Herodias

Herodias is the central cause of John's conflict with Herod — John's public rebuke of the king for taking his brother's wife is the specific act of truth-telling that sets John's imprisonment in motion.

Herodias is the architect of John's death — nursing a deep grudge against him for exposing her marriage as illegitimate, she uses her daughter's dance as the moment to finally exact her revenge.

Herodias is introduced as the woman at the center of the scandal — Herod's illegally taken sister-in-law who will use her daughter and a reckless oath to finally silence the prophet who kept calling her out.