Entertainment Jigsaw: Every Saw Protagonist, Ranked | CBR

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The first Saw came out in 2004 and was a major success, especially for a low-budget horror movie. It made a lot of money, kept fans guessing, and was praised by most critics. The movie had a major twist at the end, which would set up the sequel nicely. As of 2021, there have been 8 Saw movies made and while they never topped the original, each one featured some fun twists and horrific violence.

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Spiral: From The Book of Saw hits theaters this week and is sure to bring more twists and violence. Chris Rock is producing the movie and will also star as the main protagonist, Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks. However, Saw movies aren't predictable and sometimes the hero is the villain or vice-versa. The protagonist is usually the hero of the film, but Saw has had a lot of unique characters, and being the hero is a matter of opinion.

10 Bobby Dagen - A Pretend Jigsaw Victim Who Still Meant Well​

Bobby Dagen was one of the main characters of Saw 3D and seemed to be charismatic and charming. Dagen, who was played by Sean Patrick Flaherty, was a supposed survivor of Jigsaw and profited from it, writing a survivor book and making media appearances to promote it. Later in the film, it is discovered that Bobby Dagen never survived one of Jigsaw's games. Due to his lies, Dagen is placed in a series of real games and fails to save anyone. Although he lied and pretended to be a victim, Bobby loved his wife and friends. He did everything he could, including piercing his pectoral muscles, to save them but lost each game.

9 Officer Daniel Rigg - One Of The Few True Heroes Of The Franchise​

Office Daniel Rigg played a small role in both Saw II and Saw III, however, he became the main character in Saw IV. Rigg was a SWAT officer and later worked with Detective Hoffman. Rigg was a passionate cop and would become very emotional if criminals weren't brought to justice. Rigg was also close to both Detective Allison Kerry and Eric Matthews, both of whom were killed in a Jigsaw trap. He loved his wife Tracy but she left him when he became obsessed with finding the killer. Rigg survives several games but is ultimately shot and bleeds out, right after discovering Hoffman was the culprit in Saw IV.

8 William Easton - Made Some Mistakes But Still Loved His Family​

William Easton was a senior vice president for a health insurance company in Saw VI. He meets John Kramer at a fundraiser for Kramer's wife Jill's medical clinic. Later, after John is diagnosed with cancer, he asks Easton's company to help pay for treatments in Norway. Easton says they can't help him, which leads to him being placed in a series of games by Jigsaw. He saves a few people during his tests, including his sister Pamela but is killed when a disgruntled son chooses revenge on William for denying his father health insurance benefits, who died because of it.

7 Agent Peter Strahm - Another Hero Cop Who Survived One Terrible Jigsaw Game​

Special Agent Peter Strahm was one of the main characters of both Saw IV and Saw V. Strahm and his partner, Lindsey Perez worked for the FBI and also worked closely with Detective Allison Kerry. They investigated her death and began working with Detective Hoffman. However, Agent Perez is thought to be killed and Strahm continues the investigation himself. He never trusts Hoffman and believes Jill Tuck, Jigsaw's wife, knows more than she tells him. Eventually, Strahm is placed in a glass cube filled with water but survives by piercing a hole in his neck. He finds out Hoffman is the new Jigsaw but unfortunately is outsmarted and dies, being crushed by two walls.

6 Jeff Denlon - A Father And Husband Who Went To All Lengths To Save His Family​

Jeff Denlon was the main player of Jigsaw's game in Saw III, but also makes appearances in Saw IV, V, and VI. He is the husband of Dr. Lynn Denlon, a surgeon who is captured and forced to operate on a dying John Kramer. Lynn and Jeff had two kids but lost their son when a drunk driver hit him. Jeff starts drinking heavily and his relationships with his wife and daughter become damaged.

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Jeff is captured and put into a game, where he faced the man who was responsible for killing his son. Jeff makes it to the end and finds Lynn, who was shot by Amanda Young. Lynn is still alive but Jeff kills Jigsaw, which sets off a timer on her neck collar and kills her. Eventually, Agent Strahm enters and shoots Jeff, who had gone crazy after Lynn's death.

5 Detective Eric Matthews - A Police Office Who Must Listen For His Son's Life​

Detective Eric Matthews (No... Not FEE-NEY!) was the main police officer in Saw II and would also play small roles in Saw III and Saw IV. In Saw II, Eric's son is captured and put into a house of horror by Jigsaw. Eric discovers Jigsaw, who asks him to sit down and talk with him for two hours. If Eric didn't then Jigsaw would set off the deadly gas in the house his son, Daniel, was in. Eventually, Eric is tricked by Jigsaw and his protege, Amanda Young, and is locked in the same room Adam and Dr. Gordon had been in. He is later revealed to be alive but is a part of Rigg's game in Saw IV, in which he is killed by two massive blocks of ice collapsing together onto his head.

4 Detective David Tapp - The First Real Good Cop In The Franchise​

Detective David Tapp, also known as "Bob", was the main police officer in the original Saw movie. After discovering victims of the "Jigsaw" killer, Tapp and his partner start investigating all possible suspects. One of them happens to be Dr. Gordon because they found his flashlight pen at the scene. Gordon's alibi holds up and is deemed innocent. Tapp has Jigsaw trapped but is forced to bring him down or save a man's life, which his partner does. However, Jigsaw slashes Tapp's neck and nearly kills him. Tapp is let go from the police department but still investigates the Jigsaw killer. He saves Dr. Gordon's wife and daughter from Zep, an orderly who worked for Jigsaw. Zep later kills Tapp when they're struggling over a gun.

3 Detective Allison Kerry - A Determined Cop Who Survived Longer Than Others​

Although she's never considered to be the main protagonist, Detective Allison Kerry plays important roles in Saw, Saw II, and Saw III. She works with Tapp in the first movie and is close with Eric Matthews in Saw II, in which it's discovered they had an affair. She, Matthews, and Rigg discover John Kramer is Jigsaw and have him captured, but he escapes when Matthews goes off on him.

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Eventually, Allison is abducted by Detective Hoff, unbeknownst to her, and is forced to play a game. She has a contraption hooked to her ribs and the only key is inside a vat of acid in front of her. She tries to get the key but her hands get burnt so badly and eventually time runs out, leading to her ribs being ripped out of her abdomen.

2 Dr. Lawrence Gordon - One Of Jigsaw's First Players Who Made A Triumphant Return​

Dr. Lawrence Gordon would bookend the original franchise, going from one of the first victims in Saw to ending up as one of the main heroes in Saw 3D. Due to real-life contract negotiations, Cary Elwes (who portrays Dr. Gordon) did not return for the Saw sequel, even though his character made it out of the room alive. Dr. Gordon is mentioned and referenced a few times in the franchise, but doesn't make a full return until Saw 3D. Dr. Gordon wasn't a perfect person but he loved his wife and daughter so much that he hacked off his foot so he could get to them. It's later revealed the Jigsaw found Dr. Gordon and helped heal his foot wound. When Hoffman gets out of control, Dr. Gordon appears to stop him and reveals that he had been working for John since he helped him in the original Saw.

1 John Kramer (Jigsaw) - A Villain Who Had A Code​

John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, isn't technically a hero, yet he punishes a lot of bad people during his "games". Of course, they probably didn't deserve to be put in such violent situations but Kramer did it to people who caused others pain. When John was diagnosed with cancer, he needed help so he had Amanda and Hoffman help him with the games. Amanda and Hoffman would end up going to lengths that even John wouldn't, which proved that John may have been a villain, but even he had a code and wanted these wrongdoers to learn from their mistakes.

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