LeChuck | |
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Monkey Island character | |
LeChuck in Tales of Monkey Island
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First game | The Secret of Monkey Island (1990) |
Created by | Ron Gilbert |
Voiced by |
Earl Boen (most games) Adam Harrington and Kevin Blackton (Tales of Monkey Island) |
LeChuck is a fictional character in the Monkey Island series of graphic adventure games. Created by Ron Gilbert for LucasArts, LeChuck was introduced in The Secret of Monkey Island, and is the chief antagonist of the series. Gilbert drew on aspects of the characters in the 1988 novel On Stranger Tides for his concept for LeChuck.
An undead pirate captain, LeChuck is obsessed with pursuing the affections of the series' heroine, Elaine Marley, and exacting revenge upon protagonist Guybrush Threepwood, who is responsible for consistently thwarting his plans and on some points he is depicted as being Guybrush's brother. LeChuck is not limited to one incarnation; across the series, the character has been depicted as a ghost, a zombie and a demon among other forms. While sometimes gullible and naïve, LeChuck is a powerful and intelligent villain, making extensive use of voodoo magic in his megalomaniacal plans. The character was very well received by video game critics.
LeChuck was created by Ron Gilbert. Gilbert's concept for LeChuck, especially the character's heavy use of voodoo magic, was influenced by the characters in the 1988 novel On Stranger Tides. The "Chuck" portion of the character's name comes from Lucasfilm general manager Steve Arnold, who told Gilbert that he really liked the name Chuck and would like to see it appear in more games.
While the first two games in the series did not feature voice acting, actor Earl Boen provided LeChuck's voice for both The Curse of Monkey Island and Escape from Monkey Island, reprising the role for the later Special Editions of the first two games. However, Boen was initially absent from Telltale Games' Tales of Monkey Island; LeChuck was instead voiced by Adam Harrington in the first chapter, with Kevin Blackton voicing the human version of the character in the subsequent chapters. Boen returned to the role for the final two chapters, in which LeChuck is restored to his undead form; Boen has since recorded Harrington's lines for the first chapter for the DVD release of the game.