Evolution's Zach Gilford Opens Up About Elias Voit's Loki-Like Season 3 Transformation

Criminal Minds: Evolution‘s Zach Gilford has discussed his character Elias Voit’s unexpected season 3 transformation. After receiving a brain injury, the deadly serial killer lost his memories and developed amnesia, and has since shown remorse and distress, as he gradually gets back memories of what he has done. As one of the most fascinating characters in Criminal Minds: Evolution, Voit has an intriguing journey ahead of him, and Gilford will need to test his acting abilities in the coming weeks.

Speaking to ScreenRant, Gilford discussed how Voit’s arc has seen him go from despised serial killer to repentant amnesiac, and a character that audiences might almost like. He discussed the challenges related to portraying that change as a character, and talked about similarities to Loki’s villain-to-hero arc in the MCU, joking that the current iteration of Voit is occupying a different timeline. Check out Gilford’s full comments below:

ScreenRant: When [Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer] said, “We’re going to make people like Voight,” were you like, “Oh, I don’t know how we’re going to pull that off?” Or was it more like, “Okay, challenge accepted?”

Zach Gilford: “It was more the latter, and then when she kind of told me what was going on, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, you’re making this easy on me.’ Yeah, I thought it was cool. It was fun. I mean, I’ve always tried, and I think part of why this character has worked and they’ve decided to keep him around is, even though he was a bad guy, he’s kind of likable now. We’re just making him a more sympathetic person as opposed to an entertaining person.”

You’re sort of the Loki of the Criminal Minds evolution universe, just constantly reinventing yourself and going back and forth from hero to villain.

Oh, wow, I never thought of that! The third timeline, yeah, they’re different timelines. [laughing]

What This Means For Voit’s Criminal Minds: Evolution Future

Giving The Serial Killer A Possible Redemption Arc Is A Bold Yet Brilliant Move

There are a lot of things that Criminal Minds: Evolution could seek to do with Voit as a character, and his long-term future remains uncertain for now. What is clear is that his current situation is one that is causing strain for the BAU, in particular Rossi. While Voit is a character who lacks the charm, wit, and charisma of Loki, there are certainly similarities to their arcs, and there is a chance that Voit could wind up becoming an antihero during Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3.

How long Voit’s memories might remain lost is anyone’s guess, but while they are, it creates fantastic moral ambiguity.

The decision to give Voit this particular storyline, while also teasing at a possible redemption arc, is a bold choice that could have backfired spectacularly. However, Gilford’s performance has added weight and depth to Voit as a character, and allowed for one of the show’s most interesting plotlines. How long Voit’s memories might remain lost is anyone’s guess, but while they are, it creates fantastic moral ambiguity.

Our Take On Voit’s Criminal Minds Story

Not Every Character Deserves A Redemption Arc

Criminal Minds Evolution's Elias Voit up close in camera

While there are many interesting directions the show could take with Voit as a character, especially if he appears in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4, there are question marks over his future. Not every character deserves a redemption arc, and Elias Voit is one who certainly doesn’t, especially due to the number of people he has killed in the past. The show’s attempts to humanize him are intriguing for storytelling purposes, but Voit’s story deserves a reckoning to conclude his Criminal Minds: Evolution arc.

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