Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction Character List

Jules Winnfield

Jules Winnfield is a remorseless killer, a hitman for the crime-lord Marsellus Wallace. Jules never eats pork, and invokes the Bible before performing executions. Jules's cool disposition is occasionally ruffled by his partner Vincent Vega, with whom he quarrels about issues both small and large. After Jules is miraculously spared by a hail of bullets, an act he considers "divine intervention," he reconsiders his life of crime, and decides not to execute Pumpkin in the final scene of the film, instead working out a diplomatic solution.

Vincent Vega

Vincent Vega is a heroin addict who, like Jules, is an associate of Marsellus Wallace's. He is the brother of Vic Vega, also known as Mr. Blonde, from Reservoir Dogs. Despite being an addict and a murderer, Vincent can also be likable and sensitive, such as when he explains to Jules the finer qualities of a foot massage, or when he mobilizes to save Mia's life. Vincent can also be prickly and defensive, such as when he spars with Butch at the bar, or chafes at Winston Wolfe's workmanlike demeanor. Vincent is killed by Butch in Butch's apartment after going to the bathroom and leaving his weapon behind.

Butch Coolidge

Butch is a late-career boxer whose father died in World War II, and he is the only character who the film shows as a child. He first appears in the film taking a bribe from Marsellus Wallace to throw a boxing match, which he reneges on. Tarantino allegedly modeled Butch after the character Ralph Meeks in Robert Aldrich's 1955 film Kiss Me Deadly, and intended him to be a tough, "bully"-ish character. Butch's ill-fated attempt to retrieve his most prized possession, a gold wristwatch, forms the basis for his chapter of the story. Butch survives the events of the plot, successfully riding away with his girlfriend Fabienne on a chopper named Grace.

Marsellus Wallace

Marsellus Wallace is a drug dealer who is the central node connecting every character in the film, save Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. Marsellus's face is not shown until more than halfway through the movie, although early in the film, Jules describes him as a large, bald, black man. Intelligent and powerful, Marsellus is feared by everyone, especially Vincent, who must race to save Mia's life lest Marsellus order his execution. Marsellus orders Butch to be killed after Butch reneges on a prearranged deal to throw a boxing match, but calls a truce after Butch saves him from the hands of Zed and Maynard. Marsellus is last seen relaxing on his luxurious Los Angeles deck, telling Jules he will call Winston Wolfe to help clean up Marvin's body.

Mia Wallace

Mia Wallace is first mentioned in the conversation Vincent and Jules have about Antoine Rockamora. Because she is Marsellus's wife, she is one of the most potentially dangerous characters for Vincent to interact with in the entire film. Mia is a failed actress who was in a television pilot named "Fox Force Five" that never made it to air. A cocaine addict, Mia mistakenly snorts Vincent's heroin and immediately overdoses, but is revived when Vincent successfully plunges a syringe full of adrenaline into her heart.

Fabienne

Fabienne is Butch's girlfriend, who waits anxiously for him in a motel while he goes to retrieve the wristwatch she mistakenly left behind. Fabienne talks about the appeal of a pot-belly on a woman, insinuating she might be pregnant, and asks Butch to perform oral sex on her. Only Fabienne is able to coax Butch into behaving sweetly, such as when he asks her what she had for breakfast, before they both ride off together on Zed's chopper motorcycle.

Jimmie

Jimmie is Jules's friend, who allows Jules and Vincent to decamp at his house while they decide how they will clean up Marvin's body. Jimmie's main concern is having the men out of his house before his wife Bonnie returns from his night shift as a nurse. Jimmie also complains to Winston when the men use his aunt and uncle's special bedsheets to wrap the car's bloody upholstery, but relents when Winston offers him a hefty bribe.

Winston Wolfe (a.k.a. The Wolf)

Winston Wolfe is a professional fixer for career criminals, well known to Marsellus and Jules. Jules is immediately relieved upon hearing that Marsellus has called Wolfe to come handle the problematic circumstances of Marvin's death. Wolfe's consummate professionalism is his defining quality, especially his ability to get things done within a narrow window of time. His businesslike demeanor annoys Vincent. He has a girlfriend named Raquel who resembles Raquel Welch.

Lance

Lance is a small-time drug dealer who sells Vincent Vega heroin, claiming to give him a special "friend discount." Lance has unexplained quirks, such as eating cereal in bed while watching cartoons, and mounting high heels on his walls. Lance reluctantly helps Vincent save Mia's life, finding a small black medical book with instructions on how to properly administer an adrenaline shot. He only helps because he is afraid that Marsellus will kill both him and Vincent if the men are not successful in saving Mia's life.

Captain Koons

Captain Koons, played by Christopher Walken in a cameo, appears in a flashback where he tells Butch the story of his (Butch's) great-grandfather's gold wristwatch. Koons explains that he was held captive in the same prisoner of war camp where Butch's father perished, and promised to deliver the watch into his hands.