Demon Copperhead
Demon is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He is born to a teenage mother in rural Appalachia. He suffers through a number of terrible circumstances, including the deaths of both of his parents. He moves in with two foster families and is mistreated by both of them. He briefly finds happiness living with a football coach with whom his grandmother places him, but this is ruined when he becomes addicted to painkillers after sustaining a football injury. After watching many of the people he loves suffer through terrible bouts of addiction, he gets sober. He loves drawing and becomes an accomplished artist later in the novel. He is described by others as being attractive and athletic, Throughout the book, he keeps his humorous tone, despite the increasingly dark scenarios he comes up against.
Demon's mom
Demon's mother is a young woman who gets pregnant at an early age. She suffers from addiction and goes to rehab several times. She dies of an overdose early in the novel, causing Demon to be sent to several foster homes. He describes her as basically sweet, but too wrapped up in her own problems to pay much attention to him.
Maggot Peggot
Maggot is a young boy who Demon befriends at an early age. They become extremely close and remain that way for years. He is raised by the Peggots after his mother is sent to prison for cutting his father in self-defense. Later in the book, he starts dressing in "goth" fashion, dying his hair black and wearing eyeliner. He also develops an opioid addiction.
Betsy
Betsy is Demon's grandmother on his father's side. He describes her as being an extremely intense and serious woman. She is one of the first adults to treat him fairly and with kindness, despite her stern demeanor. She values education very highly. She sends him to live with Coach.
Murrell Stone
Murrell Stone, usually referred to as "Stoner," is Demon's stepfather. He meets Demon's mother at WalMart, where she works. He is extremely cruel and seems to enjoy pushing Demon around and saying hurtful things to him.
Emmy Peggot
Emmy is the daughter of Maggot's deceased uncle, Humvee. She is described as a smart, serious girl who treats everything with a no-nonsense attitude. Her life takes a dark turn after she becomes involved with Fast Forward and his drug dealing. Next to Maggot, she is one of Demon's closest friends.
Dori
Dori is Demon's girlfriend. He says she is extremely beautiful and sweet. He learns later that she is addicted to opioids. They move in together and are miserable, as they suffer through the low points of their addiction.
Angus (Agnes)
Agnes, nicknamed Angus, is Coach's daughter. Demon views her as a sister. She is incredibly bright and excels in school. She is always honest with Demon and tries to be straightforward when giving him advice. Later in the novel, it is revealed that she is in love with him—a sentiment, he tells the reader, that is shared.
Annie Amato
Annie Amato is the art teacher at Demon's high school. She takes him under her wing and offers him extra instruction, as she believes he is a gifted artist. Demon describes her as being kind and generous. She is frequently the subject of hateful town gossip, because she is married to Mr. Armstrong, who is Black.
Coach
Coach is Demon's final adoptive parent. He is a caring guardian, but pushes him to recover from his football injury with painkillers, inadvertently starting his addiction problems.
Hammer
Hammer is Emmy's ex-boyfriend. Demon says that he is exceptionally kind and decent.
June
June is Maggot's aunt. She is a nurse. Demon describes her as being determined and strong. She does everything she can to fight against the prescription of opioids and later is involved in the cases against the pharmaceutical companies that prescribed them.
Mr. Armstrong
Mr. Armstrong is Demon's seventh-grade English teacher. He is very smart and serious about academics. He frequently butts heads with the school board, as he refuses to curb his curriculum to paint the history of the South in a more flattering light.
Fast Forward
Fast Forward is a slightly older boy who Demon meets in foster care. He is one of the story's main villains, as he abandons Emmy in Atlanta after using her in his drug dealing. He has a disturbing ability to convince people to do what he wants.
Mr. and Mrs. Peggot
The Peggots are an elderly married couple who care for Demon periodically. Mr. Peggot was formerly a coal miner and frequently butts heads with Maggot about the way he dresses.
