10 best characters from ‘You’
You (2018-2025) gave fans plenty of memorable characters to obsess over, with some good, some bad, and some so morally in between that they incite debates within the fandom. The story follows Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a seemingly normal bookstore owner in New York City, whose true self—murky, obsessive, and manipulative—reveals itself when he falls in love.
For five seasons, Joe finds and loses love, commits heinous crimes, and portrays a deep inner conflict that resonated with viewers. Through his sojourns in New York, Los Angeles, and London (where he escapes with a new identity), he meets, befriends, and antagonizes characters with their own storylines and unique personalities.
Here are 10 of the best characters from You, such as Forty Quin, Lady Phoebe, and Marienne Bellamy, among others.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer. The list is in no particular order. Spoilers ahead.
Forty, Phoebe, and other best characters from You
1) Forty Quinn (James Scully)
One of the most aggravating characters on You was Love Quinn's brother, Forty. His egocentric and arrogant attitude preceded him, adding plenty of drama and wit to the show's otherwise dark premise. His unpredictable demeanor made him a dangerous antagonist, but fans enjoyed the way Scully played on Forty's inner demons while acting unbothered on the surface.
His co-dependence and trauma bond with his sister, complicated relationship with his childhood, and his acid trips add up to make You season 2 a complex and interesting watch. Fans deemed his death premature and wished for more of his quirky personality throughout the series.
2) Lady Phoebe Borehall-Blaxworth (Tilly Keeper)
Season 4 of You took Joe across the oceans and to London, where he promptly befriended the society's elite. Lady Phoebe is introduced as his new love interest's friend. A wealthy social media influencer whose life initially seems untainted by trauma, Phoebe appears almost naively kind to everyone around her. But under the surface, things aren't going well for Phoebe. Her boyfriend Adam (whom she later marries) manipulates, berates, and controls her every move.
Later, her character also goes through a traumatic kidnapping, leading to a mental breakdown and hospitalization. What makes Phoebe one of the best characters in You is her ability to remain kind and graceful despite her circumstances. By the end of her storyline, she gets a happy ending, and fans see her teaching children in Asia, living her best life.
3) Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle)
Introduced as a whip-smart librarian with big hopes and dreams, Marienne becomes Joe's obsession in season 3 of You. She falls for his manipulation, trusting him with her tragic story of addiction, single motherhood, and artistic dreams. But what makes Marienne an interesting character is how she grapples with her feelings and the truth, often trying to snap out of Joe's charms.
Her storyline continues in season 4 when Joe finds her in London and locks her in a glass cage. With Nadia's help and her survival instinct, she fakes her own death and escapes Joe, coming back in season 5 to push Bronte, Joe's latest obsession, to break out of his abusive manipulation. Marienne is a pivotal character and a voice of reason within the You universe. Her non-judgmental attitude and her sensibility make her an interesting match for Joe.
4) Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant)
Sherry was introduced as a typical "momfluencer" in You season 3. Pretentious, over-the-top, and deeply insecure of other moms (especially Love), her character appeared to be a caricature of the helicopter mom trope. But through the course of the season, she provided much-needed comic relief, which surprised and delighted fans.
When Love locks Sherry and her husband Cary in a cage after they overhear her and Joe discuss Natalie's murder, the two dissolve into hilarious drivel, fighting with each other over the gunshot wound to the ear, Cary's feminism, and her rage. Even in a deeply disturbing moment, Grant managed to make fans laugh. The two manage to escape and becomes couples therapist, showing Sherry's street smarts.
5) Ethan Russell (Zach Cherry)
Although Ethan is a minor character who appears only in season 1 of You, he became a fan favorite for his sweet demeanor. As someone who worked closely with Joe at the bookstore and saw him every day, he remained oblivious to the protagonist's secret life.
Ethan represented a child-like innocence in a morally murky show like You, and Cherry portrayed him with a warmth and joy that made fans miss him in season 2. He returns briefly in season 5 to talk about his lack of problems with Joe, but his good-natured attitude comes through when he emphasises listening to Joe's victims.
6) Delilah Alves (Carmela Zumbado)
Season 2 also saw the introduction of Delilah, Joe's no-nonsense and headstrong new landlord and neighbor. Her tragic childhood, coupled with the sexual abuse inflicted on her as a teenager by Henderson, made her a steely person with deep distrust for men, including Joe.
Delilah's ability to convert her tragedy into a story of reclaiming power, by becoming an exposé writer, made her a memorable character on the show. Although she fell for Joe's charms and was ultimately murdered by Love, she stood her ground and tried to do right by herself and her 15-year-old sister Ellie (Jenna Ortega).
7) Rhys Montrose (Ed Speelers)
Rhys is a part of Joe's new friend group in London, the only one without a snobbish nepotism story. Although it is revealed that the Rhys fans see throughout season 4 of You wasn't the original one, but a part of Joe's multiple personality disorder, it created a riveting storyline for the audience.
Speelers portrays the dark side of Joe Goldberg with realistic edginess and theater. He embodies Joe's lack of a moral compass, taking pleasure in his victims' deaths, and becoming consumed by power. His character is also pivotal in Joe's acceptance of his deepest evils.
8) Will Bettelheim (Robin Lord Taylor)
The show portrayed mental health issues through its characters with great intensity, and Lord Taylor embodied Will's bipolar disorder in season 2. After Joe stole his carefully crafted identity and locked him up in the infamous cage, fans saw the character spiralling due to his lack of medication. Soon, the two became unlikely friends, and Will convinced Joe of his loyalty by helping him nab Henderson. He also praised Joe for his noble deeds (AKA murdering evil people), and was eventually released by Joe.
This showed that Will was smart with self-preservation skills, but was equally gullible to Joe's manipulation because a part of him truly believed Joe was a good person. He was an interesting in-between personality that upped the show's entertainment quotient.
9) Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti)
In season 2, Joe Goldberg met his match: Love Quinn, a chef and grocery store owner. But under the kind and intelligent exterior lay murky secrets, and Love turned out to be just as obsessive and manipulative as Joe, willing to commit serial murders just to keep him in her grasp.
Love added a riveting dimension to the show with her steely, ruthless exterior, shockingly manipulative personality, and happy-go-lucky attitude even while committing the most heinous crimes. Her unpredictability as the wicked, morally grey addition to seasons 2 and 3 made her one of the show's most sought-after characters.
10) Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley)
While Love was obsessive and lethal only because she was obsessed with Joe, Joe was only obsessed with the idea of love. He went to manic extremes to find the love of his life, often leading him to women he thought he could fix or save. This made him justify his actions, even if it meant killing them before moving on to his next conquest.
Joe Goldberg is one of the most morally complex characters in television history. Badgley portrays his cunning, manipulative, and angry tendencies with clever deftness, making fans question whether his motives were genuine and plausible. He grapples with evil and moral soundness, finally accepting his lack of principles by season 4.
Goldberg is the protagonist and a fan-favorite. His intense personality, combined with his shocking decisions, makes fans tune in just to see how far he is capable of going. He pushes the boundaries of love, obsession, and manipulation, becoming one of the most memorable characters on the show.
Fans can stream all seasons of You on Netflix.
