| NOTE: This article is about the version of him in the Netflix adaptation, and not the graphic novels. Therefore, none of his actions from the comics should be added. |
| “ | I don't expect you to [forgive me]. Dodge may have used me, but I still made my choices. I can't change what happened, but I am so sorry for that I did what I did. | „ |
| ~ Sam Lesser to Bode Locke. |
Sam Lesser is the secondary antagonist turned supporting heroic character in all three seasons of Locke & Key. He was a dreaded enemy to the Lockes until Dodge, his benefactor, stabbed him and he ended up trapped for eternity in the Ghost Door, where he reflected on his heinousness and redeemed himself by benevolently helping the Lockes fight against evil.
He is played by Thomas Mitchell Barnett and Ian Lake.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Heinous?[]
In General/Background[]
- Despite Locke & Key's hefty heinous standard, Sam Lesser has a body count while even Frederick Gideon only has an attempted body count, and he endangered hundreds of teenagers with one of the magical keys, which even Dodge didn't do.
- In the past, he got put in detention several times for problematic behavior in high school, this included desecrating a pig's dead body, which he never saw as wrong. Rendell also cited that he had a comparable incident a few days prior.
Season 1[]
- He makes an alliance with a demon, Dodge, to get the Head Key from the Locke family. Even if he just wanted her approval, it's hard to believe he had no idea the amoral entity had some kind of ulterior motive.
- He shoots Nina in the leg and murders Rendell in cold blood by shooting him in the chest. This causes huge distress for the Lockes and results in them moving into Keyhouse Manor. He tries to interrogate Kinsey Locke but Nina knocks him out cold.
- After getting the Matchstick Key from Gabe, he uses it to break out of prison. He sets the prison on fire and endangers dozens if not hundreds of inmates that were underage as he was for no discernable reason at all, all in spite of knowing many of them suffered in similar ways that he did.
- While one could argue that most of this is off-screen, he still painfully and sadistically murders a jail guard on-camera and is shown burning walls where people were obviously on the other side, presumably sleeping owing to the lateness of the hour, and as he walks away, the entire prison is briefly shown to be fully engulfed in flames. He also sadistically tells Nina Locke that "there was a small fire" when she asks him how he escaped to begin with.
- He holds Nina at gunpoint and ties up the Lockes whilst refusing to answer any of their questions. He even takes their cola in the hostage setting.
- When Tyler comes back home and tries to protect his family, he sets him on fire.
- He proceeds to use Bode as "collateral" against the others and condescendingly calls Nina a "spitfire". When he thinks Kinsey was trying to lead him to a concealed weapon of hers, he hugely implies he'll shoot them now.
- When Nina futilely stabs him in order to protect her family from him, he holds her at gunpoint a second time. Made worse is that Dodge has been stalling Tyler for hours so Sam could do all of this.
Season 2[]
- Wanting revenge for getting stabbed, he possesses Gabe and tries to make him stab his own host body (though Gabe kind of deserved this to a degree).
What Makes Him Inconsistent?[]
- He is too sympathetic to be PE or NPE, as he didn't have a relationship with his mother and he was mistreated, degraded, and even physically pummeled by his father for presumably his entire life and didn't have any real friends, and Dodge manipulated him to do evil and killed him when he fulfilled his use to her by retrieving the Head Key.
- He is also insecure since he always doubted himself and desperately wanted Dodge's approval after thinking Rendell Locke's was a lost cause, and he eventually told Chamberlin Locke that he didn't want credit for helping Kinsey Locke at all.
- While he wakes up fantasizing about killing Randy, this is completely justified because of his monstrosity against him and his defenseless sister.
- He is a textbook scapegoat because he is going to be stuck in the Lockes' backyard until the end of time all whilst shamefully feeling like he is supposedly a loathsome monster, which is far more than he deserves.
- He is genuinely affable to the Lockes despite formerly being their enemy, even having dinner with them and comforting Bode when he's trapped behind the Ghost Door. He also seems to have a genuine bond of friendship with Chamberlin.
- He loves his little sister sincerely and nothing indicates otherwise.
- He completely redeems himself by trying to stop Gabe his own way, guiding Kinsey to the Angel Key, trying to warn Kinsey that Dodge has returned via Timeshift Key, and helping out in the battle with Frederick Gideon, even killing one of his two right-hands after Dodge had killed the other one prior, showing that like her, he is not irredeemable and hence can never be PE or NPE as well as making him On & Off like she is. This plays a hefty role in saving the world from certain destruction by Gideon's malevolent hand. Chamberlin specifically states that he has done everything in his power to atone, and Kinsey correctly states that if Nephrophidae isn't beyond redemption, then neither is Sam.
Trivia[]
- Sam Lesser is one of two Locke & Key characters to be Inconsistently Heinous with the other being Eden Hawkins.
External Links[]
- Sam Lesser on the Villains Wiki
- Sam Lesser on the Locke & Key Wiki
