Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

James Cole

James Cole is our protagonist in 12 Monkeys because he's the key player in the tale being spun. He's the character we follow throughout the film, the one whose decisions make the most impact on its events, and the one who feels the greatest impact of said series of unfortunate events.

He's also the character we want to see succeed. Let's face it: Cole got a bum deal. He's sent back in time to find a virus, and no one believes him because that seems crazy. Heck, Cole wonders if he is crazy. If he's not crazy, then that means he'll have to struggle against a preordained fate of biblical proportions—and not the pleasant parts of the Bible, more the earth-shattering, wrath-of-God parts.

Either way you slice it, Cole's the underdog, and you gotta root for the underdog.