Category: Character Enneagrams

BIFF TANNEN, NULL

He’s our villain, or some version of his ancestral line is, throughout the trilogy. It’s only Old Biff in the second movie, the time traveler, who has any brains. Every other version of him is mean or subservient. Does he even have an Enneagram, or is he just a generic antagonist?

Actually, I think that’s our answer. Old Biff has a motivation: I want to change my destiny. He’s the only one who isn’t a cartoon. He has a fatherly patience with his younger self. Obviously he’s pretty smart. In just a few seconds he understands all the ramifications of time travel, as well as the motivations of Marty and Doc. That’s why he warns himself to look out for them in the future. A little too convenient? Do we believe that bully Biff can really become this wiser Biff? But then he leaves the almanac bag and his broken cane handle behind in the car, so how clever is he?

Nope, he’s still just a plot device. No Enneagram.

MARTY McFLY, ONE

He’s not a rule-follower or particularly organized. We know this by the amount of school tardy slips he’s racked up. He’s not chivalrous; he leaves his unconscious beloved unattended on a porch swing in a dicey neighborhood. He’s a loyal friend and well-liked by strangers. He’s fairly athletic, riding multiple iterations of a skateboard with ease. If it weren’t for the tardy thing I’d call him a One. He has a certain can-do attitude and a love of adventure that might indicate a Seven. His ability to charm the past and come out a winner, and his hatred of being unfairly labeled a “chicken”, suggests a Three. So, what have we got?

He’s not interested in how Doc invents things. He doesn’t chime in or brainstorm, or even try to understand. Not a Seven.

Besides being a time traveler, Marty really has no vocational plan. What did he like to do before Doc intervened? Drive a 4×4 is about it. Not a Three.

He’s a man who needs a mission, and when it’s given to him — save the past to save the future — he’s engaged and active. The tardies are a sign he’s drifting, looking for that motivating moment to come from outside himself and change his life. One.

DOC BROWN, TWO

The very first opening moments of the trilogy tell us Doc Brown’s Enneagram number. Look at all those clocks! He’s not just repairing or tinkering or inventing, he’s collecting. The filmmakers may have been winking at us about the theme of time in BttF, but they’ve also given us key information about Doc’s character. As a Caractacus Potts type, Doc could be a Seven or an Eight, but this collection indicates he’s a Two. 

When he goes into the future, what does he do? He looks up people he cares about — Marty — to see how they’re doing. When Future Marty is a mess, Doc ropes Current Marty into a time travel event in order to help him. Very Heart Type.

It’s possible this is what makes his love for Clara in the third movie so sweet. He’s been solely focused on science, and as a collector he’s had much to satisfy him. His friendship with Marty is dear to him and has sustained him. The way his heart opens to Clara, though, against his will even, is charming. How else do you make someone not classically handsome the hero of a love story? The filmmakers and Lloyd tapped into something hidden but essential in Doc. This twist — the last film is a romance! — works so well because he’s a Heart Type.

LITTLEFINGER (BOOK), ONE

He’s short, sly and manipulative. And he’s in charge of the money. One?

He likes secrets, holding them and sharing them. He likes knowing more than others. He likes messing with your mind. Sarcasm and deceit. Yet, I want to believe. I want to find something worthwhile in him. He’s an underdog, actually. We’re supposed to suspect him. He tells Ned not to trust him, yet he helps Ned in ways he could’ve ignored. It’s as if The Game is playing constantly in his head, pieces shifting, and he’ll attend to you and reality in his spare time. He may even watch the tokens move afterward, seeing the effect of his words.

When Ned asks his advice after Robert’s deadly injury he gives an excellent answer. He openly shares a treasonous idea. When it’s rejected, Littlefinger moves on. Open, then closed. He’s like a door. His honesty combined with practicality, and his dry wit, really say One. Also, his use of money, the purse, as a tool screams One. What about his ability to spin on a dime, to negotiate with Ned, and then stab him in the back? Much can be justified when a One believes they’re in the right. A One can be a flat-out villain and have no idea. They relentlessly pursue a worthy goal in their mind. How the rest of the world sees them is not only invisible, it’s unimportant.

TYWIN LANNISTER (BOOK), THREE

Before we see him we know that he or his men have killed the red-toothed tavern keeper. She was just a woman running an inn. What a shame, and I believe that’s what we’re supposed to feel at recognizing her corpse on the gibbet. Tywin is not nice.

Cool under pressure, Tywin is so focused. He never smiles. Problems thrown at him barely register. He intends to break Robb Stark, and then focus on Stannis. He is the most mentally and physically disciplined person in the story. Diplomacy and persuasion are as much a part of his arsenal as tactics and might. No wonder his children are, at least, intimidated by him and, at most, terrified.

His armor is described in great detail. It’s amazing! I wish they’d included it in the show. Gold, lions, rubies, a heavy cloak long enough to drape the horse’s hindquarters. You can see him glisten from afar. What kind of man indulges in something so practical and yet so artistic? When the battle is mostly won, Tywin rides forward, shiny and majestic, surrounded by banners and spears. It’s epic. The man knows showmanship.

However, he misjudges Robb’s tactics. He calls Robb green, which he is, and assumes Robb will act rashly, which he doesn’t. It’s a great, fist-rising moment of victory for the Starks. Does he guess wrong because his pride blinds him? Is he just unlucky on this day? Or is there something about the Starks — a leadership based on camaraderie rather than dominance — that a Lannister can’t understand?

Well, his success at everything suggests a Three. He’s got it all. An imp child would particularly cause such a man to feel shame. Cersei, a medieval-era woman with a ruthless mind and a willful ambition, would baffle and embarrass him. And Jaime, the golden lion who fights hard in whatever direction his father points him, would please Tywin most.

RENLY BARATHEON (BOOK), THREE

He’s quick, funny, and light-hearted. Honest. And he dresses well with no apologies.

Strike while the castle sleeps. Renly knows exactly what’s happening in the moment Robert dies and the branches of its outcome. Take the children and Cersei will cave. Of course, he’s correct.

I like Renly! He’s easy-going and not quick to feel aggrieved. His encampment is beautiful, lively, and fun. All who follow him are at a party, it seems. He enjoys fine things but doesn’t overindulge. He’s nice to everyone, high and low. My God, he’s such a Three. If Stannis hadn’t resorted to magic and trickery Renly would’ve ended up King. He was golden and unbeatable by normal means.

BRIENNE OF TARTH (BOOK), NINE

She wins the melee tournament, defeating Ser Loras at the end. She’s large, strong, a trained warrior, and ugly. Catelyn pities her for this, but even more for the look Brienne gives Renly when she asks to be named to his honor guard. Young. Naive. A heart to be broken.

It goes without saying that she’s a Body Type. She’s a medieval superhero. To fight this well, especially in an era when every social convention would contradict you, you must need it in your bones. This is a Nine. The strength and competency combined with her personal gentility are the key traits.

Brienne is a wonderful character, and it’s a shame to cut to the chase so soon, but her Enneagram number is easy to spot with only one chapter of information. I am distrustful of George R. R. Martin’s skill in writing women. I have found the main characters — Catelyn, Daenerys, Arya — contradictory and arbitrary at times. I’m going to peg Brienne here, mostly because I don’t trust the rest of the writing about her to be consistent. At this point, she’s very clear.

JOFFREY (BOOK), FOUR

He’s tall, handsome, and next in line to the throne. He’s got it all and he knows it. Why should he be nice?

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt at the beginning. He’s spoiled and privileged. That doesn’t mean he’s intrinsically awful. When he rides out with Sansa he shows her a lovely day in a beautiful countryside. It’s only with Arya that his dark side emerges. 

For a while he seems like a rich boy, petted and selfish. Underneath, though, is a liking for cruelty. He’s not that different from little Robert Arryn, the breastfeeding lordling. He wants to see people fly through his own version of the Moon Door just because he can.

Benefit of the doubt officially over.

He’s a monster, but here’s what’s interesting. When he becomes king he immediately behaves as a tyrant. There’s no warm-up, no testing the waters of power. It’s not politics for him. He just is this way. The only difference is that now no one can tell him to stop. Before this he seemed possibly juvenile. But he’s a sadist. He enjoys the pain.

He’s passive until the throne is brought to him by his father’s death. He doesn’t engage in politics and he makes no effort to learn. When he sits on the throne and rules, cruel whim informs his decisions. Law and justice mean nothing to him. He’s no Head Type.

And he’s no Body Type. Little Arya beats him up. Weapons training is not something he pursues with passion.

So, Heart. Two, Three, or Four?

He’s not clever. Sansa talks rings around him. So does The Hound. He’s not nice enough to be a Two and not successful enough to be a Three. (His mother got him the throne. And no one likes him there.) That leaves a nasty Four. That explains his ability to misdirect people with his prettiness. Smoke and mirrors.

STANNIS BARATHEON (BOOK), FOUR

Why did Stannis leave? He was going places — investigating? — with Jon Arryn before his death, and now Stannis has abandoned King’s Landing. Apparently he’s either too careful to succeed or he’s a coward. Also, he’s quite a prude and no one likes him. So there.

Seat Stannis on the throne and the realm will bleed.

My God, he’s bitter. He’s steeped in poison of his own thoughts. He’s a resentful person, envious of Renly. And Ned. Wow, is Stannis a horrible, small-minded tyrant. However, he’s not kind, he’s not successful, and he’s not witty. None of the Heart Types fit him.

One goes to Four in weakness. The WHAMming (What About Me?), the envy, are part of that slide. The obsession with rules and details are the One side. He’s petty and selfish, with none of the charm of either number. A turn toward Seven would be a strength move. You can see how if he considered his options — join with Renly, join with Winterfell — he would improve his chances. Instead he chooses the Red Woman, the occult, which narrows his odds even further. Why in the world did Ned consider this man a possible monarch? No bloodline is strong enough to make Stannis worthy.

BRAN STARK (BOOK), NINE

He’s young, and the chapters from his perspective reflect a child’s understanding and interests.

He’s a knight-stan. It’s logical that a youngster in a medieval era would love the warriors and know their names by heart. This child, though, is clearly a Body Type. He climbs because he must.

When he and Robb receive Sansa’s letter proclaiming Ned a traitor, Bran cuts to the chase: Sansa lost her wolf. If the children and their wolves share a bond, then Sansa’s was broken, she was broken, against her will. (Nymeria runs free with Arya’s permission.) What a great insight — and a glimpse of the wisdom Bran will have — as to why Sansa would weaken.

He has a chance to study as a Maester, a vocation he’d excel at, but turns it down. It has no magic, and that’s what he wants. He wants to fly. Again, Body Type. He wants to ride out like Robb and hear the cheering. It’s the image of trotting rather than accolades that moves him. More than his body is broken by the fall. His inner self, his connection to life as a Body Type, is broken. If that can be rebuilt it will take a while.

I don’t think he has the vitality of an Eight. Nine or One? He’s a natural diplomat with no love of accounting. Nine.