Hannibal, beginning in episode 8, "The Great Red Dragon". Dolarhyde was referenced in the series premiere as the unseen murderer of the Marlowe family. In this continuity, Dolarhyde and Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) communicate directly by telephone, and Dolarhyde's inner discussions with the Dragon are instead depicted as therapy sessions with Lecter. In the series finale, "The Wrath of the Lamb", Lecter and Graham (Hugh Dancy) kill Dolarhyde together; Graham stabs him, while Lecter bites his throat out. Inspiration Harris loosely based Francis Dolarhyde on the serial killer known as "BTK" (Bind, Torture, Kill), who at the time of the book's publication was terrorizing Kansas with a series of murders, beginning with the murder of a family in their home. Like Dolarhyde, BTK engaged in necrophiliac acts with his victims' bodies; he also wrote letters to the police alluding to being under the control of an outside influence, which he referred to as "Factor X". Harris had consulted with FBI Agent John E. Douglas prior to writing the book, and Douglas had served as a consultant on the BTK case for Kansas police. Harris was so impressed with Douglas that he borrowed aspects of his life story and personality for Will Graham and Jack Crawford. References American male characters in television Characters in American novels of the 20th century Fictional attempted suicides Fictional bodybuilders Fictional characters based on real people Fictional characters from Missouri Fictional characters who committed familicide Fictional characters with disfigurements Fictional characters with dissociative identity disorder Fictional murderers of children Fictional kidnappers Fictional mass murderers Fictional mechanical engineers Fictional serial killers Fictional United States Army personnel Fictional victims of domestic abuse Hannibal Lecter characters Horror television characters Literary characters introduced in 1981 Male literary villains Male horror film villains Orphan characters in literature