James Moriarty from Sherlock. Screen image of an antihero

Moriarty - the villain of the end victorian era, the head of one of the most powerful criminal networks in all of Europe, looks more like a Presbyterian minister, ready to pronounce a blessing on any sinner than on someone who light hand sends people he dislikes to their forefathers.

Professor James Moriarty is the sworn enemy of Sherlock Holmes ( Sherlock Holmes), a brilliant criminal element whom the London detective calls the “Napoleon of the criminal world.” Arthur Conan Doyle himself uses this expression, referring to the real evil genius Adam Worth, who served as one of the prototypes for Moriarty.

In the original Holmesian, in the story "The Adventure of the Final Problem", Professor Moriarty, a villain of the late Victorian era, the head of one of the most influential networks criminals throughout Europe, falls along with the detective from a cliff. Sherlock believed that the crown of his work should have been the elimination of Moriarty, whose atrocities were poisoning society. However, readers, including Queen Victoria herself, were simply outraged that Moriarty dragged Sherlock to his grave. Doyle had no choice but to “resurrect” his beloved detective.

Moriarty is a vengeful, independent, charismatic and confident man who reveals the ruthless side of his personality whenever something sets him off. He respects Holmes's intelligence and says that for him it is a real intellectual pleasure to engage in battle with people of this level.

Characterizing your worst enemy, Sherlock calls James Moriarty a man of noble birth, with an excellent education and phenomenal mathematical abilities. It turns out that at the age of 21, Moriarty wrote a treatise on Newton’s binomial, which made him famous throughout Europe. He then received a chair in mathematics at a provincial university and, as the detective believes, could have reached even greater heights. However, the genius, in whose veins the blood of a criminal flows, due to his sick mind and hereditary tendency to cruelty, soon became the subject of dark rumors - and was forced to resign and move to London.

In the story “The Valley of Fear,” Moriarty is called the intriguer of all times, the organizer of all devilry and the brains of the criminal world, darkening the destinies of nations. And at the same time, Sherlock himself is amazed at how brilliant the tactics of his fierce enemy, who wrote “The Dynamics of an Asteroid,” an amazing book that not a single scientist dared to criticize, despite the tarnished reputation of the author himself. A defiled doctor and a slandered professor is Moriarty's guise, and Sherlock calls it a stroke of genius.

Wanting to reveal some details of the appearance of the "Napoleon of the criminal world", Conan Doyle describes a man with thin face, gray hair and stilted speech. The criminal is more like a Presbyterian priest, ready to give a blessing to any sinner, than one who lightly sends people he dislikes to their forefathers. Moriarty is the owner of untold wealth, carefully concealing his real financial situation. Sherlock believes that the professor's money is scattered across at least twenty bank accounts, and the main capital is hidden somewhere in France or Germany.

In the story "The Empty House", Holmes claims that Moriarty acquired a powerful pneumatic gun from a blind German master, a certain Mr. von Herder. Resembling a simple cane in appearance, this weapon fired revolver rounds over long distances and made almost no noise, making it ideal for taking sniper positions. When carrying out his dirty deeds, the villainous professor preferred to cause "accidents", be it the incident when Sherlock was almost killed by falling masonry or by a horse-drawn carriage rushing at breakneck speed.

Fans of the adventures of the London private investigation genius suggested that not only Adam Worth could serve as the prototype for Moriarty. Someone saw American astronomer Simon Newcomb in the fictional villain. This talented Harvard graduate, with a special knowledge of mathematics, became famous throughout the world even before Conan Doyle began to write his stories. Comparisons were also prompted by the fact that Newcombe had developed a reputation as an angry snob who tried to destroy the careers and reputations of his rivals in the scientific world.

Also came under suspicion Reverend Thomas Kay (Thomas Kay), mathematician and astronomer Carl Friedrich Gauss (Carl Friedrich Gauss) and Fenian John O'Connor Power. Finally, Conan Doyle is known to have used his former Stonyhurst College as inspiration when working out the details of Holmesian. Among the writer's peers in this educational institution there were two boys named Moriarty.

Together with dear moire_rebma we tried to figure out what happened on the roof and answer the question “how did he do it”, at the same time speculate about the accompanying moments. The material was compiled by me and posted with the permission of the co-author.

We will try as much as possible to follow the “objective camera”, what is shown by an impartial observer, and not pay attention to the events of the third season.

So, what do we know about our main negative character?

Jim Moriarty, professional programmer and professional criminal. He began his criminal “career” at the age of 13, having invented and carried out an unconventional murder of his abuser. Then Sherlock Holmes crossed his path for the first time.

Very smart, proactive and personable. At the time of the first season, he organized a business under the code name “criminal consulting agency.” He is 35 years old and clearly in the prime of his life and success. Circle of clients, money, power and respect in certain circles. It is very likely that by that time he had established a network of “subsidiaries” and established connections throughout the world.

But then the consulting detective gains power and little by little begins to destroy Moriarty’s reputation as an infallible “consultant.” It seems that Moriarty first decided to “test” the detective for professional suitability and use him for his own purposes, but Sherlock stubbornly continues to work on the side of the angels. As a result, Moriarty's clients no longer trust him, and the London branch's business begins to collapse. The case comes to court, Moriarty's name becomes known to the general public.

And also, it seems to me, there was an immediate threat to life (?) from unknown source, which presented him with the “last problem” - how to stay alive. Here we have to guess who could threaten Moriarty’s life: a competitor in the underworld (although Moriarty could have dealt with it himself), an offended client (too small) or official structures of other countries (this may turn out to be true, given his dealings with terrorists, and these serious guys are clearly not in the teeth of Moriarty)?

In general, the final problem and Moriarty’s motives for suicide can be interpreted in different ways; there is not enough data.

One way or another, Jim Moriarty had a reason to do what he did on the roof - to act out his own death from a pistol shot.

Moriarty decided to repay the enemy in kind - to destroy his reputation, destroy his favorite business and physically eliminate him. At the same time, Moriarty himself must remain alive. The best way disappear from the people threatening him - commit a fake suicide, as Irene Adler did, sit out somewhere and be resurrected at the right moment.

A plan is developed, as a result of which all the detective’s exploits turn out to be fabricated, the police no longer trust him, and the threat of killing his best friends forces him to commit suicide. At the same time, Moriarty’s hands are formally clean. He is not the murderer of Sherlock Holmes.

This plan also involves a fake suicide committed in front of Sherlock Holmes. However, Sherlock had to somehow play this role of witness, otherwise the idea would lose its meaning. The fact that Moriarty chose a crossbow in front of the brother of the head of MI6 leads to the idea that he wants to enlist the assistance of British intelligence in his “laying low.”

For the final conversation, Moriarty arranges a meeting on the roof, making sure that John is not present. He's clearly superfluous there. One more consideration. A doctor may reflexively jerk towards the victim... and quickly discover that something is wrong with the suicide. Sherlock's professional reactions are somewhat different.

Richard Brooke's presence on the roof is unlikely because this is a very serious conversation. For Moriarty to entrust his precious life to a stunt double?

We were hinted that Sherlock Holmes could have a double fabricated by Moriarty, and even keyword Sherrinford added fuel to the fire. However, for the same reasons, Sherlock must personally fight Moriarty for his life. The price is too high to count on a double, or it really must be a twin, not inferior in intelligence and knowledge to Sherlock (and who would not be a pity to kill: either terminally ill, or indebted to Sherlock for the rest of his life, or a criminal sentenced to death, just fantasy, not a series).

Was Mycroft involved? We don't know for sure, but the phone in Sherlock Holmes's hand during a conversation suggests that he is recording or transmitting the conversation. Rather, he writes it down. After Sherlock threw the phone away before jumping, it must have fallen into the hands of the police or intelligence service, of which Sherlock was an employee. high probability appeared. The phone may have other uses. Sherlock's phone will go to the first person to find Jim Moriarty's body (dead or alive). And for some time it will remain next to this body, working as a beacon. Whoever takes the body will also take the phone. We may have a repeat of the Jennifer Wilson phone story.

My co-author and I believe that the most likely option for rescuing Sherlock is to use the outside of the nearest mesh side of the truck. . This is a godsend moire_rebma , brilliantly substantiated in it. They didn’t say exactly who put it there. Perhaps Sherlock played it safe, and someone he knew was driving (alternatively, Molly found this truck and asked the driver from the hospital to stand until the jump took place, and then he immediately drove off). The co-author believes that the truck was an accident - too unreliable a means of rescue. The chances of error and death are too high.

I admit that the truck could have come from Moriarty. If he was going to use the resources of Mycroft Holmes, he could give his brother the opportunity to escape.

The co-author considers another option more likely. Jim made it clear to Mycroft about the impending crisis associated with the existence of a universal key code. And he promised not to use it (the key) in exchange for Mycroft’s non-interference in the relationship between Sherlock and Jim. That is, no matter what Jim did with Sherlock, Mycroft could not interfere. Neither he nor his people... Even conducting banal surveillance of Sherlock ("keeping a brotherly eye") was potentially dangerous. Mycroft betrayed Sherlock. Sold for a key. Because Jim offered him a choice: the safety of Sherlock or the safety of Britain. Bad choice for someone like Mycroft. That’s why the topic of brother’s betrayal arises later. And not even just once. Was Jim seeking some kind of protection and protection from Mycroft to avoid a threat from an unknown source? It is bad to build hypotheses without any basis. Jim is an independent and quite powerful person. Who could threaten him, so much so that he could not cope with it himself, and he went to the special services for help?

Everything leads to the fact that there was a personal fight between two geniuses on the roof, which does not exclude the presence of assistants. We know Sherlock's assistant - this is Molly. Jim's assistant is probably there too, and he is most likely observing the roof through binoculars or some other optical device (see the distortion of perspective in the first frames). Let's call him “Colonel Moran.” The presence of an assistant unknown to the viewer in Moriarty corresponds to the canon. Most likely, he calls Moriarty before the meeting, and then listens to the conversation on the phone in parallel with the observation.

During the dialogue on the roof, Jim says strange words:
“Here’s the way out! As long as I live, you can save your friends».
“As long as I’m alive, you can save your friends; you've got a way out."

Looks like this" suicide note" is the key to solving Jim Moriarty's fake suicide. He really wants to live, and found a way to ensure his survival. On the roof, he somehow saw that Sherlock was ready to do anything for his friends, although he stubbornly insists that he is not “essentially an angel.”

It sounds like a condition, blackmail, if you like, a business proposal, but immediately after these words Moriarty shot himself. And he didn’t even bother to see if Sherlock would fulfill the second half of the demand (Colonel Moran should be monitoring this). Apparently, it was much more important for him to solve his problem - Sherlock had to witness his “death” and convey this information to the right people(Mycroft) along with the threat.

When real death Moriarty, these words lose their meaning; they mean something if “the man who shot himself on the roof” wants to survive (stayingalive).

If there is Richard Brooke on the roof, who, like a living voice recorder, conveys Moriarty’s words (Moriarty had already done this move with John in the pool), then there is nothing to talk about. Richard Brooke shot himself for real, his body was presented as Moriarty's.

But what if Moriarty is on the roof?

This phrase means something like this: “I want to live, and your friends are hostages of the situation. I'm committing fake suicide, but you shouldn't stop me, you shouldn't put me at risk, and you should give me the opportunity to get off the roof alive."

And Sherlock doesn’t check Jim’s condition, he doesn’t even try to approach him, because he’s afraid that his actions might be misinterpreted by an observer: as an attempt to finish off his opponent. Sherlock, who understood this perfectly, makes the only atypical act in the series - he does not approach the “corpse” to examine it. Instead, he begins to fulfill the second condition for saving his friends - jumping from the roof.

He still has to jump, because Jim has the recall code, and Jim is not able to speak. Although you can argue with this - on the roof, Jim clearly says that he does not have a recall code. Apparently only “Colonel Moran” has it.

The role of “Colonel Moran” is very important. He is the coordinator of all snipers, he must give the go-ahead or, conversely, recall them all, he must help Moriarty come to his senses and take him off the roof. “Moran” had to act quickly before the police got to the roof, which means he was somewhere nearby, from where he could see the roof and what was happening on it. Maybe even filmed it.

The question arises - how did Jim do it?

The version with a sniper shooting into a bag of blood was previously criticized, and rightly so. A very risky option. The sniper may make a mistake, the wind may rise, the aim will be off, etc. Jim plays for sure.

Let's take a look at his weapons. It's real combat. Below is a description kindly provided by Samson.about.

The gun came into frame very clearly.

You can see with full confidence that he has one of the most popular pistols, Beretta 92FS and Inox, because the store was also illuminated in detail. This pistol, according to Wikipedia, is in service with the US Army.

You can see about the model.

By the way, Henry Knight has the same barrel.

I wrote earlier that a shot from military weapons at an angle, as we were shown, will lead to inevitable death, to severe injuries even in the case of a blank cartridge (a blow from a plastic cartridge plus a burn from powder gases). Shots from traumatic and pneumatic weapons will also be very dangerous.

However, this is a real Beretta, and Sherlock knows his way around guns. However, Jim has great opportunities, we remember that. The gun may come with a surprise, not what we think. This vaguely echoes canon, where a blind craftsman made a unique blowgun for Moran.

In “Etude...” we were shown that in this film there are surprise pistols.

An important circumstance is the absence of blood on the gun, which should be in such a situation. Considering how authentically the scene of Sherlock falling onto the pavement was staged, it is doubtful that they forgot to spray red paint on the gun.

So, this gun didn't fire, what happened then?

Three things need to be explained: a) where the blood came from, b) where the sound came from, c) what happened to Jim.

The blood could easily have been in the bag under the collar; when it hit the roof, the bag burst and blood spilled. The blood could be fake, or it could be real. Turning it in was a no-brainer for Jim if he wanted forensic support.

Indirectly, you can notice the absence of blood splashes on the roof, which inevitably should have been there. When Magnussen is shot, John turns away from them. When Moriarty shoots, the viewer sees a neat puddle and not a single drop next to it. This may mean something, or it may mean nothing. Conventional cinema, although spraying red paint from a spray bottle costs nothing.

It's easy to imitate noise. When you press the trigger, there could also be a noise effect: a sound-reproducing device is hidden somewhere, on which the sound of a shot of the required volume is recorded; it can be compact. Moreover, there is no particular need to deceive Sherlock.

Now about the “cartridge” that was in the pistol.

The conclusion is that the pistol contained a nerve gas dispenser. We even saw smoke (or a cloud of steam) coming out of the trunk.

We were shown that Jim had this substance. Moreover, he tested it on a Tower guard. He sprayed the guard with a spray can, knocked him out, waited for the automatic doors to close... and he had enough time to dance, and break a window, and put on a robe, and put on a crown, and wait for the police to arrive... And all this time the guard was lying on the floor. And he passed out immediately.

To return to life after the paralytic gas quickly and without consequences, Jim needed an antidote. The standard antidote for poison gases, for example, is atropine and afin, which are found in military first aid kits. I'm not saying Jim used chemical warfare agents. This could be some kind of special development.

The fact that he had a chemist/pharmacist on his team is hinted at by a photo of a rhododendron ponticus sent to Sherlock's phone by one of his homeless people. It seems that this plant can be used to make substances that induce sleep (in reality, this plant does not have such properties).

So, to summarize:

Moriarty, without hiding, fakes suicide in front of Sherlock, threatening to kill his friends if the information leaks.

- "Colonel Moran" monitors Moriarty and Sherlock through an optical device After Holmes jumped, he called off the snipers and went to the roof to help his boss come to his senses and disappear.

After the “suicide,” the Moriarty case is finally closed, all loose ends are tied up. No one is looking for the body, no one asks unnecessary questions. He himself lies at the bottom and waits for the moment to appear again. He probably manages his network through trusted persons.

Perhaps Mycroft should have declared in the appropriate circles that Moriarty was finished, and thereby support the legend. The co-author believes that Moriarty, fulfilling the principle of “divide and conquer,” did everything to ensure that the Holmes brothers acted separately. I probably agree with this. Who knows what Mycroft Holmes and James Moriarty agreed upon... What are the "relevant circles"? Variety. MI6 is foreign intelligence. Mycroft, in theory, has the ability to leak any information to any state and organization within it.

Sherlock uses the truck to find a way to jump off the roof. He remains alive, but is in a 1st or 2nd degree coma when paramedics arrive.

“You know what will happen if you don’t leave me alone, Sherlock.” Right?
- Ooh, you'll kill me. The riddle is easy.
- What are you talking about? Well, well... Not so primitive! I’ll kill, of course, but then someday.
(James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes)
It's not the fall that kills, Sherlock, it's the landing.
Oh, here we are... You and I, Sherlock. And our problem is last problem- how to stay alive!
Well, it's boring, I agree! So... Chronic!
Explanation of the quote: Moriarty to Holmes when he enters the roof.
In a world of closed doors, the one who has the key is king.
This is your weakness - you always want everything to be smart.
Privacy no longer exists. She belongs to me.
Every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain.
You need me, without me you are nothing. We are the same - you and me. Only you are boring. You're on the side of the angels.
Gratitude is meaningless - it is only a anticipation of future favors.

Data

In 1989, he killed Carl Powers for making fun of him. After the murder, he kept Powers' sneakers until he decided to meet with Sherlock, for which he planted them in apartment 221C on Baker Street.

Biography

Jim Moriarty- The main antagonist of the series. The world's first and only criminal consultant, as opposed to consulting detective Sherlock. Controls criminals like puppets - all the villains Sherlock met in the first season were in one way or another connected with the mysterious Moriarty. He respects Sherlock's abilities and considers him a worthy opponent, so he tries in every possible way to complicate his life.

In the series, he introduces himself by the name Jim, and Holmes calls him "the villainous consultant."

Jim Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, and like all criminal masterminds in TV series, he appears to be a crazy sadistic psychopath. But it contains a variety of human qualities: shrewd mind, ambitious, arrogant and self-confident. In some ways he is similar to Sherlock: his sense of humor is just as sarcastic and cynical. He enjoys playing the villain and contrasting himself with Sherlock Holmes, whom he admires and considers his equal.

Sherlock Holmes - main character stories, consulting detective using the “deductive method”.

Dr. Watson

Dr. Watson- friend, assistant and biographer.

Mycroft Holmes

Inspector Lestrade

Inspector Lestrade- Scotland Yard detective. Most often of the police detectives appears in Doyle's works about Holmes. In the series by Igor Maslennikov, the role of Lestrade was played by Borislav Brondukov.

Inspector Bradstreet

Inspector Bradstreet- Scotland Yard detective.

Stanley Hopkins

Stanley Hopkins- Scotland Yard detective.

Irene Adler

Irene Adler- a woman appearing in the story "A Scandal in Bohemia". She managed to unravel Holmes's plan when he entered her house under the guise of a beggar, and escaped. Holmes considered this case his defeat (despite the fact that he achieved his main goal), and about Irene Adler he said: “This woman.”

Tobias Gregson

Tobias Gregson- Inspector of Scotland Yard. Appears in the very first work about Holmes, “A Study in Scarlet.” Overall, Doyle makes Gregson seem more savvy than Lestrade. In the series by Igor Maslennikov, the role of Gregson was played by Igor Dmitriev.

Sebastian Moran

Sebastian Moran(born in , London) is the second most dangerous person in London after . Retired Colonel, former officer in Her Majesty's Indian Army. He served in the first Bangalore Engineer Regiment.

Son of Sir Augustus Moran, CBE, former British Minister to Persia. Graduated from Eton College and Oxford University. Participated in the Jowak, Afghan, Charasiab (diplomatic courier), Sherpur and Kabul campaigns.

Killed Sir Ronald Adair, attempted murder.

Professor Moriarty

James Moriarty the head of a powerful criminal organization. A genius of the criminal world.

He comes from a good family, received an excellent education and is naturally endowed with phenomenal mathematical abilities. When he was twenty-one, he wrote a treatise on Newton's binomial, which won him European fame. After this, he received a chair in mathematics at one of our provincial universities, and, in all likelihood, a brilliant future awaited him. But the blood of a criminal flows in his veins. He has a hereditary tendency towards cruelty. And his extraordinary mind not only does not moderate, but even strengthens this tendency and makes it even more dangerous. Dark rumors spread about him in the university town where he taught, and in the end he was forced to leave the department and move to London, where he began to prepare young people for the officer exam...

Mary Morstan

She first appears in the work “The Sign of Four”, as a client. Until the age of seventeen, she was brought up in a private boarding school in Edinburgh.

She was a very young girl, blonde, fragile, graceful, dressed with impeccable taste and wearing impeccably clean gloves. But in her clothing there was noticeable that modesty, if not simplicity, which suggests straitened circumstances. She was wearing a dress made of dark gray wool, without any trimmings, and a small hat of the same gray tone, which was slightly enlivened by a white feather on the side. Her face was pale, and her features were not distinguished by their regularity, but the expression of this face was sweet and inviting, and her large blue eyes shone with spirituality and kindness.