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This page is about the human attorney named Charlotte Richards.
You may be looking for Goddess who used this human's body as a vessel.

So, a funny thing happened a couple of months ago. I sort of died, and apparently there's a chance I went to Hell. Oh, I know, I was as shocked as you are. I'm feeling much better now.
— Charlotte
in "Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards"

Charlotte Lee Richards was a criminal defense attorney and senior partner in the law firm Richards and Wheeler. She is a recurring character in Lucifer, serving as a central character in Season 2 as Goddess's vessel as well as a main character in Season 3, before making a final appearance in Season 6. After Charlotte is first murdered, Goddess inhabited Charlotte's body, using it as a vessel in order to escape Hell and seek her son, Lucifer's, help.

After Lucifer gives the Goddess her own universe following the second season finale, the real Charlotte Richards is resurrected, and returns from Hell, re-inhabiting her body. She learns about the existence of Celestials on Earth primarily due to Goddess's actions while inhabiting her body, which is later confirmed by Amenadiel and Lucifer. Not wanting to suffer the torture that she endured in Hell, Charlotte dedicates the rest of her life to redeeming her soul. Charlotte is ultimately murdered a second time by Lieutenant Marcus Pierce in "Quintessential Deckerstar" and her spirit is taken to Heaven by Amenadiel. Charlotte's death deeply affects those who knew and cared about her. Lucifer eventually avenged Charlotte by killing Pierce.

After Dan Espinoza dies and eventually makes it to Heaven, he is reunited with Charlotte and they share eternity together.

History[]

Charlotte Richards worked as a very successful defense attorney at Richards & Wheeler, a high-end law firm in Beverly Hills. Many of her clients were dangerous criminals whom she knowingly helped out of legal problems. It is mentioned in passing by Chloe Decker that before Charlotte was a Lawyer, she used to be a cop. Charlotte was married to Elliot Richards, and together they had two children. At some point, Charlotte began having an affair with Brad Wheeler, her partner at the firm. She was apparently committed to their relationship, to the point where Wheeler said she had stopped sleeping with her husband.

Before she was first murdered, she was working on a sensitive case with the FBI to bring Victor Perez's cartel down. The only other person at the firm who knew the details of the case was Liam Pickering. When Charlotte went to meet their informant, Marco Sanchez, at Hotel Gleam, Pickering murdered both of them with a screwdriver, in an attempt to frame Jimmy the Carpenter, Perez's hit man of record, who unknown to Pickering, was already dead. Chloe and Lucifer investigated the case with Dan's and Ella's assistance.

After this death, Charlotte's soul went to Hell while Goddess takes over her body on Earth. While in Hell, Charlotte's Hell loop has her waking up in the morning, and happily eating breakfast with her family. Only for a criminal that she kept out of prison to walk in and shoot her family dead. During this sequence, all Charlotte does is smile, knowing that it is her fault the criminal is free. This loop repeats with a different person she has defended coming in each time. The experience left her with overwhelming guilt and remorse.

In "The Good, the Bad and the Crispy", at Lucifer's suggestion, Goddess departs Charlotte's body to create a new universe for herself in the void. As Dan rushes over to Charlotte's body, she awakens, surprising Lucifer who thought that her body would remain an empty vessel. Apparently, Goddess resurrected the human Charlotte when she left, but Charlotte has no memory from the period that Goddess controlled her body. She is then taken away by paramedics who believe her fall from the Santa Monica Pier is the reason for her confusion.

In "They're Back, Aren't They?", Dan reveals that Charlotte does not remember him or their previous relationship, devastating him. Lucifer tries to reassure Dan that Charlotte's behavior is neither his fault nor hers.

In "Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards", Charlotte shows up at the penthouse, making him briefly believe that his mother has returned, only to be horrified when Charlotte kisses him. Lucifer explains to her that they are not, nor will they ever be lovers, but admits that they do have a complicated history. Finally broken, she confides in Lucifer she worries that she is going insane. By putting together pieces of what she remembers, she guesses that she went to Hell, even though she believes she is a good person.

Following Lucifer's suggestion, she cooperates with the LAPD by giving them video footage of the murder under investigation. Upon the realization that her actions while representing criminals led to her damnation, she decides to hold her clients hostage at gunpoint to uncover the murderer. Lucifer intervenes, explaining that Simon killed himself as a way to expose the company for its crimes. Charlotte says that there are no loopholes in avoiding sin and states that her clients are guilty of poisoning their customers with their tainted pudding. In her hysterical state, she wants to shoot them, but Lucifer calms her down. Unknown to Charlotte, Lucifer was able to record the incriminating conversation leading to her clients' arrests.

Later, Charlotte apologizes to Dan for her behavior towards him, and then she departs with Lucifer. At her apartment, she asks Lucifer what she was like during her lost time, to which he replies she was "Quite the handful…intense, jealous, hair-trigger emotions, and prone to making cosmically epic mistakes. But everything that you did came from a place of love."

In "Chloe Does Lucifer", as part of her new outlook on life where she does good, Charlotte decides to take a job at the D.A.'s office, putting criminals in prison instead of helping them get away with their crimes.

In "The Last Heartbreak", Charlotte meets Amenadiel, who initially mistakes her for his mother, and he reveals a little about the goddess. Later, realizing that she is no longer his mother, Amenadiel tries to tell her that during her amnesiac period she was a mother to him.

In "Orange is the New Maze", Charlotte confronts Lucifer about everything Amenadiel said, and Lucifer reveals the whole truth. Charlotte enters into despair thinking she is going crazy. Amenadiel and Lucifer decide to prove everything to her by having Lucifer display his wings. This shocking display causes Charlotte to feel relieved that she hasn't gone insane.

In "Quintessential Deckerstar", Charlotte works to prosecute Forest King Clay, a serial abuser from her early days as a lawyer, and a main source of all the guilt she experienced in her Hell Loop. She works with Amenadiel to prove his crimes and eventually he is arrested for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy, as well as domestic abuse. Charlotte is then shot and killed by Marcus Pierce, who actually intended to kill Amenadiel. She is then carried by Amenadiel to Heaven after his wings spontaneously return.

In "A Devil of My Word", everyone is left grieved by Charlotte's death, particularly Dan Espinoza who had loved her. Looking through her cases, Lucifer discovers that Charlotte was prosecuting a surprising number of dangerous criminals and Lucifer and Chloe. Dan uncovered the fact that she had investigated Pierce and discovered he was actually the Sinnerman, forcing Lucifer to admit that was the truth. When Pierce then pretends to become emotional while talking about Charlotte, Chloe realizes that Pierce is lying and really did kill her.

In "Once Upon a Time", which takes place in an alternate universe, created by God, in which Chloe never becomes a detective, a different version of Charlotte is shown. She was not killed in 2016, and thus never went to Hell. Therefore, she is still quite corrupt. She is, in fact, Lucifer's attorney, but makes a deal with the now corrupt Detective Espinoza, to rob Lucifer's safe. She succeeds in getting the money but encounters Maze who tells her to take it to live out her sinful desires, so long as she says why she was taking it. When she did, Maze knew that by doing this, Charlotte was dooming herself to Hell. Maze then threatened to kill Charlotte and Dan if they were ever seen in Los Angeles again, the two escape together.

In "Expire Erect," Eve tells Amenadiel that she ran into Charlotte while she was on her way out of heaven, and remarks that she was very lovely.

In "Nothing Lasts Forever", Goddess briefly returns to the universe and assumes Charlotte's form even though she is no longer using a human vessel.

In "Save the Devil, Save the World", while reading Linda Martin's book about Lucifer, Ella Lopez is shocked to discover that Charlotte was the Divine Goddess. Lucifer comments that she was, but only "some of the time." Now knowing the truth about everything, a hurt Ella tells Lucifer that she had lost her faith after Charlotte's death, and none of her friends had told her that they knew that Charlotte was in Heaven.

At the same time, while trying to help Dan reach Heaven, Maze torments him about Charlotte's death, thinking that his lingering guilt over it is what is keeping Dan trapped. Dan says that is not what he is feeling guilty about. He had indeed blamed himself for a while, but he now knows that her death wasn't his fault, and he couldn't have saved her. Dan now finds it comforting to know that Charlotte is in Heaven.

In "Partners 'Til the End", it's revealed that after Dan's soul finally makes it to Heaven, he happily shares his eternity there with Charlotte, whom he begins a romantic relationship with.

Legacy[]

Charlotte's death was avenged after Lucifer mortally wounded Pierce. He points out that while Pierce has no regrets about his other actions on Earth, he does have remorse over killing Charlotte, accident or not. As a result, Pierce will be haunted by Charlotte's murder forever in Hell. Charlotte's death had a major impact on Dan and Ella. Dan grew very angry, and wrongly blamed Lucifer for her death. Ella experienced a crisis of faith in God because of Charlotte's tragic murder. Dan was eventually able to realize his mistakes and strove to be better, while still grieving the woman he loved. Ella received a new perspective on how God gives them the strength to get through the difficult times, rather than eliminating difficultiesaltogether.

Charlotte was also missed dearly by both Lucifer and Amenadiel. They both agreed that she deserved the "first class ticket" to Heaven, and Amenadiel and Linda named their son, Charlie, after Charlotte. While telling a story about his time in 1946 to Trixie Espinoza, Lucifer based an appearance of Shirley Monroe on Charlotte.

Personality[]

Lucifer Season 5 Tricia Helfer's Charlotte Is Back, But How

Like any high-level defense attorney, Charlotte was clever and confident. She knowingly helped guilty criminals get away with their crimes using loopholes. She was a neglectful mother to her children, and she was unfaithful to her husband, having an affair with her law firm partner, Brad Wheeler.

After her resurrection from Hell, Charlotte tries her best to hide the fact that she cannot remember the past few months. She believes people will think she is insane. After having a conversation with Lucifer about her memories of Hell, which she tried to shrug off, she realizes that helping criminals get away with their crimes caused her guilt, and therefore her damnation. She realizes that she needs to change to avoid going back to Hell and decides to take a job at the D.A.'s office. She is comfortable with confiding in Lucifer, and they have a growing friendship. In the better version of her life, she was loved and respected by many people who were also deeply grieved by her loss. Her determination to do the right thing is shown to have led Charlotte to prosecute a surprising number of cases with her friends noting her fearlessness, even Chloe, who was among those that were reluctant to credit her sudden attempt to change for the better, is seen impressed of her work. Charlotte eventually manages to help in arresting Forest King Clay, a source of her guilt in her Hell Loop. She proves her genuine change and selflessness by taking the bullet Pierce meant for Amenadiel, which secures her rightful place in Heaven following her second death.

In the alternate universe, Charlotte had not been killed, and thus never went to Hell. This meant that she remained corrupt, and was willing to betray Lucifer, who was her client in this universe, for his money. However, in this universe she and Dan still become lovers. Dan never met Chloe due to her career as an actress, and thus he never had his daughter Trixie, and he remained a corrupt cop.

Appearances[]

Season Two
#2 "Liar, Liar, Slutty Dress on Fire" Appears
#3 "Sin-Eater" Mentioned
#18 "The Good, the Bad and the Crispy" Appears
Season Three
#1 "They're Back, Aren't They?" Mentioned
#2 "The One with the Baby Carrot" Credit only
#3 "Mr. & Mrs. Mazikeen Smith" Credit only
#4 "What Would Lucifer Do?" Credit only
#5 "Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards" Appears
#6 "Vegas with Some Radish" Credit only
#7 "Off the Record" Mentioned
#8 "Chloe Does Lucifer" Appears
#9 "The Sinnerman" Appears
#10 "The Sin Bin" Appears
#11 "City of Angels?" Appears
#12 "All About Her" Appears
#13 "Til Death Do Us Part" Appears
#14 "My Brother's Keeper" Appears
#15 "High School Poppycock" Appears
#16 "Infernal Guinea Pig" Appears
#17 "Let Pinhead Sing!" Appears
#18 "The Last Heartbreak" Appears
#19 "Orange is the New Maze" Appears
#20 "The Angel of San Bernardino" Appears
#21 "Anything Pierce Can Do I Can Do Better" Appears
#22 "All Hands on Decker" Appears
#23 "Quintessential Deckerstar" Appears
#24 "A Devil of My Word" Mentioned
#25 "Boo Normal" Credit only
#26 "Once Upon a Time" Appears
Season Four
#1 "Everything's Okay" Mentioned
#2 "Somebody's Been Reading Dante's Inferno" Mentioned
#3 "O, Ye of Little Faith, Father" Mentioned
#5 "Expire Erect" Mentioned
#6 "Orgy Pants to Work" Mentioned
#7 "Devil Is as Devil Does" Mentioned
#9 "Save Lucifer" Mentioned
#10 "Who's da New King of Hell?" Pictured
Season Five
#1 "Really Sad Devil Guy" Mentioned
#4 "It Never Ends Well for the Chicken" Appears
#7 "Our Mojo" Mentioned
#10 "Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam" Pictured
#11 "Resting Devil Face" Mentioned
Season Six
#8 "Save the Devil, Save the World" Mentioned
#10 "Partners 'Til the End" Appears

Trivia[]

  • Both the Charlotte Richards from the regular universe and alternate universe have a romantic interest in Dan Espinoza.
  • The name Charlotte is primarily a French feminine diminutive of Charles. After her death, Charlie, the son of Amenadiel and Linda, was named in her honor.

External links[]

Gallery[]

Links[]

Main Characters

Lucifer MorningstarChloe DeckerDan EspinozaAmenadielMazikeenTrixie EspinozaLinda MartinMalcolm GrahamElla LopezGoddessCharlotte RichardsMarcus PierceEveMichaelAurora Morningstar

Humans

Major
Chloe DeckerDan EspinozaTrixie EspinozaLinda MartinElla Lopez
EveCharlotte RichardsMarcus PierceMalcolm GrahamWilliam Kinley

Minor
AbelAdamJamie Lee AdrienneMarie AntoinetteAttilaJimmy BarnesRoberta BeliardBennySergei BokJosh BryantBurtCacuzzaCaligulaJason CarlisleBenny ChoiCorazonCarol CorbettPaola CortezHank CutterPete DailyDetective DancerRose DavisJohn DeckerPenelope DeckerDelilahDougieVanessa DunlearCandy FletcherSigmund FreudLee GarnerReese GettyCarmen GrantJoe HansonSonya HarrisHectorAdolf HitlerTy HuntleyJesúsEarl JohnsonJustinFranz KafkaWilly KincannonFrank LawrenceVincent Le MecAlexa LeeCaleb MayfieldJulian McCaffreyMcMillanJack MonroeOlivia MonroeShirley MonroeJed MooreBeth MurphyNapoleonAdriana NassarLuis NavarroOnyxOwenPaddyAnthony PaolucciSuki PriceDani RamirezDiego RamirezGrigori RasputinRennyBen RiversTJ RossChet RuizErwin ScovellWilliam ShakespeareSinnermanPerry SmithMichelle TourvelTutankhamenOscar WildeJacob WilliamsVincenzoYellow Viper

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