You remember that feeling when Derek Morgan left the BAU? It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. But then Season 12 kicked off, and we were introduced to a case so twisted it made our skin crawl. We’re talking about the Crimson King Criminal Minds fans still debate today. Honestly, he wasn't just another unsub. He was the catalyst for Luke Alvez joining the team and the puppet in a much larger, darker game played by Peter Lewis, aka Mr. Scratch.
Who Was the Real Crimson King?
His real name was Daniel Cullen. Not exactly a name that strikes fear into your heart, right? But his actions were nightmare fuel. Cullen was what the BAU calls an "injustice collector." Basically, he believed the world had wronged him and took it out on anyone he could get his hands on.
His "signature" was brutal. He would carve messages into his victims. If you were a man, it was your stomach. If you were a woman, it was your forehead. He didn't just kill them; he left them in the wilderness, arms chained to stretchers, waiting for exposure to do the rest. It was personal, messy, and deeply sadistic.
Most people forget that Cullen wasn't a new face when we first saw him in the Season 12 premiere. He had a history with Luke Alvez. Three years before the BAU got involved, Alvez and his partner, Phil Brooks, tracked Cullen down in Arizona. It didn't go well. While they caught him, Cullen managed to disembowel Phil, leaving him permanently traumatized.
👉 See also: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
The Mr. Scratch Puppet Master Plot
Here’s where it gets weird. During the massive prison break at the end of Season 11, Cullen was one of the 13 serial killers who escaped. You’d think he’d just go back to his old ways, but Peter Lewis had other plans.
Scratch kidnapped Cullen. He didn't kill him, though. Instead, he used his "specialty"—drugs and psychological torture—to literally wipe Cullen’s memory. He turned a stone-cold killer into a blank slate.
At the same time, Scratch found a guy named Brian Phillips. Brian had Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Scratch brainwashed Brian into believing he was the Crimson King. It was a classic Scratch move: psychological warfare meant to mess with the BAU's heads.
✨ Don't miss: Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus Explained (Simply)
- The Victim: Brian Phillips, conditioned to think he's the killer.
- The "Impostor": The real Daniel Cullen, who was drugged into forgetting his own identity.
- The Conflict: Luke Alvez had to face the man who destroyed his partner’s life, only to find a shell of a human who didn't even know his own name.
Why the Crimson King Episode Still Matters
This storyline wasn't just about a scary killer. It was the "soft launch" for a new era of Criminal Minds.
You've got Luke Alvez trying to prove he’s more than just a "manhunter" from the Fugitive Task Force. You've got Garcia being—let's be real—kinda petty because she missed Morgan. And then you have the sheer tragedy of the ending. When Alvez finally corners Cullen, he’s ready for a showdown. Instead, he finds a man who is essentially a vegetable.
Cullen thanks Alvez for saving him. Imagine that. The man who disemboweled your best friend is looking you in the eye with zero recognition and thanking you. It’s a gut punch. Spencer Reid eventually realized that the drugs had worked too well; Cullen was institutionalized because he simply didn't exist mentally anymore.
🔗 Read more: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
What Most Fans Miss
There’s a lot of chatter online about whether Cullen was based on a real person. Sorta. The writers have hinted that he was partly inspired by David Parker Ray, the infamous "Toy Box Killer." Both operated in the Southwest and had a penchant for elaborate torture devices and restraints. It adds a layer of "too real" to an already dark episode.
Another thing? The name "Crimson King" itself. It's a heavy-handed nod to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, where the Crimson King is the ultimate embodiment of evil. In the show, it's a bit of a misnomer because Cullen ends up being a pawn. The real king of chaos in Season 12 was always Mr. Scratch.
How to Re-watch the Crimson King Arc
If you want to see the whole thing unfold without sitting through 15 seasons, follow this specific path:
- Season 10, Episode 21 ("Mr. Scratch"): The introduction of Peter Lewis. Essential for context.
- Season 11, Episode 22 ("The Storm"): The prison break where Cullen and the others escape.
- Season 12, Episode 1 ("The Crimson King"): The main event where the BAU tries to piece together the copycat killings.
- Season 13, Episode 1 ("Wheels Up"): The final resolution of the Scratch/Alvez tension.
The best way to appreciate this arc is to focus on Luke Alvez’s character development. Watch how his "catch 'em at all costs" attitude clashes with the BAU's more analytical approach. It’s not just about the gore; it’s about the psychological toll of realizing that sometimes, the person you hate most isn't even "there" anymore to face the music.
Check out the early Season 12 episodes on streaming platforms like Paramount+ or Hulu to see the transformation of the team first-hand. Pay close attention to the scene where Reid explains the drug effects to Alvez; it's one of the most underrated moments of acting in the later seasons.