Who Is Moriarty In The Enola Holmes Franchise And Why She’s Sherlock’s Deadliest Rival Yet

‘Enola Holmes‘ fans have spent years wondering when Sherlock’s most famous nemesis would finally show up in Millie Bobby Brown’s Netflix universe. That mystery got answered in a way nobody quite expected, and the character has only grown more central since.

The identity of Moriarty turned out to be one of the franchise’s biggest twists, and with ‘Enola Holmes 3’ now bringing the villain back for another round, it feels like the perfect moment to break down exactly who this character is and how she fits into the larger story.

Who Plays Moriarty In Enola Holmes

Moriarty is portrayed by British actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who first appeared in ‘Enola Holmes 2’ under a very different name. Duncan-Brewster joined the cast alongside David Thewlis for the 2022 sequel, which released on Netflix in November of that year. Duncan-Brewster is also known for roles in ‘Dune,’ ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ and ‘Sex Education,’ giving her plenty of genre credibility before stepping into the world of Sherlock Holmes.

The casting itself was notable for reasons beyond the twist. Most adaptations of Sherlock Holmes lore have depicted Moriarty as a white man, with actors like Jared Harris, Ralph Fiennes, and Richard Roxburgh taking on the role in past productions. Enola Holmes 2 broke from that tradition by introducing a female Moriarty, and it marked the first time a Black woman took on the role.

Mira Troy Is Secretly Moriarty

For most of ‘Enola Holmes 2,’ audiences know the character only as Mira Troy. She’s introduced as a government secretary who has grown frustrated because women cannot flourish and grow in Victorian society, and that bitterness eventually curdles into something far darker.

The reveal itself is one of the film’s cleverest tricks. Sherlock solves a cipher partway through the movie and realizes the villain behind both his case and Enola’s is the same person, and Moriarty turns out to have been hiding in plain sight as Mira Troy the entire time. Mira Troy is actually an anagram of Moriarty, meaning the character used her own cleverness to stay undetected right under everyone’s nose.

Once exposed, the character doesn’t just quietly exit the story. Moriarty is arrested for her part in a blackmail scheme targeting the owner of a matchstick factory, but she manages to escape from police custody before the film ends. That escape sets up everything that follows.

Her motivations separate her from earlier versions of the character too. This Moriarty is driven by a need for financial agency and is willing to do almost anything to hold onto it, even resorting to killing other women with the help of crooked police officers. The character’s scheme stands in direct contrast to the suffragette movement led by Eudoria, Enola’s mother, even though both stem from women pushing back against a system built against them.

Moriarty’s Role In Enola Holmes 2’s Central Mystery

The blackmail plot is where Moriarty’s fingerprints are all over the film, even before her identity is confirmed. Sherlock is tracking a financial conspiracy in England without realizing that he and Enola are both being manipulated by the same person behind the scenes.

Her partner in crime within the story adds another layer of danger. David Thewlis plays Superintendent Grail, a corrupt police officer working for Moriarty who ultimately goes even further than Moriarty herself would have expected.

One quiet scene hints at just how calculating this version of the character really is. While standing on a balcony at a ball, Mira tells Enola that life is nothing but a game and that everybody has a part to play in it, adding that it’s a lot of fun as long as you know the rules well. It’s a chilling line in hindsight, delivered before anyone in the room realizes who she truly is.

What Moriarty Means For Enola Holmes 3

Now that ‘Enola Holmes 3’ has arrived, Moriarty is stepping fully into the spotlight as the film’s primary antagonist. Previously known as Mira Troy, Moriarty returns as the main threat in the new installment, and she’s clearly not interested in laying low this time around.

Her new alias raises the stakes considerably. After escaping prison, Moriarty assumes another fake identity as Professor Adeline Rathe and travels to Malta, where she ends up kidnapping Sherlock and sending Enola on a desperate search for him.

Duncan-Brewster has spoken about what draws her back to the character. According to the actress, Moriarty is dedicated to becoming an absolute nuisance to the Holmes family, which she describes as great fun to play. She also notes that audiences get to see a more passionate side of the character, including what Moriarty believes is just and right, along with the political aspects of the world she inhabits.

The stage is set for the most personal showdown yet between Moriarty and the Holmes siblings, and with ‘Enola Holmes 3’ pulling the family all the way to Malta, this rivalry finally feels like it’s reaching a boiling point worthy of the name. What do you think Moriarty’s endgame really is this time, and could the Holmes family actually put a stop to her for good?