This text provides information about important and less important characters in the Divergent book trilogy and the movies that follow, called The Divergent Series.

Main characters

Beatrice "Tris" Prior is the main character in Divergent and Insurgent, and shares the main character role in Allegiant with Tobias "Four" Eaton. Born in the Abnegation faction to Andrew and Natalie Prior, she has pale blonde hair, wide gray-blue eyes, a slender nose, and a small, thin build. She has a tattoo of three ravens on her left collarbone leading to her heart, each representing a family member. She also has a Dauntless symbol on her left shoulder and an Abnegation symbol on her right shoulder.

In Divergent, 16-year-old Tris takes an aptitude test to determine her future faction. Her test administrator, Tori, tells her she is "Divergent," meaning she has the ability to fit into multiple factions (Erudite, Abnegation, and Dauntless). She is warned not to share this information with anyone, even her family. During the Choosing Ceremony, she transfers to Dauntless and adopts the name "Tris." She befriends initiates Christina and Al from Candor, and Will, an Erudite transfer. During the first initiation period, her performance in physical matches nearly leads to her being removed from the faction, but she helps her team win a capture-the-flag event. She also defends other initiates.

On visiting day, her mother, Natalie, tells her to ask her brother to research the Erudite's simulation serum and warns her she is being watched. Natalie reveals she was originally a Dauntless member. During the second initiation period, candidates face a virtual reality simulation to test how they handle their fears. Tris's fears include being attacked by crows, drowning, being tied and burned, intimacy, and killing her family. She overcomes these obstacles quickly, drawing attention from Four, who invites her to join his fear simulation and teaches her how to respond as a Dauntless member.

After passing initiation, Tris learns Erudite plans to attack Abnegation. When a mind-controlling serum fails on her, Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews orders her execution. Tris is saved by her mother, but during their escape, she is forced to shoot Will, and her mother is killed. Reuniting with her father, Caleb, and Marcus, they sneak into the Dauntless base, but her father is killed in battle. Tris helps Four break free from mind control and stops Jeanine before the Dauntless are attacked.

In Insurgent, Tris, Tobias, Marcus, Caleb, and Peter hide in the Amity sector. She overhears Marcus and Amity leader Johanna Reyes discussing a secret protected by Abnegation leaders. When Erudite and Dauntless traitors attack, they escape on a train to the factionless camp, where they meet Tobias's mother. During a visit to Candor, Tris confesses to killing Will. She later surrenders to Erudite to save her Dauntless friends, learning her brother is working for Jeanine. She escapes with Tobias and Peter, joins Marcus to recover stolen information from Abnegation, and shares it with all factions. Tobias is angry but later reconciles with her, hoping they will have no secrets.

In Allegiant, Tris frees Caleb before his execution but has not forgiven him for betraying her. She travels with Tobias, Christina, Peter, Tori, Uriah, and Cara to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, a government agency behind the faction system. Tris meets Bureau leader David, who gives her Natalie's journal. She becomes jealous of Bureau staff member Nita, fearing she will attract Tobias, but joins her to overthrow the Bureau leaders. She saves David when she learns Nita wants a death serum, not a memory serum. Later, Tris discovers David plans to expose the memory serum to all of Chicago. She teams up with Matthew, Nita, Caleb, and Cara to stop him. Caleb volunteers for a dangerous mission but is replaced by Tris, who asks him to tell Tobias her final message: that she does not want to leave him. During the mission, Tris repels the death serum by thinking of those who died for her but is shot by David as she exposes the memory serum. As she dies, she forgives herself and others, seeing visions of her mother reaching for her.

In the epilogue, set two and a half years later, Tris's body is cremated. During a celebration of the Choosing Ceremony, Tobias spreads her ashes across Chicago while riding a zip line.

Shailene Woodley plays Beatrice "Tris" Prior in the 2014 film Divergent, the 2015 film The Divergent Series: Insurgent, and the 2016 film The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

Tobias "Four" Eaton is a Dauntless member and instructor for initiates joining the faction. Born in Abnegation to Marcus Eaton and Evelyn Johnson, his mother died, leaving him with his abusive father, who often hit him with a belt. During his Choosing Ceremony, he selects Dauntless to escape his father. He has dark blue eyes, dark brown hair, a scar on his chin, and freckles on his nose. He has tattoos of each faction's symbol on his spine, starting with Dauntless at the top, followed by Abnegation, Candor, Erudite, and Amity. He is called "Four" by his instructor Amar because he has only four fears: heights, shooting innocents, claustrophobia, and his father, Marcus Eaton.

Four: A Divergent Story Collection, a short story collection, features Tobias as the narrator. It follows 16-year-old Tobias Eaton as he escapes his abusive home in Abnegation and joins Dauntless. He befriends initiates Zeke and Shauna and develops a rivalry with Eric, an Erudite transfer. Tobias learns he is Divergent when he escapes the simulation serum using unusual methods. Amar, another Divergent, warns him to stay hidden, a warning that proves true when Amar is found dead. Tobias learns of Erudite's plan to mind-control Dauntless and begins spying on them. Max invites Tobias to

Secondary characters by faction

Abnegation is one of the five factions in the world of Divergent. It focuses on helping others and putting the needs of others before one’s own. It was created based on the belief that selfishness and greed cause problems for people. The faction’s chosen color is gray, and members wear loose, gray clothing. Gray stones are used to represent Abnegation during the Choosing Ceremony.

Natalie Prior (née Wright) is the mother of Beatrice “Tris” and Caleb, and the wife of Andrew Prior. She is described as pretty, with blonde hair and pale green eyes. She has dimples on her cheeks. Natalie was originally from Dauntless and is also a Divergent, like her daughter. She tells Tris that she was born to a Dauntless leader and that her mother advised her to leave Dauntless to protect her from danger. However, Allegiant reveals that Natalie is not from Chicago but from Milwaukee, an experimental city run by the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. At 16, she escaped Milwaukee after her mother killed her father. The Bureau’s leader, David, fell in love with her and helped her escape. Natalie was sent to Chicago to stop Erudite from killing Divergents. The Bureau used memory serum to erase people’s memories of her being in Chicago and registered her as a 15-year-old so she could live in Dauntless for a year. She planned to join Erudite but fell in love with Andrew Prior and moved to Abnegation with him. During her time in Chicago, she saved Divergents, including Amar and George, from being executed by Erudite.

In Divergent, Natalie tells Tris she loves and supports her, no matter which faction she chooses. Her husband, Andrew, is upset when their children choose factions other than Abnegation, but Natalie supports their decisions. She visits Tris on Visiting Day and tells her to talk to her brother about simulation serum. Natalie appears in Tris’s Fear Landscape. When Jeanine sentences Tris to death, Natalie saves her from drowning in a tank and helps her reach the hiding place of surviving Abnegation members. Natalie dies protecting Tris from a fatal shot.

After Natalie’s death, Tris recalls her mother’s experiences while making decisions. David gives Tris Natalie’s diary during a visit to the Bureau, and Tris learns about her mother’s true background. In Allegiant, after Tris is mortally wounded by David, she sees visions of Natalie reaching out to her before she dies.

Ashley Judd portrayed Natalie Prior in the 2014 film Divergent, the 2015 film Insurgent, and the 2016 film Allegiant.

Andrew Prior is the father of Beatrice and Caleb and the husband of Natalie Prior. Allegiant reveals that David, the leader of the Bureau, is a descendant of Edith Prior, one of the first settlers of the Chicago experiment. Andrew’s family was originally from Abnegation, but his parents were from Erudite. Andrew chose Abnegation as his faction and is a council member of Abnegation, along with Marcus Eaton. He is described as having a hooked nose and black hair. He is caring and affectionate.

In Divergent, Andrew is upset when his children choose factions other than Abnegation and does not visit Tris on Visiting Day. He appears in Tris’s Fear Landscape. During the attack on Abnegation by Dauntless (controlled by Erudite), Andrew reunites with his children and goes to Dauntless headquarters with Tris and others. He becomes upset with Tris when she shoots Peter. Andrew dies from a gunshot to the stomach by a Dauntless guard under simulation control.

Tony Goldwyn plays Andrew Prior in the 2014 film Divergent and the 2015 film Insurgent.

Susan Black is a member of the Abnegation faction. She was born in Abnegation, and her father is a council member of Abnegation. Susan is Tris’s neighbor and grew up with her until the Choosing Ceremony. Her brother, Robert, transfers to Amity during the Choosing Ceremony. Susan has blond hair.

In Divergent, Susan has a crush on Caleb Prior, and he reciprocates her feelings. In Insurgent, she meets Tris, Caleb, and Four at Amity after surviving the Dauntless attack on Abnegation. During the attack on Amity, she escapes with Tris, Four, and Caleb and meets the factionless on a train. Later, she and Caleb move toward the safe zone where surviving Abnegation members live. Susan does not appear in the film series.

Mr. Black is a council member of Abnegation. He has a daughter, Susan Black, and a son, Robert Black. He is a neighbor of the Priors and drives his children to and from school. He sometimes offers to drive the Prior siblings but they politely decline. In Divergent, Mr. Black is killed by Dauntless during their attack on the Abnegation sector.

Erin is a member of the Abnegation faction. She works with Natalie Prior and informs her about a student who became sick during the Aptitude Test.

Tessa is a member of the Abnegation faction. She is the wife of an Abnegation council member and lives near the Prior family. She arrives at the safe house during the attack on Abnegation.

Erudite is one of the five factions in the Divergent trilogy. It focuses on knowledge, intelligence, curiosity, and wisdom. The Erudite symbol is “The Curious Eye,” and the element is water, which represents their elegance. Their chosen color is blue. Erudite was created based on the belief that ignorance causes problems. Their leader is Jeanine Matthews.

Cara is a member of the Erudite faction. She was born in Erudite, along with her younger brother, Will, who later transfers to Dauntless. She worked with Jeanine to develop a longer-lasting serum before Jeanine became Erudite’s leader. Cara has golden hair and a crease between her eyebrows, like her brother.

In Divergent, Cara visits Will at the Dauntless sector on Visiting Day and insults Tris and Natalie after learning they are from Abnegation. Tris threatens to punch her, but Will defends his sister while Natalie pulls Tris away.

In Insurgent, Cara arrives at Candor with Erudite and Dauntless traitors but helps loyal Dauntless members fight against them and Eric. After watching an Abnegation woman die during a mission, Cara changes her mind

Recurring characters

Factionless is a term used to describe people who are not part of any faction. These individuals were either born outside the faction system, disagree with the system, or were unable to complete their initiation into a chosen faction. They are often treated unfairly and are not fully accepted in faction society. According to Evelyn Johnson-Eaton, the number of factionless people is twice as large as the number of Dauntless people.

Evelyn Johnson-Eaton is the leader of the factionless. She is the mother of Tobias. She was born in Erudite but realized she was not smart enough for Erudite before taking the initiation test. She chose Abnegation as her faction and married Marcus Eaton. During their marriage, Marcus abused her, and she eventually had an affair and left their son with Marcus. Marcus faked her death, but she contacted Four after he joined Dauntless. Their meeting was not friendly. Evelyn and Tris do not get along, and Tris does not trust Evelyn because she left Four with Marcus despite knowing about his abuse. Evelyn has dark hair and eyes, olive skin, strong facial features, and appears to be middle-aged. While Four resembles his father, he inherits his personality from Evelyn, including being somewhat paranoid, highly observant, and preferring to be alone.

In Insurgent, Tris, Four, and others travel to the factionless safe zone on an Amity train and meet Evelyn. She convinces Four to help the factionless join forces with Dauntless to defeat Erudite and create a new government. After the attack on Erudite, Evelyn deceives Four and takes control of all weapons, declaring the factionless as the new government. In Allegiant, Evelyn becomes the leader of Chicago, ends the faction system, and forces all former faction members to live equally with the factionless under her command. Her decision leads former faction members to form "Allegiant," a group seeking to restore the old system. During the war between Allegiant and the factionless, Four offers Evelyn the chance to drink a memory serum to be reborn as his mother. Evelyn realizes the harm she caused and embraces Four but does not drink the serum. She then declares her intention to end the conflict.

In the epilogue, Evelyn returns from two years of self-exile and reunites with her son, who warmly welcomes her.

Naomi Watts plays Evelyn in the 2015 film The Divergent Series: Insurgent and the 2016 film The Divergent Series: Allegiant. In Insurgent, Evelyn, not Tori, kills Jeanine after her arrest. In Allegiant, Evelyn is convinced by Peter to use memory serum gas on enemies. However, Four warns her that the gas would erase everyone’s memories, including his, and he would no longer remember her as his mother. Evelyn changes her mind and tries to stop the gas but is shot by Peter. She survives, reconciles with her son and Tris.

Molly Atwood (also known as "The Tank") is factionless. She was born in Candor but chose Dauntless as her faction. She is enemies with Tris and often teases or mocks her. She has dark hair and eyes, light skin, is tall, and has broad shoulders. In Divergent, she fights Christina during sparring training and defeats her but loses to Edward in her second match. She mocks Tris and Robert Black, telling Tris to return to Abnegation. Later, Tris beats her until she is injured. To get revenge, Molly lies to an Erudite reporter about Tris and her father Andrew. She becomes factionless due to her low ranking in initiation. In Insurgent, it is revealed that Molly and Drew tried to join the factionless division where Edward is, but Drew was beaten by Edward.

Amy Newbold plays Molly Atwood in the 2014 film Divergent. She is not shown being expelled from Dauntless (though this is likely due to trauma from the second initiation test) and does not appear in the sequel.

Drew is factionless. He was born in Candor but chose Dauntless as his faction. According to Christina, Drew, Peter, and Molly were close friends since birth. Along with Peter and Molly, Drew is an enemy of Tris. He has orange-red hair, a large build, and is shorter than Peter and Molly. He laughs silently, which makes him appear to be in pain. In Divergent, Drew, along with Peter and Al, kidnaps Tris and tries to kill her by hanging her over a chasm. He receives a low ranking in initiation and becomes factionless with Molly. In Insurgent, it is revealed that Drew and Molly tried to join the factionless division where Edward is, but Drew was beaten by Edward and barely survived. Drew does not appear in the film series.

Myra was born in Erudite but chose Dauntless as her faction with her boyfriend Edward, though she is not shown to be suited for Dauntless. She has mousy brown hair. In Divergent, she is a weak fighter, losing quickly to Will and Tris. After Edward is announced as the top initiate in stage one of initiation, Peter stabs Edward in the eye out of jealousy. Edward and Myra leave Dauntless and become factionless. In Insurgent, it is revealed that Myra ends her relationship with Edward after he nearly kills Drew and Molly, who tried to join the factionless division where Edward and Myra are. Myra does not appear in the film, as the subplot involving Edward’s expulsion from Dauntless and his joining the factionless is cut.

The Bureau of Genetic Welfare is an organization created by the U.S. government to monitor people with genetic damage in experiments. It has large facilities near major cities, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis.

David is the leader of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare’s experiment in Chicago. His goal is to cure the United States of genetic damage caused during the Purity War, a series of battles after an attempt to solve society’s main problems. He appears in the novel Allegiant as the main antagonist. David found 16-year-old Natalie, Tris’ mother, after she escaped her home and allowed her to become a test subject. He is secretly in love with Natalie, but she married Andrew Prior after arriving in Chicago. Tris initially sees David as kind after he lets her read Natalie’s journal. Later, Tris saves David’s life during an attack by Nita. As violence increases in the city and Allegiant prepares to fight the factionless, David decides to use memory serum to erase everyone’s memories and restart the experiments. He later shoots and kills Tris when she breaks into his lab to stop the experiments. Exposed to the serum, David loses his memories and is spared from being killed by Four after Tris’ death.

Jeff Daniels plays David in the film The Divergent Series: Allegiant, where he is the main antagonist. Due to the cancellation of the film franchise, his ultimate fate in the films is unknown.

Matthew lives in the Bureau of