After shedding comparisons to (and outdoing) other portrayals of Hannibal Lecter in the show’s first season, Mikkelsen focused on showing the slippery pychopath’s strength and his heart. Mikkelsen revealed his brutal killer’s softer side as he was unable to walk away from his friendship with Will Graham, even after Will tried to have him killed. Mikkelsen continued to mix menace and charm as he nurtured Will’s fledgling psychopathy with beautifully rendered affection — which of course turned into searing, vulnerable anger when Hannibal’s heart is broken by Will’s long-con betrayal. If there was ever any doubt that this show is actually about its titular character, Mikkelsen removed it in Season 2.