5 Mentalist Characters Who Could Be a Better Red John Than The One We Got
The main storyline in Mentalist was Patrick Jane's mission to find and kill Red John to avenge his family — well, at least that was the main storyline for everyone other than the people that just really wanted Jane and Lisbon to finally be together.
During Jane's pursuit of Red John, many mysteries were uncovered, and many unexpected things were revealed. But the last great reveal was, of course, the identity of Red John.
After almost six seasons of walking in the dark, first Jane narrowed the list of suspects to just a few names, and then, finally, met the real Red John.
This was somewhat of a shock for the viewers, as it turned out to be Sheriff Thomas McAllister who was considered dead at that point. While a plot twist, it was still a disappointment for many fans who expected more from the mysterious serial killer.
The Mentalist fans shared their opinions on who they had supposed to be Red John before the reveal — and who they would've wanted to turn out to be Jane's foe. We gathered some of the more interesting theories here.
Kristina Frye
If this psychic was Red John, it would've been a great twist. It also would've made sense: she knew details about Jane's family murder and was charming enough to have Jane fall for her even though he questioned both her abilities and honesty.
Walter Mashburn
Walter could also turn out to be Red John. He was smart, influential, risk-seeking, and manipulative — he even charmed and convinced Lisbon to be with him.
He also got along really well with Jane, and that could've also added to the plot twist.
Bob Kirkland
Agent Kirkland was almost too obvious as Red John. He had the creepiest vibe about him and was always involved in some shady business.
As it turned out, he did in fact have a lot to hide, and it would've definitely suited him to be a serial killer.
Sean Barlow
An incredibly smart and creepy psychic, he was the Janes' old acquaintance and claimed to possess real powers. Since Red John was some sort of Jane's dark version, Barlow was a perfect choice: he really was an evil and twisted Patrick.
Patrick Jane
One of the most popular theories, it was even covered in the series. No matter how great this plot twist would've been, it would've also been a real punch in the gut in the darkest way possible, because then it would've been him who killed his family.
Not everyone is so discontent with the real Red John. Some say that they're OK with Sheriff McAllister being Red John, but they wish there was some actual explanation for what's been happening for previous seasons… And some more Red John action.
Regardless, the show is over now, and Xander Berkeley did an amazing job at portraying Red John. But there's always some room for fan theories, especially such interesting ones!