Many fans believe Red is actually Liz’s mother Katarina Rostova (Lotte Verbeek) who was supposed to be the female version of him, due to her extensive history as an intelligence officer.
As a child, Liz shot and killed her father, after an argument erupted when Katarina arrived to pick her up, there was also a mysterious fire.
Liz was sent to live with her adoptive parents, while her mother went into hiding, however, fans believe Katarina had extensive surgery to physically present as her ex, the real Raymond Reddington.
This would explain why Red was insistent on solely working with Liz in season one, hopefully, the viewing figures will spike and the show will unveil Red’s true identity.
The Blacklist season nine, part two returns January 6 on NBC.