. Robot universe.
Joanna shows no affection for the victims of E Corp’s toxic gas leak, and even shows some disdain for her husband. Her lack of empathy makes her one of the most unlikeable characters within the series. That being said, Joanna is a mother, and does seem intent on giving her child something to inherit. Despite her ruthlessness, Joanna’s brutal death in the middle of the third season still comes as a shock.
7 Phillip Price
Played by Michael Cristofer
Phillip Price (Michael Cristofer) is a fascinating character; despite his wealth and political power, Phillip is little more than a pawn in Whiterose’s plans. Phillip serves as the CEO of E Corp, a company that holds much less power at the end of Mr. Robot than it did at the beginning. Phillip deserves credit for being one of the few characters that can engage with Whiterose on an intellectual level, even if his plan to fix the United States’ economy was mismanaged. That being said, it’s hard to have any sympathy for Phillip when he’s rarely ever been asked to face the consequences of his actions.
Although Phillip shows few signs of affinity for anyone outside his select social circle, he does become more compelling due to a major plot twist at the end of the third season. It’s revealed that Phillip is actually the father of Angela Moss (Portia Doubleday), Elliot’s best friend and occasional lover. Phillip’s “I am your father” speech was a great Star Wars reference for fans of The Empire Strikes Back.
6 Mr. Robot
Played by Christian Slater
Calling Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) a character is a bit of a challenge. Mr. Robot isn’t a literal person, but rather one of Elliot’s alternate identities that takes the form of his father, Edward. Elliot’s split personality isn’t revealed until the end of the first season, allowing the audience to experience a Fight Club-esque twist. Mr. Robot is a force for both good and evil in Elliot’s life. At times, Mr. Robot is a corrupting influence who encourages Elliot to use his hacking skills to cause significant damage to major corporations. However, Mr. Robot isn’t a killer; during the third season, Mr. Robot ends up working with Elliot to stop innocent people from being killed during the bombing of an E Corp facility.
Mr. Robot isn’t always pleasant, but he serves an important purpose in Elliot’s development. Elliot has used his relationship with a fictionalized version of his father to cope with the severe sexual abuse that he suffered as a child.
5 Tyrell Wellick
Played by Martin Wallström
There aren’t many Mr. Robot characters who changed as much as Tyrell. Initially, Tyrell appears to be nothing more than a ruthless business executive who wants to use E Corp to line his own pockets. However, Tyrell eventually shows genuine empathy for Elliot, and tries to help both him and Mr. Robot stop the Dark Army’s attacks. Tyrell is willing to abandon any power he has within E Corp to join Elliot’s hacktivist group “fsociety.”
Tyrell’s legacy grew even stronger thanks to the tragic ending to his character arc. After living a life of luxury, Tyrell dies alone in the snow. The beautiful way he exits the series feels like a callback to “Pine Barrens,” the infamous snowbound episode of The Sopranos.
4 Angela Moss
Played by Portia Doubleday
There are few characters in Mr. Robot that have it as rough as Angela does. Angela’s childhood was already entrenched in tragedy, as her mother was killed as a result of E Corp’s toxic gas leak. Angela’s job at E Corp is threatened as a result of the 5/9 attacks; it’s hard to watch her suffer when she has done so much to help Elliot deal with his anxiety.
Although Angela is mostly a force for good, she does fall under Whiterose’s influence in season three. Whiterose’s obsession with time travel may seem absurd, but in Angela’s warped mind, it somehow makes sense; which, in large part, is why she is ranked so high.
3 Dominique DiPerro
Played by Grace Gummer
The FBI agent Dominique DiPerro (Grace Gummer) is one of the few members of law enforcement in Mr. Robot aren’t corrupt. It becomes clear that the FBI’s legitimacy has been compromised by the Dark Army’s spies when Dom’s allies reveal themselves to be working with Whiterose’s secret agent, Irving (Bobby Cannavale). This puts Dom at a significant disadvantage. She has to fight the traitors within her own ranks, even though Elliot and the other members of fsociety don’t entirely trust her due to her governmental ties.
Although Mr. Robot ends on a happy note for many characters, Dom is not one of them. After realizing that her entire life’s work has been in the service of a corrupt agency, Dom chooses to leave the United States by traveling to Budapest. Gummer noted that her character “ally deeply felt like she was doing the right thing, and she wanted to change her life.”
2 Darlene Alderson
Played by Carly Chaikin
One of Mr. Robot’s most shocking twists ended up being its most profound. Although Elliot initially has no knowledge about his involvement in fsociety and the 5/9 attacks, he learns that he built the hacktivist group alongside his sister, Darlene (Carly Chaikin). Darlene is more conformational and snarky than Elliot, but she cares deeply for him. Although many of Elliot’s allies betray him, Darlene has protected him since they were children.
The empathy that Elliot and Darlene show for each other feels particularly strong because of how close the Mr. Robot cast is in real life. Following the final season’s release, the Mr. Robot cast reunited for Chaikin’s wedding.
1 Elliot Alderson
Played by Rami Malek
Mr. Robot is a very complex show that relies upon many plot twists and shocking deaths, but none of it would be effective if it wasn’t for its protagonist. Elliot is both an endearing and inspirational character. He deals with anxiety, depression, and self-doubt, but manages to find inner strength and use his hacking skills for good. In addition to protecting the world from the Dark Army, Elliot is forced to confront aspects of his past that have been latent.
Elliot remains such a likable protagonist thanks to Malek’s excellent performance. As great as he is in Bohemian Rhapsody and The Pacific, Malek’s role in Mr. Robot is the best of his career; and it shouldn't really be a surprise that he is the best character in this gripping thriller.
Mr. Robot is streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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