In The Serpent, Marie-Andrée Leclerc’s involvement in Charles Sobhraj’s crimes remains unclear, but was she a victim or a villain in real life? Jenna Coleman stars as Marie-Andree Leclerc in The Serpent. In the Netflix series, Leclerc first meets Charles Sobhraj while on vacation. Sophjar is traveling under the assumed name, Alain Gautier, and pretending to be a professional photographer. Under Sobhraj’s control, she is transformed from the innocent Marie-Andree Leclerc into the brainwashed Monique.
The Netflix show follows Leclerc as she lives under her alter-ego, Monique. Together, she and Sobhraj poison and rob their victims. Sobhraj and his sidekick, Ajay Chowdhury also commit several murders. But whether or not Leclerc is initially aware of the murders and if she is involved remains ambiguous throughout The Serpent.
The Serpent portrays Sobhraj’s mental and physical abuse of Leclerc, leaving the audience with enough information to question Leclerc’s role, and her willingness to perpetrate the crimes depicted in the series. In reality, how much Leclerc truly knew about Sobhraj’s crimes and to what extent she was involved in them depends on who you ask. It's been suggested Marie-Andrée was involved in all of Sobhraj's crimes and remained loyal to him until her death. But there is evidence to dispute this claim. Here’s a look at the different versions of the story pertaining to the real-life Marie-Andrée Leclerc.
In 1980, Lecler and Sobhraj were convicted of Avoni Jacob's murder in India, though she later appealed the decision and was released on the condition that she stay in the country. Before her death in 1984, Leclerc denied any involvement in any crimes. In her book, Reviens (I Will Return), Leclerc offered her side of the story, downplaying her relationship with Sophraj and claiming to have been a victim of a conspiracy. But the fact that Leclerc was willing to play the role of Monique upon Sobhraj’s request leaves some doubt as to her innocence. And Leclerc is known to have traveled using the passports of some of Sobhraj's victims - though it’s possible she was tricked into using them, and this is the explanation offered in The Serpent. While it’s difficult to believe she had no idea, it wouldn’t be the first time a so-called charming serial killer managed to fool those closest to them.
Given that Nadine Gires - Leclerc’s former friend and neighbor who helped collect evidence against Sobrahj - suspected Sobhraj of murder, it stands to reason that Leclerc knew about the murders, regardless of whether or not she was directly involved in them. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Gires offers some insight into the true story of Leclerc and her relationship with the serial killer. According to Gires, Leclerc told her she had no money or passport, and that if she tried to leave him, Sobhraj would kill her. Unlike the glamorous and cunning Monique depicted in The Serpent, Gires’ description of Leclerc gives a different view. “I felt sorry for Marie-Andrée,” says Gires. “She was a sad and simple person, not the movie star we see in the series.”
If what Leclerc told Gires was true, the possibility remains that Charles Sobhraj could have been controlling Leclerc the entire time. The real Marie-Andree Leclerc seems to have been just as complex as her fictional counterpart portrayed in The Serpent.