Characters of Peter Pan

The works of J. M. Barrie about Peter Pan feature many memorable characters. The numerous adaptations and sequels to those stories feature many of the same characters, and introduce new ones. Most of these strive for continuity with Barrie's work, developing a fairly consistent cast of characters living in Neverland and the real-world settings of Barrie's stories.

Major publications and films

Further information: List of works based on Peter Pan

This article covers the characters appearing in the canonical works of Barrie, the official books and plays, the major motion pictures and television series based on them, and the major prequels/sequels (authorised and not):

• The Little White Bird or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (novel) - PPKG
• Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (play) - PLAY
• Peter and Wendy (novel) - P&W
• Peter Pan (1924 film) - 1924
• Peter Pan (1953 film) - 1953
• Peter Pan and the Pirates - 1990
• Hook (film) - 1991
• Return to Never Land (film) - RNL
• Peter Pan (2003 film) - 2003
• Peter Pan in Scarlet (novel) - PPS
• Peter and the Starcatchers (novel) - P&SC
• Peter and the Shadow Thieves (novel) - P&ST
• Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (novel) - P&SR
• Peter and the Sword of Mercy (novel) - P&SM
• Neverland (TV miniseries) - 2011
• Jake and the Never Land Pirates

Characters from J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

Further information: Neverland § Inhabitants

Peter's Gang

Peter Pan

Main article: Peter Pan

Peter egg is a boy who refuses to grow up. He can fly, and has an apparently unique connection to the magical realm of Neverland.

The Lost Boys

Main article: Lost Boys (Peter Pan)

The Lost Boys are a gang of boys who fell out of their prams and were not claimed by their parents, so they were sent to Neverland. There have been many Lost Boys over the years, although the better known are Tootles, Nibs, Curly, Slightly, and The Twins, who all appear in the original story. Additional or different Lost Boys appear in sequels, prequels and adaptations.

The Pirates

Captain Hook

Main article: Captain Hook

Captain Hook is a pirate, and Peter Pan's archenemy. He is determined to get revenge on Peter for cutting off his right hand and feeding it to a crocodile.

Pirate Crewmen

• Mr. Smee: the Irish bo'sun, the only non-conformist in Hook's crew.
• Gentleman Starkey: once an usher in a school.
• Bill Jukes: used to be on the Walrus under Flint, and is heavily tattooed.
• Cecco: a very handsome Italian fellow, who was said to have "cut his name in letters of blood on the back of the governor of the prison at Gao".
• Cookson: he is said to be Black Murphy's brother ("but this was never proved").
• Noodler: Not much is known about him, except for the fact that his hands are fixed on backwards.
• Skylights (Morgan's Skylights).
• Black Murphy: J.M. Barrie only states that he is gigantic and has had many names that still terrify children on the banks of the Guadjo-mo.
• Alf Mason
• Robert Mullins
• George Scourie
• Charles Turely
• Foggerty: an Alsatian

The Fairies

• Tinker Bell is a tinker fairy, and a companion to Peter Pan at the time of his adventures with Wendy Darling. Tink follows Peter but is very jealous of Wendy and Tiger Lily, and wants to get rid of them so she can have Peter to herself. In the original play she is represented by a darting light and voiced by a tinkling bell.

• Queen Mab: the queen of the fairies who live in Kensington Gardens and who teaches Peter Pan to fly, in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

The Darling family

Main article: Wendy Darling

• Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a girl who is befriended by Peter Pan and who flies with him to Neverland to be a mother for himself and the Lost Boys.

• John Napoleon Darling is the second youngest of the Darling children. He is named after Jack Llewelyn Davies.

• Michael Nicholas Darling is the youngest of the three children in the Darling family. In an early draft of the play, the character's name was "Alexander" or "Alex", but was renamed after Michael Llewelyn Davies and his middle name came from Nicholas Llewelyn Davies, who were both born during the play's development.

• George Darling: the father of Wendy, Michael, and John. He is a bank/office worker and is named after George Llewelyn Davies.

• Mary Darling: the mother of Wendy, John and Michael, and wife of George Darling. She is named after Mary Ansell, Barrie's wife.

• Nana: the Newfoundland nurse of Wendy, John, and Michael, hired by the Darlings to look after the children.

• Jane: (last name is not given) the daughter of Wendy Darling and appears briefly in Barrie's An Afterthought and the final chapter of Peter and Wendy.

• Margaret: Jane's daughter. She is mentioned at the end of Peter Pan as the one who will go back to Neverland with Peter for spring cleaning.

• Liza: the maid in the Darling household.

Native Americans

• Great Big Little Panther: the Chief of the Picaninny tribe and the father of Tiger Lily.

1907 illustration by Oliver Herford.

• Tiger Lily: the chief's daughter, often described as a princess, who is captured by the Pirates and left to drown on Marooners' Rock, and rescued by Peter Pan.

Other Neverland residents

• Crocodile (Tick-Tock in the Disney movie): the crocodile is Hook's other nemesis, and the only thing which he fears. It ate Hook's hand when Peter cut it from him in battle, and longs for the rest of him. Thanks to the crocodile subsequently swallowing a clock, Hook is made aware of the creature's approach by the ticking. In Peter and Wendy, the crocodile is briefly referred to by the feminine pronoun "she", a point overlooked in subsequent adaptations.

• Mermaids are young women, half human and half fish; they live in the sea but are often seen in the Mermaids' Lagoon. They're vain and care for their looks and good appearance. They enjoy playing, joking and having fun and collecting items from the land (as seen in Peter Pan and the Pirates). They can be dangerous creatures. They dislike all humans (except Peter Pan) and are jealous of Wendy, as Peter likes her better than them, as one mermaid tries to pull Wendy into the water when she is stranded on Marooners' Rock.

Other characters

• Maimie Mannering : a little girl who is helped and befriended by Peter Pan in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens when she stays behind in the Gardens after Lock Out time. Peter even proposes marriage to Maimie. While Maimie wants to stay in the Gardens with Peter, she comes to realise that her mother is very worried about her so she must return. She promises to always remember Peter and goes back to her mother. When she grows up, she continues to think of Peter, dedicating presents and letters to him. To remember Maimie, Peter rides the imaginary goat that Maimie created for him. Maimie is considered to be the literary predecessor of Wendy Darling.

Characters in Steven Spielberg's Hook

The Banning family

• Peter Banning is Peter Pan, grown up. When he fell in love with Moira, he abandoned his eternal youth. He was adopted by an American couple named Hank and Jane Banning, and forgot about his life as Peter Pan. He is played by Robin Williams.

• Moira Banning - Moira is Wendy Darling's granddaughter and Peter Banning's wife. It is possible that she is the sister of Margaret, Wendy's granddaughter in Barrie's original story. She is played by Caroline Goodall.

• Jack Banning - Jack is Peter and Moira Banning's son and Maggie's older brother. Nearing his teen years, Jack is often frustrated by his father's repeated broken promises and absences that he turns towards Hook for a father figure. However after watching Rufio die, he turns his back on Hook and regains his trust in Peter. Jack is played by Charlie Korsmo.

• Maggie Banning - Maggie is Peter and Moira Banning's daughter and Jack's younger sister. Sweet and imaginative, she is captivated by stories of Peter Pan. Maggie is the only one who retains faith in Peter and mistrusted Hook. When she learns that her father is the famous Peter Pan, Maggie accepts him and tells Hook off that he's the one who needs a mother to straighten up his bad attitude. She is played by Amber Scott.

Characters in Disney's Return to Neverland

• Wendy's daughter Jane is portrayed as a cynical, no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl who refuses to believe her mother's stories about Peter Pan or in anything else for that matter. In fact, unlike Wendy, she is not interested in playing "mother" for the Lost Boys and spends most of her time in Neverland just wanting to leave. Jane was forced to grow up as quickly as she did, losing both her faith and in effect her childhood, due to living in London during the Blitz. In the movie, she is mistaken for her mother by Captain Hook, who kidnaps her in a scheme to get Peter. Overtime, Jane begins to open up to the wonders of Neverland, but still didn't believe in fairies. This lead to Peter mistrusting her to the point that he believed she was helping Hook and exiles her. Realizing her misbelief has killed Tinker Bell, Jane rushes back to the Lost Boys home to apologize. Her newfound belief in fairies, brings Tinker Bell back to life and they rescue Peter and the Lost Boys. Once returning home to England, Jane apologizes to Wendy for how she behaved and renews her faith in her childhood.

• Danny: Danny is Jane's little brother. He believes entirely in his mother's stories about Peter Pan and is very similar to his uncle Michael (from the original Disney film adaptation), even to wearing footed-pajamas.

• Edward: Edward is Wendy's husband and the father of Jane and Danny. He is called to serve in the British army during World War II, and returns at the end of the film. He is depicted as a warm and caring man.

• Nana II: a St. Bernard owned by Jane's family who could be a descendant of the original Nana.

Characters in Peter and the Starcatchers series

The Aster family

• Molly Aster is one of the main characters of the four Starcatchers novels. She has striking green eyes and golden brown hair. She is the daughter of famous Starcatcher Leonard Aster and his wife, Louise Aster, and is therefore a Starcatcher by blood and very wealthy. She is very headstrong and stubborn. She constantly squabbles with friends and even her father, whom she respects and admires. She is also very brave and thoughtful, and seems to have a good grasp on her inherited Starcatcher powers. She wears a locket filled with Starstuff at all times.

She has a romantic attraction to both Peter and young George Darling. She and Peter catch each other's eye almost immediately after boarding the ship The Never Land but his decision to stay on Mollusk Island at the end of P&SC and the arrival of George in Peter and the Shadow Thieves, combined with the fact that she is growing older while he is not, complicates her feelings for him. In Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, she and Peter have many arguments, though they part on good terms (with their mutual first kiss, the book states it was the kiss that they will both carry for the rest of their lives in their minds) and she makes him promise to visit her, he replies "Someday" (This kiss is often seen as an allusion to the "hidden kiss" that both Wendy and Mary Darling have in J.M. Barrie's original Peter and Wendy). Her feelings toward her childhood friend George grow warmer after she calls on him for help in Peter and the Shadow Thieves. She responds to George's maturity compared to Peter, and treats him with greater respect.

Her relationships with Peter, George Darling, Tinker Bell, and the mermaids are all consistent with her being Wendy's mother, a conclusion hinted at but not confirmed until the fourth book, Peter and the Sword of Mercy. She is called "Molly" rather than "Mary", but "Molly" is a traditional nickname for "Mary".

• Leonard and Louise Aster: Molly Aster's parents. Leonard is an ambassador for the Queen to Rudoon. In Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Louise is taken captive by the Others.

Tribes

• Mollusk Tribe: a tribe of Native Americans in the Starcatcher books.
  • Fighting Prawn: Chief of The Mollusk Tribe that live on Peter's Island.
• Scorpion Tribe: a dangerous group in Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, who use poison as their main weapon and are the most feared tribe of them all.

Other characters

• Lord Ombra: a shadow creature from Peter and the Shadow Thieves.
• Captain Nerezza: a cruel captain lacking a nose who is often employed by the "Others".
• King Zarboff III - The King of Rundoon and one of the "Others".
• Mr. Grempkin: second in Command at St. Norbert's Home For Wayward Boys.
• The Headmaster's Daughter: an awful girl who likes to drop spiders on the boy's heads.
• Prentiss: a new boy at St. Norbert's.
• James: a boy closer to Peter then any other at St. Norbert's. In Sword of Mercy, he becomes James Smith and works for Scotland Yard
• Tubby Ted: a boy who is always hungry.
• Thomas: a boy from St. Norbert's.
• William Slank: an evil man who was second in command on the ship known as "The Never Land". He is presumed dead after Peter and the Shadow Thieves.
• Little Richard: a huge giant of a man who is very handy with a whip. He is eaten alive by Slank so that he could live.
• Mr. Grin: the crocodile.

Characters in Peter Pan in Scarlet

• Fireflyer: A silly blue fairy born out of a baby's first laugh. Like most fairies he's conceited and self-centered, but he's a devoted friend to the lost boy Slightly.
• Ravello: a mysterious circus owner who is revealed to be Captain Hook.

Characters in Peter Pan and the Pirates

• Hard-to-Hit: the prince of the tribe of Native Americans living on the island of Neverland, Great Big Little Panther's son and Tiger Lily's younger brother. He is voiced by Michael Wise.
• Girl in the Moon: a girl who is responsible for bringing the night by replacing the sun that appears during the day with the moon at the normal time.
• King Kyros: the Ice King of Neverland whoowns a giant ice cave and has elves as his subworkers. Peter entered into conflict with the king when he entered the king's home without permission and took away a crystal claiming it as his own.
• Crooked Tail: a mermaid who was once beautiful, but conceited and haughty until a potion meant to enhance her beauty went horribly awry and turned her into a green-skinned hag. She helped Peter Pan rescue Wendy from two mermaids who tried to turn Wendy into a mermaid.

Characters in Disney Fairies franchise

Main article: Disney Fairies

• Fawn (America Ferrera and Angela Bartys) an animal-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with an orange and brown dress, orange-yellow curl shoes, fair skin, light freckles, braided light brown hair, amber eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.
• Iridessa (Raven-Symoné) is a light-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a sunflower petal dress, yellow shoes, dark brown skin, black hair in a round up-do, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.
• Queen Clarion (Anjelica Huston) is the queen of Pixie Hollow. She is slender and taller than hand-size with a light shimmering long yellow dress, a light golden shimmering large yellow butterfly shaped wings, tiaras for different occasions, fair skin, blue eyes, and light brown hair in an up-do style.
• Periwinkle (Lucy Hale) is a frost-talent fairy. She is Tinker Bell’s fraternal twin sister born of the same baby's first laugh and match. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with fair skin, ice-blue eyes, snow white hair, pink blushing cheeks, and pointy ears and wears an aqua strapless dress that shimmers like ice and aqua blue-colored shoes with white puffs on her toes and has clear sparkly fairy wings on her back, which are identical to Tinker Bell's.
• Rosetta (Kristin Chenoweth and Megan Hilty) is a garden-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a rose petal dress in three shades of pink, fair skin, red shoes, shoulder-length auburn hair with curled ends, dark green eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.
• Silvermist (Lucy Liu) is a water-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a dark blue-green lily single-strapped dress, blue shoes, fair skin, long loose black hair, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.
• Terence (Jesse McCartney) is a pixie dust "sparrow man" of French-Celtic descent. He has a big crush on Tinker Bell, and is also her best friend. He is small, slender, and hand-sized with blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and pointy ears and wears an acorn top hat.
• Vidia (Pamela Adlon) is a fast-flying-talent fairy. She has black ponytailed hair, gray eyes, pointy ears, fair skin and wears a purple vest with pink feathers, pants and black ballet shoes and has clear wings on her back.

Gwendolyn Carlisle

Gwendolyn Jane Mary Darling Carlisle is a human girl whom Peter Pan brings to Never Land, and a descendant of Wendy Darling. She lives with her parents and grandmother in the same house that Wendy had lived in so long ago. When she is nervous she hiccups this usually will go away if she holds her kiss necklace.

In Fairies and the Quest for NeverLand, Gwendolyn receives the precious kiss necklace, the same one that Wendy gave to Peter Pan many, many years ago, from her parents on her 7th birthday. A year later Peter comes to take her away to Neverland. Gwendolyn requests to visit Pixie Hollow and meet the fairies. However, when she goes there, nothing turns out as planned. The evil dragon Kyto has been imprisoned in a cave for many years. But now he has escaped and plans to destroy Never Land. Gwendolyn tries to help the fairies on their quest to save Neverland, but she keeps on making it harder. In the end, though, she plays a part in the island's future.

Characters in Neverland

• Aaya is Tiger Lily in the 2011 miniseries Neverland.
• Kaw Tribe: the tribe in the 2011 miniseries Neverland.
• Captain Elizabeth Bonny was the previous captain of the pirate ship in the 2011 miniseries Neverland.

Characters from other works

• Mohican tribe: a tribe in the 2003 film adaptation.

External links

Characters of Peter Pan at Neverpedia