It’s kind of strange to me when fans of Hannibal nbc say that Clarice and Will are basically the same person. They really aren’t. And treating them that way takes away from both characters.
First, they exist separately in the books by Thomas Harris. Each of them has their own story, their own development, and their own purpose. The difference between them becomes even more obvious when you look at how Hannibal treats Clarice Starling (books and movies) versus Will (series).
Clarice is never subjected to that kind of degradation. Hannibal challenges her, studies her, even admires her, but he doesn’t try to break her in the same way. There’s a line he doesn’t cross with her. With Will, that line basically doesn’t exist. Will goes through twisted manipulation, psychological dismantling, and a kind of slow transformation that is much darker and more invasive. Hannibal and Will ending up as some kind of “murdering husbands” killing without restraint and destroying everything around them, simply doesn’t connect to Clarice’s character at all. That trajectory belongs to Will’s storyline in the series, it’s a very specific interpretation, not something that can just be transferred onto her.
Second, just because Bryan Fuller reused some lines and dynamics from Clarice and Hannibal doesn’t mean Will is Clarice. That’s just an adaptation choice. The same goes for small similarities, like teaching at the academy, it doesn’t make them the same character.
But if there is something they share, it’s transformation. Both Clarice and Will go through a kind of metamorphosis. The difference is in direction and outcome. So yes, there is a parallel there, but it’s not identity. It’s contrast.
