| 1 | Characters that appeared in Andy Serkis' ''{{Film/Mowgli}}''. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | '''[[Administrivia/SpoilersOff ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED]]'''. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Read on at your own discretion]]. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ---- |
| 6 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 7 | !!Main characters |
| 8 | [[folder:Mowgli]] |
| 9 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mowgli_0.jpg]] |
| 10 | ->'''Played by:''' Rohan Chand |
| 11 | The film's protagonist and title character, Mowgli is an orphaned human child adopted by a pack of wolves. |
| 12 | ---- |
| 13 | * BadassAdorable: He may be a 10-year-old boy with a sweet disposition, but he's plucky and doesn't go down without a fight. Especially in the end where he takes on [[TheDreaded Shere Khan]]. |
| 14 | * BathsAreFun: One scene before his first encounter with Shere Khan shows that he really enjoys swimming and diving. |
| 15 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: When the danger his pack is in gets dire, Mowgli isn't afraid to face his foes head-on. |
| 16 | * ChildOfTwoWorlds: Being a human raised by wolves, he has difficulty finding where he belongs. |
| 17 | * {{Determinator}}: Once Mowgli sets his mind to something, there's not a chance in Hell that you can stop him from doing it. |
| 18 | * ExpositoryHairstyleChange: When he gets integrated into the man-village, he gets his hair washed, combed and tied in a bun. When he returns to the jungle to fight Shere Khan, his WildHair is back. |
| 19 | * ExtremeOmnivore: He eats everything from jungle fruit to raw meat and insects. |
| 20 | * HappilyAdopted: By Nisha and Vihaan, after Akela and the pack ward off Shere Khan, the killer of his parents; later by Messua. |
| 21 | * IAmVeryBritish: He speaks with such an accent despite being Indian, possibly because all the animals he grew up with have British accents. |
| 22 | * InterspeciesFriendship: With almost everyone in the pack, but Bagheera, a black leopard, would be the most prominent among his friends. |
| 23 | * LoinCloth: His only piece of clothing while he lives in the jungle, until his first meeting with human civilization. |
| 24 | * MessianicArchetype: A person of miraculous birth who brings hope to the jungle, grapples with what side he truly belongs, suffers the loss of several family members, before bringing peace to the jungle. |
| 25 | * MyGreatestFailure: His is never reconciling with Bhoot before he died. Finding him amongst Lockwood's menagerie completely breaks his heart. |
| 26 | * NiceGuy: Towards those he holds dear, he is tender, warm-hearted and compassionate. |
| 27 | * LeParkour: During his training for the Running, he develops some impressive athletic chops for climbing and resourceful path-finding to compensate for what he lacks in speed. |
| 28 | * RaisedByWolves: Literally. After his parents got killed by Shere Khan, he got adopted by a pack of wolves. |
| 29 | * RunningOnAllFours: He initially does this during the Running of the Pack, but he eventually switches to two-legged running. |
| 30 | * TapOnTheHead: Hit his head on a rock when he was being carried by the monkeys. |
| 31 | * TheSoCalledCoward: Being a human child, he makes it easy for others to assume that he is a weakling; ironically, he proves to be significantly more valiant than Shere Khan during the climax. |
| 32 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: Even after he joins the man-village and starts wearing a sarong and shoes, he goes around shirtless. |
| 33 | * WildChild: A human child who's grown up in the jungle. |
| 34 | * WildHair: He has long, curly, unkempt locks, fitting for a boy who spent his entire life in the jungle. |
| 35 | * WoundThatWillNotHeal: He has a wound on his left arm. |
| 36 | [[/folder]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:Bagheera]] |
| 39 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2019_02_04_00h24m34s975.png]] |
| 40 | -> ''"You are no different, Little Brother -- you are special."'' |
| 41 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChristianBale |
| 42 | A black panther who found the infant Mowgli in the jungle and took him to the wolf pack. He becomes Mowgli's closest friend and mentor. |
| 43 | ---- |
| 44 | * AngryAnimalisticGrowl: He speaks with one when Baloo proves to be almost impossible to reason with after the Running. |
| 45 | --> "Khan will '''kill him''' and tear the pack apart!" |
| 46 | * BigBrotherMentor: He calls Mowgli "Little Brother" and teaches him how to hunt and survive in the jungle. |
| 47 | * ACatInAGangOfDogs: Technically counts being a panther seen amongst the wolf pack. |
| 48 | * CharacterTics: He heaves a sigh while lifting his head when he is particularly upset. |
| 49 | * ChildOfTwoWorlds: Mirroring Mowgli's story, he was raised in a cage among humans, but escaped to the jungle where he found his place as a wild predator. |
| 50 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: He was born and raised in captivity, having spent most of his time in a cage as a plaything of man, which is why he had to gain their trust rather than fight his way out. |
| 51 | * DarkIsNotEvil: Being a melanistic leopard, he is almost completely black and looks fairly fearsome to a layman, but he is one of the most upstanding and noble associates of the pack, and very loyal to Mowgli. |
| 52 | * GoodIsNotSoft: If it's for your own good, Bagheera ''will'' do things you don't like. After being unable to convince Mowgli to go to the Man-Village to be safe from Shere Khan, he intentionally targets the boy during the Running to make him fail, because he believes that the Man Village is the only place where Mowgli will be safe from Shere Khan, seeing as there is no way that the tiger will relent in his pursuit of him. |
| 53 | * LightningBruiser: He proves to be both very strong, and very agile. |
| 54 | * NiceGuy: Kind-hearted, compassionate and noble. He is one of the most well-meaning denizens of the jungle. |
| 55 | * OnlySaneMan: Only Bagheera realizes that Shere Khan will try to kill Mowgli, with or without the pack's protection, and that the man village is the only place where Mowgli will be completely safe from his claws. |
| 56 | * PantheraAwesome: One of the most badass, fearsome hunters in the entire jungle. |
| 57 | * PunchClockVillain: During the Running of the Pack, he assumes an antagonistic role, pretending to attack the young wolves to provide them a challenge. |
| 58 | * RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Baloo's red in that he's more level-headed and steadfast. |
| 59 | * ScarsAreForever: He has a bald spot under his chin left by the collar he used to wear in captivity for years. |
| 60 | * SinkOrSwimMentor: Bagheera takes his role as hunter in the Running very seriously; he ruthlessly picks off those who don't do well. |
| 61 | * UndyingLoyalty: To Mowgli -- cemented when out of all the mammals in Akela's pack, it's he who is willing to step ahead and aid Mowgli in his mission to kill Shere Khan. Only Baloo's denial stops him from following with it. |
| 62 | [[/folder]] |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[folder:Baloo]] |
| 65 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baloo_3.jpg]] |
| 66 | -> ''"Of course you're different. That's why you need special training."'' |
| 67 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AndySerkis |
| 68 | A grumpy old bear who teaches the wolf cubs the Law of the Jungle. Although his training methods can be rough, he tries his best to teach Mowgli become a wolf. |
| 69 | ---- |
| 70 | * AdaptationalUgliness: This version of Baloo is ''creepy'' compared to his other incarnations. |
| 71 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: |
| 72 | ** Bears are not known to bald -- Baloo's entire face is strangely devoid of fur. |
| 73 | ** He appears to be a Himalayan brown bear rather than the more geographically appropriate sloth bear. Presumably this is meant to correspond with the original book, which identifies him as a brown bear. But even then, his dark fur and hunched back also resemble a (further misplaced) grizzly bear, as Himalayan brown bears usually have bright, cream-colored fur. |
| 74 | ** In addition, during the scene where Mowgli and Baloo discover a mutilated domestic cow, Baloo only notices it when he takes a direct look at it; bears have some of the keenest noses in the animal kingdom, so Baloo should have picked up the scent. |
| 75 | * BadassTeacher: If it means protecting anyone he holds dear, Baloo doesn't hesitate to get physical. |
| 76 | * BearsAreBadNews: He's a large, rugged, scarred brown bear with a grating voice who is harsh and demanding with his students. However, he's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who wants the best for Mowgli. |
| 77 | * BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: Baloo immediately realizes that Bagheera intentionally targeted Mowgli to make him fail, but he is forced to say Mowgli failed the running. He is clearly pained, but he knows he has no choice. |
| 78 | * BritishStuffiness: Invoked. He speaks with a Cockney accent, which is often stereotypical of crass, uncouth characters even in British media. Subverted in that he's still a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. |
| 79 | * DrillSergeantNasty: He is harsh, demanding and forces Mowgli into physically challenging tasks, to teach him how to survive in the jungle. Andy Serkis explicitly described him as a drill sergeant. |
| 80 | * FaceOfAThug: When compared to Bagheera and the wolves, his bald head, beat-up face, and disheveled fur make him look like an antagonist. Despite this, he is a noble member of the pack. |
| 81 | * GrumpyGrowler: He speaks with a deep, gruff voice and is very rough around the edges. His heart's in the right place, nevertheless. |
| 82 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite his gruff and stern behaviour, he truly cares about Mowgli and wants to see him succeed. |
| 83 | * KnightInSourArmor: Even though he comes across as a killjoy and even abusive to a layman, he knows better than any of the students that the jungle is unforgiving and harsh, and that the whelps need to be mentally prepared for taking on the world. |
| 84 | * MightyGlacier: He's rather sluggish compared to the others, but still packs a good punch. |
| 85 | * PapaWolf: Make no mistake -- for all his harshness, he will '''not''' let anyone harm Mowgli. This extends even to Bagheera, as Baloo furiously calls him out for deliberately making Mowgli fail the running. |
| 86 | * RedOniBlueOni: The red to Bagheera's blue in that he's more abrasive and aggressive. |
| 87 | * ScaryTeeth: Downplayed. He has a prominent snaggletooth for a lower right fang, which adds to his overall gritty design. |
| 88 | * SternTeacher: He's strict, demanding, and willing to use physical violence on disobedient wolf cubs. |
| 89 | * TokenMinority: The only bear in the wolf pack, and the only one in the entire film. |
| 90 | [[/folder]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | !!Allies |
| 93 | [[folder:Kaa]] |
| 94 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2019_02_10_14h28m28s983.png]] |
| 95 | ->''"I think we can both agree, Mowgli, that you are something the jungle has never seen before."'' |
| 96 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/CateBlanchett |
| 97 | A gigantic, mystical python who is said to be as old as the jungle itself and able to see the past and the future. |
| 98 | ---- |
| 99 | * AdaptationDistillation: In the book, Baloo and Bagheera has to seek Kaa for his help on rescuing Mowgli from the Bandar-log, knowing that they are terrified of him. Here, Kaa [[BigDamnHeroes unexpectedly shows up at the temple just when the situation's getting dire]]. |
| 100 | * AnimalsNotToScale: She is much bigger than any real-life snake, closer in size to a prehistoric ''Titanoboa'' (and in some shots she appears ''even bigger'' than one). This is probably done to reflect her age, as most reptiles get bigger the older they get. |
| 101 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: Kaa has unusually blue eyes and green scales for an Indian python. |
| 102 | * BigDamnHeroes: She crashes through the monkey temple's walls to rescue Mowgli, scaring off the monkeys and forcing Shere Khan to back off. |
| 103 | * CharacterNarrator: She narrates the opening and closing scenes of the movie. |
| 104 | * CreepyGood: She may not be a villain, but that doesn't make her any less frightening to a layman. |
| 105 | * TheDreaded: Every animal in the jungle fears her, including the monkey-people and Shere Khan himself. |
| 106 | * GenderFlip: In the book, Kaa was a male python. This version is female, just like her [[Film/TheJungleBook2016 previous live action counterpart]]. |
| 107 | * GoodIsNotNice: She wants peace in the Jungle and despises Shere Khan, but she still toys around with Mowgli and at one point pretends to try and eat him, and she calls the fight between Akela and his challengers "entertainment". |
| 108 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: Even Shere Khan, an unfettered Law-breaking tiger, knows better than to mess with her. |
| 109 | * LargeHam: Not only is she physically enormous -- her every word drips with hamminess, complete with [[SnakeTalk stressed sibilants]]. |
| 110 | * PhysicalGod: She's practically this, considering her impossible age and her mystical seer abilities. |
| 111 | * {{Seers}}: She has the ability to see both the past and the future of the jungle. |
| 112 | * SssssnakeTalk: She slips into this when she's angry. |
| 113 | * SnakesAreSinister: Inverted. This take on Kaa is TruerToTheText, thus while still creepy and scary, she is decidedly not villainous by any means. |
| 114 | * TimeAbyss: She the oldest being in the entire jungle. Some say she's as old as the jungle itself. |
| 115 | * {{Troll}}: It's not below her to pretend that she wants to eat Mowgli just to scare the boy for her own amusement. |
| 116 | * TruerToTheText: This incarnation of Kaa is more accurate to the book version than other notable versions of the character like the 1967 and 2016 film. |
| 117 | * WiseSerpent: She's a wise python who can see the past and future of the jungle. |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Nisha]] |
| 121 | ->''"You will always be my son, Mowgli. Nothing can ever change that."'' |
| 122 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NaomieHarris |
| 123 | The she-wolf that adopted and raised Mowgli. |
| 124 | ---- |
| 125 | * AdaptationalNameChange: Her name was Raksha in the book. |
| 126 | * GoodParents: She's very caring and supportive of Mowgli. |
| 127 | * HappilyMarried: To Vihaan; in the few scenes they share together, they show not only concern for their young, but also a mutual tenderness. |
| 128 | * MamaBear: She is fiercely protective of her cubs, especially Mowgli. |
| 129 | * NiceGirl: Kind-hearted, nurturing and emotional. |
| 130 | * NobleWolf: She is a tough, fierce she-wolf and a loving mother. |
| 131 | * ParentalSubstitute: She's Mowgli's adoptive mother. |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Vihaan]] |
| 135 | [[quoteright:785:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_2285_1.jpeg]] |
| 136 | -> ''"I've never seen a man-cub before. It's so... small."'' |
| 137 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/EddieMarsan |
| 138 | Nisha's mate and Mowgli's adoptive father. |
| 139 | ---- |
| 140 | * GoodParents: While he may be more cautious and hesitant than Nisha, he's not afraid to stand up for those he holds dear against the likes of Tabaqui or Shere Khan (albeit here he had the support of the pack). |
| 141 | * HappilyMarried: To Nisha; in the few scenes they share together, they show not only concern for their young, but also a mutual tenderness. |
| 142 | * NamedByTheAdaptation: In the book he was only known as Father Wolf. |
| 143 | * NiceGuy: While a little prone to worrying, he is overall warm-hearted, loyal and helpful. |
| 144 | * NobleWolf: While not as outwardly risk-prone or as good a hunter as the other wolves, he's well-intentioned and Mowgli and the rest of his litter take him seriously as their father. |
| 145 | * ParentalSubstitute: He's Mowgli's adoptive father. |
| 146 | [[/folder]] |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[folder:Akela]] |
| 149 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2019_02_05_15h23m08s098.png]] |
| 150 | -> ''"When you were a cub, I looked you in the eye and saw no fear."'' |
| 151 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/PeterMullan |
| 152 | The elderly leader of the wolf pack. |
| 153 | ---- |
| 154 | * AdaptationDistillation: In the books, his failure in the night hunt was staged by a portion of the pack that had already defected to Shere Khan prior to the incident; no such thing happens in the film, and Akela misses his kill purely thanks to his own actions. |
| 155 | * AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: In the wolf pack, the leader rises to power by fighting the previous leader, which is likely what Akela did when he was young. The status must be maintained: leaders who miss their kills are seen as poor hunters, and thus, unfit to lead the pack, which is what happens to Akela halfway into the movie. |
| 156 | * BigGood: Seen as the cornerstone of nobility and decency for the whole pack. |
| 157 | * BraveScot: Invokes this trope due to having a Scottish accent, courtesy of Creator/PeterMullan. |
| 158 | * CoolOldGuy: Sensible, noble and considerate. Despite his old age, he is a formidable fighter and a competent leader. |
| 159 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: As opposed to his death in the film, as described under HeroicSacrifice, Akela's novel counterpart dies much later chronologically, during the events of ''Red Dog''. |
| 160 | * HeroicSacrifice: In the final battle, he jumps at Shere Khan to save Mowgli, and gets hit by one of Lockwood's bullets meant for the tiger. |
| 161 | * HonorBeforeReason: He will abide by the law regardless of how much it hinders him. Akela refuses to acknowledge Mowgli saved his life with fire, and he is hesitant about fighting Shere Khan in the climax. |
| 162 | * NobleWolf: The strong and wise leader of the wolf pack. |
| 163 | * NonStandardCharacterDesign: Has an unusually long, mohawk-like mane. |
| 164 | * ThePatriarch: He is the oldest member of the wolf pack and holds the most power as its leader. That being said, his rule can always be challenged if he misses his kill. |
| 165 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He is very prudent when assessing matters; instead of dismissing Mowgli's inclusion a priori, he follows the procedure of the Jungle Law to see if anyone will speak for Mowgli. He also believes that Mowgli can bring about a time of peace and harmony between man and beast if he learns the ways of the jungle. |
| 166 | [[/folder]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[folder:Grey Brother]] |
| 169 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brotherwolf_6.jpg]] |
| 170 | ->''"The pack needs you, Mowgli."'' |
| 171 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Jack Reynor |
| 172 | Nisha and Vihaan's son and Mowgli's adoptive brother. |
| 173 | ---- |
| 174 | * CoolBigBro: He's the oldest of Nisha and Vihaan's litter and by far the most kind-hearted to Mowgli. |
| 175 | * FashionableAsymmetry: He has a large white patch on one side of his face, giving him a unique look. |
| 176 | * TheHerald: His explanations of the trouble that Shere Khan has brought to them is the first indication to Mowgli that he has to return home. |
| 177 | * LightIsGood: The lightest-colored of Nisha's litter is also the kindest one. |
| 178 | * NiceGuy: Generally jovial and sociable, and the only one of Nisha and Vihaan's litter who is kind and friendly to Mowgli. |
| 179 | * NobleWolf: He is the only brother of Mowgli who remains loyal to Akela and never turns to Shere Khan. |
| 180 | * UniformityException: While the other pups of Nisha and Vihaan's litter are reddish, like most Indian wolves, Grey Brother has black and grey smudges over a white base, as is fitting for his name. Needless to say, he's not aggressive, and is the only one of the four who cares about Mowgli. |
| 181 | [[/folder]] |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[folder:Wolf Siblings]] |
| 184 | ->''"Freaks have to stick together."'' |
| 185 | ->'''Voiced by''' Jayden Fowora-Knight, Georgie Farmer and Kassius Carey-Johnson |
| 186 | Nisha and Vihaan's sons and Mowgli adoptive brothers. |
| 187 | ---- |
| 188 | * BigBrotherBully: They are are mean towards Mowgli, calling him a freak. |
| 189 | * DisneyVillainDeath: One of them falls to their death after trying to lunge at Akela when the pack challenges him. |
| 190 | * FlatCharacter: They do not have much characterization besides being jerks to Mowgli. |
| 191 | * GangOfBullies: Three brothers who antagonize Mowgli and Bhoot for being “freaks”. |
| 192 | * TerribleTrio: All three of them are very harsh and dismissive of Mowgli. |
| 193 | * UncertainDoom: When Akela missed his kill, they tried taking him down to remove him from his position. At least one of them falls to his death, but the other two aren’t seen after the fight. It is possible Akela killed them offsreeen. |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:Bhoot]] |
| 197 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bhoot.jpg]] |
| 198 | ->''"I don't have any friends either. But we have each other."'' |
| 199 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Louis Ashbourne Serkis |
| 200 | An albino wolf runt who gets bullied by the rest of the pack. He considers Mowgli his best friend. |
| 201 | ---- |
| 202 | * AlbinosAreFreaks: Bhoot is an albino [[TheRuntAtTheEnd runt]] who gets bullied and called a freak who "came out wrong" by the other wolves. He and Mowgli become best friends because they both have difficulties finding their place in the pack. He's [[ThePollyanna surprisingly cheerful]] despite his status. |
| 203 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: Albino mammals' eyes are usually red, due to lack of pigmentation causing the blood vessels to add the color -- Bhoot has blue eyes. |
| 204 | * BirdsOfAFeather: With Mowgli. They become friends because they are both seen as "freaks" by the rest of the wolf pack. |
| 205 | * CanonForeigner: He was created for the movie and has no counterpart in the book. |
| 206 | * CheerfulChild: Always has a sunny, playful disposition. |
| 207 | * DeadGuyOnDisplay: Lockwood keeps his stuffed head on a stand in his hut. |
| 208 | * DeathOfAChild: To cement how grim this movie can get, Bhoot is a young wolf pup who was killed by Lockwood just because he thought he was a rare find. |
| 209 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: Downplayed; While Mowgli is traumatized seeing his dead friend and plans to kill Lockwood because of Bhoot’s death, none of the other members of the Wolf pack seem to acknowledge or care about what happened to Bhoot, not even his mother. |
| 210 | * FriendlyTarget: He is one of Mowgli’s closest friends and gets killed later on in the story. |
| 211 | * InnocentBlueEyes: They help to make him more endearing. |
| 212 | * KillTheCutie: An adorable young wolf pup who is killed by Lockwood just so the hunter can have an albino animal in his collection. Mowgli breaks into tears upon finding this out. |
| 213 | * LivingEmotionalCrutch: He's Mowgli's best friend in the pack. Mowgli getting mad and yelling at him is the point when things start getting from bad to worse. His eventual death is what leads Mowgli to finally leave the man-village and take on Shere Khan. |
| 214 | * MeaningfulName: His name means "ghost" in Hindi and Urdu. [[SarcasmMode What a surprise]]. |
| 215 | * NiceGuy: Bhoot would never hurt a fly. |
| 216 | * ThePollyanna: No matter how much abuse he gets from the other wolves, he never loses his cheerful attitude. |
| 217 | * TheRuntAtTheEnd: The smallest and weakest member of the wolf-pack. |
| 218 | * TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Bhoot is the most optimistic and cheerful character in the movie. His death cements how humans can be just as cruel and merciless as nature. |
| 219 | * WhiteWolvesAreSpecial: His white fur matched his pure-hearted personality. He's also "special" in the sense of being weak and physically challenged. |
| 220 | [[/folder]] |
| 221 | |
| 222 | [[folder:Hathi]] |
| 223 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2019_03_28_20h43m03s811_9.png]] |
| 224 | ->'''Voiced by:''' N/A |
| 225 | An ancient, mighty elephant with a broken right tusk. |
| 226 | ---- |
| 227 | * AcousticLicense: Played with. When he first appears, his footsteps are plodding, heavy and unusually loud, more akin to the footsteps of dinosaurs in popular media. When he trudges towards Lockwood, however, Lockwood can't hear him coming because of the elephant's padded feet. |
| 228 | * AnimalNemesis: He becomes this to Lockwood after the hunter shoots his tusk. |
| 229 | * BerserkButton: When Hathi is informed that Lockwood is the one that maimed his tusk, he is absolutely livid; he dashes towards the hunter with unbridled zeal. |
| 230 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: He's generally gentle and tame, but he gets angry and vengeful at Lockwood for getting his tusk shot. |
| 231 | * BigGood: He's the ruler of the jungle and treated with the utmost respect from all other animals. |
| 232 | * CruelElephant: Downplayed. He's an HonorableElephant under most circumstances, but (as Lockwood learns the hard way) he can be ''very'' vengeful to those who get on his bad side. |
| 233 | * ElephantsNeverForget: He's always remembered that a hunter cleaved off half his tusk with a gunshot, and later runs in for revenge when Mowgli points him to Lockwood. |
| 234 | * AFriendInNeed: He rescues Mowgli from the tiger pit, and later aids him in his endeavor to defeat Shere Khan. |
| 235 | * GentleGiant: He's benevolent and kind, rescuing Mowgli from a tiger pit. |
| 236 | * HonorableElephant: As he is the leader of the elephants, who founded the Jungle Law, he is a very straight example of this. |
| 237 | * PhysicalGod: His immense size and the plants growing on his body make him look like an ancient, living mountain. |
| 238 | * {{Planimal}}: He's covered in vegetation, which gives him an almost mammoth-like look and contributes to his ancient-seeming aesthetic. |
| 239 | * StealthyColossus: Since elephants have padded feet that allow them to move almost unheard when they walk, it comes of no surprise that Lockwood doesn't hear Hathi trudging towards him until it's too late. |
| 240 | * TheSpeechless: He never utters a single word. Fittingly, he was called "Hathi the Silent" in the book. |
| 241 | [[/folder]] |
| 242 | |
| 243 | [[folder:Messua]] |
| 244 | ->'''Played by:''' Freida Pinto |
| 245 | A kind human woman who takes care of Mowgli in the Man-Village. |
| 246 | ---- |
| 247 | |
| 248 | * EarlyBirdCameo: She is the woman Mowgli frightens when he searches for fire to scare off Shere Khan. |
| 249 | * DemotedToExtra: In the book, she gets a lot of time as Mowgli's human mother figure. She is only briefly featured here in a couple of scenes and does not get any characterization at all. |
| 250 | * NiceGirl: She's gentle and caring, helping Mowgli to fit in with the man-village and doing the utmost to raise him properly. |
| 251 | * ParentalSubstitute: As in the source material, Messua is Mowgli's foster mother while he's in the man village. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
| 253 | |
| 254 | !!Antagonists |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[folder:Shere Khan]] |
| 257 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/khan_7.jpg]] |
| 258 | ->''"My, my... how you've grown."'' |
| 259 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BenedictCumberbatch |
| 260 | |
| 261 | As in ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', Shere Khan is the chief antagonist of the film. He is a limping Bengal tiger who regularly violates the Jungle Law by killing humans and their livestock, which forces them to hunt innocent animals. |
| 262 | ---- |
| 263 | * AbledInTheAdaptation: Averted. For once, he is portrayed with a deformed right paw that renders him unable to walk properly, causing him to limp, just like in the novel. |
| 264 | * AcousticLicense: There's a snowball's chance in Hell that the claws of a real tiger would sound like a sword blade being sharpened; however, it makes for good sound design. |
| 265 | * AdaptationalBadass: Notably more willing to act on his convictions than his novel counterpart, who was all bark and almost no bite. |
| 266 | * AnimalNemesis: To Mowgli, seeking to kill him ever since he was a baby. |
| 267 | * AxCrazy: This diseased beast takes gleeful relish in any chance he has to inflict violence upon others, particularly if they're of mankind. Best shown when he has Mowgli firmly in his clutches and takes the time simply to watch him wince in pain as he claws his arm. |
| 268 | * BigBad: The primary antagonist of the movie, whose motivation to kill Mowgli drives much of the plot. |
| 269 | * CatsAreMean: There is no other way to describe his less-than-charming demeanor. |
| 270 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: As opposed to the original novel, where he's trampled in a stampede of water buffaloes, Shere Khan is killed by Mowgli thrusting his knife into the jugular vein. Needless to say that Mowgli didn't skin him afterwards. |
| 271 | * DirtyCoward: Zig-zagged. During the final confrontation, he bolts for safety after Mowgli gives him a nasty knife thrust to the gut. When Lockwood misses his shot and grazes Mowgli's arm, Shere Khan immediately turns around to try and kill the boy once more, knowing that he is defenseless. On the other hand, when Mowgli has finally cornered him, Shere Khan takes one more shot at trying to kill Mowgli before the boy thrusts the knife into his jugular, killing him for good. |
| 272 | * EvilCripple: His front right paw is crippled and withered, giving him a limp. He presumably became a man-eater because his handicap makes him a subpar hunter. |
| 273 | * EvilIsHammy: He chews the scenery with abandon whenever he is excited or angry -- Creator/BenedictCumberbatch in his natural environment as far as antagonists are concerned. |
| 274 | * EvilIsPetty: As an all-round arrogant {{jerkass}} and a [[AxCrazy violent]] {{sadist}}, he definitely fits the bill. |
| 275 | * EvilSoundsDeep: Also thanks to Cumberbatch, he boasts an imposing baritone voice. |
| 276 | * FantasticRacism: He hates mankind so much that he stresses the word "man" every time he says it with unbridled rage. |
| 277 | * FatalFlaw: Arrogance, obstinacy, wrath and sanctimony all rolled into one. |
| 278 | * HairTriggerTemper: ''Very'' aggressive and tactless. |
| 279 | * HandicappedBadass: His damaged right forelimb doesn't make him any less of a threat to Mowgli: he is capable of galloping, jumping and even climbing with his predicament. |
| 280 | * HateSink: You will not find a single redeeming quality in this tiger; he is as revolting on the inside as he is on the outside. |
| 281 | * {{Hypocrite}}: He chastises the acceptance of a child into Akela's pack as against the Jungle Law, but finds no issue in breaking said Law whenever it suits his needs. |
| 282 | * IcyBlueEyes: He has blue irises, which highlight his overall cold and callous demeanor. |
| 283 | * ItsAllAboutMe: His selfishness is what instigates most of the troubles that the Seonee pack has to endure. |
| 284 | * {{Jerkass}}: To an appalling degree; not only does he openly defy the Jungle Law, but he also takes pleasure in torturing anyone who opposes him, and relishes the opportunity to spite Akela when he turns part of his pack against him. |
| 285 | * KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After years of evading comeuppance for his violations of the Jungle Law, Shere Khan is finally faced with poetic justice -- the elephants who founded the Law. |
| 286 | * KarmicDeath: Killed by the creature that he spent his entire life hating -- man. |
| 287 | * KnightOfCerebus: Shere Khan never fails to remind us that he is a genuine and very real threat. |
| 288 | * LackOfEmpathy: Since he's perfectly willing to kill a nursing mother '''and''' her infant son, Khan has zero empathy. |
| 289 | * ManipulativeBastard: He manages to coax a sizable portion of the pack to side against Akela; a task which does take intelligence. |
| 290 | * ObviouslyEvil: Just '''look at him!''' |
| 291 | * PantheraAwesome: While crippled, he is still capable of being a formidable big cat. |
| 292 | * PsychoticSmirk: Sports several of these after he coaxes part of Akela's pack to side against him, priding himself on having the high ground over the former pack leader. |
| 293 | * RedRightHand: His crippled right paw is an almost literal example, being reddish-brown and withered. |
| 294 | * {{Sadist}}: A depraved, violent tiger who kills for pleasure, and enjoys to torture his victims. It's further implied in his last spoken words. |
| 295 | -->"You know, I can still hear your mother's screams, the night I took '''her life!'''" |
| 296 | * SinisterScrapingSound: As he drags his crippled foreleg while limping, the claw makes a sound akin to the scraping of a metal blade. |
| 297 | * SlasherSmile: He does this several times, and it looks absolutely blood-curdling. |
| 298 | * SmugSnake: He's certainly full of himself, until he faces a superior opponent such as Kaa or the elephants. |
| 299 | * TheSociopath: Remorseless, arrogant, self-righteous, obstinate beyond all reason and completely devoid of any redeeming qualities -- there's no other way to sum all this up. |
| 300 | * TheUnSmile: Every time he smiles, he menacingly bares his fangs; it only helps make him more unsettling than he already is. |
| 301 | * VerbalTic: He always stresses the word "man" as though he is spitting it out, showing his unbridled hatred of the species. |
| 302 | * VileVillainLaughableLackey: A powerful, menacing, sadistic tiger accompanied by the cowardly, constantly giggling Tabaqui. |
| 303 | * WouldHurtAChild: Not only that; he is almost '''aroused''' by every opportunity he has to torment Mowgli. |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Tabaqui]] |
| 307 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2019_02_04_19h19m17s246.png]] |
| 308 | -> ''"Sometimes I dream I'm a tiger, but I always wake up a hyena."'' |
| 309 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomHollander |
| 310 | A cowardly hyena who serves as Shere Khan's informant, and usually follows him around as a toady. |
| 311 | ---- |
| 312 | * AdaptationalDumbass: In the book, Mowgli openly acknowledged Tabaqui as a cunning spy for Shere Khan. This movie doesn't show any signs of him having that kind of cleverness. |
| 313 | * AdaptationalWimp: While he was also a toady in the book, he also had fits of madness that caused him to [[AxCrazy bite everything in his path]]. Even Shere Khan avoided him during those episodes. He never has any in this movie. |
| 314 | * AdaptationSpeciesChange: Tabaqui was a jackal in the book. Here, he's a hyena (presumably a striped hyena, but he looks more like a [[MisplacedWildlife brown hyena]]). |
| 315 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: He doesn't look very much like a striped hyena, the only species native to India. He looks more like a brown hyena, which is endemic to Africa. He also [[IncorrectAnimalNoise laughs like a spotted hyena]], another African species. |
| 316 | * BugsHeraldEvil: He is constantly seen as swarmed by insects whenever he shows up. |
| 317 | * CreepyHighPitchedVoice: His voice is a grating, sniveling tenor. |
| 318 | * DirtyCoward: A self-centered, greedy lowlife who never stands up to anyone and flees at the first sight of danger. |
| 319 | * EvilSmellsBad: Implied, since he's perpetually surrounded by a swarm of insects. |
| 320 | * FairWeatherFriend: He abandons Shere Khan as soon as he has the chance when the elephants come from behind them. |
| 321 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Tries to put on a thin veneer of politeness and pleasantry, but almost everyone sees straight through it. |
| 322 | * HatedByAll: As a cowardly scavenger who mooches off of other predators' kills, it comes of no surprise that he is loathed by most of the jungle. |
| 323 | * HeinousHyena: Tabaqui is wicked, cowardly and all-round unpleasant like a stereotypical hyena. |
| 324 | * TheHyena: A literal example; he giggles a lot. |
| 325 | * {{Jerkass}}: There is nothing comforting about Tabaqui: he is obnoxious, selfish and unpleasant. |
| 326 | * NotSoDifferentRemark: At one point, he mocks Mowgli's wish to be a wolf instead of a man-cub by remarking "Sometimes, I dream I'm a tiger... but I always wake up a hyena." |
| 327 | * PsychopathicManchild: He has a rather immature demeanor, most prominently when he laughs and mocks Akela like a petulant child after he returns from his failed night hunt. |
| 328 | * ScavengersAreScum: He is a species of hyena that is mainly a scavenger, and downright unpleasant. |
| 329 | * ScrewThisImOutOfHere: When he sees the elephants emerging from the forest to confront Shere Khan, abandons his master to fend for himself. |
| 330 | * SparedByTheAdaptation: He runs away when the elephant herd surrounds Shere Khan, and is never seen again. In the book, he was killed by Grey Brother. |
| 331 | * SycophanticServant: To Shere Khan. If he's anything like his novel counterpart, Tabaqui follows the tiger in order to get scraps from his kills without trouble. |
| 332 | * VileVillainLaughableLackey: He's the cowardly, sniveling minion of the terrifying, sadistic Shere Khan. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Bandar-log]] |
| 336 | ->'''Voiced by:''' N/A |
| 337 | A horde of monkeys dwelling in abandoned ruins. They are allied to Shere Khan. |
| 338 | ---- |
| 339 | * AdaptationalVillainy: In the book they were chaotic and lawless, but neutral, kidnapping Mowgli because they wanted to learn the ways of man from him. Here, they are allied with Shere Khan, kidnapping Mowgli to bring him to the tiger. |
| 340 | * ManiacMonkeys: A vicious, chaotic horde without laws or a language, who kidnap Mowgli and take him to Shere Khan. |
| 341 | * MonstrousCannibalism: A few monkeys in the Cold Lair can actually be seen eating and biting onto other monkeys that are still alive! |
| 342 | * SparedByTheAdaptation: We never see them getting killed and eaten by Kaa (except for the two that were on each side of the throne and were crushed by Kaa's coils as she wrapped herself around the structure), and many of them are present when Shere Khan takes over the wolf pack. |
| 343 | * TheSpeechless: They never talk, only screech and chatter, to emphasize their chaotic nature. |
| 344 | * ZergRush: Their preferred method of physical combat; when they attack Baloo and Bagheera, they swarm them in great numbers. |
| 345 | [[/folder]] |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:John Lockwood]] |
| 348 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lockwood_0.png]] |
| 349 | -> ''"We can't all be scholars... because God knows I'm not."'' |
| 350 | ->'''Played by:''' Creator/MatthewRhys |
| 351 | A British hunter who arrives to the Man-Village to kill Shere Khan. He captures Mowgli, but eventually releases him and becomes his mentor in the man-village. |
| 352 | ---- |
| 353 | * AdaptationalNameChange: His counterparts in the Mowgli stories were an Indian hunter named Buldeo and a British forest ranger named Gisborne. |
| 354 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: Buldeo in the book was an outright {{Jerkass}} to Mowgli; he threatened to beat him when he discovered him taking the corpse of Shere Khan, and later tried to have Messua killed because he saw her as aiding an evil sorcerer. Aside from killing Bhoot, Lockwood is a genuinely nice man, who speaks Hindu fluently and treats the villagers with respect and kindness. |
| 355 | * AffablyEvil: Aside from being an EgomaniacHunter, he’s a genuinely friendly and decent man who is good to Mowgli and wants to help the village. |
| 356 | * AgeLift: His literary counterpart Buldeo was stated to be an old man, while Lockwood is in his forties, going by his actor's age. |
| 357 | * TheAlcoholic: Downplayed; only once do we see him actually intoxicated, but it's shown in other short scenes that he does enjoy his booze. |
| 358 | * AntiVillain: The only truly immoral things that he does pertain to being vain about his collection and hunting juvenile animals ([[EveryoneHasStandards considered very unsportsmanlike among all hunters except poachers]]); other than that, he is a cordial man who genuinely wants to help the village get rid of Shere Khan. |
| 359 | * {{BFG}}: He wields a large-caliber double-barreled rifle -- presumably an elephant gun. |
| 360 | * CompositeCharacter: While being the local hunter that Buldeo was, his position as the first white man Mowgli meets was held by Gisborne, whom Mowgli met in 'In the Rukh'', the first written but chronologically the last Mowgli story. |
| 361 | * EgomaniacHunter: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He takes pleasure in shooting rare animals and collecting trophies, but he doesn't do it out of outward vanity. |
| 362 | * EvilBrit: He's a British colonialist who takes great pleasure in hunting rare animals. |
| 363 | * GreatWhiteHunter: He is generally a decent man, wanting to help the village get rid of the man-eating tiger and treating Mowgli with kindness. He's also literally the only white man in the film. |
| 364 | * LaserGuidedKarma: It hits him very hard -- and very literally -- when Hathi tracks him down and clobbers him with his trunk. |
| 365 | * NiceToTheWaiter: He is by far not malicious, and treats Mowgli and the other villagers cordially. |
| 366 | * ObliviouslyEvil: He did not know that the albino wolf he killed was Mowgli's best friend. |
| 367 | * RaceLift: He's British like Gisborne from ''In the Rukh'', but his other counterpart Buldeo, was Indian. |
| 368 | * {{Tuckerization}}: He's named after the artist and scholar John Lockwood Kipling, father of Creator/RudyardKipling, the author of the original book. |
| 369 | * WouldHurtAChild: Played with. He had no problem shooting, killing, and taxidermizing Bhoot, as in his view, it was just another animal (even though going after juvenile animals is outright illegal in dozens of countries and looked at incredibly badly among professional hunters). When he shoots Mowgli by accident in the final battle, however, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he is visibly concerned]]. |
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