Marvin the Martian
| Marvin The Martian | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes character | |
 |
|
| First appearance | Haredevil Hare (July 24, 1948) |
| Created by | Chuck Jones |
| Voiced by |
Mel Blanc (1948–1986) Joe Alaskey (1991–2008) Rob Paulsen (1992) Maurice LaMarche (1993) Bob Bergen (1996) Eric Goldberg (1996–2003) Neil Ross (1998) Samuel Vincent (2002) Eric Bauza (2011–present) |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Marvin Martian |
| Species | Martian |
| Gender | Male |
| Significant other(s) | Maarla Martian |
Marvin the Martian is a character from Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
After Bugs Bunny had begun to outwit Yosemite Sam – the creation of the senior director, Friz Freleng – director Chuck Jones decided to create the opposite type of character, one who was quiet and soft-spoken, but whose actions were incredibly destructive and legitimately dangerous. Marvin the Martian was the result, and made his debut in 1948's Haredevil Hare. Unlike the other Warner Bros. cartoon villains, Marvin can be actually evil at most points, and not just daft; although, like the others, he is also funny. Marvin is the quietest of the Warner Bros villains, and the most soft-spoken, and unlike most of the other villains, he is very clever and competent in general.
Marvin's design was based on a conception of the Roman god Mars. "That was the uniform that Mars wore — that helmet and skirt. We thought putting it on this ant-like creature might be funny. But since he had no mouth, we had to convey that he was speaking totally through his movements. It demanded a kind of expressive body mechanics."
Marvin was never named in the original shorts – he was called the Commander of Flying Saucer X-2 in The Hasty Hare in 1952 – but decades later, when the character attracted merchandising interest, the current name was selected.
Marvin hails from the planet Mars, but is often found elsewhere. He is often accompanied by his dog "K-9", and sometimes by other creatures (one gag, first used in Hare-Way to the Stars (1958), being candy-sized "Instant Martians" that become full-size on addition of drops of water).
Marvin wears a Roman soldier's uniform, with basketball shoes. The style of these shoes resembles the Chuck Taylor All-Stars brand name, considered to be the "generic" or "standard" basketball sneaker. His head is a black sphere with only eyes for features. The curved crest of his helmet appears, with the push-broom-like upper section, to comically resemble an ancient Greek hoplite's or a Roman centurion's helmet. The appearance of the combination of Marvin's head and helmet allegedly led to Bugs Bunny thinking he was a "bowling ball wearing a spittoon" in one short. Marvin speaks with a soft, nasally accent, and often speaks technobabble. The helmet and skirt that surround him are green and his suit is red (in a few of the original shorts, his suit was green). He is also known for his trademark quotes "Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!", "Isn't that lovely?", and "This makes me very angry, very angry indeed."
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