Derek Morgan

Derek Morgan is a cheetah and a member of the ZSI-BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit). He coordinates with Garcia in the tech room and leads the tactical breach of Mawl's apartment.

"Keep him safe." -- Derek Morgan

Background

Derek Morgan is the BAU's primary tactical operator—the mammal who bridges the gap between behavioral analysis and physical action. While his colleagues profile and strategize, Morgan is the one who kicks in doors. His combination of physical capability and psychological training makes him uniquely effective in crisis situations where both speed and judgment are required.

Personality

Morgan is direct, protective, and action-oriented. He channels his intensity into purpose, moving with the confidence of a mammal who has breached more doors than he can count and brought more mammals home alive than dead. His protective instincts are fierce—when he says "Keep him safe," it is both an instruction and a promise.

He is emotionally present without being sentimental, and his physicality is matched by genuine warmth toward the mammals he works to protect.

History

Season 1: Quietus (S01E17)

Morgan coordinates with Garcia in the tech room during the Mawl crisis, serving as the tactical link between the BAU's analytical work and the field operation. When Garcia's trace locks Mawl's location, Morgan drives to the target and leads the breach of Mawl's apartment, kicking in the door.

His instruction—"Keep him safe"—delivered before the breach, captures the BAU's dual mandate during the crisis: stop the threat and protect the victim simultaneously.

Season 2: The Cartographer (S02E11)

Morgan returns with the BAU to investigate the Cartographer serial killer (Orin Draftwell), a former Lynxley contractor dumping bodies at old Lynxley sites. Morgan leads the tactical arrest at Draftwell's workshop in the Nocturnal District, breaching the door and securing the suspect.

Key Relationships

Penelope Garcia

Morgan and Garcia share one of the BAU's most distinctive working dynamics. He operates in the field while she works remotely, their communication a constant thread during operations. His trust in her technical abilities is absolute.

Emily Prentiss

Morgan operates under Prentiss's command, his tactical skills deployed according to the Unit Chief's strategic direction.

Key Quotes

• "Keep him safe."

Trivia

• Morgan is a cheetah, the same species as Clawhauser, though their personalities could not be more different.
• He is the BAU member who physically breaches Mawl's apartment, making him the team's primary tactical operator.
• His coordination with Garcia represents the BAU's integration of technology and fieldwork.