How Everyone in Netflix’s Dark Is Connected

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If you’re currently attempting to scrape your brain off the ceiling after finishing Dark‘s eye-opening third season on Netflix, you are not alone. The non-linear sci-fi show really outdid itself in its final season, revealing even more surprising and confusing connections by introducing not only a second world, but also a third world known as the Origin World. There is a special type of mental gymnastics required to make sense of how everyone in Adam’s world and everyone in Eva’s world are connected, but luckily for you, we’ve already done all the heavy lifting. Below, we’ve unraveled the intricate web of the time-traveling Kahnwalds, Nielsens, Tiedemanns, Dopplers, and even Tannhauses. 

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dark Season 3. Read at your own risk!]

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THE KAHNWALDS

Jonas Kahnwald/Adam (Louis Hofmann as a teen; Andreas Pietschmann as an adult; Dietrich Hollinderbaumer as Adam)

Jonas is the son of Hannah and Michael Kahnwald, formerly known as Mikkel Nielsen, who was the younger brother of Jonas’ friends Martha and Magnus Nielsen in 2019 and who traveled back in time to 1986. Jonas dated Martha Nielsen prior to Michael’s suicide in June 2019, but broke things off once he realized Martha was actually his aunt. He is the half-brother of Silja, who is the daughter of his mother, Hannah, and Egon Tiedemann.

When the apocalypse happens in June 2020, Jonas is saved by a version of Martha from an alternate reality. He travels to her world in the year 2019 and seeks out the other world’s version of past Martha and teaches her about time travel. The two eventually have sex and Martha becomes pregnant with their child, who grows up to be the unnamed assassins working for Eva, who is a future version of alt world Martha. In this version of reality, Jonas is killed by a version of Martha from an alt reality of the alt world at the behest of Eva.

In another version of reality, though, Jonas is not saved by alt world Martha and the adult version of him gets stuck in 1888. This version of Jonas grows up to be Adam, who wants to destroy the world and end the infinite cycles of misery. In 2053, he kills the pregnant Martha and their unborn son using the power of the apocalypse from each world, believing it will put an end to the loop. He later discovers the true origin of the cycle was when H.G. Tannhaus attempted to create time travel to save his deceased son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in a third world, the origin world. Adam saves Jonas from the 2020 apocalypse in his world and takes Jonas to the alt world where Jonas meets up with alt world Martha before she can save him. Jonas and Martha travel to the origin world where they save Tannhaus’ family and stop Tannhaus from creating Adam and Eva’s worlds, meaning Martha and Jonas no longer exist.

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Michael Kahnwald/Mikkel Nielsen (Sebastian Rudolph as Michael; Daan Lennard Liebrenz as Mikkel)

Mikkel is the youngest son of Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen. Mikkel is the younger brother of Martha and Magnus Nielsen, who take Mikkel with them on a trip to the caves with Jonas Kahnwald and Bartosz Tiedemann. That night, in Nov. 2019, he travels through time to 1986 with the guidance of a future version of Jonas. While being treated by Ines Kahnwald (who later adopts him and calls him Michael) at the hospital, Mikkel meets Hannah. They eventually wed and Hannah gives birth to a son, Jonas. Michael kills himself on June 21, 2019, after a future version of Jonas tells Michael that’s what is going to happen and shows him his suicide letter.

In the alternate world, Mikkel does not accompany his siblings and their friends into the woods in Nov. 2019, and therefore he never travels back in time. He never becomes Michael Kahnwald, meaning he never weds Hannah and Jonas does not exist in this version of the world.

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Hannah Kahnwald (Ella Lee as a teen; Maja Schöne as an adult)

Hannah is the mother of Jonas and widow of Michael Kahnwald, formerly known as Mikkel Nielsen. Born Hannah Krüger, she has been in love with Ulrich Nielsen since 1986. She has an affair with him in 2019, but Ulrich ends their arrangement after Mikkel’s disappearance. She is definitely not all right in the head, and after traveling back in time to 1954 to visit Ulrich, who is locked up in a psychiatric hospital, she decides to leave him there and start a new life in the past. 

In the 1950s, Hannah begins an affair with a young Egon Tiedemann and becomes pregnant with his child. Although she plans on having an abortion, she decides to keep the baby after a chance meeting with Katharina’s mother, Helene, but she decides to leave Winden for good. A few years later, Hannah travels to 1911 with her young daughter, Silja, to find an adult version of Jonas, who then kills her. 

In the alternate world where Michael does not exist, Hannah is pregnant and married to Ulrich, who left Katharina for her. 

Hannah is one of the only characters who isn’t part of the knot that creates Adam and Eva, so she exists in the origin world, where she is in a relationship with Torben Wöller and is pregnant with his child, whom she plans to name Jonas. She is friends with Regina, Katharina, Peter Doppler, and Bernadette Wöller.

Ines Kahnwald (Lena Urzendowsky as a child; Anne Ratte-Polle as an adult; Angela Winkler as an old woman)

Ines is the adoptive mother of Michael Kahnwald, formerly known as Mikkel Nielsen. She was a nurse at the Winden hospital in 1986 and formed a bond with the stranded-in-time Mikkel. But while she took care of Mikkel, Ines also drugged him repeatedly to keep him complacent and to stop him from running away. A part of her always knew that Mikkel was telling the truth when he said he was from the future. A letter written before he committed suicide on June 21, 2019, confirmed it. She is also the grandmother of Jonas and mother-in-law of Hannah. Her father was Daniel, who worked in law enforcement alongside a young Egon Tiedemann.

THE NIELSENS

Mikkel Nielsen/Michael Kahnwald (Daan Lennard Liebrenz as Mikkel; Sebastian Rudolph as Michael) 

Mikkel is the youngest son of Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen. Mikkel is the younger brother of Martha and Magnus Nielsen, who take Mikkel with them on a trip to the Winden caves in 2019, where he travels through time to 1986 with the help of a future version of Jonas. While being treated by Ines Kahnwald at the hospital, Mikkel meets 14-year-old Hannah. The two eventually wed, with Mikkel living as Michael Kahnwald. Hannah gives birth to a son, Jonas … who was the friend of his older brother and sister in 2019. Michael kills himself on June 21, 2019, after being visited by a future version of teenage Jonas to ensure that nothing changes and Jonas will still exist.

In the alternate world, Mikkel does not accompany his older siblings and their friends into the woods in Nov. 2019, and therefore he never travels back in time or becomes Michael Kahnwald. 

Martha Nielsen/Eva (Lisa Vicari as a teen; Nina Kronjäger as an adult; Barbara Nüsse as Eva)

Martha is the middle child and only daughter of Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen. She is the sister of Magnus and Mikkel Nielsen. After the latter travels back in time and fathers a child (Jonas), it is revealed that Martha is Jonas’ aunt, which is awkward since she and Jonas previously dated. She discovers the truth about their relationship, but she still loves Jonas. Martha previously dated Bartosz Tiedemann while Jonas was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress after his father’s (Mikkel/Michael) suicide in June 2019. She is killed by Adam right before the apocalypse in 2020. 

An alternate version of Martha from an alternate world saves Jonas from the apocalypse in 2020. In the alt world, a past version of alt world Martha dates Kilian Obendorf but breaks up with him after witnessing Mads Nielsen’s body fall through a crack in space and time alongside Kilian, Magnus, Franziska Doppler, and Bartosz. She eventually has a child with Jonas, and her son becomes the unnamed assassins who work for Eva, who is a future version of Martha equivalent to Jonas’ Adam. But a different version of Martha from a different reality, one who didn’t save Jonas from the apocalypse, kills Jonas while the Martha who saved him watches alongside an older version of Martha as well as Eva. The version who saved Jonas, desperate to change things and stop the apocalypse, accompanies the adult versions of Magnus and Franziska from Adam’s world to their world and joins Adam’s organization, Sic Mundus, in order to find out the origin point so she can destroy it. She travels to 1888 to give adult Jonas the material needed to travel through time. Upon her return to the future, she is captured and killed by Adam in order to kill her unborn child, which he believes to be the origin.

In the alternate world, the version of Martha who kills Jonas in 2019 eventually grows up in an apocalyptic world and becomes Eva, who ensures that the cycle continues. 

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Magnus Nielsen (Moritz Jahn as a teen; Wolfram Koch as an adult)

Magnus is the eldest son of Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen. He dates Franziska Doppler, whose parents are Charlotte and Peter Doppler. He is the one who took Mikkel to the cave in 2019 and he does not handle Mikkel’s disappearance well. Magnus is saved from the 2020 apocalypse by the adult version of Jonas who takes him to 1888 alongside Franziska and his friend Bartosz Tiedemann. They become trapped in the past because they no longer have the radioactive material they need to power the time machine. Magnus becomes a supporter of Adam and, as an adult, travels to the alternate world with Franziska to convince alt world Martha to save Jonas from the apocalypse in Adam’s world. 

In the alternate world, Magnus is dating Franziska Doppler. He accompanies Franziska, Martha, Bartosz Tiedemann, and Kilian Obendorf into the woods in Nov. 2019. He is with them in the bunker when Mads Nielsen’s body falls through a crack in time and space. He dies in the 2019 apocalypse alongside Franziska.

Ulrich Nielsen (Ludger Bökelmann as a teen; Oliver Masucci as an adult; Winfried Glatzeder as an old man)

Ulrich is the eldest son of Jana and Tronte Nielsen. In 2019, Ulrich works in law enforcement alongside Charlotte Doppler. He is engaged in an affair with Hannah Kahnwald prior to Mikkel’s disappearance. His brother, Mads, disappeared in similar fashion in 1986, which drives him to find Mikkel at all costs. While investigating what happened to Mikkel, Ulrich realizes Mads is the boy who is found dead in the woods in 2019. Ulrich travels back in time to 1953, where he is arrested for attacking a young Helge Doppler in an attempt to prevent Mads’ death and Mikkel’s disappearance, as well as the deaths of two other young boys who went missing, Erik Obendorf and Yasin Friese. He lives out the rest of his life in a psychiatric hospital until at least 1987.

In the alternate world, Ulrich leaves Katharina, with whom he has children Magnus, Martha, and Mikkel Nielsen, for Hannah Krüger (she was never married to Michael Kahnwald because he does not exist). They are married and expecting a child of their own. However, he is also engaged in an affair with coworker Charlotte Doppler, though he breaks it off when Mads’ body is found and he begins to suspect time travel is at work. He is killed by the old alt version of Helge Doppler, after Ulrich travels back in time to try to kill the adult version of Helge after he confessed to killing Mads.

Katharina Nielsen (Nele Trebs as a teen; Jördis Triebel as an adult)

Katharina is the wife of Ulrich Nielsen and the mother of Magnus, Martha, and Mikkel Nielsen. Born Katharina Albers, in 2019 she is the principal of the local high school. In 1986, Hannah Krüger files a false police reporting accusing Ulrich of raping Katharina in order to drive them apart. Katharina believes Regina Tiedemann reported her, causing bad blood between them that still exists in 2019. After Ulrich and Mikkel both go missing, Katharina is determined to find them. She travels to 1987, where she comes face to face with her mother, Helene Albers, who works at the psychiatric hospital where Ulrich is a patient. She is killed by her mother in 1987 when she tries to steal her mother’s key card for the hospital in an attempt to rescue Ulrich.

In the alternate world, Katharina is the mother of Magnus, Martha, and Mikkel, but divorced from Ulrich, who left her for Hannah Krüger. 

Katharina is one of the only characters who isn’t part of the knot that creates Adam and Eva, so she exists in the origin world. She is friends with Regina, Hannah, Torben Wöller, Peter Doppler, and Bernadette Wöller.

Jana Nielsen (Rike Sindler as a child; Anne Lebinsky as an adult; Tatja Seibt as an old woman)

Jana is the mother of Ulrich and Mads Nielsen. She is married to Tronte Nielsen, whom she met when she was a young girl. Tronte had an affair with Claudia Tiedemann in 1986, and after Mads’ disappearance, Jana has a mental breakdown and is unable to move on. She confronts Tronte about the affair at Mads’ wake, forcing him to choose between his family and Claudia. He chooses his family.

Tronte Nielsen (Joshio Marlon as a child; Felix Kramer as an adult; Walter Kreye as an old man)

Tronte is the father of Ulrich and Mads Nielsen. He is married to Jana Nielsen but had an affair with Claudia Tiedmann, with whom he lived as a child. He assumes he is the father of Regina Tiedemann, though Claudia reveals in Season 3 that he is not. He moved to Winden with his mother, Agnes Nielsen, in 1953 after spending time in a group home. It’s implied his father is the assassin son of Jonas Kahnwald and the alt world version of Martha Nielsen. When Mads’ body falls through a crack in time, Peter Doppler witnesses it and calls Tronte, who relocates the body to the woods, where it is found by Ulrich and Charlotte Doppler. 

Agnes Nielsen (Helena Pieske as a child; Antje Traue as an adult)

Agnes is the daughter of Bartosz Tiedemann and Silja Tiedemann, who was the daughter of Egon Tiedemann and a time-traveling Hannah Kahnwald. She is the younger sister of Hanno Tauber, aka Noah. Silja dies in childbirth and Bartosz is killed by a teenaged Noah after Bartosz loses his faith in Adam, so Agnes is effectively raised by Erna. Not much else is known about her life until she arrives in Winden in 1953 with her son, Tronte — Tronte’s father is never seen, but it’s heavily implied he is the son of Jonas Kahnwald and the alternate version of Martha Nielsen. In 1954, Agnes has an affair with Doris Tiedemann, whom she meets when she rents a room in their house. She is allied with Claudia Tiedemann in the ’50s, but it’s possible she is actually a triple agent working with Sic Mundus the whole time. She later kills Noah after he loses his faith in Adam.

THE TIEDEMANNS

Bartosz Tiedemann (Paul Lux as a teen; Roman Knižka as an adult)

Bartosz is the only son of Regina and Aleksander Tiedemann (who was born Boris Niewald), and is the head of the nuclear power plant. He dated Martha Nielsen while Jonas Kahnwald was being treated for post-traumatic stress after his father’s suicide. Bartosz was manipulated in 2019 by Noah to do the bidding of Adam and Sic Mundus. In 2020, he is saved from the apocalypse by the adult version of Jonas alongside teenaged Magnus Nielsen and Franziska Doppler. He becomes trapped in 1888, where he meets, thanks to Adam’s meddling, Silja, the daughter of Hannah Kahnwald and Egon Tiedemann. With Silja he is the father of Hanno Tauber, aka Noah, and Agnes Nielsen. Bartosz is killed in 1921 by teen Noah after he loses his faith in Adam and his mission.

The alt world version of teen Bartosz, who has some wild hair, accompanies Magnus and Martha Nielsen, Franziska Doppler, and Kilian Obendorf into the woods in Nov. 2019. He is with them in the bunker when Mads Nielsen’s body falls through a crack in time. Later, he stops alt world Martha from saving Jonas in 2020 at the behest of his older self, who is working for Eva. His actions split the timeline in two.

Silja Tiedemann (Aurora Dervisi as a child; Lea van Acken as a young woman; Lissy Pernthaler as an adult)

Silja is the daughter of time-traveling Hannah Kahnwald and Egon Tiedemann, making her the half-sister of Jonas Kahnwald. She was born in the 1950s but traveled to Winden in 1911 with Hannah. However, adult Jonas sent her to the far future after killing their mother. In the future, she is an ally of Elisabeth Doppler, but helps teenage Jonas stabilize the God Particle so he can travel through it. After joining Adam’s organization of Sic Mundus in the future, she travels back through time to 1890 on Adam’s orders where she meets and marries Bartosz Tiedemann. She gives birth to Hanno, aka Noah, in 1904, and Agnes Nielsen, in 1910. She dies giving birth to Agnes.

Regina Tiedemann (Lydia Maria Makrides as a teen; Deborah Kaufmann as an adult)

Regina is the mother of Bartosz Tiedemann and wife of Aleksander, who came to her defense in a 1986 fight with Katharina and now runs the nuclear power plant. Regina, who ran the only hotel in Winden prior to it being shut down, is the only daughter of Claudia Tiedemann and an unknown man. She has breast cancer and survives the 2020 apocalypse only to be killed by Tronte Nielsen on her mother’s orders. She is a lifelong enemy of Katharina Nielsen.

In the alternate world, Regina is also married to Aleksander and is the mother of Bartosz. She dies from breast cancer in Sept. 2019. 

Regina is one of the only characters who isn’t part of the knot that creates Adam and Eva, so she exists in the origin world. She is friends with Katharina, Hannah, Torben Wöller, Peter Doppler, and Bernadette Wöller. It does not appear she ever met Aleksander Tiedemann and therefore has no children with him.

Aleksander Tiedemann (Bela Gabor Lenz as a teen; Peter Benedict as an adult)

Aleksander is married to Regina Tiedemann. He is the father of Bartosz Tiedemann. Born Boris Niewald, he arrived in Winden in 1986 and stole the identity of Aleksander Köhler after being involved in an unsolved double murder in Marburg. Aleksander gets a job at the nuclear power plant, which was run by Regina’s mother Claudia at the time. In 2019, he is in charge of the plant and being blackmailed by Hannah Kahnwald, who discovered the truth about his past. In 2020, the brother of the real Aleksander, Investigator Clausen, investigates him for identity theft and for illegal activity at the power plant. He dies in the 2020 apocalypse. 

In the alternate world, Aleksander is also married to Regina Tiedemann and the father of Bartosz Tiedemann. He dies in the alt world’s apocalypse after coming clean to Charlotte Doppler regarding the cover up at the plant and opening the yellow barrels of radioactive material created by the 1986 accident. The murders are never explained, but Aleksander claims to Bartosz that whatever happened was an accident.

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Claudia Tiedemann (Gwendolyn Gobel as a child; Julika Jenkins as an adult; Lisa Kreuzer as an old woman)

Claudia is the daughter of Doris and Egon Tiedmann, the latter of whom is a police officer in 1953 and is just a few months shy of retirement when Mads Nielsen goes missing in 1986. Claudia becomes the first woman to run the nuclear power plant in Winden and also has an affair with Tronte Nielsen, who lived with her family as a child. Her dog disappears in 1953 and reappears in the caves in 1986, while Claudia is inspecting a stash of radioactive material from the nuclear power plant. She accidentally causes injury to her father in 1987, but rather than help him, she decides to let him die to protect the God Particle from being discovered. 

Claudia is working against Adam with the help of Agnes Nielsen, though she is also a mentor to the young version of Jonas on orders from her alternate self, who is actually manipulating her and working with Eva to maintain the cycle. Eventually, Claudia realizes she just wants to save Regina, so she kills her alternate self and sets out to discover the true origin point. In one reality, she allows herself to be killed by Noah in 1954. In the other, she reveals the truth about the origin world and how to break the cycle to Adam in 2053.

Egon Tiedemann (Christian Patzold as an old man; Sebastian Hulk as an adult)

Egon is the father of Claudia Tiedmann and husband of Doris Tiedemann. Doris files for divorce after she finds out he had an affair with a time-traveling Hannah Kahndwald, whom he knew as Katharina Nielsen because she lied about her identity. His relationship with Hannah produced another child, Silja, though he never knew she existed, as he believed Hannah got an abortion in 1954. 

Egon is a police officer in 1953 and investigates the disappearance of Helge Doppler and murders of Yasin Friese and Erik Obendorf, eventually arresting Ulrich Nielsen, who traveled back in time from 2019. In 1986, Egon investigates the disappearance of Mads Nielsen, believing 1986 Ulrich to be responsible for his brother’s disappearance. Also in 1986, Egon — who is months away from retirement — arrests Ulrich for raping Katharina, though that was a lie made up by Hannah. In 1987, he learns that time travel is real and understands who the older Ulrich is (he has remained in the psychiatric hospital since his arrest) and starts to doubt his previous actions. He is accidentally killed by Claudia a few days later.

In the alternate world, Egon is allied with Eva and her mission. He travels to 2019 to manipulate Hannah into following the cycle’s path.

Noah (Mark Waschke as an adult; Max Schimmelpfennig as a teen)

Noah, whose real name is Hanno Tauber, is the son of Bartosz Tiedemann and Silja Tiedemann, who is the daughter of Hannah Kahnwald and Egon Tiedemann. He is the older brother of Agnes Nielsen. Teenage Noah kills Bartosz in 1921 after he loses his faith in Adam and Sic Mundus, and because Silja died in childbirth with Agnes, he lives with Erna.

As an adult, Noah pretends to be a priest and works with Adam to bring about the apocalypse. Through a bit of time travel, teenaged Noah is in the bunker with young Elisabeth Doppler when the 2020 apocalypse happens and they live together in the Winden caves after her father, Peter Doppler, is killed. In 2041, adult Noah fathers Charlotte Doppler with Elisabeth, who is the daughter of Charlotte and Peter. He is killed by Agnes in 1921 after he turns on Adam after finding out future versions of Elisabeth and Charlotte kidnapped baby Charlotte and took her to 1971 to be raised by H.G. Tannhaus on Adam’s orders.

In the alternate world, he is allied with Eva.

THE DOPPLERS

Elisabeth Doppler (Carlotta Von Falkenhayn as a child/teen; Sandra Borgmann as an adult)

Elisabeth is the youngest daughter of Charlotte and Peter Doppler. She is deaf and friends with Yasin Friese, who goes missing and is killed in 2019. While walking home in the rain in 2019, Elisabeth meets Noah, who is her future husband. She is one of the few survivors of the apocalypse in 2020, and after Peter is killed, she lives with the teenaged version of Noah in the Winden caves. They have a daughter, Charlotte, who happens to also be Elisabeth’s mother. Baby Charlotte is kidnapped in 2041 by a future version of Elisabeth and Charlotte and taken to 1971 to be raised by H.G. Tannhaus as his granddaughter. After Charlotte is kidnapped, Elisabeth becomes a leader of sorts in the apocalyptic future of 2053.

In the alternate world, Elisabeth isn’t deaf. She survives the 2019 apocalypse thanks to Noah and becomes a follower of Eva.

Franziska Doppler (Gina Alice Stiebitz as a teen; Carina Weise as an adult)

Franziska is the eldest daughter of Charlotte and Peter Doppler. She dates Magnus Nielsen. She survives the 2020 apocalypse when she travels to 1988 with adult Jonas, teenage Magnus, and teenage Bartosz. She becomes part of Adam’s organization, Sic Mundus, alongside Magnus. As an adult, she travels to the alternate world and convinces alternate Martha to travel to their world in 2020 and save Jonas.

In the alternate world, Franziska still dates Magnus Nielsen, but she is now deaf, not Elisabeth. She accompanies Magnus and Martha Nielsen, Bartosz Tiedemann, and Kilian Obendorf into the woods in Nov. 2019. She is with them in the bunker when Mads’ body falls through a crack in time. She dies in the 2019 apocalypse alongside Magnus.

Charlotte Doppler (Karoline Eichhorn as an adult; Stephanie Amarell as a teen)

Charlotte is the only daughter of Elisabeth Doppler, who is also Charlotte’s youngest daughter, and Noah. She was kidnapped in 2041 by future versions of Elisabeth and herself and taken to 1971 to be raised by H.G. Tannhaus, the clockmaker and creator of the time travel device. She is the wife of Peter Doppler, and in addition to Elisabeth, she is the mother of Franziska Doppler. Charlotte’s father-in-law is Helge Doppler, who is desperate to undo everything he did in 1986. Charlotte works in law enforcement with Ulrich Nielsen. She travels through a rift in time from 2020 to 2053 right before the apocalypse, where she meets future Elisabeth and begins working with Adam.

In the alternate universe, Charlotte is still married to Peter Doppler and is the mother of Franziska and Elisabeth. She has an affair with Ulrich Nielsen, which ends after Mads Nielsen’s body falls through a crack in time.

Peter Doppler (Stephan Kampwirth as an adult; Pablo Striebeck as a teen)

Peter is a therapist and the son of Helge Doppler, who used to work at the nuclear power plant, and an unidentified mother. He moved to Winden in 1987 after the death of his mother. Although he is married to Charlotte Doppler, he had a brief affair with Bernadette Wöller, but is trying to make his marriage work. He witnesses the body of Mads Nielsen fall through a crack in time and space in 2019, after which he calls Tronte Nielsen, who moves Mads’ body to the woods where Ulrich Nielsen and Charlotte find it. He is the father of Franziska and Elisabeth Doppler. Although he survives the apocalypse in 2020, he is murdered soon after while protecting Elisabeth from an assailant.

In the alternate universe, Peter is the local parish priest. He is still married to Charlotte and the father of Franziska and Elisabeth.

Peter is one of the only characters who isn’t part of the knot that creates Adam and Eva, so he exists in the origin world, where he is in a relationship with Bernadette Wöller. He is friends with Regina, Katharina, Hannah, and Torben Wöller.

Helge Doppler (Hermann Beyer as an old man; Peter Schneider as an adult; Tom Philipp as a child)

Helge Doppler was the only son of the rich and powerful Greta and Bernd Doppler, who ran the nuclear power plant, though it’s implied Bernd was not really his father. Helge briefly went missing in 1953, when he traveled forward through time to 1986 after being attacked by the 2019 version of Ulrich Nielsen, who thought if he killed Helge in 1953, Mikkel would never go missing in 2019. He returns home in 1954. In 1986, Helge is manipulated by Noah, who tells him to kidnap young children to use for experimentation. He gifts Claudia Tiedemann H.G. Tannhaus’ book A Journey Through Time on her first day as the head of the power plant. In 2019, Helge travels back in time to 1986 in an attempt to stop his younger self from killing children for Noah. He dies there after ramming his car into the 1986 version of himself, but his younger self survives.

In the alternate world, Helge confesses to killing Mads Nielsen after his body falls through a crack in time and space in 2019. Ulrich Nielsen follows him into the caves and travels back in time and attempts to kill the adult Helge, but the older version of Helge kills Ulrich instead.

THE TANNHAUSES

H.G. Tannhaus (Arnd Klawitter as an adult; Christian Steyer as an old man)

H.G. Tannhaus is a descendant of Gustav Tannhaus, who owned a factory in the 1880s. He is a clockmaker and builds the time travel device with the blueprints given to him by Claudia Tiedemann. His son, Marek, daughter-in-law, Sonja, and granddaughter, Charlotte, died in a car accident in 1971. That same night, future Elisabeth Doppler and future Charlotte Doppler bring Baby Charlotte to him from 2041 and he raises her as his granddaughter. He writes the book A Journey Through Time, but it turns out it’s a bootstrap paradox, and that he never actually writes it — it’s brought back through time, and thus there is no creation.

Tannhaus is one of the few characters who exist in the origin world. In fact, he creates Adam’s and Eva’s world by creating a time travel device in an attempt to save his family from the car accident that killed them. When turned on in 1986, it splits the world in two. But after Jonas and alt world Martha travel to the origin world and prevent Tannhaus’ family from dying, he never creates the time machine, and therefore Eva’s and Adam’s worlds never exist.

Dark Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Netflix.