|
| “ | You're making me very angry, very angry indeed! | „ |
| ~ Marvin the Martian |
| “ | Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom! | „ |
| ~ Marvin the Martian |
| “ | Isn't that lovely? | „ |
| ~ Marvin the Martian |
Marvin the Martian is a recurring antagonist of the Looney Tunes franchise. He is K-9's owner and one of Bugs Bunny's archenemies and an enemy of Daffy Duck (also known as Duck Dodgers). Marvin makes his debut in the episode Haredevil Hare.
Voice Portrayals
- Since 1948 to 1986, he was voiced by the late Mel Blanc.
- Since 1991 to 2008, he was voiced by the late Joe Alaskey.
- In 1992, he was voiced by Rob Paulsen.
- In 1993, he was voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
- In 1996, he was voiced by Bob Bergen.
- Since 1996 to 2003, he was voiced by Eric Goldberg.
- In 1998, he was voiced by Jeff Bergman & Neil Ross.
- In 2002, he was voiced by Samuel Vincent.
- Since 2011 to 2015, he was voiced by Damon Jones.
- Since 2011 to this day, he is voiced by Eric Bauza.
Biography
Since Elmer Fudd was considered too dimwitted to be a threat, Wile E. Coyote was just a predator, Taz was overly ravenous, and Yosemite Sam was quickly becoming just as hopeless, Chuck Jones felt the time had come for Bugs Bunny to meet a new kind of villain altogether, a villain who is both very clever and who posed a true threat.
So the alien menace known as Marvin the Martian was born, being a more calculating and dangerous opponent than those that came before him he nevertheless found himself defeated in the end by Bugs Bunny - though due to his popularity he returned and has stayed on as one of the Looney Tunes' most popular villains, appearing in many cartoons and films as well as countless merchandise, Marvin has even been adopted as the mascot of a few NASA vehicles among other things.
Marvin is depicted as a strange humanoid dressed in a vaguely Roman-style suit with a pair of oversized sneakers, this design was chosen due to Mars being the name of the Roman god of war and has served him well as it makes him stand out from the crowd as a distinctive villain. Chuck Jones, who directed most of his shorts, stated that he based Marvin's blank black face on black ants, which he found scary.
Many of his villainous acts involve intending to destroy the Earth with a deadly weapon called the "Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator" (sometimes pronounced "Illudium Pu-36" or "Uranium Pu-36") which looks like an ordinary stick of dynamite. However, this plan is always foiled and the modulator ends up exploding near him instead.
In other media
Films
- Marvin appeared in Space Jam, but was not a villain, only a referee.
- In Looney Tunes: Back In Action, he was back to being a villain, while serving Mr. Chairman of the ACME corporation (who is the main antagonist of the second film) and releasing various aliens like the Daleks in Area 52. He served as a major antagonist, alongside Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, and Taz.
- He also appeared as the main antagonist of Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run who only appeared in the climax. This is most likely a way to surprise the audience that he is the main villain and not Sam.
Duck Dodgers
He also appeared in the 2003 animated series Duck Dodgers as one of the chief antagonists, and under the name of the Martian Commander X-2, serving for the Martian Queen. He also serves as a rival to the power-hungry Martian General Z-9, who once betrayed both him and the Queen in an attempt to rule both Mars and Earth under his iron fist.
DC/Looney Tunes
He attempts to blow up the Earth, but is defeated by Kyle Rayner.
DC meets Looney Tunes
He sends out a signal to all Martians in the multiverse and Martian Manhunter answers the call. He goes to the DC Universe and tries to wipe out humanity. He is foiled when Manhunter tricks him with an illusion of him destroying Earth and he is captured by the army.
