Bob (The Dresden Files)

Bob is a fictional character in the book series The Dresden Files and its TV series adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Terrence Mann.

Bob is a "spirit of intellect" who inhabits a skull perched on a shelf in Harry Dresden's secret lab. He is bound to the skull and its owner's wishes. He is free to leave the skull if given permission by his owner, but he will die if exposed to significant sunlight without a host body. His usual vessel is Harry's cat, Mister, who does not seem to mind Bob's presence.

As a spirit of knowledge, Bob has served various wizards over the years and functions much like a magical encyclopedia, assisting Harry with various tasks; such as making potions, preparing difficult rituals, and providing him with useful information about the various supernatural creatures Harry deals with throughout the books (since Harry's magic causes almost all modern technology to malfunction in his presence, he does not own a computer).

Although he frequently ribs Harry for being too stiff/noble, and he lacks a firm understanding of moral values, Bob is truly afraid of dark magic while under Harry's ownership. He panics when Harry shows him a drawing of one of the sigils for the Order of the Blackened Denarius and urges him not to confront the group. When he is asked to recall being owned by a powerful necromancer (having erased most related memories, and sealed away what he couldn't erase), he is reluctant to do so. Unlocking said memories changes him, making him arrogant and very powerful, and he nearly kills Harry, who saves himself only by tricking Bob into reverting to normal. Bob tends to be very stubborn about providing help unless Harry pays him, in the form of spicy romance novels and occasional time out of the skull. Harry is extremely reluctant to allow the latter, since these forays tend to have unfortunate consequences; for instance, Bob once "crashed" a party at a local college fraternity house, and ended up causing a full-blown orgy.

Bob's personality seems to be malleable, adapting to suit his current owner, and abiding by their wishes. When Bob is stolen by a necromancer, Bob advises the wizard against Harry's own interests, but is eventually convinced by Harry to betray his new owner and assist Harry instead. Harry later speculates that he was able to willingly do this because it was Harry who gave him his name.

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