| “ | By the supreme authority of wickedness, I, the evil Man Ray, command you to release me from this frozen prison at once! | „ |
| ~ Man Ray to SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. |
| “ | I'm ready to rule the world and its riches! With this weapon, nothing can stop me! | „ |
| ~ Man Ray |
Man Ray is a major antagonist in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. He is a manta ray-themed supervillain who frequently menaces Bikini Bottom. He is also a member of Every Villain Is Lemons (or E.V.I.L. for short) and The Bad Guy Club For Villains (or BGCFV for short), as well as one of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's two archenemies, alongside the Dirty Bubble.
He was voiced by John Rhys-Davies, who also played Vasco Rodrigues in the Shōgun miniseries, Dogati in King Solomon's Mines, the Woodsman in Waxwork, Wilson Fisk in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Macbeth in Gargoyles, Hades in Justice League, Viscount Mabrey in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and J.D. Murdoch in the Anaconda films, in his first two appearances, and currently by Bob Joles.
Appearance[]
Man Ray is a manta ray/human hybrid who wears a blue helmet shaped like the head of a manta ray and a red suit. He also has gloves, boots, and a speedo which all have a blue color. He doesn't have a head under his "helmet", as seen when he removes it in his debut appearance. In fact, he even states the "helmet" to be his de-facto head the second time he removes it, of course in the process of trying to kill Patrick and SpongeBob this time.
Personality[]
Man Ray is a fiery and short-tempered villain who wants to rule the entire planet. Despite having very obvious aims, he is incredibly cunning and is able to deceive SpongeBob and Patrick into believing he has turned into a force for good. As a member of several organizations and alliances, he is also fiercely devoted to those with whom he has a long relationship and to other villains. He has a really sensitive side while being a very nasty person. When the tickling belt's adverse effect prevents him from robbing the bank, his sensitive side comes out in his debut. He then gives up and buys a checkbook with a dog on it to symbolize his failure.
Another instance is when SpongeBob and Patrick dress up as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy for a shuffleboard tournament in "Shuffleboarding". When they arrive, he meets them and behaves pleasantly until they accuse him and another elder of breaking the law and assault them for no apparent reason other than to satisfy themselves "of upholding the law". He is also very spiteful; if he is deceived, wounded, or mocked, he will inflict suffering in the most heinous manner possible, such as shooting people with ray guns or destroying a city.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
A long time ago, Man Ray tried to become the leader of the Bikini Bottom, using his ray-gun. But Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy managed to save Bikini Bottom, by pouring tartar sauce on Man Ray, which later froze him solid. Patrick ends up unfreezing the tartar sauce which trapped Man Ray, allowing Man Ray to escape and defeat Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and take over Bikini Bottom. In the end, SpongeBob and Patrick get to defeat Man Ray and rescue Bikini Bottom.
He is one of the main antagonists in SpongeBob's favorite Saturday morning show, The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Man Ray has a belt that is controlled by a remote. When the button is pressed, it tickles him. His name is a reference to a manta ray, yet episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants rarely feature a manta ray.
Man Ray was somehow arrested by Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and imprisoned in a frozen tarter-sauce prison. SpongeBob and Patrick, during their time watching the Mermalair during the heroes' vacation, accidentally free him from his prison, but are able to subdue him due to the tickle belt. Knowing that he needs to get rid of the belt in order to escape, Man Ray pretends to want redemption from being evil. SpongeBob and Patrick try to teach him how to be "good", through the demonstration of Patrick dropping his wallet and then struggling with a heavy package, but Man Ray gets quickly annoyed by Patrick's stupidity and injures him. In revenge, Patrick tries to push the tickle belt button too many times to torture the villain, but the remote then breaks and causes Man Ray to suffer eternal tickling. Man Ray says "please" when asking it to stop, which is enough for SpongeBob and Patrick to "graduate" him from their "goodness" class. However, Man Ray double-crosses them, stealing some weaponry from the Wall of Gadgets and then trying to rob a bank. However, Man Ray still feels the tickle whenever he tries to rob the bank, leading him to give up and open a checking account instead. He then apologizes to SpongeBob and Patrick for his actions and gives them his helmet before walking off, seemingly redeemed.
Man Ray would later return to being evil in future episodes and video games.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
Enemies[]
- Mermaid Man - Archenemy
- Barnacle Boy
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Patrick Star
Quotes[]
| “ | Man Ray [fake-crying]: Oh, boohoo! Oh, sob! Oh, cry! Oh, woe is me! You don't know what it's like being evil for so long. Oh, how I wish to be... good. If only some kind heroes would show me the path to decency. SpongeBob: We could teach you how to be good and then we'll let you go! Man Ray [feigning being overjoyed]: [feigning being overjoyed] Ahh, that would be fantastic! Man Ray [chuckling under his breath]: I'll fake my way through this just like I did in high school. |
„ |
| ~ Man Ray convincing SpongeBob and Patrick that he's renounced his evil ways. |
| “ | Man Ray: You mean, if I was good, then you'd let me go? SpongeBob: Yeah, sure, why not? Man Ray: Then, uh, in that case... I am good. SpongeBob: Really? Man Ray: Yes, really. SpongeBob: Really, really? Man Ray: Yes, yes, really, really! SpongeBob: Really, really, really? Man Ray: Yes, yes, already! I'm good! I'm good! Now let me out of here or you'll suffer dire consequences! SpongeBob: Well, that's good enough for me. |
„ |
| ~ Man Ray tricking SpongeBob into releasing him. |
Gallery[]
Video[]
Trivia[]
- Similarly to how how Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are a parody of DC Comics' Aquaman and Aqualad, Man Ray is a parody of the former's archenemy, Black Manta.
- The end credits for "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III" show that Guy Siner was originally meant to be the voice of Man Ray.
- He shares a common name with a member of the Crew of the Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean.
- His head appearance has a slightly similar look to Emperor Zurg from the Toy Story franchise.
