Gabriel Dumont

*Gabriel Dumont'* is a major character in *Lupin*. He is portrayed by Vincent Garanger, while his younger counterpart is portrayed by Johann Dionnet.

Dumont was the detective in charge of overseeing the Babakar Diop case in 1995. In the present day, he is the commissioner of the Parisian police force, but often finds himself subservient to Hubert Pellegrini.

## History

### Background

When Hubert Pellegrini accuses Babakar Diop of having stolen the Queen's Necklace from his safe, Dumont is summoned to take charge of the situation. Dumont agrees to bring Babakar to the police station, but later reveals to Hubert that the accusation against him rests upon flimsy evidence. He points out that Hubert, on the other hand, had increased the insurance policy on the necklace prior to its theft. Hubert realizes that Dumont is ready to build a case of insurance fraud against him, and tells the detective that he would be wise not to cross him, as the entire Parisian police department is in his pocket. Dumont initially remains firm, informing Hubert that he intends to see the investigation through to its conclusion, but capitulates after Hubert threatens the security of his wife and promises him a promotion if he follows his instructions.

After Babakar's death in prison, Dumont collects his son Assane from their apartment. Assane initially claims to be a sixteen-year-old living with his mother. Dumont is well aware that Assane is lying about his age and his situation, and aggressively tells him to pack his belongings. Assane attempts to escape out the window, but Dumont catches him.

### Part 1

Dumont is still happily married to his wife Hélène, with whom he now has two children. He has also been promoted to chief commissioner of the Paris police department. Unbeknownst to Dumont, Assane has placed cameras all around his house, allowing him to be informed of all of his plans.

One day, while Dumont is in a meeting at the town hall in Paris' 3rd arrondissement, he is interrupted by Assane, who is dressed as an IT specialist, loudly claiming that there is a porn-related issue with Dumont's computer. Highly embarrassed, Dumont allows Assane to drag him to an isolated corridor, where Assane knocks him unconscious and brings him to a dark room in the depths of the building, tying him to a chair.

When Dumont wakes up, he is horrified to find that he has been kidnapped. Assane, sitting in a nearby room, begins interrogating him, using a vocal alteration device to hide his identity. He questions Dumont about his actions in 1995, accusing him of having framed Babakar; Dumont protests that he did not frame anybody, and asks if his kidnapping is connected to the Louvre break-in. Assane claims that Dumont has taken bribes from notorious criminals, and threatens to tell Hélène about it if Dumont fails to give him information on Babakar. Dumont yells that he doesn't know what Assane wants from him.

Assane calls Hélène and Dumont tries to speak with her, but Assane tells him that she cannot hear him. However, Hélène does hear Assane threatening Dumont, and quickly becomes terrified, desperately begging her husband to say something. Dumont frantically shouts that he accepted the bribes in order to provide for his family, and Assane hangs up the phone.

Assane reveals that he has installed cameras around Dumont's house, demonstrating that he has the power to create deepfakes of Dumont claiming to be a pedophile or declaring loyalty to ISIS. Shocked and outraged, Dumont again asks Assane what he wants. Now upset, Assane yells that he wants to find out what happened to his father, immediately revealing his identity to Dumont, who begins to feel sorry for his kidnapper. However, he continues to maintain that his actions with regards to Babakar's arrest were legitimate and honest, and tells Assane that if he releases him, he will not attempt to have him arrested. Shortly after Assane leaves, Romain Laugier, Sofia Belkacem and Youssef Guédira find Dumont and untie him.

Dumont returns home and furiously destroys all of Assane's cameras, and afterwards calls Hubert Pellegrini to tell him that a new party has become involved in Babakar's case. However, Assane has been listening to the conversation via Dumont's virtual assistant. Later, while Dumont is eating breakfast in a café, he is accosted by Assane, who asks him for information about Hubert. Dumont advises him to contact a journalist named Fabienne Bériot, but entreats Assane to leave him and his family alone.

Back at work in the police department, Dumont listens to Laugier, Belkacem and Guédira present their theory that his kidnapper and the Louvre thief are the same person. He mocks Guédira for his notion that the crimes are connected to the Arsène Lupin stories, but allows the three to continue gathering evidence. However, when presented with five witness sketches of the man responsible for the Louvre heist and the kidnapping, one of which looks exactly like Assane, Dumont claims not to recognize any of them. He tells Laugier and Belkacem to stop attempting to connect the cases. As an extra punishment for his Lupin theory, Dumont kicks Guédira off the case entirely, instead having him handle paperwork.

Later, Dumont berates Laugier and Belkacem for wanting to interrogate Léonard Koné after he is released by the Le Havre police. Following this, Laugier and Belkacem begin to grow skeptical of Dumont's motivations.

### Part 2

Dumont is with Hubert shortly after the latter receives a phone call from Léonard telling him that Guédira has taken Raoul Diop from him and is bringing him back to Paris. Hubert tells Dumont that they can use Raoul as bait to lure Assane to the Park Hyatt Hotel, where Juliette Pellegrini will be giving a speech in honor of her new foundation. Dumont is initially reluctant, arguing that this would be acting outside of any established procedure, but eventually goes along with Hubert’s plan.

When Guédira, acting on Dumont’s orders transmitted via Pascal Oblet, delivers Raoul to the Hyatt, Dumont is there to greet them. Guédira, however, is suspicious of the situation. Dumont tells him that the “Sernine” case has become a very high priority, and that he needs to take it under personal control. He also mentions that he has reason to believe that Raoul is in danger. Guédira remains confused and apprehensive, and tells Dumont that he doesn’t understand why he was forced to bring Raoul to the hotel. Dumont, becoming angry, asks Guédira if he needs to convince him to obey a direct order.

Dumont is present during Hubert’s interview with Raoul. Afterwards, he sits with Raoul and offers him pizza, but Raoul refuses it. As night falls, Dumont gets a call from “Hubert” (in fact, Assane using technology to make his voice sound like Hubert’s), telling him that Assane has infiltrated the building and that they have lost control of the situation. “Hubert” orders Dumont to take Raoul out of the hotel, where a car will be waiting to take him away. Although somewhat puzzled by the order, Dumont obliges, smiling nervously as Raoul enters a large black van and is driven off.

Soon afterward, Dumont is shocked when he receives another call from “Hubert,” despite the fact that Hubert is standing in front of him and is not using his phone. Realizing what has happened, Dumont is horrified, but when Hubert finds out, he is unconcerned, telling Dumont that he has a backup plan in a deal he had previously made with Raoul's mother.

Later, Dumont directs a team of police officers, including Laugier, Belkacem and Guédira, to Assane’s house after Pascal gives them the address. They find Léonard’s dead body on the ground, while Assane is nowhere to be seen. Dumont calls Laugier into a separate room and tells him that he wants to restrict access to the evidence to them alone. When Hubert texts him information on Benjamin Ferel, Dumont sends Laugier and Belkacem to Benjamin's now-abandoned antiquary to collect evidence.

On the night before the concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Dumont visits Hubert, who is sitting with Pascal and Philippe Courbet, and asks if they can speak in private. Hubert tells Dumont that he can say whatever he needs to say in front of the group. Dumont voices his apprehensions about their activities, noting his belief that several of his officers are getting close to the truth. Hubert, however, tells Dumont to relax, proclaiming that they will both experience a windfall after the concert. He points out that after this, Dumont will be able to retire and write a novel, as he had planned to do for some time.

The next day, Dumont attends the preparations for the concert, cautioning the members of the security team to be on their guard lest Assane try to infiltrate the theatre. When he sees Philippe and a disguised Benjamin bringing in boxes of what purports to be computer equipment, Dumont is suspicious, pointing out that it is strange that modern technology would be so bulky. Philippe shows him the equipment inside one of the boxes and offers to open another, which, unbeknownst to Dumont, contains Assane. Dumont, however, decides to let Philippe go after being told that many more identical boxes are still waiting to be unloaded.

When the concert begins, Dumont sits restlessly beside his wife, awaiting any messages regarding Assane's presence. He is not aware that Laugier, Belkacem and Guédira are also in the theatre, watching his movements closely. As the music reaches a climax, Dumont receives a text informing him that Assane is inside the building. He leaves the concert hall and orders an emergency response team to search for Assane. After Dumont re-enters the theatre, he stumbles upon Assane backstage and points his gun at him. However, before Dumont can do anything, he is ambushed by Laugier, Belkacem and Guédira, who point their own guns at him and tell him that he is under arrest for corruption and influence peddling. Dumont is horrified and yells at the three to go after Assane instead, but his commands are unheeded; instead, he himself is handcuffed and placed inside a squad car. After the concert ends, Dumont is stunned to see Hubert being put into an identical car beside him. Both vehicles are driven off to the police station.

## Personality

In his younger years, Dumont was an honest, diligent detective who intended to complete his investigations, no matter the consequences. However, his experience with Hubert Pellegrini and Babakar Diop made him cynical, and led him to center his attentions on his advancement up the ranks of the Parisian police department. In the present day, the now middle-aged Dumont occupies the position of commissioner. It is suggested that Hubert may have helped him acquire this role. He also has artistic aspirations, having hoped to write a novel following his retirement from the police department.

Dumont’s decision-making is characterized by a strongly protective streak that has nonetheless led him to engage in corruption and deceit. This began with his aiding Hubert in framing Babakar, because he believed his wife was under threat, and has continued into the present day with his accepting bribes from criminals, supposedly to pay for the education of his children. When Dumont was caught in the middle of the escalating war between Assane Diop and Hubert, he attempted to play both sides, communicating regularly with the Pellegrini patriarch while interfering with his own detectives’ attempts to identify and track down Assane. However, Dumont ultimately placed his faith in Hubert due to the latter’s confidence and powerful connections.

Dumont frequently demonstrates a suspicious attitude; for example, he was the only one of Hubert’s inner circle to suspect that Philippe Courbet was anything other than a legitimate stockbroker. He is a cautious and wary person, often struggling when he is called upon to do things that are outside of his comfort zone of established rules and procedures. Unlike Hubert, who always believes that his plans will be successful, Dumont prefers to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

## Relationships

Dumont became an accomplice of Hubert Pellegrini in 1995, and appears to have continued his subservience into the present day. Although he was aiding Hubert willingly, Dumont felt stressed and guilty about this, which manifested in aggressive, unkind behavior such as that seen when he took Assane Diop to social services. As a result of this episode, Assane held a grudge against Dumont, which was augmented further when he found out that the then-detective had lied to Anne Pellegrini in order to get a signed confession from his father. Following his kidnapping, Dumont came to fear Assane enough that he did not immediately give his name up to Hubert. Dumont did, however, ultimately want Assane in jail, and came close to arresting him during the Pellegrinis’ concert.

Until the autumn of 2020, the other officers at the police department appeared to have regarded Dumont as a competent and effective leader. Of his subordinates, Youssef Guédira was the quickest to suspect Dumont of foul play upon discovering his connections to Hubert and the Diop family, while Romain Laugier was the most willing to go along with his orders. This eventually led Dumont to restrict the evidence uncovered in Assane’s apartment to him and Laugier alone, which failed to deter Guédira from inspecting it and finding incriminating evidence that led even Laugier to turn on his commissioner.

Dumont shared a strong and loving relationship with his wife, Hélène, and their children. Much of Dumont's corruption was motivated by the fear that his family was in danger; however, he was horrified when Assane threatened to reveal his illegal activities to Hélène. With his abnormally high salary padded by Hubert, Dumont was able to afford a massive house for them to live in, as well as expensive overseas vacations to the Grand Canyon and various tropical beaches.

## Quotes

> "Yes, I took the money! But I didn’t blow it on watches or coke! The money was for my kids! I’d do anything for them!"
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> ― Dumont confesses to his corruption
>
>

> "Your father...He was a good guy. A good guy who gave in to temptation, that’s all. It happens to everyone. I’m in a position to know it."
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> ― Dumont compares himself to Babakar
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>

> "But you’re putting me in a delicate position! We’re acting outside any procedures!"
>
> ― Dumont is skeptical of Hubert's plan to hold Raoul hostage at the Park Hyatt hotel
>
>

> "My men are asking more and more questions. They’re close, I’m sure of it."
>
> ― Dumont voices his fears that he and Hubert will be caught
>
>

## Trivia

* Vincent Garanger was originally only set to appear as a guest in the third episode, but the showrunners enjoyed his performance and expanded Dumont's role significantly.
* Gabriel Dumont shares his name with a nineteenth-century political leader of the Métis people in Canada.
* Users of the site PersonalityDatabase.com have voted Dumont's Myers-Briggs personality type as ISTJ and his Enneagram type as 6w5.

## Appearances

Part 1
* *Chapter 1*
* *Chapter 2*
* *Chapter 3*
* *Chapter 4*
* *Chapter 5*

Part 2
* *Chapter 7*
* *Chapter 9*
* *Chapter 10*

## References

1. ↑ Lupin sur Netflix: les confidences du commissaire Dumont sur le succès mondial avec Omar Sy
2. ↑ Gabriel Dumont personality type