The Black Mirror Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" takes an approach perfected by "The Twilight Zone" and brings it to the modern era. This speculative fiction anthology series shows a world that's almost ours (or definitely could be ours in the near future) and explores the role of technology in that space. "Black Mirror" has an uncanny quality in the Freudian sense: It shows us something that's both familiar and not, which is where its deepest and most intense tension lies. The name refers to the "black mirror" of our screens, which have become the main source of reflection for many people.

As our relationship with technology changes faster than we can keep up — or rather, as technology changes us faster than we realize — the lines between ourselves and others and within our own moral compasses are also changing. It's harder to fathom the consequences of your actions when it's all on a screen, and there's no sense of who's on the other end. "Black Mirror" plays with this space as it explores morally ambiguous characters and situations. In an anthology series like this, there's no shortage of different characters and scenarios, which means there's an episode that embodies the darkness of each zodiac sign. Read on to find out what might happen if you lean into the shadowy side of your sun sign.

Aries derives its name from Ares, the Greek god of war, and not surprisingly, this sign shares characteristics like passion, determination, and impulsiveness with that deity. There are two sides to passion: a self-celebratory, this-feels-so-good-and-right one versus the self-destructive, this-feels-so-good-I-can't-stop one, and an Aries can be at the uncontrollable mercy of both.

Mia (Andrea Riseborough) in "Crocodile" (Season 4, Episode 3) is a woman who follows her passions — or perhaps more accurately, her impulses — through to their bitter end. This Nordic noir episode centers around Mia, who is unexpectedly visited by her ex, Rob (Andrew Gower). Rob and Mia were involved in a hit-and-run that killed a cyclist, and Rob wants to make amends to that man's family. Determined to not let Rob ruin her life, Mia kills him and tries to cover her tracks. Shazia (Kiran Sonia Sawar), an insurance claims investigator, stumbles upon Mia's secret thanks to a memory Recaller device, which causes Mia to go on a violent rampage.

Aries is not a sign that takes well to being controlled, and this entire episode is about Mia fighting the control of others: Rob, whose desire to confess their crime takes away her agency and choice, and Shazia, whose invasive memory-reading technology does the same. Aries is a fire sign, so for Mia, the only option to deal with this nightmare is to burn it all down.

Taurus comes from the Latin word for "bull," which makes sense as this is the most bullish of the signs. While Tauruses can be solid, reliable, comfortable, and cozy pleasure-seekers, they can also be stubborn, possessive, jealous, and obsessed with being right. 

"The Entire History of You" (Season 1, Episode 3) focuses on Liam (Toby Kebbell), the Taurus of "Black Mirror." Liam goes to a dinner party with his wife, Ffion (Jodie Whittaker), where he meets Jonas (Tom Cullens). Liam senses that there's a history between Jonas and Ffion that she's not sharing, and eventually, using "grain" technology — which allows people to scroll through their memories via a chip implant in their heads — Liam discovers the truth about the pair.

Tauruses can be sensitive and intuitive, but more than that, they can be determined to prove they're right. Liam has to know the truth no matter the cost because he needs to know that he's right and that his reality is true and valid. The dark side of a Taurus is the jealous and possessive one, which is something the seemingly soft-spoken Liam frequently taps into, as he and Ffion previously had a falling out over his jealousy over another man. For a Taurus like Liam, having his jealousy activated can be an uncontrollable nightmare, and in this case, it leads him to drastic action from which he can't return.

Gemini is represented by the twins, which speaks to the dual nature of this sign. Ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, Geminis love their words, which is a double-edged sword as they can hold court as the life of a party one second and then verbally crush you the next. 

In "The Waldo Moment" (Season 2, Episode 3), human Jamie (Daniel Rigby) and his animated counterpart, Waldo, are the two sides of the Gemini coin. Jamie is a failed comedian who voices the animated character Waldo, a vulgar bear that loves mocking people. A series of events leads Waldo into greater positions of power, and eventually, this animated figure is nominated as a political candidate. Jamie unsuccessfully tries to control this other public side of himself, but instead, Waldo's popularity snowballs while Jamie falls into a nameless, homeless existence.

Released in 2013, "The Waldo Moment" is an eerie omen of what would come in 2016 with a certain vulgar American political candidate who seemingly started out as a joke and also happens to be a Gemini (although it's worth noting that Boris Johnson was the original inspiration for this episode, per the Daily Mirror). Jamie and Waldo represent the power of a Gemini's communication going unchecked and show just how dangerous one can be when they wield their words so carelessly and aggressively and lose the balance within themselves.

Cancer is the zodiac's crab and can be equal parts soft and hard (shell). Cancer's ruling planetary body is the moon, so they're a sign that's tied to emotions and intuition, and they're invested in the safety of their physical and emotional spaces. A Cancer can find great importance in the home, which needs to be safe and comfortable. Anything other than that is a nightmare, which is why Martha (Haley Atwell), the protagonist of "Be Right Back" (Season 2, Episode 1), is a Cancer. 

Martha's boyfriend, Ash (Domhnall Gleeson), gets killed in a car accident, and in her grief, she signs up for a new technology that creates an android AI replica of him based on his social media and digital communication. The android Ash looks and sounds like him but doesn't have the human Ash's more fallible and prickly qualities. Martha struggles to accept this Ash, who is almost but not quite like the man she loved, and she questions whether or not to let him in her home at all.

Martha will do anything to protect her heart and home, and she believes having an Ash replica will do that. But it turns out that someone who's supposed to be familiar actually isn't. It's off-putting and disturbing in a very Cancerian way because this technology that's supposed to make her home feel whole again instead creates a larger crack in it.

The lion of the zodiac is Leo, the sign blessed by good hair and the light of their ruler, the sun. Characterized by charm, strength, and protectiveness, Leos often thrive as the center of attention, but that need has its dark side too. Notably, Leos can struggle to see outside of themselves and act in a self-centered way without regard for others.

"White Christmas," the 2014 Christmas special, centers around three interconnected tales of technology gone awry, told by two men — Matt (Jon Hamm) and Joe (Rafe Spall) – who have been stuck together in a cabin for five years. Matt is a classic Leo: he's got luscious boy-band hair, charm for days, and a total belief in himself and his actions that can cause him to disregard how he affects others.

Matt recounts his life as a pickup artist who uses implants to help men seduce women and as a "cookie" trainer who trains digital clones of people to be personal assistants. In both roles, he has a power over others that can be very attractive to Leos, but when he takes it too far, he suffers a true Leo nightmare: he gets "blocked" by the rest of the world. Where technology once allowed him to be seen as a powerful man, it's now used to render him a pixelated blob in the eyes of others. Truly, nothing can be worse for a Leo, who just wants to be seen by everyone.

Virgo is the virgin of the zodiac, although perhaps not in the way you might think. Before the 14th Century, the original meaning of "virgin" was a maiden — not someone who was chaste but rather someone who was unmarried, independent, and autonomous (via Sutter Health). In keeping with this spirit, Virgos love their independence and self-sufficiency, which they often achieve through analysis and organization. The flip side is that they can be controlling and critical — both of themselves and others — and struggle when their sense of self and way of doing things is challenged.

The Season 4 premiere of "Black Mirror," "USS Callister," revolves around Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), an insecure programmer who puts digital clones of everyone in his life in a video game, where he can be the hero — and also torment people the way he can't in real life. He meets his match with Nanette (Cristin Milioti), a programmer whose clone is brought into the game against her will. When this happens, she decides to revolt and liberate the clones from this circle of Daly's hell.

Nanette lives a true Virgo nightmare as she loses her autonomy and agency while she's stuck in Robert's game, but luckily, she's a Virgo through and through — she's analytical, precise, and organized, both professionally and personally. While a Virgo may not be an obvious choice for the leader of a mutiny (that would probably be more in the Aries or Leo wheelhouse), it's definitely the sign to get things done and make the rebellion happen.

Libras are the scales of the zodiac, and their goal is balance for themselves and others. This can translate to reading a room and adjusting accordingly, while other times, it can turn into people-pleasing and indecision. That is the dark side for Libras, who can struggle to take a stand out of fear of displeasing others and not being liked.

Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard) in "Nosedive" (Season 3, Episode 1) is the Libra of "Black Mirror." Lacie lives in a world where people are rated on a scale of 1-5. The more liked you are, the higher your rating and the more access you have to luxuries like first-class travel, upscale restaurants, and VIP parties. Meanwhile, lower-rated people are forced into more difficult lives. Lacie is determined to bump up her rating from a 4.2 to a 4.5, but instead, she embarks on an unexpected journey of decidedly not people-pleasing, and her rating plummets.

While a world of needing to be liked by people could be one in which Libras thrive, it can also be the opposite because people's dislike — a Libra's fear — can lead to disaster. Lacie just wants to live the life she desires, which requires the approval of others. It's a no-brainer for this Libra, except it turns out that she can't control what others think, and perhaps more importantly, she discovers that she doesn't care. Is this a Libra nightmare or liberation? You be the judge.

The zodiac's scorpion is like its symbol: mysterious, dangerous, and kind of sexy and scary. Scorpios can be passionate, sexual, and intense, and these characteristics often lend Scorpios their power. But they can contribute to their dark side as well, as Scorpios can be vindictive, obsessive, and sting you with their bite.

"The National Anthem" is the first episode of "Black Mirror" and sets the tone for the series, so it makes sense that it would feature a Scorpio at the center to embody the intensity of the show. Prime Minister Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear) finds himself in a pickle when a member of the royal family is kidnapped and will only be released if Callow has sex with a pig on live television. In Scorpio fashion, Callow tries to scheme his way out of this situation, but to no avail.

Ultimately, he's confronted with a super intense, kinky sex act, which normally might be a positive for a Scorpio, but in this case, it's a nightmare because it's out of his control. Of course, it's also a nightmare because it's public humiliation with bestiality, but on a deeper level, there's nothing a Scorpio hates more than losing control and power. Callow has to make a choice — not just to save this princess, but to also save or risk his own power with this act, and the way he deals with it makes him the biggest Scorpio of "Black Mirror."

Sagittarius is the archer of the zodiac, although the word "adventurer" could also be used to describe them. Sagittariuses shoot their arrows and follow them, whether that's to another place (they love to travel), to some esoteric piece of knowledge, or to a truth that they feel you must hear. Known for their independence, Sagittariuses can be reluctant to be beholden or tied down to any one person or thing, which makes Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) a surprising Sagittarius in "Black Mirror."

"San Junipero" (Season 3, Episode 4) is an outlier in the world of "Black Mirror." This was the first episode produced for Netflix, and Charlie Brooker decided to show the potential positive effects of technology rather than the negative (via Vulture). The episode follows Kelly and Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis), two women living in a 1980s virtual reality town called San Junipero. San Junipero is a place where the consciousnesses of elderly and deceased folks can live as their younger selves, and Kelly and Yorkie fall in love inside this virtual world.

Kelly is adventurous and open like a Sagittarius, and unlike other "Black Mirror" characters, she actually has a choice in how to interact with this technology. It's easy to imagine the dark version of this episode, in which she lives a Sagittarian nightmare of being stuck in one place and time. But here, Kelly uses her Sagittarius power to choose for herself and travel through time and space with her beloved, Yorkie.

Ambitious, pragmatic, and bossy, Capricorn is a goal-oriented sign that can thrive in an authoritative role like a boss or mother, but they will also do anything to achieve their goals. And there's the deeper need for control that often drives any single-minded need or fixation.

Jodie Foster directs "Arkangel" (Season 4, Episode 2), which is about Marie (Rosemarie DeWitt) and her daughter Sara (Brenna Harding). Marie is a classic helicopter mom and Capricorn: When Sara runs away as a kid, Marie enlists her in Arkangel, a child monitoring system. Through an implant in Sara, Marie can see what her daughter feels and experiences, which is the perfect solution for this Capricorn, who needs to protect her daughter at all costs. But things go awry as a teenage Sara discovers her mother's super intense invasion of privacy, which leads to the opposite of Marie's goal — Sara runs away for good.

Capricorns are great at getting things done, but there are limitations to this approach, and it can be confining to others. Having control issues isn't specific to any sign, but each one deals with it in different ways, and for a Capricorn, it comes in the form of taking charge. For Marie, who's both a mother and a Capricorn, the loss of these things breaks her as she's forced to give up control of her daughter and let her live her own life.

Aquarius is the water-bearer of the zodiac, which speaks to its nature: fluid and capable of holding something nourishing and life-giving to offer others. Aquariuses often live outside the box and see things — power structures, injustices, threads of reality — that others can't or won't see. 

"Fifteen Million Merits" (Season 1, Episode 2) introduces us to Bing (Daniel Kaluuya), the Aquarius of "Black Mirror." Bing lives in a world where people cycle on exercise bikes to get "merits," which can help them get access to things or move up socially. His life takes a turn when he meets Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay), a talented singer. Bing wants to use his merits to help Abi get on a talent show, but in doing so, both of them get far more than they bargained for.

"Fifteen Million Merits" represents a capitalist, media-obsessed world that isn't so far removed from our own, and it's ripe for an Aquarius like Bing to unravel. He tries to do this when he gets a platform to expose this world for what it is, but in the end, he falls into an Aquarian dark side and sells his soul to promote his own self-righteousness. Rather than taking down the system, Bing becomes integrated into it — just another cog in the machine — and there's no sadder thing for an Aquarius.

The fish of the zodiac comes in the form of Pisces, who are the dreamers of the astrological signs. Like their animal symbols, Pisces can swim through the waters of the subconscious, tapping into fantasies, feelings, and intuitions. They often have their heads in the clouds, which is safer than reality, where an inconsiderate comment or action might hurt their sensitive nature. This can prevent them from acting in reality, which is why "San Junipero's" (Yorkie Mackenzie Davis) is the Pisces of "Black Mirror."

Yorkie is a woman who's lived almost her entire life in fantasy. After an accident left her paralyzed at 21, she's been stuck in her head, and thanks to the technology of San Junipero, she can now freely roam a fantasy world for the rest of her life. Pisces can often be romantic, and Yorkie finds a cure for her longing and loneliness in Kelly, with whom she shares that deep Piscean "I just feel this is right" connection.

Yorkie is already dealing with a lot in the real world, so luckily for this Pisces, she gets to live out her dream and be in a fantasy where the person she imagines herself to be in her head gets translated to a virtual space. Not only that, but the person she loves chooses this fantasy life with her. It's a rare win in the world of "Black Mirror," as this Pisces finds a technology that suits her completely.