Mitch Emhoff
Mitch Emhoff, in the broader scheme of the ensemble, represents “common man." In the blink of an eye, he loses his wife and stepson from the disease, and must piece his life back together for himself and his daughter. Luckily, when he finds out that he is immune to the disease, he is better able to act on behalf of his and his daughter's interests, but he still faces extraordinary circumstances with few resources. He is a stand-in for the viewer, a simple man in a complicated and devastating situation, who must continue to stay strong and make brave choices for the good of his family.
Dr. Leonora Orantes
Leonora Orantes works with the World Health Organization as an epidemiologist. Her main task is to find the origin of the pathogen MEV-1. Leonora is put through tough situations, both culturally and scientifically as she travels to Hong Kong, but maintains a brave face and a sense of compassion. In the film, she is kidnapped by a rogue foreign government official who wants the vaccine for his underserved village.
Dr. Ellis Cheever
Ellis is a physician working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has a fiancée whom he instructs to leave town when the outbreak begins. When he is revealed to have given sensitive information to a loved one, he gets put under investigation. He is portrayed as a brave public figure who must balance fighting for his loved ones with doing what is best for the country in his role at the CDC.
Alan Krumwiede
Alan Krumwiede is an eccentric freelancer who spreads conspiracy theories about the disease which fuels panic and fear among the public. He claims the government is hiding things from the population and that forsythia is a cure for the disease. When his claims are disproven, Alan is arrested for fraud and conspiracy.
Beth Emhoff
Beth is one of the first people to be infected by the disease. She is Mitch Emhoff’s wife. Beth has a son, Clark, from a previous relationship. We know little about her other than she worked abroad often and was having an affair with a former lover at the time of her death.
Erin Mears
Dr. Erin Mears works for the CDC and bravely travels to Minneapolis to investigate the American origins of the disease. In the process, she contracts the disease and dies, but does not give in to fear and maintains that her duty is to research and sacrifice her life if necessary.
Dr. Ally Hextall
Dr. Hextall is a research scientist with the CDC who determinedly throws herself into the research and discovery of a vaccine. Once she has developed it, she also puts herself in harm's way, visiting her dying father in the hospital in order to test the vaccine's efficacy.
