Warning: Contains spoilers for Malignant.
James Wan's new horror film Malignant takes several unexpected twists and turns, and here's a guide to the characters that populate it. Malignant's plot was kept mostly under wraps almost until its release date, and once people saw Wan's latest, it became readily apparent why that had been done. Much of what viewers get out of Malignant will likely rise and fall on what they think of the movie's third act twist, that didn't entirely come out of left field in hindsight, but still led to several scenes of carnage that left mouths agape.
Malignant's marketing made it look like a fairly ordinary horror tale, with a woman tormented by psychic visions of a killer - done before in John Carpenter's The Eyes of Laura Mars and In Dreams, among others - and a possibly demonic boogeyman that hid in the shadows to snatch its prey. That is until it was revealed that protagonist and antagonist actually shared the same body, and the evil Gabriel was basically putting Madison to sleep while he used their body to wreak havoc.
While Malignant has proven divisive so far, even aside from the twist, its cast of characters succeeds in selling the wild story at hand to the best of their abilities. Here's a look at the Malignant cast of characters, the actors that play them, and how their respective stories end.
Madison/Emily (Annabelle Wallis)
Madison Lake-Mitchell, born Emily May, is the protagonist and leader of the Malignant cast. At the start, she's pregnant, and returns from work due to feeling ill. Her abusive husband then gets aggressive, throwing her backward against a wall. The head injury she sustained was the catalyst for awakening her murderous, parasitic twin brother Gabriel inside their mind, and setting the rest of the plot in motion. She defeats Gabriel to end the movie, locking him away inside their mind. There's a chance she could be held responsible for his crimes, but it may just be Madison's dark superhero origin story. Annabelle Wallis is recognizable from her work on Peaky Blinders, as well as in 2017's The Mummy and 2014's Annabelle.
Sydney Lake (Maddie Hasson)
Sydney Lake is Madison's sister, as Sydney's parents adopted Madison when she was a young girl, not knowing about Gabriel. Sydney may not be a blood relation, but the two sisters are clearly very close, with Sydney being there to help her repeatedly over the course of the story. She also has clear romantic chemistry with Detective Kekoa Shaw, the lead investigator of Madison/Gabriel's case. As one of the most likable members of the Malignant cast, Sydney thankfully survives the movie, with Madison fighting off Gabriel to save her sister. Hasson is best known for her work on TV shows like Twisted and Mr. Mercedes.
Kekoa Shaw (George Young)
Detective Kekoa Shaw is - thankfully for someone in a situation as dangerous and insane as Madison's - a quite reasonable person. While he does suspect Madison a few times - and in a way, he's right, as evidenced by Malignant's third act twist - he also accepts what he sees and hears, which points to someone who definitely isn't Madison being the killer. He's one of only three cops to survive Gabriel's police station massacre, and will presumably testify on Madison's behalf to a court if need be. George Young is one of the lesser-known members of the Malignant cast, with Kekoa easily being his biggest role yet. Previously he was a reality TV host, and starred on The CW's Containment.
Regina Moss (Michole Briana White)
Detective Regina Moss often seems to play the "bad cop" to Kekoa Shaw's "good cop," which isn't to say she isn't good at her job, but that she's the member of the duo that has a more skeptical, cynical edge to her. She doubts Madison's stories from the beginning, especially when a Gabriel kidnapee is found in Madison's attic. Again though, in a way she was right. Regina also survives the massacre, albeit not without major injuries. Michole Briana White has quite the long resume from before she joined the Malignant cast, mostly on TV, including guest spots on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Law & Order: SVU, and Medium.
Gabriel (Marina Mazepa)
The possibly demonic villain of the Malignant cast, little is known about exactly why Gabriel is the way he is, after starting out as a kind of sentient parasitic twin latched onto Madison. The two siblings are the product of a rape, and it's implied their dad might actually be Satan. Either way, Gabriel is one of the most lethal horror killers in years, and possesses super strength, speed, the power to manipulate electricity, and a notable healing factor. Thankfully, he loses out when Madison takes control in the end. For now. Gabriel, at least physically, is actually played by a woman, dancer, and contortionist Marina Mazepa. She's new to acting, but will play Lisa Trevor in 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Prolific voice actor Ray Chase voices Gabriel.
Malignant Supporting Cast & Characters
Aside from the above five main characters, the following people fill out the Malignant cast. Jean Louisa Kelly, female lead of the long-running CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, plays Serena May, the biological mother of Madison and Gabriel. Madison Wolfe, who previously starred in James Wan's The Conjuring 2, plays a teenage version of Serena. Speaking of which, prolific young actress McKenna Grace (The Haunting of Hill House, Captain Marvel) plays a young Madison in old video recordings. Susanna Thompson (Moira Queen on Arrow) plays Jeanne Lake, Madison, and Sydney's adoptive mother.
Jake Abel, best known for his role as Sam and Dean's half-brother Adam Winchester on Supernatural, plays the small but pivotal role of Madison's abusive husband Derek. Rounding things out are Jacqueline McKenzie, probably best remembered for starring as Diana on The 4400, as Madison/Gabriel's childhood doctor Florence Weaver, Quentin Tarantino regular Zoe Bell as Scorpion, the standoffish prisoner who picks a fight with Madison, and Ingrid Bisu (The Nun) as Winnie, the medical examiner with a clear crush on Kekoa Shaw. Bisu also has a story credit on Malignant, and served as an executive producer.