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| “ | At first those Kids Next Door were a minor nuisance. That's why I entrusted you with their destruction. But because of your failures, they constantly interfere with my schemes to have adults... rule the world! That angers me. I will no longer tolerate failure. Destroy the Kids Next Door... or ELSE! | „ |
| ~ Father to his children. |
| “ | Bravo, Mr. Uno. You managed to skillfully outwit a bunch of... children. Question is, do you have what it takes to play with the BIG BOYS?! | „ |
| ~ Father to Numbuh One as they first meet. |
| “ | Nigel Uno! I am done playing games with you, boy! Give me back my pipe! THIS-! ...No. No! NOOOOO!! | „ |
| ~ Father's last line, villainous breakdown and ultimate defeat. |
Benedict Wigglestein, also known as Father, is the main antagonist of the 2002 Cartoon Network animated action series Codename: Kids Next Door. He is one of the most powerful and malicious villains in the show, being one of the few to actually attempt to kill members of the KND. He is the adoptive father and boss of The Delightful Children From Down The Lane as well as Nigel Uno/Numbuh One's uncle and arch-nemesis.
He is voiced by Maurice LaMarche (who also voiced Mr. Freeze and Calendar Man in the Batman: Arkham series, Brain in Animaniacs, Walt, Lrrr, Leonardo da Vinci, Schlump and Fleb, Fishy Joe, and The Big Brain in Futurama, Koto in All Hail King Julien, Alec Baldwin in Team America: World Police, Mr. Big in Zootopia, Horace Badun in 101 Dalmatians: Patch's London Adventure, Yosemite Sam in the Looney Tunes franchise, Mortimer Mouse in the Mickey Mouse franchise, Joseph Stalin in Histeria!, and Dr. Nitrus Brio in the Crash Bandicoot franchise) and Jeff Bennett (who also voiced Dick Hardly, Mike Brikowski and Major Man in The Powerpuff Girls, Darth Revan in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Bradley Uppercrust III in Extremely Goofy Movie, Ozzy in The Land Before Time: The Great Valley Adventure, Ichy in The Land Before Time: Journey Through the Mists, Dr. Hamsterviel in Lilo and Stitch Series, Tong Fo in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, the Joker in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, H.A.R.D.A.C. in Batman: The Animated Series and D.A.V.E. in The Batman) as Benedict. In Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, he was voiced by Nolan North, who also voiced the Penguin in the Batman: Arkham video game series and Black Mask in Arkham City.
Biography[]
Father was the younger brother of Monty Uno (Numbuh Zero) and son of Grandfather. Unlike his brother, Ben was too afraid to rise up against his father and ran away. He later grew resentful of his brother overthrowing their tyrannical parent.
At some unknown point, he gained his powers and became a villain known as Father. He secretly kidnapped Sector Z and turned them into The Delightful Children From Down The Lane, adopting them as his own children, resulting in the Kids Next Door losing all contact with Sector Z, until the events of Operation: Z.E.R.O. when Numbuh One's father Monty (Numbuh Zero) discovered the truth and temporarily recommissioned them.
In a crossover with Villainous, it's revealed that he buys his technology from the Black Hat Organization, however, it's uncertain if this info is canon.
Appearance[]
Father is a black silhouette of a man with a pipe and pompadour. He is slender, but apparently still well-built, and unlike the other characters in the show, who are made up of round shapes, he is made up of mostly sharp angles. However, this is later revealed to be only a suit, and underneath it, he has red, square glasses with yellow lenses, black hair, red overalls, a white dress shirt, and a bow tie.
Personality[]
Father has a very harsh temper, often bursting into flames whenever he gets angry. He also is shown to be sassy, particularly when confronted with stupid questions from various henchmen. However, he is also charismatic, and a skilled liar, once even convincing the entire KND organization that he truly wanted to help them, despite the fact they all knew of his previous attempts to destroy them.
He seems to despise children who dare to defy adults, tolerating only his own. He frequently refers to children as "snot-nosed brats" and other insults generally directed at kids. He is one of the most malicious villains in the show, often attempting to kill, control, or otherwise torment children. His cruelty is perhaps best shown in his attempt to bake a bunch of children into a giant cake for the DCFDTL, which would have resulted in mass murder and cannibalism of children.
However, he does still have a lighter side, attending villain parties and events, and when in a good mood, behaving like a normal, friendly adult.
| “ | (Numbuh 1: Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Truce?) Until breakfast is finished. (Numbuh 1: Agreed) | „ |
| ~ Father to Numbuh 1 when teaming up against Knightbrace. |
He is shown to be honorable when he decided to team up with Sector V to beat up Knightbrace when he attempted to destroy the "Rainbow Munchies" cereal.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Elemental Manipulation:: Similar to his own father, Father has shown the ability to manipulate certain elements such as darkness and fire. He uses his powers of darkness to form the silhouette skin suit which he wears to take on a more intimidating pitch black form.
- Pyrokinesis: Father's most noteworthy ability is his powers of fire. He is able to conjure up powerful flames for offensive purposes, construct shapes out of fire, and even utilize them to terrify his opponents and victims. He can also be exposed to intense heat and flames, all the while remaining unscathed.
- Shapeshifting: He can turn into black silhouette animals, or even full-fledged copies of other characters, once turning his head into a perfect copy of Numbuh 86's, and used that to trick the KND into leaving a vault unguarded (except for a few new recruits).
- Teleportation: Rarely seen, he sometimes can teleport to another end of the room to prevent his opponents from escaping.
- Telekinesis: One of his rarest powers which he had shown only once when he was able to lift himself and some giant candles to fight Numbuh 1 in close combat.
- High Intelligence: Despite his immense supernatural powers, Father also had a high intelligence and an in depth knowledge of KND strategy as well as business acumen. He also founded Evil Adult Inc., an ultra-rich mega corporation.
- Technical Knowledge: Aside from being cunning with his plans, he is also highly skilled in technology, presumably inventing the Delightfulization Chamber.
- Manipulation: Father is able to easily conceal his evil intentions when necessary, and possesses great charisma, allowing him to manipulate both children and adults, even those who know of his past deeds and untrustworthiness.
- Culinary Skills: Father has also shown excellent culinary skills. At least two of the unrealistically delicious cakes baked for the Delightful Children From Down The Lane was baked by Father.
Weaknesses[]
- Frigid Temperatures: Father is weak to the cold, once being overpowered by ice cream, and reduced to a shuddering mess (oddly, he is seen eating ice cream in Operation Zero, implying that it's only harmful to him if he is actually covered in it and can otherwise eat it with no problems).
- Water: Water also can neutralize his fire abilities.
- Mental Disorders: Aside from his toxic narcissism, he also once seemed to experience some form of PTSD upon Numbuh 362 attempting to force-feed him broccoli, curling up in a ball and begging his own father not to make him eat it. He also appears to have self-esteem issues due to his relationship with his father. His own egomaniacal nature also makes him underestimate his enemies, which usually results in his defeat.
Quotes[]
| “ | Oh, you've helped me alright. Now I know where NUMBUH ONE IS! | „ |
| ~ Father as the interviewer. |
| “ | Well now... It seems the ice-cream business just isn't for you, Mr. Uno. I think it's time you were... FIRED!! | „ |
| ~ Father attempting to kill Numbuh One. |
| “ | Mr. Wigglestein. A name that will never be forgotten. He was the first of his kind to rise up against children in what would come to be known as the really bad thing that happened. At Mr. Wigglestein's trial, the prosecution argued for a child's right to play horsey whenever and as much as he or she wanted. But Mr. Wigglestein testified that he'd had a rough day at work and just didn't feel like playing horsey. Pressed to the point of madness by his child's constant whining, Mr. Wigglestein finally snapped. In a blind rage, he grabbed the child and rapidly paddled his bottom with his hand. This new rather stingy act was from then on called spanking and forever changed the relationship between kids and adults. The furious leaders of children quickly ordered the immediate exile of Mr. Wigglestein and every one of his kind from every treehouse on the planet. | „ |
| ~ Numbuh One (narrator) describing Mr. Wigglestein and his crime, and how he became Father. |
| “ | Fellow adults, the age of children is over! | „ |
| ~ Father to his fellow adults declaring war on the children |
| “ | And you’re supposed to be the smart one. I’m your dad’s brother, Benedict. Your uncle! | „ |
| ~ Father revealing his true identity and name to Numbuh 1. |
| “ | You... big... JEEERRRRKK!!! Now you've made me angry!!! VERY!!! VERY!!! VERY!!! ...Eh forget it. You can wrestle with pappy by yourself, Monty. I'm gonna go get some rocky road... | „ |
| ~ Benedict finally snaps at his father, but decides it isn't worth his time; since nothing he does will EVER impress Grandfather |
Trivia[]
- Operations Z.E.R.O. and I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S. showcase just how powerful Father can get when he loses all restraint on his emotion.
- The movie shows Father actually intimidate Grandfather by snapping from all the years of neglect and abuse finally taking their toll; especially since Grandfather favored Monty/Numbuh 0 despite that son's utter disdain of evil.
- The series finale shows him turning into a feral dragon after having his pipe stolen.
- Father's voice is an impression of the late Kirk Douglas when wearing the silhouette suit.
- Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, the late Martin Mull and Sherman Howard originally auditioned for the role of Father before Maurice MaLarche was casted.
External Links[]
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