Starting out as a contained survival horror movie with a fairly small budget, the success of the first The Purge movie launched a wildly popular franchise. Complete with five films and a TV series, the concept has definitely outgrown the single house that the whole franchise started in. Part horror, part action, and part political commentary, The Purge has seen a ton of different and unique characters across all of its iterations.
Aside from the popular concept that the movies are based on, they owe much of their success to the unique characters with distinct styles. With some extremely memorable costume design and imperfect heroes for the audience to root for, there's always a character that impresses. Maybe it's their motive, maybe it's their personality or maybe they just have a really cool mask.
Leo Barnes
An armored car, combat expertise, and a classic out for revenge story, what's not to like? The purge movies seem to have way more good guys than bad guys, even by dystopian standards, Bue Sgt. Barnes is one of the few true protagonists that the series gets.
Appearing first in Purge: Anarchy, and then again in Purge: Election Year, Barnes first sets out on a mission of revenge, attempting to track down and kill the man that killed his son in a drunk driving accident. Barnes eventually gets sidetracked and helps a couple who got themselves caught in the middle of all the violence.
Dante Bishop
Although it is not fully explained until The Purge: Election Year, Bishop is the only character that appears in all of the first three movies. After finding his way into the Sandin household in the first movie, he goes on to become one of the leaders in the resistance against the annual purge.
In hindsight, this makes him by far the most complex and one of the smartest character in The Purge series and gives a 3 movie arc that no other character has. It was a great decision to include him as well, as Bishop is a shining light of morality in the movies and provides a nice glimmer of hope amongst all of the death and suffering.
Miguel Guerrero
The protagonist of the Purge TV series, Guerrero plays a similar protector role as Bishop does. However, Guerrero has much more to lose as he is trying to keep his daughter alive during the show. Although he can be harsh and direct to his daughter, there is never a moment of doubt as far as his intentions go.
Willing to do anything to keep his daughter safe, Guerrero is one of the most selfless characters that the franchise has ever seen. He consistently reminds viewers that he is willing to put his life on the line for his loved ones.
The Stranger
Every great hero needs a great villain. Even though the first movie fell a little flat compared to the rest of the series, for many viewers, given how contained it is, the movie is also the creepiest.
Some of the most bone-chilling scenes in the film are those that include the mysterious and unsettlingly polite stranger trying to make his way into the Sandin home. With a freakish smile, dead eyes, and an unnerving way of speaking, the Stranger almost single-handedly adds the horror element that helped launch the franchise.
Charlie Sandin
The first The Purge movie can be just as frustrating as it is entertaining at times. This is especially true when the action starts to heat up and it is revealed that the fancy security system that James Sandin sells, and which protects his own house, doesn't actually work that well. Lying to both every customer and apparently his own family, the security system is more for show than actual protection.
This leads to a terrifying night, but his son Charlie ends up saving the day. Not only that but he is one of the few characters in the franchise that chooses to do the right thing, even if it puts them in danger, as it does with the bloody stranger that he tries to save. At least there's one member of the Sandin family worth rooting for.
Murder Tourists
While masks have been worn by those participating in the purge since the first movie, the masks, and general aesthetic is fully realized in The Purge: Election Year. The murder tourists are a great example of the purge's creativity in exploring the ripple effects that the purge would have on the United States.
This results in the idea of people coming from other countries to participate in the crime spree of the century, which results in some of the coolest costume designs the franchise has ever seen. Terrifying and ironic, the red white and blue-themed outfits fit into the movie perfectly.
Marcos
Another character from the Purge: Election Year shows that many viewers found themselves rooting for, Marcos is one of the most likable characters in the franchise so far.
Risking his own life to help his boss protect his store from purgers, Marcos is the kind of selfless that gives the audience something positive to root for. Marcos is also a rare character that gets a somewhat happy ending, taking over for the store's owner and supporting the resistance against the purge.
The Butcher Family
Just when the franchise convinces audiences that the wealthy elite can't get any worse, an entire group of rich people with machetes show up. Appearing in Purge: Anarchy, the Butcher family offers a unique proposition to people struggling to support their families, offering large sums of money to the families of individuals who allow themselves to be brutally murdered by machetes.
The whole idea is twisted and makes for one of the best shots in the franchise as Papa Rico sits calmly in a chair surrounded by a group of well-dressed people holding massive machetes.
The New Founding Fathers
The ultimate villain for the entire franchise, the New Founding Fathers are the political group in charge of the United States and the ones who began and maintain the Purge.
Calm, collected, and immensely powerful the New Founding Fathers are the perfect mix of political commentary and general creepiness that the franchise has been able to thrive on since the release of the original movie.
James Sandin
Frustrating and flawed but eventually making the ultimate sacrifice, The Purge franchise may not exist without Ethan Hawkes's portrayal of James Sandin in the first movie, who works for a company that sells home security systems that are designed specifically to protect families from those participating in the purge.
Although Sandin initially supports the purge and the good it does for the country it is fair to say that after giving up his life to save his family from participants, he probably feels differently. Sandin's character sets the tone for the entire franchise and shows that no character is perfect, but they are all capable of doing the right thing.