The Evolution of Hannibal Lecter

Absolutely nobody predicted at the time that Hannibal Lecter was destined to become a tragic figure when he initially stepped onto the cultural landscape in Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Even after achieving widespread exposure through his translation into a film character, few could have guessed this psychopathic cannibal would soon not only sear his presence in the collective consciousness of the world, but eventually stake a claim as some kind of tragic villain. Hannibal Lecter began life as a minor character in one of the earliest examples of what quickly became a subgenre unto itself: the serial killer thriller. Although Silence of the Lambs was a bestseller as a novel, however, Hannibal Lecter would have to wait until his second film appearance to truly become a timeless villain.