“ | We three are the fiercest of rivals, and yet we agree on one thing: A good chocolate should be simple, plain, uncomplicated. | „ |
~ Mr. Slugworth to Willy Wonka. |
“ | Have you got a sweet tooth? | „ |
~ Mr. Slugworth to the Chief-of-Police, attempting to bribe him with chocolate to get rid of Willy Wonka. |
Arthur Slugworth (or more commonly known as Mr. Slugworth) is one of the three main antagonists (Alongside Felix Fickelgruber and Gerald Prodnose) of the 2023 musical fantasy film Wonka, which serves as a prequel to Roald Dahl's 1964 classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a "companion piece" to the 1971 musical fantasy film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
In his characterisation, he is a renowned candymaker and one of the 3 commanders of The Chocolate Cartel alongside his fellow rivals Felix Fickelgruber and Gerald Prodnose respectively. However, Slugworth grows jealous at the successes the younger Willy Wonka has with his culinary creativity, leading him to conspire alongside his fellow cartel leaders against Wonka to sabotage and drive him out of the chocolate making business, even if it means he has to kill him to get his way - thereby becoming Wonka's arch-nemesis in the process.
He was portrayed by Paterson Joseph, who also played Kamal Hadley in the Noughts & Crosses television series.
Personality[]
Mr. Slugworth from the very beginning is shown to be a cunning and intellectual businessman, who is always observant of any newcomers to the chocolate-making scene. This is especially the case with Wonka, who he makes very clear from the get-go that he despises for the threat to his business. As well as this, he often resorts to using any means necessary to get what he wants, even as going as far as bribing the police to arrest Wonka with large amounts of chocolate. He always remains cool and composed, even when he is confronted by Wonka and Noodle, showing he doesn't feel any remorse for the amount of suffering he puts others through.
As well as this, he is shown to be rather cold and sadistic - especially towards the end. When his attempts at blackmailing Wonka into leaving the city failed, he tried to murder him twice, along with forcing his niece, Noodle, into servitude for the rest of her life if his plans weren't foiled.
History[]
Past[]
Mr. Arthur Slugworth grew to become one of the most famous chocolatiers in the galleries gourmet and joined the Chocolate Cartel with his rivals Gerald Prodnose and Felix Fickelgruber where they blackmailed anyone with chocolate to get out of trouble.
Slugworth and the other cartel members store and captivate their chocolate in a large reserve under a cathedral run by the corrupt Father Julius and his "chocoholic" monks.
One night he was approached by Dorothy Smith, the lover of his deceased brother Zebedee, who asked for his help in getting a doctor for her sick infant daughter. Realizing that his hold on his family fortune could be challenged by his niece, Slugworth took the child in his care before secretly dumping her off at Scrubbit's and paying her to watch over the child before returning to Dorothy and claims that the infant died before a doctor could arrive causing Dorothy to break into tears before Slugworth tossed a few sovereign coins to her and had her escorted off his property.
Wonka[]
During the events of Wonka, Mr Slugworth is first seen watching Willy Wonka demonstrate his "hoverchoc", fearing the flying chocolate and the threat Wonka holds, Mr. Prodnose has his assistant call the Chief-of-Police and heads down outside with the other cartel members to test-taste the hover choc. Mr. Slugworth (along with Prodnose and Fickelgruber) mocks the chocolate but regrets doing so when the hoverchoc takes effect and makes the cartel members fly uncontrollably. The chocolate cartel members vow to get revenge on Wonka.
The chocolate cartel is later seen in their cathedral-based headquarters, where they blackmail the chief of police into doing anything he can to arrest Wonka by exploiting the chief's obsessive love of chocolate by offering him 1,800 boxes of chocolates.
Slugworth and the other cartel members are later seen demanding the chief to get rid of Wonka, only for the chief to reveal that Wonka and his friends are living at Scrubbits' which infuriates Slugworth as Scrubbits is the same exact location where Arthur abandoned his niece Noodle and comes up with a plan to have Mrs. Scrubbit and Bleacher taint Wonka's candy and get him arrested.
After Wonka's store is burned down by angry customers as a result of the tainted chocolates, Slugworth and the Cartel approach Wonka with an offer to pay off everyone's debt to Scrubbit in return that he leaves town and stops making chocolate forever. After he accepts the deal they send Wonka on a boat which they loaded with dynamite, and exploded after leaving the docks, terrorizing the town with the explosion meanwhile.
While stuck in traffic due to escaped flamingos, Slugworth receives a phone call from Father Julius who states that an escaped giraffe had wandered into the cathedral forcing him to leave the building as animal control was sent in to contain the giraffe. Realizing that his account book and chocolate reverse are left unprotected, Slugworth and the cartel head to the cathedral where they catch Wonka and Noddle in the act of taking the ledger as Slugworth assaults the two of them at gunpoint.
Slugworth then kidnapps and false imprisons the two in chocolate reserve planning to drown them in chocolate before taking Wonka's jar of Hover-Chocs which were meant for the Oompa Loompa Lofty, and eats all the chocolate before leaving.
As Slugworth and the Cartel begin to leave the Cathedral, Wonka and Noddle having escaped turn in the ledger to Officer Affable as the Chief-of-Police tries to confiscate the ledger only for them to be exposed through the ledger which shows numerous payments the Cartel had made to him. With the Chief-of-Police arrested, Slugworth and the Cartel attempt to make a run for it only for the three of them to slowly hover up due to the effects of the Hover-Chocs. Holding onto the town fountain, Slugworth states that he will simply buy his way out of the justice system whether it be through lawyers or bribing the court officials as Noodle turns a valve causing the Cartel's entire chocolate reserve to flow through the fountain causing Slugworth to lose his grip as the Cartel is launched into the air.
When asked if they will ever float down, Wonka states that Hover-Chocs usually last a few minutes. However, due to the Cartel having eating the entire jar, he is unsure how long they will be hovering. It is unknown what happens to Slugworth and his associates afterwards, but they either floated down and were arrested once the effects of the Hover-Chocs passed or the effects wore off at a great height and they all fell to their death.
Appearance[]
Physical Appearance: He is African-European with dark brown skin, dark gray hair, brown eyes, is around 59 Years Old, and has a height of about 1.73 M.
Outfit: He wears a double-breasted, dark navy striped business suit, white collared undershirt, a black and blue striped necktie, a light blue satin handkerchief in his breast pocket, a Golden Chocolate Cartel pin on the left collar of his blazer, and black flat-heeled shoes. When outside, he wears a dark navy homburg with a dark navy hatband, a dark navy overcoat and carries a brown wooden cane with a gold and blue bejeweled top.
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
“ | You’re off your rocker, Wonka! Who in the right mind wants a chocolate that makes you fly?! | „ |
~ Slugworth to Willy Wonka after flying from eating the Hoverchoc. |
“ | And that, I believe, is the end of Wonka's Chocolate Shop. | „ |
~ Slugsorth watching Wonka’s shop be burned down. |
“ | It’s our chocolate! | „ |
~ Slugworth’s last words as he and his companions float away from hoverchocs. |
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Zebedee Slugworth - Brother †
- Dorothy Smith - Sister-in-Law
- Noodle Smith - Niece, Enemy and Attempted Victim
Allies[]
- The Chocolate Cartel
- Felix Fickelgruber
- Gerald Prodnose
- Miss Bon-Bon - Assistant
- Chief-of-Police
- Father Julius
- Mrs. Scrubbitt
- Bleacher
Enemies[]
- Willy Wonka - Arch-Rival and Attempted Victim
- Abacus Crunch - Former Employee
- Piper Benz
- Larry Chucklesworth
- Lottie Bell
- Officer Affable
Trivia[]
- This is the first adaptation of Arthur Slugworth to be African-European: all previous versions of Slugworth have always been depicted as Caucasian, though in all fairness, the original book version is never physically described or shown in-page to determine his skin color.
- While Wonka appears to be a prequel to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise, Slugworth has a different skin color and seemed to be irredeemable, not mentioning that he is last seen floating up to his presumed death unless the effects of the chocolate passed and he was arrested, which means that either way, he could not have send spies to steal Willy Wonka's secrets later on in his career.
- That said, considering that the Slugworth from the first film adaptation was an imposter hired by Willy Wonka, it may be possible that Wonka just took advantage that his visitors weren't aware of how the original Slugworth looked like to trick them. As for how he could send spies to steal Wonka's recipes if he died or was arrested, there's a possibility that his company kept his name after his death/imprisonment and his successors were loyal to him to the point of sabotaging Wonka to avenge their predecessor.
- It's possible that Arthur Slugworth serves as parallels or inspirations to other Roald Dahl villains:
- Slugworth to Violet Beauregarde, one of the Four Bratty Kids of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: both are overcompetitive individuals who can't stand being overcome by others.
- Slugworth to Franklin "Frank" Bean, one of the well-known greedy farmers of Fantastic Mr. Fox: both serve as the main antagonists, as well as are greedy and intelligent workers who plans to obliterate the main characters and their allies with their other two rivals or workers by attempting to murder them at all costs.
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