Kathryn Merteuil

Kathryn Merteuil
Cruel Intentions character
Kathryn Merteuil as portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions
First appearance	Cruel Intentions
Last appearance	Cruel Intentions 2
Created by	Character Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Developed for Film Roger Kumble
Portrayed by	Sarah Michelle Gellar Amy Adams
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	High school student (at Manchester Prep; departed)
Family	Unnamed father (father; status unknown) Tiffany Merteuil (mother) Edward Valmont (stepfather) Sebastian Valmont (maternal stepbrother; deceased)
Significant other(s)	Sebastian Valmont (stepbrother / attraction) Court Reynolds (ex-boyfriend)
Relatives	Cassidy Merteuil (cousin)
Religion	Christian (only nominally)
Residence	Upper East Side Manhattan, New York

Kathryn Merteuil is a fictional character who appears in Cruel Intentions and Cruel Intentions 2, portrayed by actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amy Adams, respectively. Based on the Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons dangereuses, Kathryn serves as the primary antagonist of the series.

In the film, Kathryn is wealthy, beautiful and popular, She is part of the Upper East Side's social elite. Portrayed as a manipulative mastermind who uses and destroys people for her own amusement, she is also depicted as being addicted to cocaine, which she hides in her rosary, and may even suffer from Bulimia, as her ex-boyfriend Court states she's a "Bulimic Headcase" and Sebastian's private journal also states she's bulimic. She hides her true nature behind the facade of a deeply religious model student, fooling everyone she knows, except for her equally narcissistic step-brother Sebastian Valmont. Kathryn shows signs of sociopathic and narcissistic traits, treating the death of her supposedly "loved" brother with cold disdain, and gleefully enjoying destroying his life, as well as those of the people she perceives as threats or inferior to her. Despite this, she isn't an actual sociopath (she does not have antisocial personality disorder), as she still has had feelings for a few men in her life, and has displayed genuine emotions - traits sociopaths wouldn't exhibit. She has a strong superiority complex, but the extent of her interest in Sebastian is left ambiguous (she does cry when Sebastian's journal is made public, but whether this is because she finally saw how much Sebastian actually loathed/loved her, or if it is because people finally see her conniving, troubled mind, is left unanswered).

In the film, she's first seen discussing her prep school with Mrs. Caldwell and her daughter Cecile. Kathryn promises Mrs. Caldwell that she will look out for the sheltered and naive Cecile. However, she reveals to her step-brother Sebastian that her real intention is to use Cecile to take revenge on Court Reynolds, her ex-boyfriend, who had dumped her for Cecile. Kathryn asks Sebastian to seduce Cecile; yet he refuses as he is planning to seduce virgin Annette Hargrove, the daughter of their school's new headmaster. The two make a wager: Kathryn believes he cannot get Annette to bed, yet Sebastian believes he can. If Kathryn wins, she gets Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140; if Sebastian wins, Kathryn will have sex with him.