Is Hercule Poirot autistic? Seven clues say he might be (though Agatha Christie never said so)

Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective with the flamboyant moustache and keen eye for detail, is one of the most beloved characters in crime fiction. He was created by British writer Agatha Christie and first arrived on our bookshelves in 1920. He has since appeared in 33 novels, 51 short stories and two plays.

He has also been depicted in film and television by an array of actors, with Kenneth Branagh’s latest iteration, A Haunting in Venice, opening on the big screen in September 2023.

Poirot’s characteristics have led us to speculate that he may be autistic, even though Christie never explicitly said so.

Headcanon and autistic representation

When audiences “headcanon” a character, this means they have interpreted them in a way which is not openly stated in the film, TV or other media in which they feature. As media portrayals of autistic people are rare and often unrealistic, the autistic and wider neurodivergent communities sometimes headcanon characters who aren’t explicitly confirmed as neurodivergent (ND).

However, creating a headcanon can cause controversy. They are subjective and some people believe the process of identifying a character as ND-coded is an over-simplification of the complexities of autism and other neurotypes. But celebrating difference can be positive for those who feel underrepresented in the media.

The detective

Detectives are often ND-coded in crime fiction stories. Their...

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