Ed and Lorraine Warren have become icons for their roles in the long-running horror series, The Conjuring. Part of their popularity stems from the two developing as people over the course of the movies, with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It featuring the couple’s attempts to battle the Occultist and acquit Arne Johnson from the charges against him.
The two were different people back when they were introduced in the first movie. Since the timeline of The Conjuring movies begins from 1971 to The Conjuring 3’s 1981, the ten-year gap has seen the couple alter both their working relationship, along with their roles as parents and each other’s spouses.
They've Become More Codependent
The first movie showed Ed and Lorraine work as a team, but they split up during their mission to end the haunting in order to cover more ground. While they were more inclined to stick together in The Conjuring 2, the couple has become very codependent by The Devil Made Me Do It.
This has reached the point where they refuse to be separated at all, with Ed and Lorraine accompanying one another everywhere in the third movie and fearing being separated. Of course, a big factor in this change was due to Ed’s failing health and Lorraine requiring increased support when tapping into her powers.
They're Open To Poking Fun At Naysayers
Ed and Lorraine were shown to get exasperated when people doubted if they were genuine or not, with The Conjuring 2 featuring an angered Ed over the fact that they were still not taken seriously. By The Conjuring 3, however, the couple seems to have accepted they can’t convince everybody.
This was best evidenced when Lorraine poked fun at Sergeant Clay’s cynicism by sarcastically claiming she had met Elvis’ ghost, which Ed was clearly amused by. Where they were once desperate to make people take them seriously, the couple is now content with knowing their truth.
They've Become Upfront About Their Beliefs
The third movie had arguably the most difficult case the Warrens faced, as it required them to go into the court of law. However, the two were exceptionally level-headed here, as they convinced Arne’s lawyer to put up the defense of demonic possession by showing her their collection of haunted items.
This was a change from earlier installments where the Warrens had difficulties in making others see their point of view. Earlier, the two would attempt to reason with doubters and give them room to be skeptical, but the couple has now become upfront about their beliefs and see no reason to compromise on them.
Lorraine Has Greater Propensity For Her Powers
The Conjuring had Lorraine reveal she had the gift of sight by being able to perceive ghosts and beings in the spirit world. This has since been expanded upon, with The Conjuring 2 having Lorraine speak to Valak while understanding her visions of the future.
She’s changed more so than ever by The Conjuring 3, where Lorraine has greater capacity for her powers to the point where she can see the past to its minute detail and where she saw through the eyes of the occultist herself. A side effect of this has been the fact that Lorraine now has lesser control of her abilities than before.
Ed's Greater Confidence In Facing Entities
Ed Lorrain is easily the most developed character Patrick Wilson has played in his list of horror credits. When the series began, Ed claimed to strictly be involved in the position of a demonologist who only assisted during events like exorcisms and was reluctant to get involved in any other way.
However, he underwent a change later on where Ed was the one to conduct an exorcism by himself, despite previously claiming he couldn’t do one. He’s gotten far more confident since then as well, with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It showing Ed facing off against the Occultist’s demon and cadaver’s head on without showing any fear or apprehension.
They're Not As Protective Of Their Daughter As Before
Ed and Lorraine were fearful of their daughter getting involved with the Occult as they were, owing to the many deaths they had witnessed. This was more in view in The Conjuring, but the two were surprisingly lenient by The Conjuring 2 where they weren’t as protective.
This change was explained in Annabelle Comes Home, during which their daughter faced the threat of the haunted doll by herself. Following this, the Warrens have grown to respect their daughter’s personal resolve, and The Conjuring 3 didn’t feature any of their former overprotective streaks.
Being More Open To Voice Their Doubts
Despite their relative inexperience in The Conjuring, the Warrens didn’t display as much fear of the unknown and were even willing to challenge it. By The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, however, the two have changed in this attitude.
As shown in the third movie’s opening, Ed confessed to Lorraine that he was highly doubtful if they could beat David’s demon, as he had no clue how to exorcise it. This aspect has actually helped them out, as the couple has become open to accepting help rather than attempt to solve everything by themselves.
They Accept That Justice Can't Always Be Given
In the first movie, Ed lamented that he and his wife couldn’t do more to help Maurice out and was saddened by the fact that the latter was cursed with his possession. The Conjuring 2 even saw the Warrens go the extra mile because they couldn’t accept the thought of defeat.
However, they’ve matured enough by the third installment to accept that they can’t change the outcome to things out of their control. This was seen when they didn’t dispute Arne's prison sentence despite being well aware that he was completely innocent. In its place, the Warrens took Arne’s shortened sentencing as a win in itself and moved on with the knowledge that they did their best.
They're More Willing To Show Others Their Collection
The most notable thing about the Warrens is their practice of keeping items from their adventures in their basement as a way to keep potentially haunted items safely hidden. Initially, the two only allowed people to see these things when there was no other choice, but they’ve now become open to sharing their existence.
In The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Ed’s first thought when he needed Arne’s lawyer to believe him was to invite her to their house to see the Annabelle doll and the other items, which Lorraine didn’t dispute. It’s more likely the change has come due to its effectiveness, as the lawyer was instantly convinced after seeing the occult items.
Lorraine's More Hands-On Role
Although Ed has become more protective of Lorraine, the latter has nevertheless increased her involvement in the cases. In The Conjuring, Lorraine stood by while Ed did the field world, whereas the third movie showed Lorraine getting directly into the action.
This is perhaps the reason why her powers have magnified, as Lorraine doesn’t keep a safe distance as she once did. Instead, she’s become just as directly involved as Ed does in order to fully use her abilities and understand what the presence of an entity entails.