Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Motorcity

Go To

    open/close all folders 

The Burners

    In General 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burners_group_3.jpg
Live fast. Live free

  • Animal Motifs: For their cars.
  • Badass Crew: They're a group of teenagers who routinely pull off risky and action-packed jobs to fight against an oppressive corporate regime.
    • Badass Drivers: With the exception of Chuck, all of them have sublime control over their cars, which happen to be loaded with hi-tech weaponry.
  • Brought to You by the Letter "S": The Burners have a "B" logo that sorta looks like a billiard ball with a trail of fire behind it.
  • Color-Coded Characters: Each of the Burners have a distinctive signature color, which carries over to their rides - Texas is red, Julie's yellow, Mike's green, Chuck's blue, and Dutch is purple.
  • Cool Car: Their cars are loud, colorful, and handle like a dream.
    • Pimped-Out Car: Besides the elaborate decals on their cars, they're also loaded with weapons.
  • Defector from Decadence: Mike, Dutch and Julie all came down from Deluxe, all with bitter resentment towards Kane's rule. A doodle from the staff room has implied Chuck is a similar case, though Texas' backstory is currently ambiguous.
  • Everyone Has Standards: "Texas-ify It" shows that while The Burners hate Kane to the core and will go to wreckless lengths to defeat him, they have absolutely nothing against the citizens of Detroit Deluxe and are quite mindful about collateral damage.
  • Female Feline, Male Mutt: Played straight with the drivers. Mike drives the dog-themed Mutt while Julie drives the cat-themed 9 Lives. Averted with the cars themselves, which are all referred to as if they were female, like boats.
  • Five-Token Band: You have Mike (mixed race), Julie (only girl), Chuck (token white), Dutch (black), and Texas (Filipino).
  • Heroes With Bad Publicity: Kain's propaganda characterizes them as terrorists threatening Detroit Deluxe.
  • La Résistance: As described by Mike in the opening narration, they're the last line of defense standing between Detroit Deluxe and Motorcity.
  • Multinational Team: The team is lead by Mike, who is Ambiguously Brown, while Dutch is African American, Texas is Filipino, and Chuck and Julie are both Caucasian.
  • Short Teens, Tall Adults: Averted with Mike, Chuck, and Dutch, who are about as tall as most adult men; played straight with Julie and Texasnote .
  • True Companions: Even the most vitriolic arguments some members can have with each other never lead to a long-term split, and they are always emotionally available for each other.

    Mike Chilton 

Mike Chilton

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_mikeportrait_4089.png
Voiced by: Reid Scott

The hero of the series. Mike used to live and work in Deluxe as Kane's top cadet, but when he saw what kind of man Kane really was, he quit and fled to Motorcity. Now, as leader of the Burners, he fights Kane with everything he has.


  • The Ace: He was Kane's top cadet in his Deluxe days and even today practically nobody of Kane's forces is able to really catch up to him.
    I train you boys, give you the best equipment, and you don't do squat!
    Chilton was simply, better.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Mikey.
  • Ambiguously Brown: Word of God has confirmed that he's mixed race. Fandom has varying opinions, but the general consensus is that he's of Middle Eastern descent.
  • Badass Adorable: Mike's most admirable traits next to his superior combat prowess are his Boy Scout-like idealism and compassion for others.
  • Badass in Distress: In "Ride the Lightning", he manages to take out all of his Kane Co captors simply by enraging Tooley in attacking them accidentally despite being tied up. In "A Better Tomorrow", he manages to knock out Red despite being shackled to the wall by shocking him with his own electrified gloves.
  • Badass Normal: Even outside his ride, he displays expert agility, endurance, and fighting skills. For example: He fights Red while chained to a wall, with Red in full Powered Armor, and wins.
  • Big Little Brother: Presumably to Capri.
  • Big Ol' Eyebrows More or less.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: No one should look that happy being constantly thrown into near-death situations.
    • Heck, in the episode "Ride of the Fantasy Vans", a group of live-action role players gave him the nickname 'Mike the Smiling Dragon.'
  • Brainy Brunet: It is subtle, but he is a strategic genius from his cadet training. However, he usually uses his Indy Ploy.
  • Chainsaw Good: His collapsible staff can turn both ends into blue-glowing chainsaws that are sharp enough to easily sheer through metal.
  • Child Soldiers: Was a military commander at the age of 16.
  • Combat Pragmatist: He'll do most anything to stop Kane, which to him mostly means beefing up the group's tech and weaponry.
  • Cool Bike: At some point, he has a motorcycle installed in his car, aptly titled Chopper-Mutt. This is unveiled in the finale when he has to self-destruct Mutt.
  • Determinator: Goes without saying that he never backs down regardless of the unfathomable odds he's faced with. In the first episode, after his ride was totaled, he proceeded to exit the vehicle to fight the last of Kane's massive robots by himself on foot.
  • Drives Like Crazy: According to Chuck, and very much justified. As he pulls some of the craziest stunts and is more than willing to wreck his ride if needed.
  • Expy: While the complete opposite in terms of personality, he does look a touch like Murdoc.
  • Face Death with Dignity: He does this in the finale. Twice. He doesn't actually die, of course.
  • Good All Along: He was a Gullible Lemming, and when he realized Kane was evil, he split.
  • The Heart: The Burners regard him as the center of their team; in early episodes they argue and nearly fall apart without him.
  • The Hero: He's the one leading the defense against Kane's forces.
    • Humble Hero: Despite all of the incredibly selfless things he's done, he's still very down to earth about it all.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: Him and Chuck, to an astounding degree.
  • Impossibly Cool Weapon: A double chainsaws made of zippolighters that can compress into a palm-sized metal skull... that he can also use as a gear shift accessory.
  • Improbable Age: Mike is supposed to be 17. Forget that he's barely past the legal age of driving, how'd he become a daredevil/hand-to-hand fighter on par with most animated badasses? And why is he so tall?
  • In Harm's Way: Mike is a complete adrenaline junkie. In one episode he's so stir-crazy from lack of activity that he points his laser guns at Jacob.
  • Indy Ploy: He'll usually have a plan beforehand, but he more often trusts his gut instinct in battle.
  • Lame Comeback: In episode 2 when the team in a makeshift Shockbot is confronted by a real Shockbot.
    Shockbot: You are in a restricted area.
    Mike: (in a fake robot monotone) Uh, no, it is you who are in a restricted area.
  • Lightning Bruiser: And how!
  • Magnetic Hero: Pointed out by The Duke in "Vega." Mike is charismatic, people like him, and he'd have the whole of Motorcity rallying behind him when he goes to take Kane down.
  • Meaningful Name: Mike Chilton.
  • Mook–Face Turn: About one year prior to the beginning of the series, or more specifically "Vendetta".
  • Nice Guy: Despite being a total adrenaline junkie, Mike is also very selfless, especially towards his friends. He also fully knows that his beef is with Kane and his forces, not the innocent people of Detroit Deluxe.
  • No One Gets Left Behind: Even if it means risking his own skin.
  • Odd Place To Sleep: On the hood of his car.
  • Papa Wolf: As evident in "The Duke of Detroit".
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Mike with... pretty much everyone who is not Texas.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Chuck's Sensitive Guy, but this is actually an aversion; Mike is actually pretty sensitive and the Team Mom.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Chuck and Claire. Possibly for Tennie and Dutch.
  • Team Mom: A very rare occasion in which the teen action hero of a Five-Man Band is this. He looks out for the other Burners in a near-parental manner, while still being able to talk with them as a friend.
  • Token Good Leader: Easily the nicest gang leader in Motorcity.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Crosses into this in episode 2 when faced with Kane's H.O.U.N.D.s. He chooses to use the power core (which has the potential to nuke all of Michigan) to charge his weapons despite continued protest from Dr. Hudson and his teammates. He refrains from triggering it, however, once he sees that even without activating it, the core could level the ground just by charging up.
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: He genuinely wants to help Motorcity and the innocents in Deluxe and fully believes that he can, though he sorely lacks the foresight needed to make things work out long-term.
  • With My Hands Tied: Mike manages to wipe the floor with a cadre of Kane goons, while his hands are tied behind his back. With a little unwitting help from Tooley. Also, he beat up some robots with Chuck tied to his back.
    • And again during "A Better Tomorrow". Handily trashing Red while bound to the wall.
  • Younger Than They Look: He's as tall if not taller than some of the adults, and he has a pretty boxy build. Despite this, he's just a teenager.

    Julie Kane 

Julie Kane

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_julie_kane_3218.png
Voiced by: Kate Micucci

Julie is the Burners' inside woman. Posing as an intern at KaneCo to gain information, her connections to Deluxe run deeper than that—unbeknownst to all but a select few, she's Kane's daughter. This causes much internal conflict, as she fights for the Burners' cause but also loves her father, and hates to see the monstrous things he does.


  • Action Girl: She's a Double Agent for The Burners and is never treated as any less badass.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Mike call her Jules.
  • Badass Adorable: Most definitely badass, but Julie is still a cute, slightly insecure teenage girl.
  • Battle Boomerang: Her signature weapon.
  • Childhood Friends: With Claire.
  • Conflicting Loyalty: She believes in the Burners' cause more than Kane's, but still loves her father and wants to be a worthy successor to him.
  • Daddy's Girl: Of a sense. It's clear that Kane trusts her and adores her more than anyone else, but he also keeps her in the dark and makes her connection to him known to an extremely limited number of people.
  • A Day in the Limelight: "Off the Rack".
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Embarrassing Nickname: "Miss Deluxe," with a more sobering touch than most typical examples.
  • Guile Heroine: Manipulation is one of her prime skills, either against her father or the Amazons.
  • Hartman Hips
  • Hidden Depths: While she seems like the typical "girl" of the team, she probably has the most important role in the story besides Mike and Kane, is a pretty skillful manipulator, and according to Claire, wasn't as much of a tomboy as she is now.
  • I Am Not My Father: Her entire motivation for being a Burner is because she doesn't want to benefit from her father's horrible actions.
Julie: If I don't try to help Motorcity, I'm no different from him.
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Her entire aesthetic involves cats, and she's stated in her bio to like them.
  • The Lancer
  • Lonely Rich Kid: There are only three people who are even aware that Kane is her father; it's not hard to think that even with Claire, Julie's childhood must have been pretty sad.
  • Master of Illusion: By utilizing KaneCo's own snazzy hologram technology.
    • Invisibility
    • Me's a Crowd: One of Julie's best tricks, which she can make various copies of herself, her car (and in "Ride the Lightning", other cars such as Stronghorn), as well as some handy disguises.
  • Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter
  • Missing Mom: So far there's been no mention of Julie's mother. The People of Motorcity Tumblr finally revealed she died when Julie was an infant.
  • Name of Cain: Considering her father, it comes with the territory.
  • Only Sane Man: She does this by balancing out the other Burners' more volatile traits, being a skilled, level-headed strategist and mediator rather than a combat player or technician.
  • Puppy-Dog Eyes: Uses them on her father from time to time.
  • Rebellious Princess: Daughter of Detroit Deluxe's corporate dictator and a fearless double agent. While she's not a princess, her father is still the most powerful man in Detroit, but she knows that his oppression of other people is wrong and tries to reason with him to see this.
  • Redhead In Green: Has red hair and wears a green shirt.
  • The Smurfette Principle: The only female Burner. her friend Claire helps quite a bit, but she's not quite a Burner due to still living in deluxe.
  • The Strategist: She can replicate herself and others with holograms, allowing her friends to accomplish sneak attacks.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: The former to her friend Claire.

    Chuck 

Chuck

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_chuck_1122.png
Voiced by: Nate Torrence

Chuck is Mike's closest friend, almost always at his side. He generally rides shotgun alongside Mike, and is a computer hacker and technical expert. He's also terrified of almost everything the Burners do. Despite this, he's risked his neck for his friends more than once, and it's clear peaceful days without Kane would be his fondest desire. He also roleplays on weekends and has a crush on Claire.


  • Affectionate Nickname: Mike calls him Chuckles.
  • Big Eater: Despite how rail thin he is, Chuck eats a lot.
  • Brats with Slingshots: He uses a slingshot early in "Texas-ify It" and in "Ride of the Fantasy Vans" to name a few.
  • Cowardly Lion: He can rival Shaggy in sheer wimpiness, but he's never backed down from taking part with the Burners unless he truly disagrees with Mike. He exaggerates it to the point where he even has a phobia of kittens.
  • A Day in the Limelight: "Fearless", "Blond Thunder", "Ride of the Fantasy Vans" all detail Chuck struggling with his own fears and fleshing out his interest in larping.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: For Claire.
  • Friend to All Children: In "Blonde Thunder".
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: It's not always easy to tell with his loud cowardice, but he is just as much of a hero as the rest of the Burners and always steps up to the task of protecting his friends and by extension Motorcity. He's also the only Burner with blond hair.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Mike to an extreme degree. The two are best friends, despite being complete opposites in terms of personality. Word of God even states how they met as children.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: "Ride of the Fantasy Vans" and "Fearless" show that in spite of everything he's done with the Burners and the skills he contributes, Chuck isn't all that convinced he's useful or even necessary to the cause.
  • Hollywood Hacking: The show is a Sci-Fi action series that runs on Rule of Cool, so this is a given.
  • Lovable Nerd: Chuck is an overtly cautious hacker whose scared of kittens, but also a genuinely loyal and kind friend who likes larping and will suck up his own anxiety if it means helping his friends.
  • Non-Action Guy: Deconstructed and then reconstructed; Chuck regularly feels like he's not a "real" Burner due to his cowardice and lack of combat skills, and as "Fearless" shows, that self consciousness can drive him to do some dangerous things. That being said, he is able to make up for his lack of physical action by doing technical support his friends aren't capable of.
  • Post-Kiss Catatonia: After Claire kisses him in "Mayhem Night."
  • Screams Like a Little Girl: Get used to hearing Chuck screaming.
    Kaia: Is everyone okay? I thought I heard a lady screaming.
  • Ship Tease: With Claire. He has a crush on her, and there are a few moments, most notably in "Fearless" and "Reunion", that suggest she feels the same.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Tried to do this with the Kane Booster, although that... didn't work out. Fully does so on his own terms by "Ride of the Fantasy Vans."
  • Youthful Freckles

    Dutch Gordy 

Dutch Gordy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_dutch_icon_721.png
Voiced by: Kel Mitchell

Dutch Gordy is the Burners' mechanical expert. Alongside ROTH, he patches up the Burners' cars and other equipment. Dutch is also a talented artist, particularly with graffiti. He left Deluxe when he was persecuted for making art, leaving behind his mother, father, and younger brother Dar.


  • Badass Bookworm: Confirmed in "Going Dutch," but practically solidified in "Vega" where he bravely steps up to the plate after Mike gets captured.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Refuses to let his little brother Dar join the Burners, knowing that it would endanger their family.
  • Black and Nerdy: Dutch is the smartest Burner aside from Chuck, being quite adept at technology, although whereas Chuck is better with software, Dutch leans more towards mechanics and machinery.
  • Cool Mask: His respirator.
  • A Day in the Limelight: "Going Dutch", where we discover more of his backstory; namely, that he was an artist who ran from Deluxe because art wasn't allowed, and was the last of the Burners to join. Everyone else is incapacitated due to a zombie outbreak, putting the focus on Dutch especially. He and his family get this again in "Reunion," which details the relationship between Dutch, his parents, and his brother.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's quite prone to moments of this, mostly because he tends to get paired up with Texas of all people.
  • Funny Afro: His huge afro makes him stick out from his friends, and occasionally gets a hole blown through it.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Dutch is a mechanic and engineer, usually repairing the Burners' cars, and building robots like R.O.T.H.
  • Hidden Depths: Although he's the team's mechanic, Dutch is also an accomplished graffiti artist. In "Going Dutch" it's revealed that he actually came to Motorcity because he was persecuted for making art.
  • Papa Wolf: Towards R.O.T.H.
  • Post-Kiss Catatonia: After Tennie gives him a kiss on the cheek in "Fearless".
  • Shorter Means Smarter: Inverted. Dutch is the tallest of the Burners.
  • The Smart Guy: For mechanical work.
  • Swiss-Army Weapon: His weapon is a tool that can change into different weapons:
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Texas. Dutch's mild mannered, intelligent slightly sarcastic personality naturally clashes with Texas' Large Ham Book Dumb tendencies, but the two definitely care about each other as friends.

    Texas 

Texas

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tumblr_m733w797xu1qgpb20_4113.png
Voiced by: Jess Harnell

Texas is the coolest, strongest, most awesome guy you'll ever meet—according to himself. Definitely strong, but very out there, Texas acts as the muscle of the Burners, as well as comic relief. He loves action movies and has a vivid imagination, and sometimes even his craziest fantasies have helped the Burners out—or, at the very least, grounded them in reality.


  • Accidental Misnaming: Frequently does this to Julie. Also called R.O.T.H. "Ralph."
  • Amazon Chaser: It's implied that Texas is drawn to powerful women. He fanboys over Kaia in "Texas-ify It" and is in awe of Julie after seeing her kick drone butt in "Off The Rack".
  • Asian Airhead: He's a Filipino Cloudcuckoolander with a colorful imagination that occasionally trends into Genius Ditz territory when dispensing his own special brand of advice.
  • Big Damn Heroes: His various flights of fancy paint him as the one who rushes in and saves the day, as illustrated in "Threat Level Texas", but he's actually delusional and has a huge ego.
  • Big Eater: Seems to be becoming this as of recently.
  • The Big Guy: Ironically subverted when comparing him to the other Burners physically. He's definitely the beefiest of them, but he's the second-shortest of the team (most likely because he is Filipino).
  • Boisterous Bruiser: His reaction to basically any situation is to punch it in the face. Even if it doesn't have a face. Especially if it doesn't have a face.
  • Cloud Cuckoolander: Texas is... special, alright.
  • Crazy-Prepared: Texas has apparently put much thought into the need to fight with vomit.
    Texas: Check out my muscular neck and throat. *flexes*
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's complete Cloudcuckoolander ditz yet he can hold his own when needed.
  • Dance Battler: As evident in "Texas-ify It", the martial arts he uses incorporate elements of breakdancing.
  • Distressed Dude: In "Threat Level Texas", he's captured by Kain to get information on the Burners. Being Texas, he doesn't offer anything useful. It's implied at the end that Texas was at least partially intentionally stalling Kane so that the other Burners could arrive in time to save him.
  • The Ditz: Subverted; when the time calls for it, he can dispense healthy advice... in his own way.
    Texas: You've got to stop thinking about what you didn't do and start thinking about what you're doing to save people now. You can't change the past unless you have a time machine!
    <Beat>
    Texas: Do you have a time machine?
  • Dumb Muscle: More because he's prone to drifting into his own little world than him actually being traditionally stupid. On some occasions, he can actually be resourceful.
  • Fatal Flaw: His larger-than-life ego.
  • Genius Ditz: He gives the Terras tactical advice on how to infiltrate Detroit Deluxe with the resources at their disposal. However, Texas later regrets giving the Terras said advice after they begin attacking innocent civilians.
  • The Glomp: He does this to Julie at the end of "Off the Rack".
  • Hot-Blooded: He's very loud and very eager to jump into action.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Can be quite rude, immature, and oblivious (especially in his treatment toward Chuck, Dutch and R.O.T.H.), but there's no denying that he stands for what's right.
  • Leader Wannabe: If an opportunity remotely presents itself, he'll always leap at the chance to try to lead a mission. He never gets far due to his wild imagination.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Not even an adrenaline junkie like Mike can keep up with him.
  • Lightning Bruiser: His car, Stronghorn, is just as fast and manoeuvrable as the other cars the Burners use, but is much more heavily armoured than the rest, resulting in it being the least wrecked vehicle in the show..
  • Lovable Jock: Despite his huge ego, he's generally very chummy with others and fighting to protect Motorcity like the rest of the Burners.
  • Manchild: He is a teenager technically like the rest of the Burners, but he's easily the most immature of the group, following his own personal whims and possessing a very vivid imagination that he often gets lost in.
  • Memetic Badass: Becomes one in-universe with "Threat Level: Texas!": Convincing Tooley that he is an ultra-badass through the use of Unreliable Narrator, and then convincing several other soldiers through his escape; they begin to sprout ideas that he teleported himself in and ripped a drone apart with his mind.
  • The Movie Buff: He's an avid fan of action flicks.
  • Mr. Imagination: Is prone to wild flights of fancy when describing his ideas ("I have a gun that shoots a snake!").
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: In one of his fantasies, a KaneCo display that reads "Alias: Texas" briefly appears, implying that Texas might not be his real name.
  • Self-Serving Memory: In "Threat Level: Texas!", he recollects prior episodes with himself in the spotlight before everything completely goes off the rails. Of course, he could have just been intentionally wasting everyone's time so that the rest of the Burners could rescue him.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: He fancies himself a master martial artist and tactician and imagines everyone else sees him the same way. His team appreciates him, but he's not nearly as much of a threat to Kain as he likes to think he is.
  • Spin Attack: The Texas Twister.
  • Sweet Tooth: To a point where he frequently ends up doing himself harm, as seen "Mayhem Night".
  • Third-Person Person: Besides naming fighting moves after himself, his catchphrase is "Yeah, Texas!"
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Muscle Mulch, though he also goes ham on candy during Halloween.
  • Unreliable Narrator: Resulting in the ridiculously self-glorifying Recap Episode "Threat Level: Texas!".
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: He hangs around with Dutch a lot despite how irritated Dutch gets with Texas' antics.

    Jacob 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacobpng.png

Jacob is the Burners' mentor and owner of their garage and main hangout. Years ago, he was Kane's partner, and helped create much of the technology in Detroit Deluxe. It's unclear when Jacob learned of Kane's megalomania, but it drove him down to Motorcity, where he now serves as a voice of wisdom and experience for the Burners.


    R.O.T.H. 

R.O.T.H.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tumblr_m6d19d6wkk1r0sr1lo1_500_2560.png

R.O.T.H. is a repair drone and sidekick to the Burners who was reprogrammed from one of Kane's robots. While cowardly, he's loyal and hardworking, and often helps Dutch with modifying the Burners' cars.


  • Badass Adorable: Despite showing some cowardly tendencies and his Butt-Monkey status, R.O.T.H. has shown himself to be capable in episodes like "Going Dutch", "Vendetta", and "The Robo-Roundup".
  • Butt-Monkey: He gets subject to a lot of slapstick, particularly from the ignorant Texas.
  • Cowardly Lion: Screeches and shakes in the face of danger constantly but is always there to back the Burners up.
  • Cute Machines: Oh yes. He's basically a puppy dog in the form of a sentient graffiti-colored box.
  • Robot Buddy: Is a repair drone that assists in maintenance. He becomes an actual buddy to Texas in "The Robo-Roundup".
  • Team Pet: Is the only non-human member of the Burners and talks with a series of adorable squeaks.

Antagonists

    Abraham Kane 

Abraham Kane

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1abraham-kane-mark-hamill-motor-city_7217.jpg
Voiced by: Mark Hamill

The head honcho of Detroit Deluxe, and primary adversary of Mike and the Burners. Kane runs Deluxe with an iron fist, outlawing any sort of personal freedom in the name of safety and security. He does, however, have one person he truly cares about, his daughter Julie.


  • All Bikers are Hells Angels: Has shades of this—the leathers and bike are missing but the hair, beard, and mannerisms fit to a T.
  • Archnemesis Dad: To Julie.
  • Badass Driver: Despite his hatred of cars, Kane still knows how to drive, and drive well, posing as an enemy spy, and sabatoging his own drones to make a convincing image. This may have been foreshadowed in "Off the Rack" when he skillfully controls Julie's Safety Suit to drive Mutt around.
  • Bad Boss: Kane often puts his city and his citizens in danger all in the name of capturing the Burners and any employees who voice grievances over the danger his plans place towards the city are brutally beaten by Tooley under Kane's orders out of sheer annoyance.
  • Beard of Evil: Exaggerated; he's the Big Bad of the show, and not only has a beard, but is also bald, has a Carpet of Virility and hairy arms.
  • Big Ol' Eyebrows/Evil Eyebrows: He's got a very prominent set of eyebrows that give him a very intimidating glower.
  • Broken Pedestal: To Mike once he discovered the truth about him, as seen in "Vendetta".
  • Carpet of Virility: His uniform's top buttons are open to reveal that he has a lot of chest hair. It's fully put on display in a sunglasses commercial or when he's playing squash.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: The fact that this guy has an entire army dedicated to his company's interests is more than enough proof.
  • Devil in Plain Sight: Mike Chilton trusted the man to be on the up-and-up during his time working for him, despite the perpetual glower in Kane's eyes indicating from the start that he was bad news.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Julie's pretty much the only person he shows any affection towards, even if he's certainly not the best dad in the world.
    • Very evident when Mike pretends to take her hostage. Evil he may be, he still loves his kid.
  • Evil Redhead: His hair is orange, and he's the Big Bad.
  • Fiery Redhead: He blows his top off pretty frequently and is excessively aggressive when dealing with obstacles.
  • Freudian Excuse: According to Motorcity's story bible, his Control Freak nature and hatred of the original Detroit came from being dealt a terrible hand in life, having started out at the lowest rung of society.
  • Genius Bruiser: He out-hacks Chuck early in "Reunion" and surpasses even Mike as a hand-to-hand fighter as shown in "A Better Tomorrow".
  • I Want Him Alive: His mooks could have easily killed Mike several times, but haven't.
    • Subverted during "Vega". He makes it clear that with Mike captured, his termination is imminent. And drops him to what he assumes is his death during "A Better Tomorrow". Even then, their past relationship suggests that he's not too happy about having to kill him.
  • Large and in Charge: Tooley may be taller than him but he's definitely beefier.
  • Large Ham: Let's just say that Kane is not much one for subtlety.
  • Light Is Not Good: He is dressed in white, but is the Big Bad.
  • Like a Son to Me: He genuinely seemed proud of Mike when he worked for him, and took his Mook–Face Turn rather hard.
    • Says it outright during "A Better Tomorrow".
  • Manipulative Bastard: Despite looking less than trustworthy, Kane is quite the smooth-talker.
  • Mr. Fanservice: A manic control freak, but for people more into middle-aged men, he's got quite the brawny physique. At the very least, he's confident enough about his looks to pose seductively for a sunglasses commercial.
  • Name of Cain: He's the Big Bad and has a last name that's one letter off from the Biblical character.
  • Papa Wolf: After Mike pretends to take Julie hostage, Kane noticeably starts off his final confrontation with Mike in a state of Tranquil Fury, before that tranquility explodes into a positively vicious beatdown.
  • Rags to Riches: According to the Motorcity "bible", he started out as a poor blue collar worker before he met Jacob. Their combined technological expertise is what launched the KainCo brand.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: Played With: Tooley is his right hand man, and frequently screws things up with his stupidity, while Red accomplishes missions with more success. His interactions with the scientists usually end with Kane angry through either the scientist's invention failing, or through Kane's own shortsightedness destroying chances of victory. A conversation with a Mook Lieutenant ended with Kane yelling at him because the Mook questioned the safety of Kane's plan, which was putting people in danger.
  • Twitchy Eye: About once an episode. Either by the Burners or Tooley's own stupidity.
  • Villain Team-Up: With The Duke to capture Mike.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Abraham Kane is popular enough in Deluxe that Deluxians can buy a variety of creepy posters featuring Kane to decorate their walls.
    • Though also played with, some people like and trust Kane, others seem dreary with life in Detroit Deluxe, Kane mentions that certain citizens hate him and defect, with one scientist telling him that they are a minority.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Despite his desire to destroy the Burners and rule all of Motor City, Kane honestly believes he is doing it for everyone's best interests. He just can't stand to have anything outside of his direct control.

    Tooley 

Tooley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tumblr_m9mypnivcl1qa58pu_6134.jpg
Voiced by: Jim Breuer

Kane's rather daft right hand man. Tooley has the temperament and intelligence of a guard dog—loyal to Kane no matter what, but dumb as a post. He has an unrequited crush on Julie.


  • Berserk Button: He gets surprisingly violent at people speaking ill of Kane—sadly, he doesn't get any smarter.
  • The Brute: While he's supposedly Kane's right hand man, Kane uses him more for his muscle and never really gives him any authority The Dragon would need. This becomes especially apparent when Red is introduced and becomes a much more of a Dragon to Kane whilst Tooley is just there to break things.
  • The Ditz: His mannerisms and intelligence level are more on par with a guard dog's.
  • The Dragon: More so at the start of the series wherein Kane has him as his 2nd In Command and finds him loyal enough to impart certain tasks and offensives against the Burners. When Red joins up Tooley is demoted to The Brute.
  • Demoted to Dragon: Or rather, Demoted From Dragon.
  • Dumb Muscle: Extra emphasis on the dumb part...
  • Evil Counterpart: To Texas; however Texas has shown some intelligence at times, while Tooley is outright dumb.
  • Funny Background Event: Appears waving off to the side of a picture of Kane and Julie in "Like Father Like Daughter".
  • Hopeless Suitor: To Julie.
  • Manchild: Kane outright calls him a "thick-skulled dimwit of a manchild", and the one time we see Tooley in is off-hours, he is gleefully watching cartoons.
  • The Resenter: Showing this towards Red, as Kane seems to favor him for his competence over Tooley.
  • Simpleton Voice: He has a very basic vocabulary and audibly struggles to enunciate longer words.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Hey, Tooley? The hunter-killer robot only looks like a dog, and it doesn't need petting.
    • Also, you should learn to differentiate between a surprise party, and a Zombie Apocalypse!
  • Undying Loyalty: Towards Kane, which he does at least appreciate.

    Kaia 

Kaia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1motorcity-texas-ify-it-texas-and-kaia-637x357_1846.png
Voiced by: Laraine Newman

The "queen" of the Terras, a group of Motorcity residents who lived agrarian lifestyles before their land was contaminated by Kane's toxic waste dumps. As an added result their bodies were heavily mutated, and they won't stop until all of Deluxe is gone, innocent civilians included.


    The Duke of Detroit 

The Duke of Detroit

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tumblr_m4wdl8f4wr1qk2bpqo6_500_9041.png
Voiced by: Dee Snider

An uber rich, uber hammy overlord from Motorcity. The Duke is on no side but his own, and loves being the center of attention, which often brings him into conflict with Mike and the Burners. He can't stand anyone being more popular than he is and will go to terrifying lengths to ensure he takes the number 1 spot.


  • Affably Evil: His morality is ambiguous at best, but he is pretty chummy with the Burners at times.
  • Ambiguously Evil: The Duke is on his own side all the time, making an enemy of the Burners for petty reasons, like them getting attention, or taking from a scrapyard that he retroactively claimed, even putting the team in danger to host a tv show. He does have some good moments, like giving up some metal to stop nano-bots, over lots of protest though, and keeping his word in a race. In "Vega", he does go to more clear-cut villainy, teaming up with Kane to defeat the Burners, and getting to keep their cars, before turning on Kane, when said cars would be confiscated.
  • Attention Whore: So much so that he framed the Burners for a series of gang attacks in "Julie and the Amazons" just because he didn't like how Mike was taking the public's attention away from him.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: His gaudy fashion sense, hammy personality, and penchant for karaoke all hide a guy who can bring some serious pain down on people.
  • Big Damn Heroes: In the 2nd part of the finale, when Kane doublecrosses him, he returns the Burners their cars and sends his guards on the attack. In the penultimate moment, he saves Mike from a falling death with Mutt.
  • Breakout Villain: He was supposed to only appear in 2 episodes, but became so popular he got 6, including a major part in the finale.
  • Cane Fu: And it's electrified.
  • Composite Character: According to Snider, the Duke's personality is a mix of himself, Kid Rock, David Lee Roth, and James Brown.
  • Cool Shades: He wears a large pair of sunglasses with red lenses. Giving a slight vibe of Red Eyes, Take Warning, especially when he gets angry.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": No one calls him by any name other than his title.
  • Exact Words: In "Blonde Thunder", he has Chuck race against ALL of his best drivers. When Mike says that wasn't the bet, the Duke points out that the only rule they agreed on was that Chuck had to be behind the wheel of his car during the races.
  • Expy: He’s called The Duke, is flamboyant, rides around in an extravagant limo, and is the de facto overlord of the city. you could say he’s A-number one!. Also see Composite Character above.
  • False Flag Operation: He had his guards attack three gangs including his own in "Julie and the Amazons", and blame it on the burners.
  • Father to His Men: The Duke does seem to legitimately care for his underlings, grabbing one who is cowering and running with him during an attack. He also seems to equate accepting death to weakness, considering the line "Get up and run you cowards!"
  • Friendly Enemy: It's a bit ambiguous exactly what side he stands on. He's willing to help the Burners in "Vendetta" but he still harbors a bit of a grudge against Mike.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: The Duke is on his own side always. This brings him in conflict with the Burners sometimes, others he just minds his own business. In the season finale, he's with Kane in part 1 and the Burners in Part 2.
  • I Gave My Word: In "Blonde Thunder", he doesn't try to weasel out of his side of the bet and hands over the keys of his car to Mike.
    Duke: I'm a man of my word. Ow.
  • It's All About Me: He's incredibly egocentric, to the point that he frames the Burners for declaring war on other Motorcity gangs just because he felt they were getting too much attention.
  • Large Ham: Big time. He outshines Texas in this department; he's a self centered, gaudy, and eccentric guy who uses limos as ammo.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: He bears a resemblance to Detroit rocker Kid Rock.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: He really likes getting into Mike's face whenever he gets the chance, though he saves the true boundary-breaking for the vehicles, which he really likes caressing.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When this Perpetual Smiler frowns, it is really bad news for someone, usually Mike.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: In "Vega", he gives off this impression when his guards freeze up and cower when Kane bots attack, as well as one guard finding gum from No. 2 in his gun. Though with them all taking up arms in the second part of the finale, this may have just been a ruse to gain the Burner's confidence.
    • For the most part, his guards prove to be fairly effective, from the False Flag Operation to two random guards figuring out Mike controlling Chuck's car, and destroy the controller.
  • Tank Goodness: He has one. That shoots stretch limos.
  • The Tape Knew You Would Say That: In "The Duke of Detroit Presents".
  • Villain Teamup: With Kane. Kane gets Mike, The Duke gets the Burners' cars.

    Rall 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s1e4_terra_gathering.png
Voiced by: Dave Wittenberg

Kaia's right hand man.


  • The Dragon: Kaia's second-in-command, and is almost always by her side.
  • Scary Teeth: Like his boss and all the Terras.

    Red 

Red

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mcgqd3KFJi1rx6set_6766.png
Voiced by: Eric Ladin

A mysterious character with a grudge against Mike. Red hates KaneCo, but he hates Mike even more.


  • Black Knight: Even retains the look when working for Kane. Notable since KaneCo wear is always some variant of light blue and white.
  • Cool Car
  • Cool Helmet
  • Deadly Disc: His car shoots saw blades.
  • Disney Villain Death: Doubly subverted.
  • Enemy of My Enemy: His reason for joining forces with Kane.
  • The Faceless: We never really get to see his face, throughout most of his appearances.
  • Irrational Hatred: He personally blames Mike for the destruction of his home and ruining his life even though he tried to stop it in the first place and it was Kane who went through with the order. He's even willing to team up with Kane himself to settle things with Mike once and for all.
  • Line-of-Sight Name: Texas dubs him "Red", due to his new KaneCo red armor.
  • Misplaced Retribution: Wants to make Mike pay for leading the destruction of his home even though Mike tried to stop it and even rescued all of the tenants including him presumably.
  • Not in This for Your Revolution: More than Kane, who's really to blame for Red's home being destroyed, it's Mike that this guy can't stand.
  • Power Fist: Has a pair of gloves that crackle with electricity and gives him super strength. From being able to create craters with charged up punches and even send Texas' car flying with one of those punches.
  • Powered Armor
  • Psycho Electro: He wears gloves that carry red electricity.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over
  • Sell-Out: In "Like Father, Like Daughter", it is revealed that he has entered into Kane's service in exchange for better weapons and armor—you know, the guy who gave the order to destroy his home.
  • Shock and Awe
  • Spikes of Villainy
  • The Unreveal: Due to the series being cancelled, Red's true identity has never been revealed.

Other Motorcity Residents

    Rayon 

Rayon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tumblr_m6xzt5lgk31rat8pyo1_500_5813.png

A regular client of the Burners and the leader of the Skylarks gang, who run a motel in Motorcity.


  • Beware the Nice Ones: Usually pretty chill, well-mannered and is definitely the friendliest to the Burners out of all the other gang leaders in Motorcity, but will not hesitate to turn on them if it'll turn a profit.
  • Cool Shades
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: Gladly does business with the Burners, then betrays them for a profit, then helps them out, with some bounty hunters, against the duke, and agrees to help them pay off their debt to the hunters, all in his debut episode.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: When the Burners are framed for attacking the gangs of Motorcity and are caught in a vulnerable position, Rayon converses with the other leaders to give them a chance to prove themselves innocent, because he believes in Mike's honesty. Though he does threaten Mike to not make him look stupid for trusting him. Later on when investigating the gangs, lots of subterfuge is used, except for Rayon's gang because Mike just walks up to him and asks if he did it.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man
  • Unusual Eyebrows

    No. 2 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_m7yntivjxz1rbx25qo2_400.jpg
Voiced by: Tara Strong

The Duke's right-hand woman.


  • Badass Driver: Just like the rest of the Duke's guards, she is very skilled and efficient behind the wheel.
  • Big Damn Heroes: When The Duke reneges on the deal with Kane, she leads his guards into battle with the Kane co. bots and troops.
  • Cool Shades: She's never seen without her sunglasses on.
  • Evil Redhead: Ambiguously so, much like the Duke.
  • False Flag Operation: Led one orchestrated by the Duke.

    Cyborg Dan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/episode_10_dan_dance.jpg
Before his face melted off
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_3555.jpg
Dan's current look.
Voiced by: Dave Wittenberg

The Duke's robot minion, first appearing in "The Duke of Detroit Presents." Blames Mike Chilton for a nuclear blast to his face (when it was actually the Duke that commanded Dan to do that to himself in the first place) and swears revenge.


    Tennie 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/character_tennie.png
Voiced by: Aimee Garcia

A teenage girl who lives as a Cabler with her father. Like Dutch, she's an engineer and an artist who designed the Cablers' settlement houses, and the two quickly strike up a bond.


    Bracket 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bracket.png
Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui

Tennie's dad, who fears for her safety and leads the Cabler settlement.


    Foxy 

Foxy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1motorcity-julie-and-the-amazons-lizzie-and-foxy-818x526_6005.jpg
Voiced by: Jennifer Hale

The rather ruthless but charismatic leader of the Amazons gang.

  • Amazon Brigade: Her gang's name is "The Amazons.''
  • Badass Driver: Notably the only Motorcity gang leader seen so far (besides Mike) to pull off incredible racing stunts solo.
  • Dark Action Girl: Lapses into this.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite her rather cold nature, she has a soft spot for Claire, and can at least work with the Burners when they have a common goal.
  • Pet the Dog: Despite her cold nature, she still keeps in contact with Claire after the events of "Julie and the Amazons."
  • The Smurfette Principle: The only female gang leader seen so far.

    Junior 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mamas_boys_jr.png

Leader of the Mama's Boys, and a Jerkass to top them all.


    Capri Chilton 

Capri Chilton

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capri_chilton_7.jpg
Image from the People of Motorcity Blog.

Mike's older sister that he doesn't know about, as revealed by a drawing creator Chris Prynoski made, shared by the Tumblr blog People of Motorcity. In season 2, she would have been living in the badlands outside Detroit. Based on that info (and that she's not wearing the mandatory Detroit Deluxe uniform), she's listed as a Motorcity resident on this page.


Other Detroit Deluxe Residents

    Claire 

Claire

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_claire_7567.png
Voiced by: Dana Davis

Julie's friend from Detroit Deluxe, and so far the only one aware of Julie's double life. Claire is a girly girl, and while she cares for Julie, she's not too pleased with the Motorcitizens... at first. Chuck has a crush on her.


  • Childhood Friends: With Julie.
  • The Confidant: To Julie. She is the only person who knows Julie's status as the Double Agent and covers for her on occasion.
  • Fish out of Water: When in Motorcity. It's clear that Claire is very used to Deluxe and feels out of place whenever she leaves for the city below. However, she quickly warms up to the Amazons.
  • Hartman Hips: particularly when compared to Julie.
  • Improbable Hairstyle: Her square hair bun. Seriously, square! With the right doodads to provide structure, it's not an impossible style to pull off, but it would be ridiculously high-maintenance.
  • Non-Action Guy: She is sympathetic to the Burners and her friend Julie's decision to be a Double Agent, but tends to stay out of the action, taking a relatively passive role in the entire fight between Deluxe and Motorcity. However, she's definitely not useless; She covers for Julie quite often, and "Julie and The Amazons" gives her a level in badass.
  • Sassy Black Woman: Downplayed. Her general attitude towards Julie's escapades is usually slight exasperation. This tends to get played up when she goes to Motorcity.
  • Sensual Spandex: She wears the standard Deluxe uniform.
  • Ship Tease: With Chuck. He has a crush on her, and while it initially seems like his feelings aren't returned, there are a few scenes, most notably in "Fearless" and "Reunion", that suggest they are.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In "Julie and the Amazons." Claire, whose usually not physically inclined, aids in the fight.
  • Valley Girl: She talks in this manner, which makes the difference between her and The Burners more apparent.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Most definitely the Girly Girl when compared to Julie.

    The Gordys 

The Gordys

Dutch's parents and younger brother Dar, whom he left behind on slightly uncomfortable terms in Deluxe before leaving for Motorcity.
  • Child Soldiers: Dar is a Junior Cadet while still in his early teens.
  • Good Parents: Dutch's parents, while understandably not happy that their son left for Motorcity to pursue his passion for art without endangering his family, fully support and love him through his decision.

    Jenzen 

Jenzen

Voiced by: Jess Harnell

A fellow Cadet from Mike's KaneCo days. He only appears in the flashbacks in "Vendetta," so not much is known about him, but his connection to Mike and the ambiguous possibility that he is Red's true identity has grabbed fan attention.


  • All There in the Script: His name was only shown in the credits.
  • By-the-Book Cop: He's shown as a loyal Cadet, following morning protocol and even willing to arrest Mike when Kane commanded it.
  • Child Soldiers: Looks to be about Mike's age, who was 16 around the time he was a Cadet.

Top