Every Returning Character From Candyman 1

2021’s Candyman has some fresh, updated components, but here’s every character that returns from the first film. The new horror drama, which is a sequel to the 1992 original of the same name, partially revamps the story of the titular, hook-handed boogeyman. In the first movie, the unfairly-persecuted-martyr-turned-supernatural-killer was Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd)–a slave’s son who was killed by a lynch mob in the 1800s for an interracial relationship. A century later, he haunted the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago by killing whoever summoned him by saying his name five times in a mirror.

The reboot keeps some of those elements, but the newest Candyman villain origin story is definitely retconned. In this version, his original identity was Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove)–a black man who was unlawfully and brutally killed by the police in the 1970s after being wrongfully accused of putting razor blades in kids’ candy. It’s easy to see how Nia DaCosta’s modern iteration of the eerie tale is fitting for the current era. Modern societal commentary abounds; Cabrini-Green is even depicted as a recently gentrified neighborhood.

With DaCosta as a co-writer and director, and Jordan Peele as another writer and one of the film’s producers, things were bound to be shaken up and infused with new kinds of creativity to specifically hit on 21st century-topical issues. But not everything changed between the original and remake of Candyman. In fact, the characters and storylines are still quite similar. Of course, the franchise’s namesake antagonist makes a return–but so do other main players.

Anthony McCoy

As many fans suspected early on, Anthony is, in fact, the infant by the same name (who was played by Lanesha Martin) that the original Candyman tried to sacrifice by fire in the first film. He was single mom Anne-Marie McCoy’s baby boy, who Helen Lyle saved. In 2021’s Candyman, he’s an adult version of the character played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Anthony is now a struggling visual artist from Chicago who attempts to reignite his career using the super-scary, ultra-violent “urban myth” of Candyman. Toward the movie’s end, he’s unjustly killed by the police, eventually becoming the franchise’s newest version of the eponymous villain. Abdul-Mateen is known for a slew of roles, including Black Manta in 2018’s Aquaman and Bobby Seale in Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7. He also played Russel Thomas and his “tethered” doppelganger, Weyland, in Jordan Peele’s innovative 2019 horror flick Us.

Anne-Marie McCoy

The character of Anthony’s mother, Anne-Marie McCoy, also returns in 2021’s Candyman, once again played by Vanessa Estelle Williams. Anne-Marie was the neighbor of a victim early in the film and shared her fear about the vengeful spirit with Helen Lyle. In thesequel, Anthony discovers that she lied to him about where he was born, hoping she could shield him from his traumatic infanthood. Williams is known for roles like Maxine Chadway in Showtime’s drama series Soul Food, and Iris West’s mother, Francine, in CW’s The Flash.

Helen Lyle

2021’s Candyman also sees a return of sorts from Helen Lyle. In the first film, played by Virginia Madsen, Lyle was a grad student who began researching the infamous legend for her college thesis. She was pulled into a dangerous dynamic with the titular villain, only saving young Anthony from the flames of the bonfire before she herself would perish. It turns out that Lyle ended up taking the blame for the murders, as well as Anthony’s brief kidnapping and attempted sacrifice. In real life, it’s been alleged that her character is voiced by actress Cassie Kramer in the remake. However, Kramer is credited as the librarian who supplies the files on Lyle. According to a few sources, like Looper, the voice used when Anthony researches the mythologized woman is actually Madsen’s from 1992’s Candyman. The actress is known for roles like Princess Irulan in 1984’s Dune, Sarah Campbell in The Haunting in Connecticut, and Dixie DeLaughter in the racially-charged courtroom drama Ghosts of Mississippi.

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Lindsey DeRoche
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Lindsey DeRoche is a TV and movie features writer for Screen Rant. She received a BA in English, with a concentration in writing, from Plymouth State University in 2018. She’s had a passion for reading, writing, TV, and movies since her early years.

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