List of American Horror Story: Coven characters
"" is the third season of the FX horror anthology series "American Horror Story". The season focuses on the oppression of witches, who resides in present-day New Orleans, as they try to combat organized efforts to destroy them posed by shell corporations and a racially charged Voodoo tribe. But while the witches learn to harness their supernatural powers, they learn their biggest threat comes from within the coven in the form of a greedy Supreme Witch, who enlists the help of barbaric serial killers to locate the rising Supreme and kill her so  she may remain in power forever. Veteran cast members include Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Denis O'Hare, and Frances Conroy, while Emma Roberts and Kathy Bates made their debuts. Special guest stars who made appearances include Gabourey Sidibe, Angela Bassett, Danny Huston, and Patti LuPone. Recurring appearances by veteran cast members were made by Jamie Brewer, Alexandra Breckenridge, and Robin Bartlett. Characters. Main characters. Cordelia Goode. Cordelia Goode (previously Foxx) (portrayed by Sarah Paulson as adult Cordelia and Chloe Carmela as young Cordelia) is the "disappointing", infertile daughter of the current Supreme, Fiona Goode. She  is the headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy. She is protective of her students, content with her role, and prefers to settle conflict in a peaceful manner, opposing her mother's beliefs. However, Cordelia never backs down from doing what is best for the Coven and her students, even when that means attempting to murder her own mother, or committing self-mutilation. In "Fearful Pranks Ensue", an unknown assailant throws sulphuric acid on her face when she is in a restaurant bathroom and Cordelia is blinded. As a result, Cordelia develops the gift of Second Sight, which enables her to  receive visions of the past and future. This new power leads her to discover her husband Hank's infidelity, as well as the other dark secrets of Coven members. Growing in confidence from this ability and her mother's ever-weakening state, Cordelia begins to develop other powers and takes a more assertive leadership role when freed from her mother's shadow. Cordelia is talented at mixing potions due to her proficiency and knowledge of botany and magical plants. Cordelia's relationship with Fiona is complicated and contentious, and Cordelia considers Myrtle Snow, whom Cordelia calls "Auntie Myrtle", her substitute  mother and role model. Her personal hell is pathetically begging for her mother's approval and being slapped for it on eternal loop. Cordelia assumes the title of Supreme after completing the Seven Wonders on the urging of Myrtle, the resulting surge of energy healing her wounded eyes. Cordelia returns in "", now using her maiden name, Cordelia Goode. She, along with Madison and Myrtle arrives to the Outpost 3 to revive her "sisters": Mallory, Dinah Stevens, and Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt. Cordelia tells Mallory that she is special and that the witches need her to defeat Michael Langdon. As Langdon  shows up, the witches are ready to confront Langdon once for all. In flashbacks, Cordelia, along with Zoe and Myrtle arrives to the Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men (the future Outpost 3) for an emergency council test. At the meeting, warlock teacher Ariel Augustus explains that they wish Langdon to challenge Cordelia for Supremacy. While the women scoff at the idea of a male Supreme, Ariel insists that Cordelia administer the Seven Wonders to test Langdon. Cordelia refuses, saying that it would surely condemn the boy to death, as it did to witch Misty Day. Behold Chablis chastises her  for abandoning coven member Queenie after her disappearance in Los Angeles, but Cordelia responds that she found Queenie's ghost in the Hotel Cortez, playing cards with the ghost of the hotel's founder James Patrick March. She was unable to extract Queenie past the doors of the hotel as she realized that the haunted hotel was a demonic portal that she was unable to overcome. Ariel calls her a bigot for ignoring the possibility of an Alpha. While Cordelia and her fellow witches are about to leave and return to New Orleans, they meet Michael, along with Madison and  Queenie. When she sees the dead witches now alive, Cordelia faints. She eventually lets Michael pass the Seven Wonders test while she sends Madison and Behold to the Murder House to learn Michael's origins. Once she is aware that he is the Antichrist, she arranges a meeting with Papa Legba with the help of Dinah Stevens in order to prevent Michael's plans. Legba reveals that he owns Nan's soul, and agrees to help entrap Langdon under the condition that Cordelia give him the souls of the remaining girls. Cordelia refuses, and Legba disappears. Zoe suspects Mallory to  be the true next Supreme after she saves Coco from choking and confides in Cordelia. The coven then capture Ariel, Baldwin, and Mead, and burn them at the stake for their betrayals. Michael later finds the ashes and is confronted by Cordelia, who informs him that Mead's soul is hidden by a spell. She insists that he has capacity for kindness, but he dismisses her, threatening to kill every last witch. After Michael launches an attack on the academy that only Cordelia, Mallory, Coco, Madison, and Myrtle survive, Cordelia has Mallory and Coco infiltrate Outpost 3 under identity spells  to prevent them from being detected as witches by Michael. In the battle that ultimately follows between the witches and Michael, Cordelia commits suicide by stabbing herself to allow Mallory to reach her full power as Supreme. Her sacrifice gives Mallory the power to go back in time and kill Michael when he was vulnerable, preventing the apocalypse. As a result of the timeline being altered, Cordelia is also brought back to life. She is reunited with Nan and Misty. For her performance in "Coven", Paulson was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries  or a Movie. Zoe Benson. Zoe Benson (portrayed by Taissa Farmiga) is a shy, young girl who discovers she is a witch in "Bitchcraft", when she accidentally kills her boyfriend Charlie by causing him to have a severe brain aneurysm and subsequently dying when they have sex for the first time. She is then sent to Miss Robichaux's Academy by her mother, who knew of her family's genetic affliction and is afraid of Zoe's power. Zoe accompanies Madison Montgomery to a college party where she meets and falls in love at first sight with Kyle Spencer, a  university student – however, Kyle is murdered by Madison that same night. Obsessed and depressed with Kyle's death, Zoe brings about his eventual resurrection. With Kyle's support, Zoe quickly becomes a more assertive witch and a strong contender for the next Supreme, growing from the nervous, innocent and frightened young witch into a woman willing to kill for her sister witches and the Coven. Zoe often acts as a leader and is an influence on the other students, encouraging them to act as a united team – though she frequently comes into conflict with Madison. Unlike the other students, she  is also very proficient at casting spells. In "Burn, Witch. Burn!", she demonstrates her power when she breaks a strong curse placed on the undead by voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. She also develops undefined intuitive abilities and several other powers. Her strong-willed naiveté often leads her into trouble, such as when she unwittingly revives the Axeman. Her personal version of hell is Kyle continuously breaking up with her and saying he no longer loves her. Towards the end of coven, her and her fellow witches are forced to perform the test of the seven wonders. Zoe makes it quite  far before accidentally teleporting herself onto the academy's spiked gates, causing her death. She is later brought back to life by Cordelia, and given a seat on the witches council for her growth and power. Zoe returns in "Apocalypse" where she is seen teaching the other students in the academy. She also believes that student witch Mallory will be the next Supreme. She is later killed by Miriam Mead's android duplicate during Michael Langdon's assault on the academy, although her death is later undone when Mallory goes back in time to kill Michael before he becomes powerful . Myrtle Snow. Myrtle Snow (portrayed by Frances Conroy as adult Myrtle, Michelle Page as teenage Myrtle) is the eccentric head of the Witches' Council with shocking orange hair. Though she adores Fiona's daughter Cordelia as her own, Myrtle holds a lifelong grudge against Fiona, whom she (correctly) believes murdered the previous Supreme while the two were together at school, and makes frequent attempts to denounce or overthrow her. Fiona, in turn, scape-goats, frames, and eventually burns Myrtle at the stake, although she is quickly resurrected by Misty. Myrtle is a graduate and former headmistress of Miss Robichaux's  Academy. She is a Guardian of Veracity in the Vernacular, giving her the ability to know when the truth is being told and can detect lies. She can enchant others so they will utter nothing but the truth, and she is also seen using telekinesis, which is her favorite of the powers that she possesses. Myrtle also has the power of transmutation (teleportation) and uses it frequently, disappearing and reappearing throughout the Academy. Additionally, Myrtle is a traveled gourmand who adores exquisite food, haute couture, jewelry, romance, and associating with fashion designers. Fiercely loyal to the Coven as a whole  (though this does not stop her from murdering the remaining members of the Witches' Council after they unjustly order her execution) and to Cordelia, Myrtle wants what is best for their future and believes Misty Day or Zoe to be the strongest candidates for future Supreme. After Cordelia becomes the next Supreme, Myrtle persuades Cordelia to have her executed for her murder of the Witches' Council as a show of authority and to offer the coven a fresh start. Against her request, however, Myrtle is resurrected a second time by Cordelia in "Apocalypse" to provide Cordelia with advice. She later  survives Michael Langdon's assault on the academy and takes part in the final battle against Michael. After Mallory alters the timeline by killing Michael before he becomes too powerful, Cordelia does not seek Myrtle's advice and thus does not resurrect her a second time. For her performance in "Coven", Conroy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. Kyle Spencer. Kyle Spencer (portrayed by Evan Peters) is a cheerful college student on a scholarship, and the leader of his fraternity. He falls in love with Zoe at first sight . The victim of extensive sexual abuse, Kyle worked hard to earn a scholarship and escape poverty for college, and Kyle's dream was to become a civil engineer and ensure a catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina would never happen again. He is killed at the beginning of the season, when Madison flips over a bus he is riding in. He is later revived in the morgue using a spell cast by Zoe and Madison, after his severed head is attached to various body parts from other victims of the crash. He suffers severe drawbacks after his resurrection – such as rarely being  able to speak, suffering fits of murderous rage, and often being confused, as a child would be. Kyle enters into a menage-a-trois relationship with Zoe and Madison, and becomes the "guard dog" of the Coven. Kyle chooses Zoe exclusively once he fully regains his mental abilities. Eventually, Kyle becomes the new butler of the academy, taking over Spalding's role. Misty Day. Misty Day (portrayed by Lily Rabe) is a young witch who is not associated with a Coven of her own. She was discovered as a witch after being ostracized and burned alive by her Pentecostal community  for exhibiting the extremely rare "gift of resurgence" (the ability to fully resurrect the long dead, as opposed to the Seven Wonders' vitalum vitalis, which merely balances life forces between the healthy witch performing it, and the just dead receiver). Her death made the news and Misty was thought to be dead, but she mysteriously revived herself and spends her time alone walking through the swamps. She is a lonely woman who is obsessed with Stevie Nicks, believing her to be a kindred spirit and a white witch. Misty is kind, despises killing, and is desperate to find a self -described 'tribe'. She is reluctant at first to become the next Supreme, though everyone assumes she will be. She helps heal Kyle's body after Zoe and Madison revive him with a spell, and also ends up using her healing powers to revive Myrtle Snow after Myrtle is burned at the stake. Her powers seem limited based on the state of a corpse, as observed in "The Axeman Cometh", when she struggles to revive Madison, who had been dead for weeks. She has also shown minor abilities controlling animals, such as making the alligators attack the poachers and calling animals  away from Myrtle's charred body. Misty has demonstrated telekinetic abilities and has also been observed manifesting in other areas at will, potentially demonstrating teleportation ability. Misty's personal hell is vivisecting and resurging a frog on loop. Misty perishes when she cannot escape her hell in time during the Seven Wonders, and her body reduces to ash in the physical world. Misty reappears in "Apocalypse", as Cordelia requests Michael Langdon restore her as a part of his completion of the Seven Wonders. He agrees and travels to Hell to find Misty. As he reawakens in the living realm , Misty materializes beside him. While Cordelia recovers from her nosebleed, Misty tells her that she should have been left in her personal hell. She also tells Cordelia that, during her resurrection, "the evil within Hell" appeared to speak to Langdon, who apparently negotiated for her release. After the timeline is altered due to Mallory killing Langdon, Misty is returned from her personal Hell by Nan and Papa Legba as a favor to Mallory for causing Langdon's death. Madison Montgomery. Madison Montgomery (portrayed by Emma Roberts) is a young Hollywood star who makes $7 million a picture. As a  young girl her parents forced her into the movie industry and groomed her for money. She ultimately becomes a famous and trendy actor, popular in the gossip of hollywood. She finds out that she is a witch after using her unknown Telekinesis to murder her film director, who annoyed and mistreated her. She had been in and out of rehab for many years and was the sole support of her parasitic family from a very young age. In "Bitchcraft", after being drugged and gang raped by the frat boys who film the event, Madison uses her power to flip the  frat boy bus in revenge, killing Kyle. She forges a bond with Zoe, who uses her power to kill the surviving ring leader. The two then revive Kyle amateurishly. Madison craves popularity and fashion and proves herself to be the next Supreme in "The Replacements", after setting the curtains on fire at the new neighbour's house, displaying a new power, causing Fiona to kill Madison in the exact spot where Fiona killed Anna-Lee Leighton back in 1971, so that Fiona's chances to stay the Supreme stay more likely, regardless of her battle with cancer. She communicates with  the girls using a ouija board and is hidden inside Spalding's room. Misty revives her, but she cannot feel any pain or sensation after her resurrection due to the amount of time she was dead. She reflects on herself in that time giving us more information about her awful childhood. She begins a love triangle with Kyle and Zoe and becomes more desperate for the throne. In "The Seven Wonders", Madison refuses to revive a killed Zoe and fails to complete a challenge causing her to storm out, threatening to reveal the Coven's secrets to the rest  of the world. While packing to leave, Madison is choked to death by Kyle, for refusing to resurrect Zoe. Madison returns in the eighth season, "Apocalypse", where it is revealed that after her death, she was sent to her own personal hell of processing endless returns and complaints from a never-ending line of customers at a department store. She was later resurrected by Langdon alongside Queenie. After Michael passed the Seven Wonders test, Cordelia charged Madison and Behold Chablis to investigate Michael's origins at the Murder House, where they discover his real nature as the Antichrist. There, Madison  also helps Violet reunite with Tate by explaining to her that he was merely a vessel used by the house to conceive Michael and tells Violet that Tate is not truly evil. After surviving Michael's assault on the academy she partakes in the final battle against Michael. She helps Cordelia get more time for Mallory. Sadly she is no match for the devil and her head is exploded. Following the timeline being altered as a result of Mallory killing Michael before his rise to power, Madison is returned to her personal hell, although Mallory states that she will eventually  be resurrected. Spalding. Spalding (portrayed by Denis O'Hare) is the butler of the Academy. He has been mute since 1971 when he cut off his own tongue to prevent the Witches' Council from finding out the truth about Anna-Lee's murder. He has been in unrequited love with Fiona for many years. Spalding is fond of tea parties and has an extensive doll collection that he plays with while dressing in a woman's nightgown. He adds Madison's body to his collection. He later is interrogated by Zoe, Nan and Queenie about Madison's murder, claiming he was  responsible, though Zoe is skeptical. Later, Zoe recites an incantation, enchanting Spalding's tongue and returning it to his mouth. He admits that Fiona was responsible for murdering Madison, due to his tongue being enchanted to tell the truth, Zoe stabs Spalding in the chest, killing him. After his death, he remains in the Academy as a ghost, and, along with LaLaurie, is responsible for the death of Marie Laveau. He then acts as a mentor to Kyle as the new butler, saying that they are "the help". Delphine LaLaurie. Delphine LaLaurie (portrayed by Kathy Bates) is based on the  true-life New Orleans socialite from the 1830s, infamous for killing and torturing her slaves. To punish Delphine for disfiguring the houseboy, and her lover, Bastien, the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau tricks Delphine into drinking a potion of eternal life and buries her alive. Delphine is re-discovered by Nan and a war rekindles between the voodoo tribe and the witches when Fiona digs Delphine up and houses her to use as a bargaining chip against Laveau. Delphine is immortal because of Marie Laveau's potion and cannot die. Delphine is a complex, dualistic character, at once pitiable and  monstrous. Arrogant and proud, she's also practical and willing to get her hands dirty. She truly loves her family, but is willing to torture them to keep them from disobeying her. In the Academy, Delphine is required to be Queenie's slave and the two form a tentatively fond relationship. Queenie's betrayal smashes Delphine's trust and inclinations to attempt atonement for her racist ways, and Delphine again takes up her murderous hobbies when tempted. Delphine longs for death but when she was killed by Queenie after Laveau loses her immortality, her personal hell is being locked in  a cage in her torture attic, just out of reach of her daughters, and forced to watch Marie Laveau torture her children in front of her without being able to help, albeit against Marie Laveau's will. She later makes an appearance in "Apocalypse", where Marie Laveau is shown continuing to torture her in hell. For her performance in "Coven", Bates won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. In addition, she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television and the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series , Miniseries or Television Film. Fiona Goode. Fiona Goode (portrayed by Jessica Lange as adult Fiona, Riley Voelkel as teenage Fiona, and Kate Paige as child Fiona) is the Supreme witch of her generation, the leader of the Salem witch descendants. She lives a glamorous life of luxury in Los Angeles. She returns to Miss Robichaux's Academy after the murder of Misty Day with the intention of teaching the young witches to fight, and reconciling with her estranged daughter Cordelia. She yearns for eternal life and looks for any way to get it. Fiona, being the Supreme, embodies countless magical  abilities. As the Supreme, Fiona has mastered the Seven Wonders, seven magical abilities that signify a witch as the Supreme. Fiona grows terribly ill and develops terminal cancer due to a new Supreme rising within the Coven. She tries at all costs to regain her youth. At first, she attempts to obtain immortality by seeking it from an immortal voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. After failing miserably, she believes the only way to stay alive is to kill the emerging Supreme. She murders several of the students, but still continues to grow weaker. Fiona conspires with the Axeman and fakes her  own death by implanting a false vision inside him, revealing that he murdered her. Fiona returns to the Academy to kill the new Supreme – however, after realizing her daughter has taken the position, Fiona renounces her self-serving, murderous intentions and dies in Cordelia's arms. In her own personal hell, Fiona is bound to live in a shack with the Axeman for all eternity. Although Fiona does not appear in "Apocalypse", she is mentioned in the episodes "Boy Wonder", "Traitor", and "Fire and Reign" when Cordelia's own failing health due to a new Supreme rising causes her to  fear she will become like her mother, but Myrtle reassures her that she will not. For her performance, Lange was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film, the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. She won the Dorian Award for Best TV Performance of the Year – Actress and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. List of American Horror Story