Elmer Fudd

"Shh! Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm huntin' wabbits!"

- Elmer's catchphrase

Elmer J. Fudd is one of the main antagonists of the Looney Tunes franchise who was Bugs Bunny's original archenemy. This has varied over the years with the addition of other villains such as Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian. Nevertheless Elmer Fudd remains the villain that is most associated with Bugs Bunny and the rivalry between the two has become legendary.

Elmer is portrayed as a (mostly bald with a blond curl above his forehead) child in certain parodies of children's songs and the episode "Bully for Bugs" in Baby Looney Tunes.

He serves Mr. Chairman and is one of the tertiary antagonists in Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

History
Elmer is a main antagonist in the Bugs Bunny cartoons and Bug's most recurring enemy. He is a hunter who wishes to trap Bugs, but the intelligent hare always tricks him and wins. Elmer first appeared in the cartoon 'A Wild Hare', which was also Bugs Bunny's first appearance. He hunts Bugs, but he is soon bullied by him. Comedian Arthur Q Bryan provided the character's voice.

Although a villain, Elmer Fudd is not necessarily what you'd consider "evil" - in fact he has come across at times as being a victim. However, this doesn't mean he is entirely innocent either and Elmer is forever trying to hunt Bugs Bunny (and Daffy Duck, to a lesser extent), his actions often lead to Bugs tricking him in many ways and this angers Elmer to the point he has threatened to kill the rabbit - though it's worth noting whenever Bugs tricks Elmer into believing he has succeeded in this Elmer shows great remorse, suggesting he doesn't truly wish to kill Bugs at all.

It is worth noting that Elmer, despite his incompetence, is actually among the few villains to outright defeat Bugs in a cartoon. He spent the entirety of "Rabbit Rampage" tormenting Bugs with the artist's pen (something of a karmic throwback to Bugs doing the same to Daffy in "Duck Amuck"). After the two suffer a slippage in sanity in "Hare Brush", Elmer undergoes a role reversal with Bugs, convinced they are now in each other's respective roles. The cartoon ends with Bugs arrested over the massive debts "he" has left since Elmer lost his mind while "Bugs" shows relief at least this screwy wabbit won't be going to Alcatraz. He has also been victorious over other secondary protagonists such as Daffy Duck in many other cartoons.

Bugs also used female drag disguises to fool Elmer. In 'Rabbit Fire', Bugs disguises as a female hunter and kisses Elmer in his nose. In 'Rabbit Seasoning', Bugs dressed as a sexy young lady and kissed Elmer in his nose again. In the acclaimed 'What's Opera Doc', Bugs disguises as Brunhilde and tricks Elmer again. In 'Rabbit of Seville', Bugs dresses as a temptress and dances for Elmer. In the same short, Bugs offers Elmer some flowers, chocolates and a ring. Happily wanting Bugs to marry him, Elmer dresses as his blushing bride. Delighted, Bugs dresses as a groom and the couple marries. Bugs runs with his 'beautiful bride' into a long flight of stairs and he throws Fudd into a wedding cake. Bugs and Elmer married again in 'Bugs Bonnets', although, this time, Bugs has really fell in love with Elmer. Elmer Fudd is famous for pronouncing "r" and "w" - especially when he says "wabbit", in fact this trait alone is what many people associate with Elmer: of particular fame is his catch-phrase: "Be vewy, vewy quiet! I'm hunting wabbits!" followed by a signature laugh, it's worth noting Elmer breaks the fourth-wall when doing this phrase and talks directly to the audience.

Elmer Fudd is depicted, in all forms, as a human and he is almost always a hunter of some description - though it is doubtful how experienced he is since he seems incapable of utilizing skills associated with hunting - though he does have a shotgun and seems to know some basic tracking-skills via identifying "wabbit tracks".

Trivia

 * Elmer is Bugs's most classic foe, as he appeared as the main antagonist in the Bugs Bunny cartoons more often than anyone else.
 * Elmer's non-threatening disposition was the subject of criticism for many of the Warner Bros creative team, particularly director Friz Freleng, who thought Elmer's mild mannered and dimwitted personality made it harder to place him against Bugs without the latter coming off as a bully rather than a retaliative trickster. As such several other, more menacing adversaries such as Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian were created to take his place. Despite this, Elmer remained a recurring antagonist in many Bugs cartoons, though their rivalry became somewhat more laid back.
 * According to the Looney Tunes fans, there are various songs where the lead singer vaguely sounds like Elmer including "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth, and "Someday" by Sugar Ray.
 * In 2000, Mark V. McCollum had recorded the song called "Kill The Wabbit" (which is apparently based on the Looney Tunes short "What's Opera, Doc?") and named Elmer being the lead singer as Ozzy Fudd. Live at the Comedy Tonight club in San Francisco 1992 (which is from the VHS tape), Mark is seen on the stage asking the audience, "Speaking of dudes, what would it be like if Elmer Fudd had a punk sun? And his punk sun was into heavy metal and Ozzy Fudd had a hit video on MTV. Did you ever think what there would be like? I have!", and performing the song as he portrays the voice impression of Elmer. While it is currently unknown whatever happened to Mark V. McCollum, the song is often credited to other bands such as Metallica and Megadeth.