Character Relationship Map: Black Bag

Characters

• George Woodhouse (played by Michael Fassbender) — protagonist

  A counterintelligence officer tasked with finding the source of a top-secret code leak. He orchestrates a week-long psychological investigation involving his wife and four colleagues, using drugged di...

• Vadim Pavlichuk (played by Daniel Dow) — minor
• Andrei Kulikov (played by Orli Shuka) — minor
• Philip Meacham (played by Gustaf Skarsgård) — supporting

  George's superior at the NCSC who assigns him the week-long investigation into the Severus leak. He is found dead from a heart attack at his home, though it is later revealed that James murdered him t...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• George Woodhouse → Philip Meacham (Professional Superior And Subordinate)

  Philip Meacham, George's superior at the NCSC, gives George one week to investigate the Severus software leak.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Andrei Kulikov → Vadim Pavlichuk (Alliance Operational Partners)

  Andrei and Vadim are described as Russian dissidents traveling together toward Eastern Europe with a copy of Severus.

• George Woodhouse → Vadim Pavlichuk (Conflict Investigator And Target)

  During George's satellite redirection, Vadim disappears from a Liechtenstein safehouse with a copy of Severus.

• George Woodhouse → Andrei Kulikov (Narrative Investigator And Subject)

  George redirects a spy satellite and watches Kathryn meet Andrei Kulikov in Switzerland.

Story Analysis

A counterintelligence investigation becomes a test of marital trust while rival conspiracies threaten catastrophic political violence.

Plot Progression

1. The One-Week Hunt
2. Suspicion At Home
3. The Severus Trap
4. Partners Under Suspicion
5. The Blank-Fire Reckoning