John Murphy

Jonathan Murphy, commonly known as Murphy, is a major character in the third season. He initially appeared as a recurring character in the first and second seasons. He is portrayed by cast member Richard Harmon and debuts in the first episode of season one.

Murphy is part of the original 100. Because of his crime, Murphy is considered "expendable" and is chosen as one of the 100 Delinquents sent down to Earth to see if it was survivable. Murphy serves as both an ally and antagonist for the Delinquents.

While on Earth, Murphy was Bellamy Blake's second-in-command until Clarke Griffin accuses him of murdering Wells Jaha, resulting in the Delinquents trying to hang him. He is banished from The Camp and captured and tortured by Grounders before escaping. He returns to the Camp unknowingly infected with hemorrhagic fever, spreading it to most of the Delinquents. He kills Connor and Myles for their participation in attempting to hang him. He also tries to hang Bellamy and badly wounds Raven Reyes by shooting her before he escapes from The Camp and is recaptured by Grounders.

In Season Two, Murphy is eventually reunited with the remaining Delinquents outside Mount Weather. He ends up going with Finn to Tondc in search of the missing Delinquents. As Finn massacres 18 villagers, Murphy tries to stop him unsuccessfully. He is later blamed for this as well and decides to join Thelonious Jaha on his journey to the City of Light. He and Jaha eventually reach an island and Jaha leaves an injured Murphy behind to chase after a drone. Murphy discovers a lighthouse bunker from before the nuclear apocalypse and makes himself at home before discovering the previous owner had committed suicide.

Early Life
As a boy, Murphy grew up on the Ark with his mother and father a time he recalls fondly. After Murphy fell ill with the flu, his father Alex stole medicine in his desperation to help his son. Captured following his crime, he was sentenced and floated, a fate Murphy's mother consequently blamed on him. Seeking solace from her pain, Murphy's mother began drinking heavily, a path that eventually led to her death. Her last words towards her son blamed him for the death of his father.

Following the death of both parents, the orphaned Murphy was arrested after setting fire to his father's arresting officer's quarters. He was awaiting his review at eighteen along with the other delinquents. However, before the time came, he was sent among the hundred delinquents down to earth to discover whether or not the planet was survivable.

Throughout the Series

 * -|Season One =


 * -|Season Two =


 * -|Season Three =

Personality
Murphy seems uptight but is a strong person who gets into fights quickly. He tends to try and use force rather than thinking something all the way through. On several occasions others have had to hold Murphy back, suggesting that he has a quick temper. He appears to follow Bellamy Blake's orders, but defies Bellamy when he thinks he can get away with it. Murphy holds a grudge for a long time. He often displays aggressive behavior throughout the series, later on for more reasonable reasons despite remaining easily irritable.

Despite his violence Murphy states he had a good childhood, until the death of his father. He is shown to have a kinder side, caring for the Delinquents when they fall sick with hemorrhagic fever and helping Raven when she was on her near deathbed, saying it is because he does not want to be alone when he himself dies.

Throughout Season Two, Murphy goes through a significant personality change. He actively tries to contribute to the rescuing of Clarke and the others and saves Bellamy's life when he climbed down the cliff to rescue Mel. Eventually, he is able to re-earn Bellamy's trust and is given a gun and permission to go alone with Finn in search of Clarke and the other missing Delinquents. During Finn's massacre; Murphy yells at Finn to stop over and over again, showing that he did not think what Finn was doing was right. Sickened of feeling as if he does not fit in with the rest of the Ark survivors, he agrees to travel to the the City of Light with Jaha. When they encounter Emori in the Dead Zone, he offers her some of his water. He also tells her that her mutated hand looks "badass" instead of insulting her, displaying a more sympathetic and empathetic nature. Later, when Jaha sacrifices Craig, another Sky Person to save himself and Murphy. Murphy is shocked and sickened by Jaha's actions and tells Jaha to leave him behind.

Physical Appearance
Murphy is of slim build and medium height, with brown hair that hangs just above his ears, dark blue eyes and a prominent nose.

Relationships

 * -|Bellamy =

Bellamy Blake
"We hanged him. We banished him. And now we're gonna kill him. Get the hell out of my way."

- Bellamy to Finn about Murphy

In spite of Murphy's abrasive personality, Bellamy befriends him soon after they arrive on Earth. Although Murphy seems keen on doing as he pleases, he holds a certain respect towards Bellamy and briefly takes a right-hand-man kind of stance around him. Their relationship sours, however, when Murphy is falsely accused of killing Wells; the fallout eventually results in Charlotte's death and Murphy's banishment from the group. When he returns, Bellamy is reluctant to let him stay, but ultimately gives him a second chance. Murphy however betrays him and tries to kill him, causing their relationship to be even more strained.

When Bellamy encounters Murphy again after Murphy tried to hang him, Bellamy begins beating Murphy up but is stopped by Marcus Kane. They are both arrested and locked in the stockade together at Camp Jaha. Bellamy gives Murphy another chance when he takes Murphy with him to hunt for the missing Delinquents and Murphy proves himself to Bellamy and saves his life at one point. Bellamy appears to trust him once again, so much that he even gave him a gun. Bellamy even goes so far as to protect Murphy when Raven wants to exchange his life with Finn's for the Tondc massacre.


 * -| Thelonious Jaha =

Jaha
"You want to stop being treated like a criminal, you have to stop thinking that that's all you are. Take this leap of faith with me, John Murphy, and let me show you there's so much more for you than this."

- Thelonious Jaha

John initially had hated Thelonious since he lived on The Ark as he was the one who floated his father for stealing medicine for him. His hatred for him was projected onto Thelonious's son, Wells, whom he hated just for being his son. When they finally interact in Survival of the Fittest, Murphy is hesitant to speak with him.

Eventually when Jaha asks him to go to the City of Light with him. Murphy thinks little of it but feels out of place at Camp Jaha so he travels with him in search of it. While on the journey they become closer until Jaha throws out a member of the group in order to save himself. Murphy eventually tells Jaha to leave him behind and they are separated in the Second Season finale.


 * -|Raven =

Raven Reyes
"I don't want to die alone."

- Murphy, after Raven asks him why he is helping her

Murphy shot Raven at the end of Season One, resulting to her inability to ever walk properly again. In the first episode of Season Two, he tells Raven his tragic back-story after she asks him how a kid that claims to be loved by his parents became a psychopath. He helps her when she starts coughing up blood and when she asks why, he tells her that he doesn't want to die alone.

Murphy shows Raven genuine kindness, remorse, and heartache. In Spacewalker, Raven asks Murphy to help her protect Finn from the Grounders and he happily complies. She betrays Murphy, however, by offering to give him up in Finn's place knowing full-well what kind of torture he will experience. Murphy calls her a "sick bitch" and tells her to go to hell.


 * -|Finn =

Finn Collins
"Finn, don't do this. Let's walk out of here while we still can, ok? Finn, please."

- Murphy begging Finn not to shoot the Grounders

Although they did not interact much initially, Finn and Murphy were thrown together in Inclement Weather when Bellamy brought Murphy along with them to track down Clarke and the rest of the missing Delinquents. When Finn was going to execute Grounders in Human Trials, Murphy tried to get him to stop and leave. When he failed to get Finn to stop, he was shocked by what Finn did. Later, when they were trying to help Finn escape and Raven wanted to give up Murphy instead, Finn stepped in and refused to allow Raven to do so. Murphy agrees to help defend the drop ship with them.


 * -|Wells =

Wells Jaha
"Look at this, everybody: the Chancellor of Earth!"

- Murphy, regarding Wells being on Earth, sarcastically.

Murphy and Wells dislike one another. In Pilot, Murphy and John Mbege attack Wells after rudely speaking about his father. Finn saves Wells and later that night Murphy, Bellamy, and Mbege remove Wells' wristband forcefully. In Murphy's Law, Murphy is accused of murdering Wells and as a result is beaten and hanged.


 * -|Emori =

Emori
"Thank you for saving my life."

- Emori to Murphy

While travelling in the Dead Zone, Jaha's group is surprised by Emori who jumps out at them. After calming, Jaha says to give her water, Murphy is the first to get some out. Caspian tries to stop him but Murphy threatens him and hands over the water. After giving her name, Emori gives the water can back saying thanks to Murphy who says it's no problem and smiles a little as she walks away. As they walk, Murphy and Emori share their stories and neither is scared or repulsed at the other. Emori's hand is disfigured which Murphy says is "badass". They both smile as she walks away. Later she pulls a knife on him to force the group to surrender, as she puts him on his knees, she whispers something in his ear and says "Good luck, John" (using his first name, the first person to do it beside Jaha) then knocks him out. As he wakes up, Murphy tells Jaha that Emori said "Due North" and heads that way against Caspian's objections. In Season Three, once Murphy is released from his 3 month containment, he goes to the beach where he is reunited with Emori who looks delighted to see him. They both follow Jaha through his journey. During their trip, they flirt a lot. Later, after Murphy helps to save her, Emori kisses his cheek and thanks him. When Jaha's man has Emori by the throat, Murphy threatens to "drown the bitch in the red dress" if he does not release her so the man releases her. Murphy and Emori escape on the boat. Later, they are seen doing a tag-team robbery where they flirt again and this time Emori kisses him on the lips.


 * -|Ontari =

Ontari
"Stop talking, worm."

- Ontari to Murphy

Ontari and Murphy have a complicated sexual and abusive relationship. Upon meeting for the first time, Ontari verbally and physically abuses Murphy. Despite the abuse, they both flirt with each other. Ontari doesn't mind being naked in front of Murphy and Murphy doesn't bother to look away. In Fallen, Murphy proposes to be Ontari's "fake flamekeeper" to her "fake commander". Reluctant at first, Ontari accepts his advices. Later that episode, Ontari chains Murphy while she undresses in front of him. She then proposes for them to have sex to which Murphy refuses, telling her about Emori. Ontari asks him if Emori would kill him for cheating on her and threatens his life. Murphy ends up giving in, while murmuring: "The things I do to survive".

Killed Victims

 * Connor
 * Myles

Notes and Trivia

 * His full name was revealed to be Jonathan Murphy. He and John Mbege share the same first name and initials.
 * He has similar traits to Roger from Lord of the Flies because both embrace the anarchism and lack of authority, both are the most feared and violent members of the group, both are sadistic, and both were friends with the leaders of their respective groups.
 * John lost both of his parents after he caught the flu and his father attempted to steal medicine to help him. It was however pointless, as the medicine would not have done him any good regardless.
 * Because of this, he watched his father beg for mercy and get floated. Later, he watched as his mother slipped into a bad drinking habit and eventually he found she had died in her own vomit.
 * Because of this, he watched his father beg for mercy and get floated. Later, he watched as his mother slipped into a bad drinking habit and eventually he found she had died in her own vomit.


 * John Murphy is the only living member of the 100 who has never been inside Mount Weather.
 * He is smarter than he lets on - surviving several attempts on his life, finding out all the details of the AI before anyone else and knowing what to do in order to survive (whatever that may include: example is teaming up Finn in season 2 as he will be locked up or worse if he returned to the Ark and in Season 3, saying Ontari's actions are "smart" and keeping her secret in order to keep his life).
 * Murphy shot Raven in "We Are Grounders (Part 1)" causing her to get nerve damage to her right leg. Despite this happening, Raven doesn't tell Abby that Murphy shot her and just said that it was someone else.
 * In Season One, Murphy announced that he hated Wells Jaha and his father to the point of which when Wells died, he was seriously accused (unfairly),of his death and even hung because of this.


 * He does not appear in the original novel, similarly to Finn.
 * In the pilot he was called John #1 to differentiate him from John #2.
 * Richard Harmon, the actor playing Murphy, is recognizable for his dark recurring roles on such fare as The Killing, Bates Motel, and Continuum.