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As the show’s antagonist, Hannibal is a man from the get-go who is an unnerving and unique individual to the audience. We see how he interacts with characters and sees himself while doing so. We see the duality of this charismatic cannibal during the night, exposing what Hannibal is. He differs from most murderers/killers in the show; there’s more depth and uniqueness.
Will Graham: Everyone has thought about killing someone, one way or another, be it your hand or the hand of God. Now, think about killing Mrs. Marlow. Why did she deserve this? Tell me your design. Tell me who you are. (Season 1 Episode 1)
In the first episode, Will introduces the idea of God to the audience, setting the show’s narrative. He challenges the concept of divinity to his students at Quantico and unconsciously to himself. He establishes the theme of divinity and judgment within the show, hinting at the differentiating opinions on this theme. By asking his students to consider why the victim in the case had been subjected to such an act of violence and if it was of God's will or not. He will hint at his moral compasses and opinion on divine judgment by asking his students this.
Will is a unique asset in the Federal Bureau for his empathic mind and profiling skills. He is seen as unstable for his socializing behavior but also in curiosity for his rare, incredible perspective. As Hannibal says in the same episode, his ability to identify and think like killers is a heavy burden and a gift for him. He points to Will as they talk in Crawford’s office, which upsets him terribly. Hannibal is a respected and knowledgeable man in the psychology and medical field. He can analyze but not understand him because he is not predictable with his gift. This intrigues Hannibal, as he is used to scanning people and charming his way into their circles.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter: What he has is pure empathy. He can assume your point of view, or mine, and maybe some other points of view that scare him. It's an uncomfortable gift, Jack.(Season 1 Episode 1)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter: I imagine what you see and learn touches everything else in your mind. Your values and decency are present yet shocked at your associations, appalled at your dreams. No forts in the bone arena of your skull for things you love. (Season 1 Episode 1)
Will : Everyone has thought about killing someone, one way or another, be it your own hand or the hand of God. Now, think about killing Mrs. Marlow. Why did she deserve this? Tell me your design. Tell me who you are. (Season 1 Episode 1)
With the theme of God in place and his empathy, Will is a tool for God to deal with judgment and punishment for those he catches. He sees killers and civilians alike as they are, with their thoughts and emotions. Despite not necessarily believing in God himself, Will's uncanny ability to understand and empathize with serial killers leads him to profile and put them into custody, as if he were fulfilling a divine purpose/civil duty. We see in the show his mental health takes a toll as he investigates; he doesn’t do these cases because he wants to but because it is morally right, which is at the heart of Will's ability. He can visualize the murders and get inside the minds of the killers, making him a valuable tool in solving crimes and preventing future deaths, as Jack Crawford mentions to him in persuasion.
He fights back and forth with himself while dealing with other people's demands. He is a martyr in his duty to others, but no one feels this way for him. Until we get Hannibal, with all his knowledge and egotism, he sees this as an opportunity for manipulation and a start of companionship. He sees himself as a dark savior to Will and the one to offer him salvation and devotion.
He is like a Pompasettin peacock, so to speak, and a proud one.
As the show goes on, episode by episode, we see a glimpse of Hannibal and his mind’s machinations at every therapy session with Will. He’s not just a complicated character but one who sees himself above others, especially concerning divinity, specifically Almighty God.
Hannibal : Killing must feel good to God too. He does it all the time. And are we not created in his image?
Will: That depends who you ask.
Hannibal: God’s terrific. He dropped a church roof on 34 of his worshippers last Wednesday night in Texas, while they sang a hymn.
Will : And did God feel good about that?
Hannibal : He felt powerful. (Season 1 episode 2)
I have gone through the series for dialogue between Will and Hannibal regarding their ideas or feelings on the divinity of God. Of course, I have picked out the ones throughout the season that make the most sense, and we have a broader view of how each of their views evolves with their proximity.
Hannibal: A tumor can definitely affect brain function and even cause vivid hallucinations. However, what appears to be driving your angel maker to create heaven on earth is a simple issue of mortality .
Will: Can't beat God, become him?
Hannibal: You said he was afraid.
Will:He feels abandoned.
Hannibal:Ever feel abandoned, Will?
Will and he argue the different sides of believing in divinity and being nonbelievers. He can say why people think or what they feel in the divinity, but Will himself is not one to feel the same. Even as Hannibal has a complicated relationship with God, Will almost seems detached from religion but attached to creation with empathy. Hannibal sees how divinity can be mirrored in humanity through our actions, specifically in the actions of Jack Crawford towards Will. He tries to press Will to find a new belief system to pledge his martyr cause. To exchange Jack for Will. He feels he is all-knowing and mighty about what WIll truly is and the beauty of his empathy disorder.
Will: Abandonment requires expectation .
Hannibal: What were your expectations of Jack Crawford and the FBI?
Will: Jack hasn't abandoned me.
Hannibal: Not in any discernible way.
Perhaps in this way, gods abandon their creations.
So God has given this person insight into the souls of men.
Will: God didn't give him insight; God gave him a tumor. He's just a man whose brain is playing tricks on him.
Hannibal: You are not unlike this k*ller.
Will: My brain is playing tricks on me?
Hannibal: You want to feel such sweet and easy peace. (Season 1, Episode 5)
Hannibal's view of the world is highly philosophical. He sees himself as both god and nonhuman, both omnipotent and fallen. He creates beautiful things but must destroy them. He is both a parent to his victims and a creator of art, yet he is also the destroyer of life. Hannibal's view of God is that God has abandoned us and given up on the gift of humanity, much like Hannibal has abandoned the goodness in himself and the gift of life. He tries to weave himself into Will’s subconscious, wanting to be the balm for his cursed gift.
There is no God.
Certainly not with that attitude.
God gave you a purpose -
Not only to create art but to become it.
Why are you helping me?
Your eye will now see God reflected.
I will see you.
If God is looking down at you, don't you want to be looking back at Him? (season 2 Episode 2)
Hannibal’s statement about this murder seals the deal that he believes in God, which stands out among most psychopaths and murderers in this show. Hannibal prompts every dialogue about divinity in the show.
02x11 - Ko No Mono
traditionally, during this meal, we are to place shrouds over our heads, hiding our faces from God.
I don't hide from God.
Bones and all?
Bones and all.
After my first ortolan, I was euphoric.
A stimulating reminder of our power over life and death.
Every creative act
has its destructive consequence, Will.
He feels God is all-knowing, and we can reach him through our acts outside of religion. He feels there is no shame in acting within God’s gaze, but that is an act of worship. He feels god knows him and understands the actual makeup of Hannibal, The same way Hannibal does with his murderous tableau. He understands this better than anyone as he mirrors his victims of art to elevate them from their mortal flesh. As we see later on in Italy as Il Mostro, the victim we see is reflected as Primavera.
The Hindu god Shiva is a simultaneous destroyer and creator.
Has God sacrificed?
What god do you pray to?
I don't pray.
I have not been bothered by any considerations of deity, other than to recognize how my own modest actions pale beside those of God ( 02x11 - Ko No Mono)
We see that Hannibal doesn't just have a Western understanding of divinity but a diverse one, with him mentioning this Hindu God. This shows he has accumulated a broad knowledge of gods of other cultures or religions to make his judgment. He says that he feels his acts of violence are minor compared to the smiteing that God or Gods do to mortals.
Nothing would thrill Hannibal more than to see this roof collapse mid-Mass, packed pews, choir singing...
He would just love it.
And he thinks God would love it, too.
w: But he believes in God... intimately
(SEASON 3 EPISODE 2 )
Hannibal enjoys the violent acts of Gods, which will be pointed out in the second episode of season three. When Will is standing in a church while tracking Hannibal in Italy. As we see through Will, Hannibal is only understood by him because Will was allowed to see sides of him. Well, with his empathy as well, he can also know Hannibal on a mental level. We see this on his adventure in Italy while talking to Abigail of his imagination and Detective Pazzi.
What I believe is closer to science fiction than anything in the Bible?
We all know it, but nobody ever says that G-dash-D won't do a G-dash-D-damned thing to answer anybody's prayers.
God can't save any of us because it's inelegant.
Elegance is more important than suffering.
W: think my prayers would feel constricted by the saints and apostles and Jesus Pantocrator.(SEASON 3 EPISODE 2 )
As was established, Will never said he believed in God but had an idea of him. He doesn't understand praying through channels to get to god but going to the source directly. His understanding of God is not rooted in any religion but based on his knowledge with his empathy. It makes him even more special to Hannibal; he is not a believer but mirrors the violent principles of a T. He is the martyr to his cause and peers, but what exact role does he play?
{ He is the Lamb }
That is the official title Hannibal gave him in the second-to-last episode of the last season.
Lest we forget the Lamb.
Will it be the Lamb of God?
Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb.
Who's "us"?
You, me and the Great Red Dragon.
The Lamb's wrath touches everyone who errs
(Season 3 Episode 12)
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Will has always been a selfless man without intending or prompting to be, even as people around him don't give the same for him. He gives without judgment, or malicious Hannibal sees Will as the sacrificial lamb due to Will's suffering for the sake of his fellow man. The lamb is used as a substitute to save a group from their sins and used as atonement. The lamb repeatedly passes off sins, as Hannibal sees Will doing his work as an FBI agent. Yet the lamb is a symbol to be scared of and not to be trifled with, as many scholars of the bible point out, and Hannibal seemingly so in this line—the lamb. Jack sees Will as someone who could do no wrong and is entirely innocent of the actions around him—even pardoning him from many murders and slips in the show, blaming it on coercion of his empathy and suffering from encephalitis. Hannibal sees him as a triumphant lamb who is partial to righteous wrath upon people of his choosing.
Hannibal is an unnerving man of violent morals and vile appetites, yet he aligns himself with the lamb, Will. He understands the path that Will has to walk as a man with an empathy disorder, yet he wants to be the person who helps him find cracks in the road.