Mikael Blomkvist
Journalist and co-founder of the Millennium magazine. He has recently been convicted of libelling wealthy financier Hans-Erik Wennerstrom in one of his articles. While waiting for his two month prison sentence, he takes a job writing a book based on the Vanger family while secretly investigating on the murder of Harriet Vanger which happened forty years ago. His payback for working for Henrik was that he promised information about Wennerstrom that would prove him innocent.
Mikael Blomkvist has been involved in a sexual relationship with his partner at Millennium, Erika Berger, for more than 20 years. The adulterous relationship with Erika was the main reason his marriage ended in divorce.
While working for Henrik, Mikael discovered the identity of two serial killers, members of the Vanger family.
Mikael served his two month prision sentence, but after all this he is still mad at Wennerstrom. Mikael is glad when Lisbeth exposed his criminal side and destroyed his business.
Lisbeth Salander
Lisbeth has had a very difficult childhood,as a result she has been placed under the court-ordered guardianship who eventually rapes her. Lisbeth plans her revenge, devising a plan that punishes him while also allowing her to be released from her guardianship. She has had a variety of sexual experiences with both male and female sexes, and she seduced Mikael as soon after meeting him. She is quick to recognize men to hate and abuse women, and she is determined to exact revenge on them whenever she can.
Later, she decides to use her hacking skills to steal millions from Hans-Erik Wennerstrom and got him murdered.
Lisbeth has a photographic memory, Mikael self-diagnosed her with Asperger's Syndrome. By the end, Lisbeth realized that she was in love with Mikael, but she never told him his true feelings for him.
Martin Vanger
Henrik's great-nephew and currently the C.E.O. of Vanger Industries. Despite his difficult childhood, Martin appeared to have grown up to be a normally functioning person, but Mikael's investigation revealed that he is a sadist murdering rapist.
Harriet Vanger
Henrik Vanger's great-niece who disappeared more than forty years ago. Although he believed that she was murdered, Mikael learned that she left her home after her father and brother raped her. Harriet moved to a sheep ranch in Australia.
Henrik Vanger
He is an industrialist and former C.E.O of Vanger Industries. He is obsessed with the disappearance of his great-niece Harriet more than forty years earlier.Henrik hires Mikael Blomkvist to solve the mystery, saying that he is writing a story about his family.
Nils Bjurman
Attorney and legal guardian of Lisbeth Salander. He brutally rapes her, making her plan the perfect revenge.
Erika Berger
Editor-in-chief of the Millennium Magazine and Mikael Blomkvist's longtime lover.
Dirch Frode
Attorney and friend of Henrik Vanger.
Dragan Armansky
Head of Milton Security and Lisbeth's boss.
Pernilla Blomkvist
Mikael's teenage daughter. Mikael barely speaks to his daughter, however, she lead her father to solving clues about Harriet's disappearance.
Gottfried Vanger
Martin and Harriet's father who died several years before the book. His actions are the main reason of the violent actions that occurred in the book.
Plague
Code name for Lisbeth's friend, he provides her with the tecnological equipment that she needed to hack Wennerstrom's computer.
Hans-Erik Wennerstrom
A wealthy, corrupt, Swedish financier, who at the beginning of the novel sues Mikael Blomkvist for writing an article about him with false accusations.
Lena Andersson
She was Martin's classmate in an University in Uppsala, she was the first girl he killed on his own.
Sarah Witt
Sarah was raped and murdered by Gottfried and Martin, she was the first murder Martin assisted alongside his father.
