The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion - Characters & Cast

Her primary motivation is survival. She learns that her powers are causing a degenerative brain condition that will kill her without a monthly serum or a permanent cure from a blood relative. Every action she takes—from escaping as a child, finding a family, going on television, to confronting her creators—is a calculated step in her desperate and ruthless plan to find this cure.

Ja-yoon's perceived arc is that of a classic 'sleeper hero'—an innocent girl who discovers her powers when her loved ones are threatened. However, her true arc is revealed to be completely flat; she was never innocent. She begins the film as a supremely intelligent, powerful, and manipulative individual feigning weakness, and she ends the film as the same, having successfully executed a long-term plan. Her development is not about becoming powerful, but about revealing the power she always possessed.

Her motivation is the pursuit of scientific advancement at any cost, specifically in the realm of human enhancement. She wants to create and control the ultimate human weapon. She feels a twisted sense of parental pride in Ja-yoon's abilities but ultimately sees her as a successful, yet rogue, experiment that must be brought back under control or eliminated.

Dr. Baek is a static character who embodies scientific hubris. She begins the film as the cold, calculating head of the project, proud of her 'perfect' creation even as she hunts her down. She believes she can control Ja-yoon through psychological manipulation and a dependency on the serum. Her arc is one of underestimation; she never evolves beyond her belief that she is the master, which leads directly to her demise at the hands of the very 'perfection' she created.

His motivation seems to be a mix of duty to Dr. Baek and a personal desire to prove his superiority over Ja-yoon, whom he remembers from their time in the lab. He enjoys the power and violence his abilities afford him and seeks to dominate others, especially Ja-yoon, who represents the one who got away and was considered the project's masterpiece.

Nobleman is another product of the same experiments, positioned as Ja-yoon's peer and rival. His arc is one of frustrated superiority. He clearly feels he is the superior creation and is infuriated by Ja-yoon's feigned ignorance and later, her superior power. He doesn't develop much beyond his initial role as an arrogant, violent enforcer, serving primarily as a physical and psychological obstacle for Ja-yoon and a representation of what she could have been had she not escaped.

His motivation is damage control and elimination of threats. Unlike Dr. Baek who wants to study and control Ja-yoon, Mr. Choi simply wants her dead, viewing her as a failed experiment that is too dangerous to exist. His past injury, inflicted by Ja-yoon during her initial escape, likely adds a personal, vengeful element to his pursuit.

Mr. Choi acts as the more grounded and pragmatic antagonist compared to Dr. Baek's scientific zeal. He sees the child experiments for what they are: uncontrollable monsters. His arc is a grim, straight line. From the beginning, his solution is to eliminate the threat, a stance that never wavers. He correctly assesses the danger Ja-yoon poses but is ultimately no match for her power, his pragmatic approach failing in the face of overwhelming force.