First Course: THE HANNIBAL MULTIVERSE | Curation
"I'm serving up Hannibal the Cannibal today as I report my review, offer my own mapped-out multiverse, and recommend a definitive watch order."
It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of blood, brains, and brilliant storytelling as Cor dissects the Hannibal Lecter franchise — from Thomas Harris’s novels to Michael Mann’s Manhunter and Bryan Fuller’s TV fever dream. This episode charts the complete Hannibal Multiverse, sorted by in-universe chronology, from WWII to postmodern cannibal couture.
⚠️ WARNING: Contains SPOILERS and may contain raw meat.
🔊 CORRECTION: Around 23 minutes, Cor states Hannibal “gets shipped back to Boston,” but he meant Baltimore, referencing the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
🧠 The Hannibal Multiverse (In-Universe Chronology)
📚 Book Canon (Thomas Harris Universe)
The original literary foundation of the Hannibal mythos.
Hannibal Rising (2006) — 1940s–1950s
Young Hannibal’s origin story: family tragedy, war trauma, and his first taste of vengeance.
Red Dragon (1981) — Early 1980s
The debut of Lecter and Will Graham, plus Francis “Tooth Fairy” Dolarhyde’s reign of terror.
The Silence of the Lambs (1988) — Mid-to-late 1980s
Clarice Starling enters the basement of psychological horror to find Buffalo Bill.
Hannibal (1999) — 1990s
Ten years later, Lecter lives elegantly in exile — until Mason Verger’s revenge draws him home.
🎥 Lecktor Universe (Michael Mann Continuity)
The neon-noir alternate universe.
Manhunter (1986) — Early 1980s
Brian Cox as “Lecktor,” Will Graham vs. Dolarhyde in a stylized procedural drenched in Miami Vice energy.
Standalone adaptation — realism over operatic horror.
🩸 Modern Film + TV Continuity (Scott–Ratner–Fuller Universe)
The operatic, interconnected timeline spanning Hopkins and Mikkelsen.
Hannibal Rising (2007) — 1940s–1950s
Gaspard Ulliel plays young Lecter; canonical to the Hopkins/Mikkelsen timeline.
Hannibal (TV Series) (2013–2015) — Anachronistic
Bryan Fuller’s sensual, surreal, beautiful reimagining of Red Dragon’s prequel period.
Serves as both a replacement and reinterpretation of Red Dragon (2002).
Red Dragon (2002) — Early 1980s
Anthony Hopkins reprises Lecter; direct prequel to Silence of the Lambs.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — Late 1980s
Clarice Starling’s defining investigation; the crown jewel of the Lecter canon.
Hannibal (2001) — 1990s
The infamous final course — Verger’s revenge, Florence aesthetics, and forbidden appetites.
