Clarke Griffin

Clarke Griffin is a major character in the first and second seasons of The 100. She is portrayed by starring cast member Eliza Taylor and debuts in the series premiere.

Clarke was a leader of the 100. She was also a medical apprentice working under Abby and also served as the primary medic for the Delinquents. Clarke is part of the original 100, and was sent to juvenile lockup for treason.

While on Earth, Clarke often faces opposition and challenges; trying to get to Mount Weather, saving Jasper's life, the truth about her father’s death, problems inside and outside of camp, and the struggle with accepting the person she has become.

After the deaths of Wells Jaha and Charlotte, Clarke becomes a co-leader of the Delinquents, alongside Bellamy Blake. While in charge, Clarke is forced to make decisions that she never wanted to make. She also takes on a leadership role in Camp Jaha, despite her mom being the Chancellor.

Early Life
When Clarke was a young child, Clarke and her best friend, Wells Jaha, practiced for the Unity Day Celebration. As Thelonious Jaha recorded their practice, Wells asked his father how the Ark stays in space. Clarke mentioned that her dad told her it is the thrusters, which Thelonious said was correct.

A year before the Delinquents were sent to earth, Clarke overheard a conversation between her parents, Abigail Griffin and Jake Griffin, discussing a flaw in the Ark's life support system. Later that day, while Clarke played chess with Wells, she was distracted by the news and started losing the game. Wells noticed something was wrong and questioned her. Clarke told him about the flaw and her father's plans to go public and made Wells promise to keep her secret.

Clarke later overheard her father making a video to reveal the truth and confronted him about it. During the fight, she called him suicidal or dumb because he planned to break into the communications mainframe. Clarke insisted on helping him but her father told her no. They were interrupted by Ark Guard who came to arrest Jake for treason. As they hugged goodbye, Clarke promised to warn the people before struggling with the guards who hold her back as her father is taken away.

Clarke was able to say one final goodbye before Jake was floated for his crime. Clarke watched as her father was sucked out of the airlock before she collapsed with grief into her mother’s arms, repeatedly apologizing, thinking her father’s death was her fault. After her father was floated, Clarke was immediately arrested for treason and sent to solitary confinement in juvenile lockup.

Throughout the Series

 * -|Season One =


 * -|Season Two =

Physical Appearance
Clarke is a beautiful young woman with pale complexion, blue eyes, a round face, dimple chin, and blonde hair. Her hair is often pulled back in a half-up/half-down style throughout season one. Clarke is 5'4" (1.65 m) and has a medium to slim physique. Clarke is also shown to wear earrings. Generally, Clarke is covered in dirt and/or blood and she very rarely smiles.

She usually wears thermal long sleeve shirts with crotchet cuffs combined with a jacket, dark jeans, and boots. She is often shown in dark colors such as; black, gray, navy blue, dark green and tan.

While in Mount Weather Quarantine, Clarke was seen in stark white clothing, a tank top and capris. After being released from quarantine, she was seen in pastel colored clothing, a pale pink singlet, a light blue jacket and light blue capris.

Personality
Clarke is headstrong, determined, dependable, and intelligent. As a natural born leader who is capable of inspiring all around her, Clarke will contemplate and ask questions before acting. However, she has been shown to make impulsive decisions. She is also fair, selfless, caring, and loyal to a fault. Even after his death, Clarke shows a high level of devotion and admiration towards her father. She is quick to call people out on their behavior. She has a natural maternal instinct, as shown when she comforts Charlotte and later protects her. While she certainly has a good head on her shoulders, she is quick to accuse, and has displayed poor judgment which resulted in Charlotte’s death.

Despite the harsh world she lives in, Clarke is fiercely determined to save everyone’s lives, even if they do not deserve to be saved; which is evident when she helps John Murphy, who once tried to kill her and is partially responsible for Charlotte’s death. Finn believes her desire to save everyone comes from the fact that she could not save her father. Clarke has a strong moral compass; even to the point of stopping Miller and other Delinquents from killing Anya, their enemy.

Unlike Bellamy Blake, her co-leader, Clarke is idealistic and sees no reason for torture, cruelty, or violence of any kind. She does not wish for violence or war and tries to avoid fighting. However, she will betray her beliefs to protect those she loves and cares for; which is seen when she gives Bellamy the go-ahead to torture Lincoln to save Finn. She also agrees with Bellamy on bringing guns into camp for protection, even if she does not like the thought.

Clarke tries to make the best decisions for the camp, which often leads to her undermining Bellamy’s authority and rule. Clarke has a surprisingly keen mind for warfare and strategy, a trait that takes Bellamy, Finn, and Raven completely by surprise.

Clarke is described as a natural born leader, especially by her mother; who mentions Clarke got her leadership qualities from her father. Clarke’s father once mentions she gets her stubbornness from her mother. She has often shown maturity and wisdom beyond her age. Though Clarke can be rather blunt and closed off, she does have a vulnerable side, which she only shows around those she loves and cares for. Like her mother, she is a healer and puts her skills to good use.

Clarke is also portrayed as artistic, one of her strengths which was seen as she drew along the walls of her cell.

Relationships

 * -|Abigail Griffin =

Abigail Griffin
"Earth, Clarke. You get to go to Earth."

- Abigail to Clarke

Clarke is Abigail Griffin's daughter. Although the two are not close they both love one another. Before Clarke is sent down to Earth, Abigail tells her to be safe and that she loves her. After, Abigail watches over Clarke's vitals.

While on Earth, Clarke learns the truth about her father's death. This causes a rift between Clarke and her mother. To punish her mother for her father's death, she takes her wristband off, letting Abigail believe her to be dead. When Raven Reyes makes contact with the Ark, Clarke confronts her mother and tells her she knows the truth. Abigail tries to apologizes explain his death was never supposed to happen. Clarke truly believes she will never be able to forgive her mother for turning in her father.

When Clarke believes her mother to be dead, she is devastated. When they are reunited Clarke is happy to see her but their relationship is strained due to Clarke wanting to save her friends. Abby often disagrees with the decisions Clarke makes in regards to the people.


 * -|Jake Griffin =

Jake Griffin
"You get your stubbornness from your mother. That's what I love about both of you."

- Jake to Clarke

Clarke is Jake Griffin's daughter. They were very close while he was alive. Even after his death, Clarke speaks highly of her father and shows great devotion to him. Jake's death left her devastated and emotionally scarred. As a memento Clarke continued to wear her father's watch.

Clarke overhears a conversation between her mother and her father and learns the Ark is failing. Clarke learns her father plans to tell the citizens of the Ark. Clarke offered to help with her father's plan but he refused her because he didn't want to involve her. When Jake was arrested and later floated Clarke blamed herself for his death. She believed she killed him by telling Wells Jaha of Jake's plans.

However, Clarke later learns that his death was not her fault. Clarke refuses to forgive her mother for the part she played in Jake's death.


 * -|Wells Jaha =

Wells Jaha
"How can you ever forgive me?"

- Clarke to Wells.

Clarke and Wells Jaha were best friends. They were best friends prior to being sent to Earth. It is shown that their families were close.

One day, Clarke told Wells that her father discovered that the Ark is dying. He promised he would not tell anybody. Later that night, Clarke's father was floated and she developed a hatred for Wells, believing him to have told his father.

Before Wells' death, the truth about Clarke's father's death is revealed. Clarke and Wells never got the chance to fix their friendship, as he was murdered the next morning.


 * -|Finn Collins =

Finn Collins
"I love you, too."

- Clarke to Finn

Clarke and Finn Collins start off as friends. They eventually become romantically involved. Although Finn is in love with her, Clarke has refused to be romantically linked to Finn.

Finn accompanies Clarke on the journey to Mount Weather. While on the trip Finn learns that the Ark is dying and tells Clarke they need to warn the people. Later the two bond in the bioluminescent forest.

When Clarke searches for evidence of Jasper's whereabouts, Finn does not accompany her, at first. When he calls it a suicide mission, Clarke calls him a joke and leaves. Later he appears and joins the rescue party.

Clarke, Finn, and Wells look for medicine that can assist Jasper and eventually they are forced to take cover in a buried vehicle when an acidic fog appears. Clarke and Finn bond and talk about having fun. Later on, Finn explains to Clarke that Wells loves her and that she should forgive him. Finn is also quick to realize that it might not have been Wells who turned in Clarke's father. He asks Clarke this, leading her to realize that it wasn't Wells.

When things go wrong in camp, Clarke and Finn keep Charlotte protected after John Murphy seeks revenge for being accused of a crime he didn't commit. Finn leads the two to an underground bunker that he had found. That same night, Finn learns that all of the wristbands have been fried and loses hope that they will not contact the Ark. As a result he runs off to the underground bunker. Clarke follows after him and tries to calm him down. The two end up having sex.

Later that night, Clarke and Finn sit under the stars and see a falling pod, believing it to be a shooting star. Clarke is devastated after Raven Reyes, appears and is revealed to be Finn's girlfriend from the Ark.

Throughout the rest of Season One, Clarke tries to distance herself from Finn for Raven. However, they still have romantic feelings for each other. Finn holds Clarke's hand on the bridge before the peace meeting takes place. Finn also catches Clarke when she falls, due to her sickness, with knowledge that he may catch the virus Clarke has. Sometime after Raven and Finn break up, Finn confesses his love for Clarke, however, she rejects him because he broke her heart. In the final battle with the Grounders, Clarke is shown to very upset and regretful when she leaves Finn outside the Dropship to die.

When Clarke and Finn are reunited later in Season Two, Clarke discovers that Finn has massacred an entire village of Grounders trying to find her, and she backs away in horror once she sees what happened. Clarke tells Finn that he is savable, although, he has trouble believing it. Finn later shows remorse for his actions and when the Grounders want to kill Finn, Clarke defends him by trying to hide him at the Dropship to keep him safe. When Clarke says that Finn can't run off because the Grounders will find him and kill him, Finn says he deserves that for what he did. He then confesses his love for Clarke again and she begs him to stay. Later on, after they are both attacked and almost killed by a Grounder, Clarke assures Finn that the things they have done to survive do not define who they are, but Finn believes that this is who they are now. Finn later gives himself up to the Grounders at the Dropship to save his people from being slaughtered by the Grounders. Later that night, Clarke tries to convince Lexa to show mercy to Finn and let him go, but Lexa won't do it. Clarke also tries to get Lexa to kill her in place of Finn, but she won't let Clarke take his place. Clarke asks permission to say goodbye and Lexa accepts. Clarke runs to Finn and kisses him and tells him that she loves him. Finn says that he is scared but Clarke reassures him that he will be okay. He whispers "Thanks, Princess" in Clarke's ear and his head drops to her shoulder. Once Clarke pulls away, the knife Raven gave to her to kill Lexa is covered in blood, and Clarke's hand is covered in blood. Clarke had killed Finn, and he told her "Thanks, Princess" to thank her for killing him quickly, stopping the torturous death the Grounders wanted to give him.


 * -|Bellamy Blake =

Bellamy Blake
"Ready to be a badass Clarke?"

- Bellamy to Clarke.

The relationship between Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake starts out antagonistic towards each other. In the beginning, Bellamy shows a great amount of animosity towards Clarke and considers her to be "privileged". Bellamy looked down on Clarke because of her upbringing on the Ark. Meanwhile, Clarke often disagrees with the decisions Bellamy makes.

However, as season one goes on, their relationship develops into a partnership. Their partnership grows into a friendship filled with mutual respect and trust. They are both shown to care if the other lives or dies.

Bellamy and Clarke have been known to clash on many different occasions. This often leads them to be on the opposite sides of an argument. The two have also been known to contradict one another. One such occasion is when Bellamy makes a speech about staying at camp and fighting the Grounders. Minutes later, Clarke makes a contradicting speech about surviving to fight another day and that they should leave camp.

Clarke shows great concern for Bellamy during the fight with the Grounders. She refuses to close the door until Bellamy is back. When Clarke is forced to leave both Bellamy and Finn Collins outside to die, she is shown to be remorseful as she closes the Dropship door.


 * -|Other Relationships =

Other Relationships

 * Clarke and Charlotte
 * Clarke and Jasper
 * Clarke and Monty


 * Clarke and Octavia
 * Clarke and Raven
 * Clarke and Lexa

Killed Victims

 * Atom (Mercy Kill)
 * Caliban
 * Over 300 Grounders during the drop ship explosion (with Jasper and Raven)
 * Finn Collins (Mercy Kill)
 * Around 250 Grounders & Ark survivors  (Indirectly with Lexa)
 * Whitman (Shot)
 * Dante Wallace (Shot)
 * Around 350 Mount Weather residents (Irradiated with Bellamy Blake)
 * This includes Maya and Lee

Notes and Trivia

 * In a phone interview, Kass Morgan confirmed the meaning behind the following character's names.
 * Clarke Griffin - Arthur C. Clarke, was a British science fiction writer, science writer and futurist.
 * Eliza Taylor is left-handed, making Clarke left-handed.
 * Her surname was originally going to be Walters, but it was changed to Griffin.
 * In the Pilot Clarke stated she still had 1 month before her 18th birthday. At the end of Season One the 100 have been on Earth 29 days. At the end of Season Two 52 days have passed making her 18.
 * She is the daughter of a Doctor and Senior Environmental Engineer. This made her one of the "privileged" on the hierarchy created by the Ark.
 * Clarke's prisoner number while on the Ark was "319". Clarke was in solitary confinement for 11 months. In the Mount Weather quarantine zone, her room number was 302-5.
 * Kane included Clarke in Jake Griffin's treason charges.
 * Unknowingly in a love triangle between Finn Collins and Raven Reyes. Clarke chooses to distance herself from Finn for Raven's sake.
 * Clarke was the first person to kill another person. She mercy killed Atom in Earth Kills. Clarke was one of four people to kill a fellow Sky Person, the others being Charlotte, Bellamy, and Murphy.
 * Clarke is the third LGBT character to be revealed on The 100, after Lexa and Costia.
 * Clarke has been confirmed as bisexual by creator Jason Rothenberg.