The Exorcist - Characters & Cast

To find the truth behind Regan's illness and to absolve his own guilt regarding his mother's death.

Starts as a man of science and a priest who has lost his faith, tormented by guilt over his mother's neglect. Through the ordeal with Regan, he exhausts all rational explanations and is forced to confront the spiritual reality. His arc concludes with a Christ-like self-sacrifice, regaining his faith in his final moments.

To save her daughter at any cost.

A successful, secular woman used to controlling her life, she is stripped of her agency as science fails her daughter. She moves from disbelief to desperation, ultimately humbling herself to ask for religious intervention she doesn't fully understand.

To defeat the ancient enemy he faced before and save the innocent.

He is the spiritual anchor of the film, a man who knows the enemy intimately. He arrives knowing he may not survive the encounter. He represents unwavering faith and the 'old guard' of the Church.

N/A (Possessed for the majority of the film)

Regan begins as a sweet, normal child and becomes a prisoner in her own body, a puppet for the demon's obscenities. Her arc is one of victimization and eventual liberation, though she remembers nothing of the trauma.