scorecardA quick guide to every major character in 'Dark'
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A quick guide to every major character in 'Dark'

Kim Renfro   

A quick guide to every major character in 'Dark'
Claudia in 1953, 1986, and 2019.Netflix
  • Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two of Netflix's "Dark."
  • "Dark" spans multiple decades and follows time-traveling characters who age throughout the show.
  • We've gathered a list of the main characters, along with photos of them as children, adults, and in old-age, to help people track them throughout all three seasons.

Netflix's German sci-fi series "Dark" has a sprawling cast of characters, many of whom appear as young children, middle-aged adults, and then as seniors. To help viewers track the many names and faces, we've created a guide to all the biggest characters you should know.

We went as light on spoilers as possible, but below you'll find the names and faces of all the major characters from the first two seasons, and how they're related to each other.

The following guide is designed people who have already watched season two of "Dark."

Jonas Kahnwald, also known as "Adam" and "The Stranger"

Jonas Kahnwald, also known as "Adam" and "The Stranger"
Jonas in 2019, 33 years later, and in an unknown year.      Netflix

Jonas is one of the main protagonists in "Dark." We first meet him as a teenager living in Winden, Germany, and follow him as he starts time-traveling. His middle-aged self is referred to as "The Stranger," while his older self (whose face is heavily scarred) goes by "Adam."

Hannah Kahnwald, neé Krüger

Hannah's maiden name is Krüger. She's first introduced in "Dark" as Jonas' mother, living and working in Winden in 2019. But in flashbacks to 1986, we see more of the younger Hannah. 

Michael Kahnwald, also known as Mikkel Nielsen

Michael Kahnwald, also known as Mikkel Nielsen
Mikkel in 2019 and 2019.      Netflix

Mikkel Nielsen, the son of Urlich and Katharina, goes missing in the first episode of "Dark." It turns out that he time-traveled to 1986, and got stuck there. He's adopted by Ines Kahnwald, and changes his name to Michael. He grew up, married Hannah, and eventually fathered Jonas.

Ines Kahnwald

Ines Kahnwald
Ines in 1953,1986, and 2019.      Netflix

Ines Kahnwald is the adopted mother of Mikkel, and Jonas' grandmother. We first meet her in 2019, when she's much older. Throughout the first season, we see Ines working at the Winden hospital in 1986, and as a young girl in 1953.

Daniel Kahnwald

Daniel Kahnwald
Daniel Kahnwald in 1953.      Netflix

Daniel Kahnwald is Ines' father, and Jonas' great-grandfather. He first appears in season one, when we see Egon Tiedemann working with Daniel at the Winden police department in 1953.

Urlich Nielsen

Urlich Nielsen
Urlich in 1986, 2019, and 1986 again.      Netflix

Urlich is Mikkel's father. We first meet him when he's middle-aged and having an affair with Hannah Kahnwald. In flashbacks to 1986, we see Urlich as a teenager.

In the course of season one, Urlich travels from 2019 back to 1953 and winds up imprisoned. Thanks to his time spent in jail and institutions, Urlich ages into an old man by 1986.

Katharina Nielsen (neé Albers)

Katharina Nielsen (neé Albers)
Katharina in 1986 and 2019.      Netflix

Katharina's maiden name is Albers, but she's known primarily as Urlich's wife, Katharina Nielsen. She dated Urlich in high school, as we saw in the 1986 flashbacks.

Katharina is Mikkel's mother, and also mother to two other teens: Martha and Magnus.

Martha Nielsen

Martha Nielsen
Season One, Episode Two: "Lies"      Netflix

Martha, the only daughter of Urlich and Katharina, goes to high school with Jonas. She and Jonas have had a tumultuous romantic relationship, soured by his realization in the first season that she's technically his aunt.

Manus Nielsen

Manus Nielsen
Magnus in 2019 and in an unknown year.      Netflix

Magnus is Martha and Mikkel's brother, and the third child of Katharina and Ulrich. We saw him as an adult for brief scenes in season two, though most of his storyline has taken place in 2019 with him as a teenager.

Jana Nielsen

Jana Nielsen
Jana in 1953, 1986, and 2019.      Netflix

Jana (her maiden name is unknown) is Ulrich's mother. We first saw her as an old woman living in 2019, but also got flashbacks to her life in 1986 when she was grieving her other son, Mads, after he vanished. She was also friends with young Ines Kahnwald in 1953.

Tronte Nielsen

Tronte Nielsen
Tronte in 1953, 1986, and 2019.      Netflix

Tronte is Jana's husband, and Urlich's grandfather. He moved to Winden in 1953 as a young boy. Though he eventually married Jana, Tronte has a long history with another woman: Claudia Tiedemann. The two of them were having an affair in 1986. In 2019, Tronte learned about time travel for the first time.

Agnes Nielsen

Agnes Nielsen
Agnes Nielsen in 1953.      Netflix

Agnes is Tronte's mother. She moved to Winden in 1953, and started renting a room with the Tiedemann family. Agnes had a romantic relationship with Doris Tiedemann (who we'll introduce in a bit).

Noah, also known as Hanno Tauber

Noah, also known as Hanno Tauber
Noah in 1921 and 1986.      Netflix

Noah is Agnes' brother. He often works as a priest at the St. Christopher's Church in Winden, and travels through time in his middle age, making him appear almost immortal as he pops up in 1953, 1986, and 2019.

Claudia Tiedemann

Claudia Tiedemann
Claudia in 1953, 1986, and 2019.      Netflix

Claudia Tiedemann is the primary person, aside from Jonas/Adam, who is leading a faction of people attempting to control time travel. We first met Claudia in her middle age in 1986, and saw how she first befriended Tronte in 1953. As an old woman, Claudia time travels frequently.

Gretchen the Poodle

Gretchen the Poodle
Gretchen in 1953.      Netflix

Claudia's dog, Gretchen, is also a time traveler. She went missing in 1953 after running into the Winden caves, and emerged in 1986 to run into the arms of a much-older Claudia.

Regina Tiedemann

Regina Tiedemann
Regina in 1986 and in 2019.      Netflix

Regina is Claudia's daughter. Her father is unknown. We first met Regina in 2019, when she was middle-aged and running a local Winden hotel. In 1986, Regina was a shy and anxious teenager until she met Boris/Aleksander.

Aleksander Tiedemann, also known as Boris Niewald

Aleksander Tiedemann, also known as Boris Niewald
Aleksander in 1986 and 2019.      Netflix

Aleksander first arrived in Winden in 1986, under mysterious circumstances. He quickly befriended Regina, and eventually they got married. Aleksander's real name is Boris Niewald, but as a teenager he stole the real Aleksander Kohler's identity, and eventually took Regina's last name when they were married.

Bartosz Tiedemann

Bartosz Tiedemann
Bartosz in 2019.      Netflix

Bartosz is Regina and Aleksander's only child. Like Martha, we met Bartosz in 2019 as a teenager and have yet to see him at any other stage in his life. He and Martha were also a couple, but that relationship got complicated in the course of the first season when Martha and Jonas reconnected.

Egon Tiedemann

Egon Tiedemann
Egon in 1953 and 1986.      Netflix

Egon is Claudia's father, and Regina's grandfather. He was a police officer in Winden, and oversaw important missing-persons cases in both 1953 and 2019.

Doris Tiedemann

Doris Tiedemann
Doris Tiedemann in 1953.      Netflix

Doris is Egon's wife (her maiden name is unknown) and Claudia's mother. Doris and Agnes Nielsen started a romantic affair in 1953.

H.G. Tannhaus

H.G. Tannhaus
H.G. Tannhaus in 1953 and 1986.      Netflix

Tannhaus is a clockmaker who owns a small shop in Winden in 1953, and later in 1986. He is the author of a book called "A Journey Through Time," and has helped Jonas and Claudia at various points with time travel.

Charlotte Doppler

Charlotte Doppler
Charlotte in 1986 and 2019.      Netflix

Charlotte is Tannhaus' adopted granddaughter who was a teenager in 1986 and an adult working at the police station in 2019. At the end of season two, we learned that Charlotte is the daughter of Noah and Elisabeth — Charlotte's own daughter (a confusing paradox, we know).

Elisabeth Doppler

Elisabeth Doppler
Elisabeth in 2019 and 2052.      Netflix

Elisabeth is the daughter of Charlotte and Peter Doppler. She's a young girl in 2019, and we later see her alive and now-adult in 2052.

Elisabeth became romantically involved with Noah (presumably after Noah traveled to 2019 as a younger man), and they eventually had baby Charlotte. But baby Charlotte was taken back in time, and left in 1986. So Charlotte grew up and gave birth to Elisabeth, closing the loop.

Franziska Doppler

Franziska Doppler
Franziska in 2019 and in an unknown year.      Netflix

Franziska is Elisabeth's sister, and the second child of Charlotte and Peter. We first meet her in 2019, when she's a teenager and romantically involved with Magnus Nielsen. Later Franziska is shown as an adult, working with Adam alongside grown-up Magnus.

Peter Doppler

Peter Doppler
Peter Doppler in 2019.      Netflix

Peter is Charlotte's husband, and works as a therapist in Winden. Peter is another one of the rare characters we've only seen at a single stage in his life (as an adult in 2019).

Helge Doppler

Helge Doppler
Helge in 1953, 1986, and 2019.      Netflix

Helge is Peter's father. He was attacked by Urlich as a young boy, and has scarring on one side of his face and ear. Helge was a child in 1953, a grown man working for Claudia in 1986, and elderly in 2019.

Bernd Doppler

Bernd Doppler
Bernd Doppler in 1953 and 1986.      Netflix

Bernd is Helge's alleged father, and Peter's grandfather. He is the founder of the nuclear power plant in Winden, Germany, which is a central part of the time travel and devastation that has plagued Winden.

Greta Doppler

Greta Doppler
Greta Doppler in 1953.      Netflix

Greta is Helge's mother. In season one, we saw her confessing to Noah (her priest) that she worried Helge was not Bernd's son, but instead born after she was violently assaulted.

Torben Wöller

Torben Wöller
Torben Woller in 2019.      Netflix

Torben is another police officer working in Winden in 2019. He's the subordinate of both Urlich and Charlotte, and wears an eyepatch due to an unknown injury. He occasionally does covert work for Aleksander Tiedemann.

Bernadette Wöller

Bernadette Wöller
Bernadette in season one of "Dark."      Netflix

Bernadette is a transgender sex worker, and Torben's sister. She works at a truck stop just outside Winden.

Jürgen Obendorf

Jürgen Obendorf
Jurgen Obendorf in 2019.      Netflix

Jürgen Obendorf is another adult living in Winden in 2019. He also does secretive work for Aleksander, who is running the nuclear power plant in 2019. His son, Erik, was one of the boys who went missing at the start of season one.

Erik Obendorf

Erik Obendorf
Erik Obendorf in the bunker in 1986.      Netflix

Erik is missing at the start of "Dark" season one. He was kidnapped and taken into a bunker in the year 1986, where Noah tested a time machine on him. Erik was killed, and had his body transported to the year 1953.

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