Line #8 Headscratchers/Asterix


1	[[folder: Why don't the Gauls take the potion permanently?]]
2	* So, if Obelix fell into the potion as a child, and got the effects permanently without any bad side effects, why don't the Gauls bathe in a large amount of potion? (Or just dip every newborn/child, for that matter, requiring less potion.) Wouldn't they then all have the effects permanently and not have to worry about Getafix being kidnapped or getting attacked by surprise when not battle ready?
3	** He didn't just fall into the potion, he drank a lot of it while in the cauldron. Also, Obelix's strength turned him clumsy and prone to disaster, so the perpetual effects don't seem that good.
4	*** Every single (male) gaul in the village is prone to disaster, and half of them are clumsy, stupid or the best of two worlds. Anyway, Getafix states that if a child drink a large amount of potion, the duration is unknown. For Obelix it's permanent; for the son of Caesar, it's a few days. On adults, it's dangerous: a Roman became a statue after drinking to much.
5	*** It should be noted that Caesar's son didn't drink a ''full'' cauldron of potion; Getafix himself noted that there was only enough potion in the cauldron at the time for its effects to last longer than the baby's previous experience drinking a gourd that still had some potion in it.
6	*** Becoming stone is what happens when you drink a dose of potion while already under its effect, it's what had happened to Obelix when he finally managed to drink some potion earlier in that book.
7	*** Then explain that roman officer who turned to stone after drinking just ''one'' cauldron full.
8	** Maybe is it a taboo? In the comics written by Goscinny, the druid does not drink ''ever'' the potion; the first time it happens (and we see a fighting druid), it is in "''Asterix and the Great Divide''", first Asterix adventure written by Uderzo. There also the big secret about the recipe, also between druids. Finally, the druid's big caution was before the stone accident - that was a surprise for the druid, too, and the druid is not the sorcerer's apprentice, messing with human nature.
9	** A recent picture book entry into the franchise, that elaborates on Obelix' ''bath'' in the potion as a child suggests, that the huge amount of potion also drastically altered his personality: Pre-Potion Obelix was shy and a pacifist. So, bathing every newborn in potion would probably result in them having a whole generation of Obelixes to raise.
10	*** Also, Obelix eats a LOT. Though not stated, the potion may well cause changes to one's metabolism, to the point in which the sustainability of the village might suffer from a whole generation of Obelixes.
11	*** Well, Obélix was fat and, apparently, not too bright even before falling inside the cauldron. Also I don't think the potion changed his personality: he just knew himself invincible and wanted revenge.
12	*** Better this than a potion for berserker (seen also as satire of Asterix).
13	** One comic showed that drinking too much potion turns people into stone, I believe Obelix drank just enough before he was rescued from the cauldron to give him superstrength without the side effect, but since it was an accident, maybe the druid doesn't ''know'' the exact amount Obelix drank and doesn't want to risk turning a newborn baby into stone for nothing.
14	*** No, it's drinking more potion while still under the effect of the potion that turns you to stone.
15	*** I don't know who this person is that keeps insisting that turning to stone only happens if you drink more while already under the effect is, but that person needs to read that particular book again. There's a Roman officer who turns to stone just from drinking a lot of potion--while ''not'' already under the effect. Clearly, its simply "drinking too much" that does it.
16	*** I personally interpret Obelix's situation as the equivalent of a FreakLabAccident such as the type that traditionally creates superheroes and supervillains; it requires a very ''precise'' dose to create a situation where the drinker gains permanent superhuman strength without turning to stone, and Getafix has no way to know what that is, as it's implied Obelix fell into a cauldron that had already been partially used by the village adults.
17	** In ''Asterix and Son'', we get to see what an absolute ''terror'' a super-strong baby is; even when super-strong themselves Asterix and Obelix can barely manage him, and the property damage is ''enormous.'' At least one additional story reveals that children aren't allowed magic potion, probably because they're not ready for that much power yet.
18	** The official website observes that in ''Obelix All At Sea'', when his potion is undone and he is reverted to childhood, he acts surly and precocious and generally more adult than when he is one. It also asks if one of the powers of the potion is to give its drinkers the mind of a child. None of the characters in the comic seem to notice any effects from it, but people on potion do seem to really enjoy beating people up even if they'd been pacifistic or intellectual before (such as the cameos in ''Asterix in Corsica'' - and indeed Asterix himself). It's possible the potion does have a psychological effect, but a subtle one. Note the similarity between 'fell in when he was a baby' and '[[ChildhoodBrainDamage dropped on the head when he was a baby]]', after all - and don't forget that the village's star warrior is Asterix, entirely because he's clever. Intellect is much more precious than physical power.
19	** There's also the security issue. If the Romans managed to kidnap a Gaul who was on potion, they couldn't then turn them on their own tribe, because the potion would wear off. A permanently strong person still needs to sleep, and is not immune to pain or certain drugs (it seems they are to sleeping pills, but not booze). Obelix is alright because his sheer size means he couldn't be moved without waking him up and causing consternation, but an insufficiently-guarded child could be.
20	** One ''Pilote'' comic showed Goscinny and Uderzo meeting Monsieur Obelisch, a distant descendant of Obelix who shows them his family tree, full of super-strong ManChild BloodKnight French warriors. Obelisch also has super-strength and uses it to load ships. If this strip is canon, it means super-strength obtained that way isn't just permanent, it is [[LamarckWasRight Lamarckian]] and hereditary forever, along with any personality effects.
21	[[/folder]]
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23	[[folder: A potion that grants invulnerability]]
24	* This may be just an issue of translation, but in the Druids' competition in the Forest of the Carnutes, one of them demonstrates a potion that makes you immune to pain, and demonstrates this by taking chips out of boiling oil with his bare hands. He seemed to incur no damage, but if pain was the only thing removed, his hands would still have been destroyed by the heat. Did the original French text say "immune to heat"?
25	** The Brazilian Portuguese version also just said immune to pain. My guess is that they meant immune to pain as in "immune to damage", seeing as in a later comic the village druid comments how the potion gives superstrength, but not invulnerability, then adds something to the effect of "but there's another potion for that".
26	** If I remember right it says invulnérable in French.
27	[[/folder]]
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29	[[folder: Obelix and Asterix having the same birthday]]
30	* Obelix has a birthday party in ''Obelix and Co.'', and no one mentions Asterix. However in a later issue it is revealed both were born at the same day, and always celebrate their birthdays together.
31	** I also wondered about that, but it would certainly be in character for Asterix to decide that this year would be for Obelix. After all, Obelix has completely forgotten what day it is, so it's easy to imagine Asterix laughing to himself as he goes around to the villagers and say "Look, Obelix doesn't remember it's our birthday, so I want to arrange a surprise for him."
32	** It was written by Goscinny, and all the instances involving Asterix and Obelix sharing a birthday seem to be found only in albums by Uderzo. So it was a canon difference.
33	[[/folder]]
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35	[[folder: The potion looking like potion]]
36	* Whenever we see the magic potion, it's clearly not wine. In ''Asterix In Britain'' our heroes have to find a barrel containing the potion in amongst loads of barrels of wine - they've all been opened, including the one with the potion... so why not look quickly into each barrel until they find it?
37	** Magic potion doesn't look much like red wine, but it looks quite a lot like white wine.
38	[[/folder]]
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40	[[folder: Why doesn't Getafix make potion for everyone?]]
41	* Was there ever an explanation for why Getafix doesn't manufacture the potion for the whole of Gaul and not just his village?
42	** No, but Gaul as a whole is ''way'' bigger than the village, and Getafix always seems to be busy just with that.
43	** I remember one of the live action movie that where he shows it only to the druids and he tells them to not replicate it for mass production can make it easier to fall in the hand of the Romans (which happens right away since one of the druid was a Roman in disguise)
44	** He doesn't want to give the secret and he doesn't want to work 24/7 on making the thing.
45	*** More than that, it has been hinted that the whole village is well aware of the Roman Victory and, bravado aside, they're not in war against Rome, they just protect their legacy with what they have. Getafix is not a warmonger and he would probably refuse to see the potion being used as an offensive tool.
46	** These stories don't take themselves seriously enough for that development to occur. Besides, as mentioned above, having potion for everyone and permanently would result in causing a lot of hassle and trouble.
47	** The protagonists' lack of concern for the rest of Gaul may actually be a bit of TruthInTelevision. The Gauls at the time would probably have been a number of distinct tribes which were only temporarily united in a common cause by Vercingetorix. The villagers wouldn't have any patriotic feelings towards Gaul the way the citizens of a centralised nation might; they're still independent, that's what matters.
48	** ''Asterix in Britain'' brings up the fact that while Getafix can make potion for a great many people, it'd need to get past Roman patrols, never mind the potion being only temporary.
49	[[/folder]]
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51	[[folder: Why not just unleash Obelix on Rome?]]
52	* Obelix has superhuman strength and is invulnerable in combat. Why not unleash him on all the Romans occupying Gaul, and drive them out of the country?
53	** No matter how strong he is, he's still just one guy, and the Roman Empire has a very large army. They would be able to regroup wherever he wasn't, and sooner or later they'd tire him out/bring him down by pure manpower/trap him somewhere. (Especially since he's not very bright.)
54	*** In support of this theory, note that in ''Asterix and the Laurel Wreath'', Asterix doesn't think he and Obelix can safely fight the elite soldiers guarding Caesar's palace. They do in the end, but only by taking the guards by surprise, and that's during a stealth attack while Caesar isn't there.
55	** Obelix loves fighting Romans, he'd never want them to leave.
56	[[/folder]]
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58	[[folder: Why keep Cacofonix around?]]
59	* Is there any reason the village doesn't fire [[DreadfulMusician Cacofonix]] from his position as the village bard?
60	** He's a member of the village, he's part of the tribe; he might not be the most tuneful bard, but he's '''''their''''' bard. It isn't that sort of society.
61	** This was more directly addressed in ''Asterix and the Missing Scroll''.
62	** Cacofonix is a good Gaul, if rather egoistic and obsessed with his musical talent. When he was kidnapped and taken to Caesar, Asterix and Obelix went to rescue him as gladiators. Furthermore, he has been of aid many times: he stopped the Normans and made it rain in an Indian kingdom with his music, and he played a part in bringing down the Mansions of the Gods.
63	** Also, Cacofonix is the teacher for the children in the village, and it might not be a lot of other adults willing to take that position, should Cacofonix leave or be ostrasized.
64	[[/folder]]
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66	[[folder: Caesar using better strategies on the Gauls]]
67	* How come Caesar never thought of using ballistas with flaming arrows to attack the Gauls, like Brutus does in the climax of ''Asterix and Son''? It's by far the most efficient tactic the Romans have ever used. Sure, the Gauls are able to fight off the Romans, but their village is destroyed, which if Caesar had done this would leave them homeless and wide open to future attacks.
68	** He probably did in the first place, but then his army encountered magic potion enhanced Gauls angered by the fact their houses were reduced to ashes. Caesar kinda have lost all hopes to take the village by force since he knows about the potion, the camps are merely there to spy on the villagers and report anything that could bring the village down (like Getafix's death).
69	* Julius Caesar is preoccupied with running and expanding his Empire, and can't really bother with one small Gaulish village. While they annoy him and he may try to crush them occasionally, it's nothing personal; as long as they don't become a proactive threat to him, he'll leave them alone for the most part. Plus, they've been of aid and amusement to him enough times that he's prepared to let them live.
70	[[/folder]]
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72	[[folder:Assumptions about Panacea]]
73	* In ''Asterix the Legionary'', Obelix meets for the first time the beautiful Panacea, and immediately falls for her. Asterix supports his friend, and gives him advice on how to make Panacea like him too. Turns out that Panacea is engaged, which leaves Obelix heartbroken. Being Asterix the smart one of the two, shouldn't he have guessed that such a beauty would probably already have a boyfriend or fiancé? Couldn't Asterix have inquired a bit about this before giving Obelix hopes that Panacea might reciprocate his feelings?
74	** While it may have been reasonable for Asterix to assume that Panacea already had a partner, at the same time there's nothing to say that she ''had'' to have someone else in her life. Asterix only knew that she had been away for a couple of years and nobody had mentioned there was anyone else in her life so far, so nobody had any reason to make such an assumption. Besides, acting as though it was "expected" for her to have someone in her life might have been a sexist assumption that a woman "needs" a man in her life, and while the village might not be that progressive when they resist the Romans out of a desire for their own liberty I can see Asterix choosing not to assume anything.

Context Headscratchers / Asterix