Mason Verger

Mason Verger
Hannibal Lecter character
Joe Anderson as Mason Verger in the NBC series Hannibal
Created by	Thomas Harris
Portrayed by	Gary Oldman (Hannibal) Michael Pitt (Hannibal; season 2) Joe Anderson (Hannibal; season 3)
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	CEO of Verger Enterprises
Relatives	Margot Verger (sister) Molson Verger (father, deceased)
Nationality	American

Mason Verger is a fictional character that appears in Thomas Harris' 1999 novel Hannibal, as well as its 2001 film adaptation and the second and third season of the TV series Hannibal. In the film, he is portrayed by Gary Oldman, while in the TV series he is portrayed by Michael Pitt and Joe Anderson.

Mason Verger is introduced in the novel Hannibal as a wealthy sexual sadist who was horribly disfigured during a therapy session with Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He plans gruesome revenge against Lecter, which sets the novel's plot in motion. The novel and TV series also portray his dysfunctional relationship with his twin sister Margot, whom he subjects to years of emotional and sexual abuse.

Mason Verger is the son of one of Baltimore, Maryland's most wealthy, politically connected families. His father, Molson, founded a meat packing company that grew into an empire by the time of Mason's birth. Mason takes pleasure in acts of cruelty and sexual violence, including torturing animals and molesting children. He also performs autoerotic asphyxiation, and enjoys collecting children's tears with sterile swatches and flavoring his martinis with them. At one point he befriends Idi Amin, with whom he claims to have re-enacted the crucifixion of Jesus by nailing a migrant worker to a cross. Publicly, he claims to be a born-again Christian, and operates a Christian camp for underprivileged children—whom he molests. As a teenager, Mason raped his twin sister, Margot, who went into therapy with Lecter to deal with the trauma. Lecter suggested that it would be cathartic for her to kill her brother.