Character significances

Moriarty has several interesting notes as a character in the Sherlock

Holmes franchise:

He is very much the mirror image of Holmes himself: both of them are
geniuses among their breed, are extremely resourceful, are
sophisticated and commit their activities to prevent boredom. However,
whilst Holmes is a detective, Moriarty, in contrast, is a criminal.

Moriarty is the only adversary that Holmes genuinely fears and admires
(Which is also the way Moriarty views Holmes).

Moriarty is the only villain who drives Holmes the closest to fleeing for
his life

He was only introduced at all so that Conan Doyle could move on from
the character of Sherlock Holmes.

The idea of the clash between Holmes and Moriarty throughout 'The
Final Problem' inspires the notion that Sherlock Holmes went down
destroying his true rival. Also, the idea that Holmes went down, ridding
the world of the most dangerous and powerful criminal minds of the age
- and, against all odds and at the cost of his own life, prevailing over the
criminal.

Adaptations

Moriarty has been portrayed in several adaptations of Sherlock Holmes,

including novels, films, and TV shows. He is often considered Holmes'
arch-enemy, even though he is not a major character in the majority of
the original stories.

He is in a handful of Basil Rathbone films.

In the 1980s Soviet Television series of films, The Adventures of

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, Professor Moriarty was portrayed
physically by Viktor Yevgrafov and voiced by Oleg Dal.

In the Granada Television series (1984-1994), Moriarty is played by Eric

Porter and is the overarching villain in The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes second series' finale. He is set up as a character in "The Red-
Headed League" and becomes the main antagonist in the following
episode, "The Final Problem". After Holmes' return in the episode "The
Empty House" in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty is only
occassionally mentioned as a past antagonist to Holmes and Watson.

In the 1985 theatrical film Young Sherlock Holmes, James Moriarty is

depicted as an alias, its bearer originally a London lecturer known as
professor Rathe (played by Anthony Higgins). After Rathe's defeat by a
young Holmes and Watson, he settles in Switzerland and adopts "James
Moriarty" as his new name.

In Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Moriarty is played by Jared

Harris. He is still seen as the "Napoleon of Crime". At the end both he
and Holmes fell into a waterfall but only Holmes was shown being to
survive.

He has a large role in BBC's Sherlock.

One could argue that the antagonist in "The Great Mouse Detective,"
Ratigan, is loosely based off Moriarty.

Natalie Dormer portrays Moriarty in Elementary. Moriarty here having

created the disguise of Irene Adler to get close to Holmes. She
eventually reveals herself to Sherlock in episode 23, "The Woman".

Alexey Gorbunov portrayed the Moriarty in the Russian TV adaptation

from 2013.

In other works

Professor Moriarty is portrayed twice in "Star Trek: The Next

Generation." Once in the episode "Elementary, Dear Data" and again in
"Ship in a Bottle". He is created as the only fitting enemy for Data, an
android, while he is pretending to be Sherlock Holmes on the Holodeck,
a kind of virtual reality recreation area. The computer accidentally makes
the character sentient, and in doing so chaos ensues.

Moriarty was seen in the PC game Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, in

which Moriarty had survived falling off Reichenbach and is in a
weakened condition in a Swiss hospital.

Moriarty was also in the game The Testament of Sherlock Holmes - part
of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (game series) - plotting to frame
Sherlock and take over Britain.
In "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", a team of literary heroes is
recruited to confront a dangerous villain, who just happens to be
Professor James Moriarty.