Mallorie "Mal" Cobb, Dom's deceased wife, is the film's main antagonist. Dom is unable to control his projections of her, challenging his abilities as an extractor.
Note that Mal's name is pronounced like the word "moll" throughout the movie. A gun moll (aka gangster moll) is the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, 'gun moll' more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm. "Moll" derives from "Molly", used as a euphemism for "whore" or "prostitute" and attested at least since 17th century England.[a]
Ariadne is a graduate student of architecture who is recruited to construct the various dreamscapes, which are described as mazes. Her name means "most holy", composed of the Cretan Greek elements αρι (ari) "most" and αδνος (adnos) "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. She fell in love with Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god Dionysus.[b]Mal and Ariadne taken together represent Dom's anima, i.e., they represent the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that Dom possesses. Ariadne represents the part of Dom's anima that serves as a mediator between his unconscious and conscious mind. Ariadne represents, within a certain context, the Christian Holy Spirit, in that she acts as a guide; but as we will see later, Ariadne is actually working against Dom, and is only making herself appear to him as if she is helpful - Dom only sees Ariadne as a kind of helpful guide.
Mal is the part of Dom's anima that has been cross-contaminated with contents from his shadow, in specific, with contents having to do with repressed primitive instincts.
a. Wikipedia, 'Gum moll'. Web, n.d. URL = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_moll.
b. Behind the Name, 'Ariadne'. Web, n.d. URL = http://www.behindthename.com/name/ariadne.
