Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / MDK2

Go To

    open/close all folders 

Protagonists

    Kurt Hectic 

Kurt Hectic

"They took the suit. We're all doomed. Can I go now?"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406173944_1_9.jpg
He was reluctant, but he had no choice. He was the Earth's last hope.

Kurt Hectic is a humble janitor, working aboard the Jim Dandy for his employer and friend, Dr. Fluke Hawkins. Although initially reluctant to leave Earth and live in space, the Doctor convinced him to follow - with a large helping of Hungarian goulash. When aliens attacked Laguna Beach in the first game, Kurt was suited up in the Doctor's yet-untested Coil Suit - being younger than the Doctor, and having the correct number of arms for the suit (unlike Max). The Coil Suit is a completely self-contained, one-gun offensive-and-defensive ensemble - complete with sniper rifle, chaingun and parachute. It's also stealth suit - and doubles as classy evening wear, too.

During the course of both games, he valiantly fights the invasion - displaying mere annoyance at having to take on hordes of aliens bent on destroying Earth, in spite of their numbers, guns, and size. Despite having a major part in defeating Gunta Glut from MDK and Emperor Zizzy Balooba in MDK2, he continues to eschew the public eye, preferring a life of relative peace and quiet aboard the Jim Dandy.


  • Almighty Janitor: Not just that, but an Almighty Janitor that tried to refuse the hero's call.
  • Badass in Distress: Is captured by Schwang Schwing after destroying the final minecrawler.
  • Badass Normal: A janitor in a kevlar suit who takes down an entire alien invasion with the help from his colleagues.
  • Big Eater: Implied. Kurt was lured onto the Jim Dandy with a serving of Hungarian goulash, and all his health powerups are food-related.
  • Celebrity Is Overrated: After being hailed a hero at the end of MDK2, Kurt chooses to remain with the Doctor, and quietly enjoy his achievements.
  • Clothes Make the Superman: Without the Coil Suit, Kurt is just your average human being.
  • Goofy Print Underwear: Is seen in a pair of swirly boxers when he's returned to the Jim Dandy.
  • The Hero: Is this for the series overall, but appears in MDK2 as an equal part of the three-man team.
  • It's Raining Men: Dropping from orbit into combat is just how Kurt does things.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Would rather not be a hero, but he always steps up to do it anyway.
  • More Dakka: Has an infinite-ammunition chaingun as his main weapon. Kurt can also find temporary upgrades to increase its power.
  • Puny Parachute: The Coil Suit contains the "Ribbon Chute", a parachute made up of several wide ribbons attached to Kurt's back. It still works, though.
  • Rage Breaking Point: Kurt is a pessimistic, disgruntled man, but never loses his cool despite being repeatedly humiliated and sent back into battle since the events of MDK. The breaking point comes when Emperor Zizzy Balooba cheerfully tells the trio that he started all the carnage for fun, their efforts were for nothing, and that the game is over. Kurt flies into a rage, yelling and firing his chaingun as he charges. After that, he doesn't speak until Emperor Zizzy is dead.
  • Reluctant Hero: In spades.
  • Sniper Rifle: The chaingun's alternate fire mode.
  • Stealth Expert: Many of Kurt's level segments can be bypassed without triggering combat events, he also gets access to temporary invisibility powerups. To wit, the character select screen for MDK2's final level presents him as the "skill and stealth" option.
  • Trick Bullet: Gets to use a few of these during his tenure in the Coil Suit - including mortars and bouncing bullets.
  • Unfazed Everyman: Despite his reluctance to don the Coil Suit, Kurt shows little shock or surprise when confronted with aliens, robotic dogs, and his own hero status.
  • Weirdness Magnet: An ordinary janitor who gets whisked away to a space station by a mad scientist, is best friends with said scientist and his pet robotic dog, gets given a prototype combat suit and is sent to destroy the entire invasion. No weirdness here, for sure.

    Dr. Hawkins 

Dr. Fluke Hawkins

"Now THIS is science!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174140_1_7.jpg
The Doctor had wished for a place away from his detractors - away from those that thought him mad.

A bumbling, yet ambitious mad scientist. After announcing he discovered an outer-space phenomenon he dubbed "Flange Orbits", Dr. Hawkins was ridiculed by his peers. Determined to prove the scientific community wrong, he built the Jim Dandy, and decided to live on it in self-imposed exile - not before bribing Kurt to join him as his janitor. After discovering that Flange Orbits do not actually exist, he decided to remain on the Jim Dandy rather than return to Earth in shame.

Dr. Hawkins is a brilliant inventor - having built an enormous space station, a six-legged anthropomorphic laboratory assistant, and the Coil Suit. He acts as Mission Control during MDK and the first part of MDK2 - only to be forced to join the fray once the BFB boards his ship with a large number of mooks. After defeating Emperor Zizzy Balooba, the Doctor is finally celebrated by his peers, and moves on to his lifelong dream project: creating Atomic Robot Zombie Men!


  • Badass Bookworm: Part of Earth's scientific community, and has a wall of books in the Jim Dandy's lounge.
  • Badass Labcoat: Is never seen without his lab coat, even when relaxing after the events of MDK.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His inventions are often named to the tune of "World's Most Interesting Bomb", and "World's Smallest Nuclear Explosive". He moved to space to prove a far-fetched theory, and is good friends with a talking plant. However, he is also a genius inventor, building a space station, a self-aware anthropomorphic robot dog, and a sophisticated combat suit.
  • Designated Driver: Played for laughs. Trying to drink the "The Sauce" item in Dr. Hawkins' first level gets a response.
    Dr. Hawkins: No, can't do that! Driving this starship, you see.
  • Einstein Hair: Just see the character image!
  • The Exile: Lives in self-imposed exile, after being ridiculed for his "Flange Orbits" theory. Maintains his exile because it turned out he was actually wrong about flange orbits in the first place and going back to Earth would mean humiliating himself in front of the scientific community.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Definitely this. In addition, everything he invents works perfectly - it's just his scientific theories that need work.
  • High-Class Glass: Wears a monocle as part of his standard attire.
  • Hulking Out: Does this whenever he drinks liquid plutonium.
  • Improbable Weapon User: His primary weapon is atomic toast!
  • MacGyvering: His main gameplay gimmick revolves around combining items to get around.
  • Mad Scientist: Built his own space station to prove a ridiculous scientific theory. His greatest ambition in life is to create atomic robot zombie men. He owns a gigantic, talking Venus flytrap. Very much this. Oh, yes.
  • Mission Control: Is this during MDK, and the opening act of MDK2.
  • The Professor: Acts as this to the other protagonists.
  • Promoted to Playable: After acting as Mission Control during the first game, Dr. Hawkins is forced to join the fray after having his ship boarded in MDK2.
  • They Called Me Mad!: Moves to space to prove his theory about "Flange Orbits". He finds out he's wrong in the first week.
  • Weak, but Skilled: In spades. He has less health than the other characters (60, compared to Kurt's 100 and Max's 200), and can't pull himself up onto ledges. However, he's simply the best at MacGyvering his way out of trouble, and is handy with atomic toast.

    Max/Bones 

Max/Bones

"Not yet. Payback must be initiated."
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174034_1.jpg
Max was the perfect assistant, and his appreciation of firepower made him a fine watchdog as well.

Simply put, Max is a man-sized, six-legged, chain-smoking, gun-toting, anthropomorphic robotic dog. Created by Dr. Hawkins during his exile, Max acts mostly as a reluctant assistant around the Jim Dandy - preferring the company of his vegetable garden to the Doctor's crazy experiments. Although gruff and reserved in personality, he proves himself to be a loyal companion and watchdog. Initially named Bones by Dr. Hawkins, but chooses the name "Max" for himself by the end of MDK.

Max spends most of his time in MDK in a supporting role - providing airstrikes and extraction for Kurt as he fights through the alien minecrawlers. He is captured by Gunta Glut near the end of the game, but helps Kurt deliver the final blow once he's freed. In the second game, Max takes a more active role by first knocking out the alien orbiter's power supply - then killing Schwang Schwing, disabling the Ultimate Doomsday Device, and helping defeat Emperor Zizzy Balooba in quick succession. In the epilogue, Max becomes the new, benevolent Emperor of the alien empire, and helps establish diplomatic relations between aliens and humans.


  • Action Pet: He's a robot, but he's still Dr. Hawkins' pet.
  • Badass Adorable: Cybernetics aside, look at him! He's a big furry dog.
  • Badass in Distress: Gets kidnapped by Schwang Schwing after his first outing.
  • Cigar Chomper: Max is never seen without a cigar in his mouth, and flicks the ash off it when idle. He's a robot though, so we don't see it doing any harm to him.
  • Death from Above: Max provides targeted air strikes for Kurt in MDK.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: Dr. Hawkins originally named him Bones, and calls him his "puppy-wuppy dingy-doggy" when he thinks nobody's listening.
  • Gentle Giant: Zig-zagged. Prefers the company of his garden to assisting Dr. Hawkins in his lab. He's perfectly fine being in the heat of battle, though.
  • The Good King: Implied. Proves to be a firm and effective leader for the alien planet after MDK2.
  • Green Thumb: Happily tends to his garden aboard the Jim Dandy. A handful of his oranges are sent to Earth as a peace offering in the prologue of MDK.
  • Guns Akimbo: Can do this with four guns.
  • Jetpack: Gets two of these during MDK2 - first a fuel-powered jetpack, then a self-charging Atomic Jetpack.
  • Klingon Promotion: Becomes the new Emperor after killing Zizzy Balooba.
  • The Lancer: To Kurt's The Hero.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Has more health than the other protagonists combined, has the largest damage output, and is just as fast as the other two.
  • More Dakka: Very much. Max can equip up to four guns in various combinations - prepare your dakka as desired.
  • Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Has six limbs. Uses two for walking, and the other four to kill everything in the room.
  • Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: A six-legged, chain-smoking, robotic anthro canine lab assistant/guard dog.
  • Promoted to Playable: Goes from being a Supporting Protagonist in MDK to being an equally-playable member of the team in MDK2.
  • Ridiculously Human Robots: Despite looking mostly like a dog, Max still speaks and acts like a human - having his own, distinct personality. He also has a few dog-like mannerisms - he enjoys scratches, and growls when he's angry.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After being kidnapped in the first act, Max goes on to escape a self-destructing Alien Orbiter, kill everyone in his way aboard the Jim Dandy, kill Bad Max, rescue Dr. Hawkins, shoot up a large area of an alien city, kill Schwang Schwing, and disable the Ultimate Doomsday Device - in the space of two levels.
  • Robot Dog: See Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot above.
  • Shoot Everything That Moves: The majority of Max's gameplay in MDK2.
  • Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids: Designed to be a laboratory assistant, but is strong enough to carry four gatling guns, and is programmed to love guns and gardening. For some reason, he's also a man-sized anthro dog.

Major Antagonists

    Schwang 

Schwang Schwing

"Hello, Earth. Who's your daddy? Why, yes. I am."
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174409_1.jpg
It's nothing personal, kid.

Schwang Schwing is a dangerous and pragmatic enemy. A giant, purple alien from the city of Swizzle Firma, Schwang acts as the face of the alien invasion during MDK2 - using his size and calm demeanor to intimidate the trio. Despite his ridiculous size, he pulls off significant feats of stealth and cunning - successfully kidnapping two of the main protagonists in quick succession in the first act of the game. Even when his plans begin to fall apart, Schwang always finds a way to turn the tables in his favour. Later, we find out that Schwang is merely a Punch-Clock Villain in the service of the alien Emperor - and not the leader himself. After successfully escaping from two battles with Kurt, Schwang is finally killed by Max as he's setting up the Ultimate Doomsday Device.


  • Bond Villain Stupidity: Manages to kidnap the two most physically able members of the trio in the first two levels alone. Instead of killing them, he straps Kurt to a gurney and strings Max up by his ankles - giving Dr. Hawkins enough time to find Kurt and teleport him back to safety.
  • Cool Shades: See the page image. They also act as a Power Limiter for his Eye Beams, too.
  • The Dragon: To Emperor Zizzy.
  • Evil Laugh: Has a deep, booming evil laugh.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Hoh, yes.
  • Eye Beams: They're purple!
  • Handicapped Badass: Despite being in a flying wheelchair after his second fight with Kurt, Schwang is still able to activate the Ultimate Doomsday Device and be a serious threat to Max at the same time.
  • I Shall Taunt You: Very much so. After kidnapping both Max and Kurt, calmly taunts Dr. Hawkins over the communicator.
    Schwang: "Hello. Hawkins, isn't it? Getting a little... lonely?"
  • Playing Possum: After being defeated by Kurt, he does this. Once Kurt is distracted by contacting the Doctor, Schwang escapes.
  • Pragmatic Villain: Successfully uses stealth to capture two protagonists instead of brute force, sends an Evil Genius to out-think the Doctor, and for the most part, knows when to make an exit.
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: Although never directly stated, it's implied he's in charge of MDK2's invasion. He's also significantly stronger than his underlings.
  • Smug Snake: Has shades of this. Especially before his fight with Max on the Ultimate Doomsday Device's launch pad.
  • So Long, Suckers!: Attempted during his escape. Having activated the Alien Orbiter's Self-Destruct Mechanism, Schwang invokes this, not realising that his portal home stayed open long enough for Kurt to follow him there, and for Max to escape in a spaceship.
  • Stealthy Colossus: Despite his size, he's able to take Kurt and Max by surprise.
  • What, Exactly, Is His Job?: A rare, villainous example. It's never really made clear what his position is in the invasion, or necessarily what his objectives are. He's first seen capturing Kurt in Edmonton, then Max on the Alien Orbiter shortly afterwards. He taunts Dr. Hawkins via radio, then travels home to set up an interplanetary missile.

    The BFB 

The BFB

"The purity of my alien intellect will defeat your simian brain."
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174308_1.jpg
Published in over 5000 systems across the galaxy.

The BFB is an insufferable Evil Genius, acting as the antagonist for the levels aboard the Jim Dandy in MDK2. He is sent with a large alien force to kill Dr. Hawkins. When brute force fails, he instead opts to build an evil counterpart of Max to deal with him, then plants enormous bombs around the entire Jim Dandy, hoping to destroy Dr. Hawkins with it. Also indulges in a fair amount of Fantastic Racism, happily taunting Dr. Hawkins for his supposedly inferior simian intellect. After tormenting Dr. Hawkins for the first half of MDK2, he is finally killed at the hands of Dr. Hawkins and Hyde.


  • Calling Your Attacks: Any attacks involving his brain.
    The BFB: "Left brain attack!"
  • Cartoon Bomb: Throws these when he's not using brain attacks.
  • Deflector Shields: Has a personal shield sphere that has to be deactivated before he can be damaged.
  • Detachment Combat: A variant. Uses pieces of his brain in his called attacks.
  • Evil Cripple: Has stunted limbs, and uses a flying wheelchair to get around.
  • Evil Genius: Builds Bad Max, designs puzzle bombs, and publishes intergalactic research papers.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Politely greets Dr. Hawkins during his introduction, and even engages in some repartee with him. It doesn't stick, however.
  • Fun with Acronyms: Dr. Hawkins refers to him as "Balloons For Brains".
  • Homing Projectile: His "Left Brain Attack" consists of two chunks of brain acting as these.
  • Idiot Ball: Is genuinely surprised that Dr. Hawkins survives to fight him at the end of level 6 - not realising that if the Doctor had failed to defuse his multiple bombs, everybody aboard the Jim Dandy would be dead, himself included.
  • Insistent Terminology: Insists on referring to Dr. Hawkins' "simian brain" as such.
  • Insufferable Genius: Quickly informs Dr. Hawkins that he's been published in over 5000 systems across the galaxy. Apparently knows enough about hydrocapacitors to write a paper on them.
  • Mad Bomber: Is this during the Doctor's second level. Also uses bombs as a primary attack.
  • My Brain Is Big: See the folder image. It's enormous!
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Builds an Evil Counterpart to Max, and installs a portal to the alien world inside it - which Max uses to take the fight back to his home planet. His brain is also used to extract the alien homeworld coordinates after his defeat at the hands of Dr. Hawkins.
  • Only Known by Initials: The B.F.B. It's never expanded in-universe.
  • Planar Shockwave: Unusual example. His "Right Brain Attack" consists of a chunk of brain that explodes at floor-level with one of these.
  • Playing Possum: Does this after his first fight with Dr. Hawkins. Dr. Hawkins made the mistake of turning his back on the body.
  • Smug Snake: In spades.
  • Villain Ball: Later in the game, it's revealed that his Killer Robot is actually mass-produced on the alien homeworld. He was able to board the Jim Dandy with a whole alien attack force, but only one enormous robot armed to the teeth - allowing Max to face it one-on-one at the end of level 5. These robots also apparently have portable teleporters.

    Zizzy Balooba 

Emperor Zizzy Balooba

"I had to let you win a few. Just to keep it... interesting!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174740_1.jpg

The Emperor of the Alien Empire himself, and the Big Bad overall. A cheerful, giggling hedonist, Emperor Zizzy decided to invade planet Earth out of boredom, deciding that now that he had discovered the mysteries of space and time, there was nothing else left for him - except entertainment. Seems to enjoy being confronted by the trio - enjoying a hammy Motive Rant, engaging in Witty Banter with his foes, and merrily giggling right up to his demise.


  • Authority Equals Asskicking: Despite seeming fairly Laughably Evil, Zizzy has a large variety of heavy attacks - walls of electricity, laser beams, hypnotic-trance stares... makes one wonder how dangerous he'd be if he were serious.
  • Bad Boss: His reason to launch an invasion Earth and him letting the heroes win, pretty much proves, he doesn't feel a slightest bit of remorse for sending his people to death.
  • Big Bad: For the MDK series as a whole. Declared war on Earth for fun, and was in charge of Gunta Glut, Schwang Schwing and the BFB.
  • Bizarre Alien Biology: Is able to survive quite happily despite having various internal organs completely destroyed. Also produces internal bubble platforms, is able to suck creatures into his chest cavity, and spawns alien heads to act as white blood cells.
  • Death Is Dramatic: Parodied. Dies dramatically, even pausing for a few Final Words before dying with a dramatic sweep of the arm.
    (as though performing) Oh! Ooh... fade to black..."
  • Giggling Villain: Enjoys every minute of his villainy - even the very end.
  • The Hedonist: Lives for entertainment now that he's figured out the mysteries of the universe.
  • I Let You Win: Apparently allowed the trio to win before, just to keep things interesting for him.
  • It Amused Me: His entire reason for kicking off the plot of MDK.
  • Jetpack: Having no legs, he uses this to get around.
  • Large Ham: Oh, yes. Even as he's dying, he's this.
  • Milking the Giant Cow: Can not keep his arms still during his opening cutscene.
  • Mind-Control Eyes: Has them, and can use them to inflict a nasty Interface Screw if you look at them too long.
  • Nightmare Face: Just look at it. Between the frog smile and Mind-Control Eyes, it's pretty nightmare inducing.
  • Oh, Crap!: He only stops laughing once he realizes he has been mortally wounded after you beat him.
  • Rich Boredom: Rules over an entire planet, lives in a gigantic palace, has all the entertainment and knowledge he could want. He's still bored enough to invade another planet.
  • Staff of Authority: Pulls one of these from nowhere during his fight. Doubles as a Magic Staff of sorts, as he can also fire Frickin' Laser Beams from it.

Minor Antagonists

    Hanz 

Hanz

"Blaaargh!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406173600_1.jpg
The invasion fell apart, but he's still at it.

Hanz is one of the last few minecrawler pilots in the MDK universe - at the beginning of MDK2, he's piloting the final minecrawler on Earth. After failing to kill Kurt using the minecrawler's turret, he leaps out, in order to deal with him personally. Being the first boss in the game, you can imagine how that turned out.


    "Sparky" 

"Sparky", the Power Supply

"Welcome to my lair, you insignificant worm."
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406175735_1.jpg
Prepare for a SHOCKING encounter.

The sentient, AI-controlled power supply to the Alien Orbiter. A giant, metal sphere armed to the teeth with homing energy attacks and damaging rays of light - it appears out of nowhere at the end of level 2, hammily boasting before trying to kill Max.


    Bad Max 

Bad Max

The BFB: "Sic 'em, Bad Max!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406174617_1.jpg
The other doggy.

A giant, robotic, six-legged dog created by the BFB - for the sole purpose of destroying Max. Appears at the end of level 5 with a roar.


Other Characters

    The Computer 

Computer, the Jim Dandy's AI

Doctor, aren't you forgetting something?
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406175834_1.jpg
He's sure you'll figure it out.

The Computer is the Jim Dandy's artificial intelligence. He provides reports on current goings-on, self-defence lessons for Dr. Hawkins, and announcements for entering doorways.


  • Computer Voice: Somewhat. Carries a bit of Machine Monotone, but is more expressive than most examples of the trope.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Will kill Dr. Hawkins in level 3 if he continually tries to leave the bathroom without washing his hands.
  • Forgot About His Powers: The Computer can detect and teleport Kurt back to the Jim Dandy, but the possibility that the same could be done for Max is not even touched on.
  • Sapient Ship: Implied. He is a shipboard AI that is aware enough of proceedings to make on-the-fly decisions, such as teleporting Dr. Hawkins to the Danger Kitchen when the ship is boarded. His in-game dialogue sprite also appears to contain an organic brain.
  • Sarcasm Mode: Does this when Dr. Hawkins flips a huge switch and vents the air from the room.
    (to Hawkins): Oh, bravo, Doctor. Now you've done it.
  • The Watcher: Other than some teleportation, the Computer has no role except to watch the story unfold and make announcements. He does, however, give Dr. Hawkins some quick, piecemeal training before letting him fight through the Jim Dandy.

    Kermit 

Kermit

My compliments, Doctor. Dinner was excellent!
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20160406180225_1.jpg
Possibly related to Audrey II.

    Chuckleberry Finn 

Chuckleberry Finn

Dr. Hawkins: "It's up to you, Chuckleberry Finn!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chuckleberry_fin.jpg
Dr. Hawkins' pet goldfish.

    Hyde 

Hyde

Dr. Hawkins: "Great Jinkies! This looks like... plutonium!"
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyde_9.jpg
Don't dare miss... HYDE!

Top