Suspects
The following are the known suspects in the Cluedo / Clue franchise:
Original suspects
These are the original suspects from the board game in rolling order:
Miss Scarlett
Miss Scarlett is a stereotypical femme fatale, typically portrayed as young, cunning, and attractive. Known as "Miss Scarlet" in North America between 1963 and 2016, she rolls first in the game.
In Clue Master Detective, Miss Scarlet is depicted as an Asian woman nicknamed the "Mercenary of Macau".
In the film, she is portrayed by Lesley Ann Warren and is depicted as a sassy Washington D.C. madame who runs an underground brothel. In Ending A, she orders her former call girl and Mr. Boddy's maid, Yvette, to murder her employer and the cook before murdering her in turn, along with a cop she was bribing and a passing motorist and singing telegram girl. Nonetheless, Scarlet is eventually exposed, subdued, and arrested. In Ending C, she only murders the cop before being exposed and arrested.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, Vivienne Scarlet is the stepdaughter of Mrs. Peacock.
In the 1996 musical, Miss Scarlet used to work as a lounge singer in Las Vegas.
In the 2023 edition, she is a Black British gossip columnist who writes under the pen name "Cyan".
Colonel Mustard
Colonel Mustard is a stock military officer who rolls second. He is usually portrayed as a dignified, dapper, and dangerous military man. Originally known as Colonel Yellow, his name was changed before the game's first edition was published.
In Clue Master Detective, his full name is Algernon Mustard and is known to sleep with a revolver under his pillow.
In the film, he is portrayed by Martin Mull and is depicted as a war profiteer who sold stolen air force radios on the black market and was later involved in a top-secret fusion bomb project. In Ending C, he kills a passing motorist after recognizing him as his driver from World War II before he is exposed and arrested.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, Colonel Mike Mustard is a ex-officer of the Special Air Service and a regular visitor of Arlington Grange who is in a love triangle with Mrs. Peacock and her step-daughter Miss Scarlett.
In the 2002 US edition, he is Michael Mustard, a former officer of the Royal Hampshire Regiment, where he first met Sir Hugh. He is very nostalgic for his war days and has convinced a publisher that his military exploits would make for a good book.
In the 2016 edition, Colonel Mustard is a successful and popular officer. However, behind his medals of honor, are rumors of treason and war profiteering, which he has been paying someone to hide for far too long. Believing Mr. Boddy is blackmailing him, Mustard eagerly comes to Tudor Mansion in search of evidence.
Mrs. White / Chef White
Mrs. White is usually portrayed as a frazzled servant who worked as Mr. Boddy's cook and housekeeper. Originally known as Nurse White before her name was changed following the first edition's publication, she rolls third in the game. Since then, many changes have been made to the character, many of which diverge from her working class origins.
In Clue Master Detective, she is Blanche White, a long-time maid to Mr. Boddy who has an eye squint from spying in keyholes.
In the film, she is portrayed by Madeline Kahn and is depicted as the widow of a nuclear physicist, an illusionist, and three other men, all of whom died under mysterious circumstances. In Ending C, she kills Yvette out of jealousy upon discovering she had an affair with one of her previous husbands before being exposed and arrested.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, housekeeper and cook Mrs. Blanche White has worked for Mrs. Peacock at Arlington Grange for the past 25 years. Additionally, series one featured her husband Mr. White before the character was dropped.
In the 1998 musical, Mrs. White is the chief domestic at Boddy Manor.
In the 2002 edition, Mrs. Blanche White is the housekeeper and cook of Tudor Mansion who also served as the nanny of her current employer, Mr. John Boddy, during his childhood. Despite her years of dedicated service, she has little to show for it.
In Clue: Discover the Secrets, Diana White is a former child celebrity who desires to be in the spotlight again.
In the 2012 edition, White is an alias given to Alexis Villenueve, a lawyer who will do anything for justice, including turning vigilante.
Although originally planned to be in the 2016 edition, Mrs. White was replaced as a suspect by a new character, Dr. Orchid.
In the 2023 edition of the game, the character returned as Chef White, a younger character with short white hair, tattoos and a white chef's uniform coat. She worked for Boddy Black at one point before starting her own restaurant, using the budget money she skimmed from her old boss to fund it.
Reverend Green / Mr. Green / Mayor Green
Originally patented as "The Reverend Mr Green", he is a hypocritical Anglican priest who wavers when the subject is murder. In North America, Mr. Green has taken money-oriented roles such as a mobster and businessman. Parker Brothers insisted on the name change, believing that the American public would object to a parson as a murder suspect.[2] He rolls fourth in both versions.
In Clue Master Detective, he is a mobster named Thallo Green.
In the film, Mr. Green is portrayed by Michael McKean. For most of the film and Endings A and B, he is depicted as a closeted homosexual and member of the Republican Party who is concerned that his secret might cost him his job as a State Department employee. In Ending C, he is a heterosexual, undercover FBI agent working to expose Mr. Boddy.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, Jonathan Green is a regular visitor at Arlington Grange.
In the 1996 musical, Mr. Green is an entrepreneur.
The 2002 edition attempted to combine the two variations of the character. Mr. John Green, also known as "Reverend Green", has a reputation for fraud, money laundering, and smuggling.
In the 2016 edition, Green is a charming con artist who is in hiding, disguised as a priest.
The 2023 edition updated the character to Mayor Green, the Mayor of Hue County who sports a goatee and a green business suit.
Mrs. Peacock / Solicitor Peacock
Mrs. Peacock is a stock grande dame and a middle-aged woman who nearly always maintains her dignity and rolls fifth in the game.
In Clue Master Detective, her full name is Henrietta Peacock and is depicted as an elderly ornithologist with a specialty in birds of prey who wanted Mr. Boddy to turn his manor into a bird sanctuary as part of a donation to the Peacock Salvation Society.
In the film, she is portrayed by Eileen Brennan and is depicted as the wife of a U.S. Senator who is accused of taking bribes. In Ending B, she kills Mr. Boddy, Yvette, her former cook Mrs. Ho, who became Mr. Boddy's cook, as well as a passing motorist, cop, and singing telegram girl to prevent her secrets from being exposed as she was taking bribes from foreign powers. While the others discover her crimes, Peacock attempts to escape, only to be arrested on her way out. In Ending C, she only kills the cook before she is exposed and arrested.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, Elizabeth Peacock is the stepmother of Vivienne Scarlet who resides in Arlington Grange.
In the 1997 musical, Mrs. Peacock is the wife of Mr. Boddy, her sixth husband, who is also pursuing an affair with Colonel Mustard.
In the 2002 edition, Mrs. Patricia Peacock is a socialite and former actress who left England after becoming involved in a love triangle with two politicians.
In the 2023 edition, Solicitor Peacock is a successful and tenacious attorney who knows how to command a room, court or otherwise. Using her tendency to tamper with witness testimonies, Boden Black blackmails her into representing him in his hotel dealings.
Professor Plum
Professor Plum is the stock absent-minded professor character, who rolls last in the game.
In Clue Master Detective, his full name is Edgar Plum and is depicted as a shady archaeologist and the head of the local school's archaeology department.
In the film, he is portrayed by Christopher Lloyd and depicted as a disgraced former psychiatrist of the World Health Organization who lost his medical license for having an affair with one of his patients and became an employee at the United Nations. In Ending C, he seemingly kills Mr. Boddy, only to later learn it was actually Boddy's butler, before being exposed and arrested.
In the 1990s ITV game show Cluedo, Professor Peter Plum is a regular visitor at Arlington Grange.
In the 1996 musical, Professor Plum has been demoted to the orchestra's piano player while a "dorky school teacher" disguised as him and has three random audience members serve as accomplices in choosing the culprit, location, and murder weapon.
In the 2002 edition, Professor Peter Plum is an archaeologist and Egyptologist who formerly worked as the curator of the British Museum before he was fired due to allegations of plagiarizing his article on the dynasties of ancient Egypt from a deceased colleague.
Additional suspects
Parker Bros. released the Clue VCR Mystery Game in 1985, introducing four new characters to the lineup, the first change in Cluedo characters in 36 years. The new characters also appeared in a number of spin-off games and licensed products, such as Clue Master Detective (1988).[3]
Miss Peach
Miss Peach is a Southern belle who usually manipulates others with her charm.
In the VCR Game, Melba Peach is the daughter of M. Brunette who arrives by "accident".
In Clue Master Detective, Georgia Peach claims to be the long-lost grand-niece of Mr. Boddy.
In Clue Mysteries, Amelia Peach is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman and a famed British stage actress who had a happy childhood in America until her father's finances were ruined, causing her to drop out of law school. She now works as a secretary for her uncle's law firm in Hampshire, England.
Monsieur Brunette
Monsieur Brunette is a foreign con artist with many talents, passports, and accents who is usually a Frenchman intent on personal gain. His name is derived from "Mr. Brown", one of the game's oldest patented but unused player names.
In the VCR Game, M. Brunette is a con artist posing as a lawyer. He was originally named "Dr. Brown" in the prototype of the game.[4]
In Clue Master Detective, Monsieur Alphonse Brunette is a fraudulent art and arms dealer who nearly made a killing selling the missing arms of the Venus de Milo.
Madame Rose
Madame Rose is a stock fortune-teller.
In the VCR Game, Madame Rose is Mr. Boddy's sister.
In Clue Master Detective, Madame Rhonda Rose is Mr. Boddy's ex-secretary of Hungarian heritage whose real name is Rhoda Rosengarten.
Sergeant / Inspector Gray
Sergeant Gray is a corrupt police officer. The name "Grey" was one of ten characters filed with the game's original patent. "Miss Grey" and "Mrs. Silver" are some of the oldest colour names previously unused, and "Gray" is one of the most enduring names in later editions, albeit with different characters depending on the edition.
In the VCR Game, Sergeant Gray is a crazed mental patient who escaped from the nearby asylum and evaded discovery by posing as a police officer.
In Clue Master Detective, Sergeant Gray is a no-nonsense, corrupt, unimaginative, and colorblind police officer who stumbles onto the crime scene while collecting funds for the Police Blackmail Awareness Fund.
Renamed Inspector Gray in the mobile game, he secretly worked with Dr. Black to drop tax evasion charges in exchange for a cut.
In Waddingtons' Cluedo Super Sleuth, Inspector Gray appears as a police inspector.
Dr. Orchid
In 2016, Hasbro introduced Dr. Orchid in place of Mrs. White. The former is a biologist of East Asian heritage who specializes in plant toxicology, dresses in her namesake color, and is introduced as the adopted daughter of Mr. Boddy / Dr. Black. After being expelled from an exclusive Swiss boarding school after a near-fatal poisoning incident, Orchid was home-schooled by the housekeeper, Mrs. White.[5]
One-time suspects
In 1986, Super Cluedo Challenge and Super Sleuth were released in the UK, introducing the second wave of new board-game characters:
- Captain Brown (Super Cluedo Challenge) - A lower-class, drunk seaman who arrived at the mansion under mysterious circumstances.
- Mr. Slate-Grey (Super Cluedo Challenge) - A middle-aged lawyer or accountant in a grey suit.
- The Thief (Clue: The Great Museum Caper) - A thief who broke into a museum to steal paintings who is represented by a grey pawn.
Millennial suspects
Released in 2003, Clue FX is an electronic talking version with audio voices and clues. Newly introduced characters are as follows:
- Lady Lavender - An honorable herbalist and occasional troublemaker of Asian heritage who may have poisoned her husband, Sir Laurence Lavender, and works to investigate Mr. Meadow-Brook's death. In Clue Mysteries, she is known as Su Sian.
- Mr. Meadow-Brook - The murder victim who served as Dr. Black / Mr. Boddy's unseen solicitor. In Clue Mysteries, he is known as Miles and is an occasional theft victim.
- Mrs. Meadow-Brook - Wife of the deceased Mr. Meadow-Brook. In Clue Mysteries, she is known as Jane. She is also a playable character in the 2006 Clue DVD game.
- Prince Azure - An "aristocratic" art and arms dealer. In Clue Mysteries, he is known as Philippe.
- Rusty Nayler - The bitter, old Tudor Mansion gardener.
- Lord Gray - A former army cartographer who designs gardens. In Clue Mysteries, he is known as Alfred.
Parker Brothers Mystery Game suspects
Released in 2017 by Hasbro, Parker Brothers Mystery Game is a budget board game which plays with virtually identical mechanics to Clue / Cluedo, with some exceptions. While the murder victim is unnamed, the six suspects are close analogues of the original characters or their canonical replacements:
- Madame Rubie - A red-headed femme fatale dressed in ruby, similar to Miss Scarlett, who is described as a cold yet elegant woman who "enjoys the finer things in life".
- General Umber - A gray-haired and bearded military man dressed in his namesake, similar to Colonel Mustard, who is described as a hero with "hard-won wisdom" who is potentially hiding a sinister secret.
- Mrs. Azul - A brunette dressed in a blue (Spanish: azul) party dress and a young analogue of Mrs. Peacock who is described as innocent yet "a mystery in her own right".
- Mr. Pine - A man dressed in a vest and analogue of Mr. Green. Nicknamed "the Hunter", he is described as "little more than a scoundrel" and someone who has "always gotten by on his good looks".
- Sir Ube - A dapper gentleman dressed in a purple suit and analogue of Professor Plum who is described as a charismatic yet shy academic who is "more comfortable in his research" than anywhere else. He is named for the ube.
- Dr. Rose - A woman dressed in a black dress and a rose top and pumps. She is a hybridization of Mrs. White and Dr. Orchid.[citation needed] In her bio, she is described as "the life of any party", though she is hinted as possessing "something dark behind her laughter".
Clue: Conspiracy suspects
In 2023, Hasbro Pulse released Clue: Conspiracy, which introduces five new characters in addition to the classic six and is set at a remote island retreat.
- Mr. Coral - The hotel manager of the Black Adder Resort and business partner of the late Boden Black Jr. who invites the guests to the resort to investigate Black's death.
- Director Rosewood - A middle-aged corporate director who is dishonest about her investments. She wears a dark pink color similar to that of Madame Rose.
- Agent Gray - An intimidating middle-aged government agent with a fake badge who wears a gray suit.
- Analyst Hyacinth - A young forensic analyst capable of recognizing falsified evidence. She wears a light purple-blue color similar to that of her namesake.
- Dean Celadon - A private school dean who pays for his students to get into their dream colleges. He wears a teal jacket over a celadon shirt.
