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| “ | There is no good or bad news. Only ambiguity. | „ |
| ~ Jonas’ philosophy |
| “ | Richard. You’re a medicine salesman. Cure everybody, and you’re out of business. Why would anyone work? Here in America, you have to work for your healthcare, it’s a good system! Dynamic! (…) The system that has taken such good care of you? It would Crumble. Imagine it Rick: Economies will collapse, cartels will rise with their own grip on the mushroom. Killing rivals. If this cures wounds, every fight, is to the death. Wars will be unimaginably ferocious, it will kill on a massive scale. Everything. Black and white. No in-between. None of the shade that brings life meaning. | „ |
| ~ Jonas’ justifications on destroying the mushroom. |
Jonas “The Wolf” Backstein is the main antagonist of the 2025 Adult Swim drama animated series Common Side Effects.
He is a powerful member of Reutical Pharmaceutical's board of directors with ties to the United States government, who is obsessed with hunting down and silencing Marshall Cuso in order to destroy the Blue Angel Mushroom by any means necessary.
He is voiced by Danny Huston,
Personality[]
Jonas is a soft spoken, intimidating and utterly ruthless executive at Reutical who keeps a sophisticated disposition towards his subordinates and others, but in truth hides a very ambitious and obsessed individual who is hellbent on destroying the Blue Mushroom and silencing anyone involved in the operation. He appears lightly sardonic whenever speaking to others, remarking over Cecily’s Yale university graduate and over Rick’s attempts to claim the Mushroom is healing people, claiming he’s the “classic American Bullshitter.”
Jonas claims noble intentions, believing that the mushroom’s capabilities will end up throwing the world into chaos and never ending war for reclaiming, and also believes in the American Healthcare system being a good system and “balanced” between light and dark. However, when Jonas is diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, he becomes extremely desperate and fearful of his death, attempting to scourge the world to find the mushroom he denied to others to cure himself, showing that he is a hypocrite and a coward.
Biography[]
Background[]
Jonas Backstein is a Swiss businessman who is on the board of ten companies, one of which is being Reutical Pharmaceutical, but not much is known about his personal life, besides the fact he was born on January 9th, 1949, he has a 7 year old son. Jonas has been a major component with Reutical, particularly having ties to the United States government, being “old friends” with the president. Jonas also has an assistant, Cecily who he finically backed into becoming the Director of the NDA.
Reutical Pharmaceutical has been in a slew of controversies due to their many unethical practices, from their arthritis medication causing suicidal thoughts and depression from illegal dumping sites causing “slug spots” to children in the area, and Jonas promotes Rick Krueger as CEO to deal with the lawsuits. One of these dumping sites ended up creating The Blue Angel Mushroom, which can heal any disease, injury and even death.
Mycologist Marshall Cuso discovers these in Peru and obtains samples, hoping to tell the world, while Jonas attempts to silence him and destroy the mushroom for good.
Episode 2 - Lakeshore Limited[]
Jonas is inside Cecily’s office as she hears the story of Connor, a worker in Peru, about discovering Marshall during a child with the blue angel mushroom and hunting him down. While Cecily is doubtful of the story, Jonas confronts her and expresses his disappointment before having Connor test the mushroom’s ability by stabbing himself with a knife and healing it instantly.
Informing Cecily of the Mushroom’s properties, he demands her to escalate the issue with the government and he says he’ll hire his “men” to deal with Marshall himself. Several bounty hunters go after Marshall, in one instance ramming his car with a truck, but Marshall manages to escape after eating one of the Angel Mushroom, promptly fleeing.
Jonas is driving down the road, calling Cecily to inform her of the failed it, saying he underestimated Marshall but they shall escalate. He then proceeds to ask Connor if he gave them all his samples and if he told anyone. He then has another goon shoot Connor right in the head, tossing his body out onto the road.
Episode 4- Dumpsite[]
While Jonas doesn’t appear, he has several of his goons hung after Marshall as he’s in North Carolina, on a patch of land near one of their chemical dumpsites to grow more mushroom. One of the gangsters nearly kills Marshall and Frances, but steps on a landmine and explodes, killing him.
Episode 5 - Star-Tel-Lite[]
Jonas meets with Rick Krueger in a restaurant, where Rick shows evidence of the Blue Angel Mushroom working (sent to him by Frances). Jonas dismisses the video as being “doctored” and informs Rick about him being relocated from the company. He later calls Cecily, informing her of Marshall’s whereabouts, getting her to send the police over and arrest him
Episode 6 - In The System[]
Jonas sends another assassin out to be arrested so he can try and assassinate Marshall in prison. He appears on a phone call with Cecily, where he is informed of the situation with Capano and Harrington as he gets a back massage, and simply informs her to keep him aware.
Episode 7 - Blowfish[]
Jonas makes a brief appearance in the episode, as Cecily calls him after having her conversation with Frances, angry over Frances obtaining the mushroom and questioning if he planned this. Jonas simply hangs up and continues drinking.
Episode 8 - Amelia & Wyatt[]
Jonas appears with his various board members as well as Cecily attending a horse race while drinking champagne, where Cecily informs him that Marshall supposedly died in prison. Jonas remarks about the barbarity of the United States Prison system while claiming that he’ll tie up loose ends. Despite France’s and Rick attempting the synthesize and patent the Blue Angel Mushroom, Jonas denies it. While Rick attempts to argue over how many people will be saved from the mushroom, Jonas claims that not only will the mushroom put thousands out of jobs, but it will also result in political instability as factions rise up to take a stranglehold on it and will result in mass wars for the mushroom that will only result in death, claiming it will remove the grey between light and black that brings life meaning. Jonas cuts the funding to the project and has all remaining samples destroyed, and Jonas attends a rotting doctor appointment in high spirits over his victory. His victory is short lived, however when the doctor reports to him that he has terminal lung cancer.
Episode 9 - Cliff’s Edge[]
Jonas is informed of his terminal lung cancer, with the doctor saying that none of the treatment have worked and he has only several weeks left to live, and that he should spend time with his family. Jonas, frustrated, rebuffs her “therapeutic advice” and goes out on his own to find people who could help him. He later appears at his balcony, sick and tied to an IV drip as he attempts to call Rick to get any mushrooms back. He goes to Peru, having his men scrounge up any of the mushrooms they can find so he can desperately eat it for himself, to no avail. He then gets a call to Cecily, reporting Marshall‘a survival and the mushroom operation in North Carolina. Jonas sends Cecily a thank you text before going off in a plane, staring out a window.
Episode 10 - Raid[]
Jonas makes it to the camp that Hildy is running and attempts to cut line to be cured, attempting to bribe the woman in front with a hundred thousand dollars to be let through. The raiding made by Cecily ends up going bad due to an agent triggering a mine and exploding, resulting in pandemonium as everyone flees. Jonas, for his part, runs into the tent to find the mushrooms. Discovering them, Jonas begins to devour multiple ones at once in a desperate act to save himself. This act causes him to overdose as he falls over and hallucinates himself in a field with an abandoned house in front. Entering the house, he is teleported into a hospital hallway where he then finds himself crawling on the ground in a hospital gown, sick and dying before vomiting up an even sicker version of himself, continuing the process until Jonas ends up a horrifying deformed creature, unable to move. Jonas sheds a single tear as the Mushroom Humanoid’s stare at him. Jonas appears at the end of the episode, comatose as he’s in a hospital bed, one of the humanoid’s crawl out of his mouth, while inside his head, Jonas is loving a horrific dream as he’s vomiting himself as he’s surrounded by other Jonases.
Trivia[]
- Jonas’ warnings about people exploiting the Mushrooms and cartels forming would eventually proven true, as Hildy would do that exact thing once she gets her hands on the mushroom.
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| Common Side Effects Villains | ||
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Reutical Pharmaceutical | ||