James Moriarty

James Moriarty (played by Andrew Scott) is Sherlock’s infamous enemy and the only “consulting criminal” in the world. He is the ultimate villain of the show and is obsessed with Sherlock and the mental “game” that they play together. Their battles with each other come to a head in “The Reichenbach Fall” when Moriarty threatens to kill Sherlock’s three closest friends if he does not kill himself. Moriarty then proceeds to kill himself because as long as he is alive, Sherlock has a way out. This prompts Sherlock to fake his death and flee London in order to spend two years dismantling Moriarty’s criminal network. The name James is an English one meaning ‘supplanter’ and is a recurring one in the bible.