Barbara Lake/Relationships

A list of **Barbara Lake**'s relationships with certain characters throughout the franchise.

## Romances

### Walter Strickler

When Barbara first met Strickler she took a liking to him. Strickler was in love with her and Barbara possibly did so in return. She invited him to dinner, not knowing he's a changeling and enemies with Jim. After they battled without her noticing, Jim told her not to see Strickler again, which displeased her because he seemed nice.

While Barbara liked spending time with him she always talked to him to talk out her problems with Jim's secrecy, she was unaware that Strickler was taking advantage of their relationship by putting a binding on them to keep Jim from hurting him. Draal also saw them kiss once. When Jim and Strickler teamed up to fight Angor Rot in order to protect her, she accidentally gets involved in the fight so Strickler helps Jim protect her and the binding spell gets her injured along with Strickler. They undo the binding spell to heal her, which would also erase her memory of Jim's double life. After witnessing everything Strickler did against her son, she bitterly tells him that she'd be glad to not remember him, confirming that she no longer likes him. She hears him apologize to her before her memory of what they went through was erased.

In Part Three, she starts to slowly forgive Strickler and begins to trust him again after he reforms. She begins to help him when Gunmar tries to use him to activate the staff to start the Eternal Night. Her relationship with Stricklander grew to the point where they began to take care of the Changeling Familiars together.

### James Lake Sr. (formerly)

Before his disappearance, Barbara had a romantic, stable relationship with her husband as they took care of their son together for five years.

However, after James disappeared, Jim recalled how much Barbara was deeply hurt. When Jim was old enough to ask his mom about his dad, Barbara says that they would just have to look after themselves and each other, without James Sr.

Barbara seems to hold a grudge against her ex-husband for leaving her to raise their son alone.

## Family

### Jim Lake Jr.

When Jim's father walked out on them, Jim started doing so many things for Barbara and running the house, which Barbara became concerned about. When Jim became the Trollhunter, he had to keep it to a secret from her so she wouldn't be worried about his double life. However, she became worried either way. Jim kept coming home late and was caught in serious trouble, like getting arrested and getting into the hospital. Barbara kept trying to get him to tell her what his double life is, but he chose to keep lying just to keep her out of the danger.

Jim's secrecy only strained their relationship more, though somewhat mended after she meets Blinky (who's temporarily been turned into a human). She finally found out after catching him and Strickler preparing to fight Angor Rot at their house. Barbara was concerned for Jim and wished her son didn't have to be the Trollhunter. Jim assured her it's his destiny to be the Trolls' protector, but Barbara wondered who would protect him. Before Barbara got her memory erased, she said she always considered Jim her hero and that he shouldn't worry about her and it's not his job to protect her, because she's the parent and that she wanted him to tell her about his double life again. Unfortunately, Jim broke his promise again, to keep her safe. Unbeknownst to him, she began to paint the events that happened prior to her memory erasing, snapping her memory back and revealing Jim to Toby and Claire's parents.

When Barbara's memory returned, she confronted Jim on breaking his promise and his actions. Finally realizing how wrong he was for lying and worrying, Jim decides to let Barbara and the other parents know that he is a Trollhunter. After that, their relationship begins to restore, especially when she proves to be a big help in stopping some goblins. When Jim gets turned into a troll, he becomes extremely depressed and Barbara becomes furious with Merlin for convincing Jim to do so. When the war ended and Jim had to leave with the other trolls, Barbara and Jim shared a tearful goodbye, but Jim promised to call her every day.

## Friends/Allies

### Blinky Galadrigal

When Blinky got himself turned into a human temporarily, Barbara started hanging out with him, believing he was Jim's new guidance counselor at his school and helping him sort out his "issues". They seemed to get along well, especially since Blinky thought highly of her son. Barbara became shocked to briefly find out that Blinky was a troll, yet she still seemed to like him either way.

In Part Three, when her memory comes back, she immediately recognizes him and was very excited to see him again. When he and Jim prepare to leave for New Jersey, Blinky promises Barbara that he'll look after her son and keep him safe until they one day return, which she gratefully appreciates.

### Merlin

At first, Barbara seemed mildly honored to have Merlin inside her house.

However, due to his eccentric and seemingly uncaring personality, Barbara often acts a little hostile towards the wizard and showed mixed feelings about him. She was also quite crossed with Merlin when Jim permanently transformed himself into a half-troll, believing Merlin was mostly involved with it.

At the end of the Eternal Night War, they are both seen at the edge of the cliff overlooking Arcadia together.

### Claire Nuñez

Claire and Barbara don't really interact with each other. However, after Claire learns the existence of trolls and begins hanging out with Jim and Toby more, she stays by her son's side.

Later on, Barbara helps treat Claire from her mysterious cold, but her test results claim that she is in perfect health, to her confusion. Barbara often asks her what her son's been up to, but being his girlfriend, she tries to not betray his secret.

### Toby Domzalski

As her son's best friend, Barbara has a decent relationship with Toby. However, she was quite crossed with him after he and Jim broke into a museum for a silly Tubby Tracker.

## Enemies

### Gunmar

In "A House Divided", Barbara finally meets her son's archenemy in person for the first (and only) time. She was instantly fearful by his presence, but as a ruthless tyrant who is still not without honor, Gunmar decides to spare her as he saw her as a brave human in despair, despite her being the mother of the Trollhunter.

He uses Barbara to force Strickler into activating the Staff of Avalon and free Morgana, and promises to *only* allow the woman to leave unharmed, not the changeling. It's unknown if Gunmar actually wanted to keep his end of the bargain and kill them both either way after Morgana was released.

### Morgana

Although Barbara never actually meets Morgana in person, she does understand how dire and apocalyptic it would be if she was released from her prison. Barbara was willingly to beg Strickler to not revive the vile sorceress just for her sake as she cares for the needs of many, but he sadly cares too much for her as there would still be no world without her (in his own perspective).