open/close all folders
Humans
Maisie Brumble
Voiced by: Zaris-Angel Hator
A young orphan who wants to become a monster hunter.
- Character Development: Maisie starts out looking to live the amazing life of a hunter depicted in her storybooks. Learning the beasts aren't vicious monsters makes her realize that the hunter's life isn't the valiant crusade the books made it out to be at all.
- Fluffy Tamer: Maisie quickly befriends sea beasts like Blue and the Red Bluster.
- Giver of Lame Names: Both the sea monsters she names (Red and Blue) are named after the color they are, making her names fit the "uncreative and pointing out obvious features" variant. It's lampshaded in-universe by Jacob, who suggests getting Maisie a pet cat so she can name it "White," "Grey", or "Ginger".
- Happily Adopted: She and Jacob become close to each other over the course of the movie, and by the end of their adventure, Jacob adopts Maisie as his daughter.
- Pirate Girl: Maisie is a stereotypical one, as an orphan whose parents died at sea, who stowed away on the Inevitable because she wanted to have adventures like them. She is begrudgingly accepted into the crew (because of her age, not her gender) and eventually learns that it's a far less romantic job than she had thought. The ship's crew are monster hunters rather than pirates, but they might as well be pirates.
- Plucky Girl: She wants to become a monster hunter like her deceased parents and nothing will stop her, to the point where she stows away onto a monster-hunting ship.
- The Runaway: She ran away from her orphanage to join Captain Crow's seafaring crew to hunt beasts.
Jacob Holland
Voiced by: Karl Urban
Jacob is a skilled hunter as well as the adoptive son and chosen heir of Captain Crow.
- The Ace: The fight against the Bristleback is one hell of an Establishing Character Moment, from showing his sea legs via masterfully running through the chaos of the battle, saving several crewmates in quick succession and even being able to finish several tasks one after the other.
- Handwraps of Awesome: The introduction of the now-adult Jacob has him wrap bandages around his fists as the Inevitable goes after the Red Bluster but then has to fight the Bristleback. The feats he pulls definitely show he's awesome, although he takes them after that.
- Happily Adopted: After discovering young Jacob lost at sea, Captain Crow took him in and raised the boy to succeed him as the captain of the Inevitable.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: While he's a bit stubborn and hardy, he's a good man all-in-all. Preferring to focus on the wellbeing of the ship and it's crew to helping out fellow monsters. His blonde hair fits with his heroic personality and design. He also learns to set aside his (understandable) hatred towards monsters after seeing things Maisie's point of view.
- Heroic Build: Jacob's got a very strong Hunk-y figure fitting for a skilled monster hunter, as it allows him to be very athletic and strong. Being able to finish several tasks very quickly and even saving several crewmates from falling.
- Hunk: He has the build of a seasoned adventurer, a square and chiseled jaw, and sideburns as thick as his goatee. Add in some natural charisma, and you've got yourself a bona fide hunk.
- Morality Pet: He is this for Captain Crow, and often helps him to make the right decision, such as convincing him to abandon the chase for the Red Bluster in favor of helping a fellow hunting ship in need, as the hunter's code demands. After the fight against the Bristleback, Captain Crow actually thanks him for keeping him down the right path. However when Crow thinks that the Red Bluster has killed both him and Maisie, the Captain finally lets revenge consume him.
- The Leader: One of Crow's lieutenants aboard the Inevitable and its future captain. He's a Type 2, being a practical man who puts the safety of the crew above all else. When Maisie stows away, he's reasonably unhappy with Crow keeping her onboard. He also negotiates with the Royals, allowing the Inevitable to go on it's hunt for the Red Bluster that starts the movie's plot instead of getting arrested. And when they finally catch up with the Red Bluster, he lets Maisie cut the ropes keeping the Inevitable tied to her, saving save the ship against Crow's orders.
- Parental Substitute: He becomes one for Maisie very quickly, acting as a father figure towards her throughout the movie, from trying to keep her out of danger to having the classic "you can't have that as a pet" talk. By the end of their adventure, Jacob adopts Maisie as his daughter.
Captain Augustus Crow III
Voiced by: Jared Harris
A legendary monster hunter and Captain of the Inevitable.
- The Captain: He is the legendary captain of the Inevitable and clearly cares for his crew. In turn, they have nothing but respect for him.
- Cool Boat: The legendary monster hunting ship the Inevitable has been in his family for generations, it's decently ornate with it's scale-like hull and the bow being based on a monster yet it's also very functional with many parts of it being made with monster hunting in mind. Unfortunately it ends up being destroyed in the finale of the film by a groggy Red Bluster.
- Expy: Clearly based on Captain Ahab: a ruthless, dogmatic sea-captain obsessed with killing one particular creature who hurt him in the past. Unlike Ahab, though, Crow eventually lets go of his grudge against Red.
- Eyepatch of Power: He wears an eyepatch over his right eye socket, and he's definitely a badass.
- In-Series Nickname: He's also known as Black Bird, as evidenced by a grateful Jim Nicklebones asking him and his crew to take on the brickleback that's attacking his ship.
- Meaningful Name: His prominent nose and black tailcoat invoke his namesake bird.
- Parental Substitute: He took Jacob into his crew when he was a boy, and since that day, he's treated him like a son.
- It's Personal: He's always hated the Bluster for the incident that destroyed his right eye, but when it seemingly drowns Jacob and Maisie right in front of the Inevitable—a person he sees as his son and a girl he thinks is the spitting image of said son figure—he's downright furious.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Played with. He really tries his best to be reasonable, but unfortunately he has a deep grudge against sea beasts, especially the Red Bluster, who he considers his archenemy because it took his eye thirty years prior to the events of the movie. As a consequence, he makes some rather poor decisions whenever he's in a blind rage or vengeful, such as forcing his crew to sail a badly-damaged ship to the far-off Mukesh Island instead of heading to the nearest port.
- Revenge Before Reason: He utterly hates sea beasts, especially the Red Bluster, who took his eye. This grudge eventually gets the better of him, and he makes some very poor decisions like making a shady deal with the sea witch or attacking Jacob when he gets in his way. Subverted in his last scene, where he gives up on his revenge and drop his sword after learning that the King and Queen lied to him and everyone else about the sea monsters.
Sarah Sharpe
Voiced by: Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Captain Crow's first mate.
- Action Girl: An aging woman who is a fierce monster hunter.
- Artificial Limbs: She has a long peg leg in place of her left leg.
- Everyone Has Standards: She's known as the 'most loyal first mate in history,' but she turns on Crow at the end both due to crow trying to Kill Jacob and also learning about the false propaganda created by the Empire.
- Maternally Challenged: Crow assigns Sharpe to be Maisie's keeper. She takes this to mean giving the little girl a knife and a warning against stepping out of line.
- Meaningful Name: She has a number of knives and swords in her possession.
- Perpetual Frowner: She rarely smiles. Even a picture of her inside Maisie's book has the exact same expression as her when Maisie holds it up for a comparison.
- Seadog Peg Leg: Has a peg leg with a distinctive serrated-like design to it.
- Undying Loyalty: She has the reputation of being the most loyal first mate in history. Until the end of the movie, where she turns against Crow and helps Maisie protect the Red Bluster after her loyalty starts to erode with Crow trying to kill Jacob and learning about the false propaganda spread by Monarchs being the last straw.
The Monarchs
Voiced by: Jim Carter (the King) and Doon Mackichan (the Queen)
The rulers of Three Bridges whose goal is to wipe out all Sea monsters so they can expand their empire.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: As we later learn, they, along with their predecessors, prove to be the truly evil characters in the film.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Together, they form the closest figure the movie has to one, as their actions are responsible for most of the conflict.
- Dirty Coward: When it looks like Red is going to ram into the balcony (though she's actually going after Captain Crow below them), they start trying to shove their way past their guards. After their lies are revealed, both the King and Queen quickly flee from their angry people and guards.
- Evil Colonialist: The King and Queen design to explore places beyond the known limits of the world, and their intent does not seem particularly benevolent. When Jacob tries to dissuade them from arresting Captain Crow, he points out that the hunters are the reason why their kingdom has acquired enough wealth to become "the envy of the known world". Unbeknownst to both Crow and Jacob, the King and Queen have been carrying on the lies their predecessors drummed up of hostile sea monsters coming onto land to destroy towns and attack humans in order to encourage people to hunt them in the first place, all to satisfy their greed.
- Faux Affably Evil: They first appear to be grateful towards Captain Crow and his crew, until they discuss how he let the Red Bluster escape and refuse to give them their reward, showing their arrogance and condescension as they declare the days of monster hunters to be over.
- Hate Sink: They are nothing but power-hungry tyrants (along with their predecessors) determined to expand their empire by any means necessary, even if it means spreading false propaganda about sea monsters and causing a war that resulted many deaths of their people, including monster hunters. Even when their lies are exposed to the public by Maisie, the King and Queen refused to concede defeat as they demanded their soldiers to kill the Red Bluster and Maisie in a last resort to secure their power, only for their order to fall deaf as the people (including Crow and the guards) turned against them.
- Jerkass: As greedy imperialist tyrants who don't care about any of the sacrifices made in their name, this is a given.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: The king resembles Louis XIV of France, while the queen Elizabeth I of England.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: They claim that sea monsters started the war causing the dark times, and that their hunt for the Red Bluster is to prevent the people from fearing the sea. This is a lie told by generations of monarchs to justify their hunt for peaceful creatures and expand their empire.
- Oh, Crap!: When their General refuses to give her men the order to open fire on Red, sheathes her sword, and bluntly says : "my brother was on the Monarch... And I want to know how this war started", they realize just how utterly screwed they truly are.
- Ruling Couple: Both of them seem to possess the same amount of authority.
- Unfriendly Fire: They keep ordering the guards to shoot the Red Bluster, not caring if Jacob and Maisie (who are still riding her) die.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Captain Crow and his crew risk their lives fighting dangerous sea beasts and saving other hunters from certain death, but the King and Queen have the gall to be upset over them not specifically killing the Red Bluster.
- Would Hurt a Child: The monarchs are only too glad to order the guards to shoot at Maisie for exposing their lies. Luckily, the general refuses to follow that order.
Gwen Batterbie
Voiced by: Kathy Bruke
A sea witch. Hunters are forbidden from turning to her, but Captain Crow grows desperate...
- Deal with the Devil: Makes one with Crow, which allegedly would cost him everything he owns. Captain Crow does indeed lose everything, but it's not clear if it's a result of their deal or just a natural consequence of his own actions. And unlike most devils, Gwen can't even give the thing she promised: both the Hand of God and the poison ultimately fail to kill Red.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Its not clear exactly if she is an actual witch or just a Mad Scientist whose chemical formulas are mistaken for potions. While she does possess some level of magical ability, exactly where the line is drawn in regards to her cauldron and inventions is very blurry.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Her eyes briefly turn red to mess with Captain Crow's tattoo without his knowledge, magically making it move to form a coil around his neck after he expresses doubt over the rumors about her. What's more unnerving is that he doesn't feel the change, which further cements the idea that she's dangerous.
Admiral Hornagold
Voiced by: Dan Stevens
The leader of The Crown's Royal Navy and captain of the rival hunting ship the Imperator.
- Jerkass: Is very rude to almost everybody.
- Smug Snake: He is very confident that the Imperator is the ideal ship for bringing down sea monsters. Later in the movie, Red manages to ram through the ship and break it apart without putting up a fight.
Jim Nickelbones
Voiced by: Brian T Delaney
The captain of another hunting ship, who Jacob, Crow, and their crew need to save during their Establishing Character Moment:
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Crow implies that Jim has had had difficulty drinking rum during their past encounters.
- Hot Blooded Sideburns: He is a cutlass-wielding sea captain with long sideburns, and cheers out encouragement to Crow after watching him engage a creature in battle.
- It Has Been an Honor: As he and his crew lose a desperate fight against an attacking creature, he tells them it was an honor to command them.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He has under a minute of screen time, but Crow delaying his pursuit of the Red Bluster to help Jim is what allows Maisie the chance to meet Red (leading to a new perspective about monster hunting) and causes the Royals to consider cutting their ties with the Hunters for being too honorable.
Ms. Merino
Voiced by: Helen Sadler
The bosun aboard the Inevitable.
- Bit Character: She gets little characterization throughout the film but is one of the more frequently seen crew members and one of the few to be named.
- Fiery Redhead: She has bright red hair and yells out orders to the crew at the top of her lungs while sporting a serious expression.
- Nerves of Steel: She is one of the steadiest crew members in the face of battling sea monsters.
Old Nick
Voiced by: Ian Mercer
A rambunctious old gunner aboard the Inevitable.- Dirty Old Man: In a PG-rated way. He has a white beard and uses the word “debauchery” while talking about his plans for shore leave.
- Father Neptune: He is the oldest man on the ship, feels deeply invested in the Hunter culture, and is the first sailor to show trepidation about dealing with the sea witch Gwen Batterbie.
- Seadog Beard: He is a chatty veteran sailor with a longer beard than anyone else in the film.
Monsters
The Red Bluster
A gigantic red sea beast, the most feared and dangerous of them all and with the biggest price on its head, but turns out to be not as monstrous as the stories say.
- Androcles' Lion: Maisie cutting the line on her (and Jacob letting her) earns them her lifelong loyalty. She saves them from Captain Crow, a giant crab monster, and even gives them a ride back to civilization.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: She is a gigantic sea beast who has sunk countless hunter ships.
- Benevolent Monsters: Subverted. She is actually peaceful and only attacks when she is provoked, though it's implied that she has a deep-seated hatred towards monster hunters based on her reaction to catching the scent of the Imperator and Jacob and Maisie trying desperately and failing to convince her to leave it alone. Not to mention how she nearly kills Admiral Hornagold and Captain Crow while they're down.
- Bad Vibrations: As seen when she departs into the forest, her flipper-steps shake the earth heavily and the trees vibrate wildly with her every step.
- Collateral Damage: She splashes up a small tsunami that drenches the palm forest and trashes the beach with seaweed, simply out of annoyance at Jacob.
- Deadpan Snarker: She might not be able to speak, but her highly expressive eyes make constant mockery of Jacob's behavior.
- Does Not Know Her Own Strength: Utterly Averted. Red manages to harmlessly catch Maise by her foot with her enormous jaws without hurting her in the slightest.
- The Dreaded: Every hunter knows and fears her. It also seems that other sea monsters fear her, as a giant crab drops Jacob from its mouth in shock when she rises up to rescue the humans from it, and a large school of riddlebacks swim up north in panic beyond their normal territory as she approaches Rum Pepper Island.
- Gentle Giant: When unprovoked, she's a docile creature that has no intention to hurt Maisie and Jacob, and after some persuasion, she even gives them a ride to Rum Pepper Island on her back.
- Hellish Pupils: She has very narrow pupils.
- It Can Think: She is far more intelligent than she initially appears, bordering on Sapient Cetaceans at points. Not only is she capable of understanding that Maisie saved her and decides to save her in turn, Maisie and Jacob are able to communicate with her by miming, she shows tactical thinking in all of her battles, and she's capable of singling out captains from crews for her grudge against monster hunters. Overall, she seems less like an unusually smart animal and more like a person with a language barrier.
- Meaningful Name: She's red, and her roar sounds like an oncoming storm over the open ocean. Hence 'Red Bluster'.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Besides the horn she resembles a mix of a sea lion with her upper body and flippers, mixed with a shark for her face, teeth, skin, and fins. Her tail also resembles a whale.
- Red Baron: She is a well known terror for all sailors.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Downplayed: she has almost no obvious indicators of sex, but the dark shading around her eyes subtly resembles eyeshadow.
Blue
- All Animals Are Dogs: He has the personality and the body language of a puppy despite being a sea monster.
- Big Eater: The first time we see him, he's eating through Jacob's and Maisie's supplies as they sleep, and later on, he gets a pretty big tummy from chowing down on enormous amounts of fish despite his small size.
- Fish Eyes: His pupils are never too focused.
- Meaningful Name: Blue is..... a blue sea monster.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's about the size of a small dog, but his jaws are shown to be powerful enough to rip a window off to let Maisie out of a locked room.
- Playful Cat Smile: He has a wide mouth that curves this way, and is certainly very playful.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: He's a cute little monster with big eyes and a chubby little body. His resemblance to anglerfish also adds a dash of In-Universe Ugly Cute.
The Brickleback
A reptilian sea beast fought by the crew of the Inevitable at the beginning of the film.
- Advertised Extra: Featured in just about all the film's advertising, but only shows up in the first act of the film and merely serves to show how badass the crew of the Inevitable are.
- Alien Blood: It bleeds black inky blood.
- It Can Think: As Jacob points out, it's smart enough to cut off the buoys that give away its position and hide directly under the Inevitable for a surprise attack.
- Kraken and Leviathan: Fills BOTH roles, being a primarily reptilian sea monster with squid-like tentacles.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: It resembles a reptile with a heavily crocodilian shape, but has a seahorse-like snout, a serpentine lower body, and cephalopod-like tentacles along its underside.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The most overtly reptilian of the sea monsters seen in the film, and only fills an antagonistic role compared to the more sympathetic Red.
- Taking You with Me: It uses its last moments alive to drag Captain Crow with it into the deep. Crow survives, but the experience leaves him contemplating his own mortality.
- Tentacled Terror: Its underside is lined with long, slimy tentacles with three finger-like projections on the ends for snatching people right off of ships.
Warmblers
A nest of baby sea beasts and their mother, encountered by Jacob and Maisie when stranded on an island.
- Bad Vibrations: Seagulls flee, trees fall, and the earth rumbles as the mother Warmbler crashes through the forest.
- Cub Cues Protective Parent: The hatchlings' (admittedly very loud) bellowing very quickly summons their angry mother.
- Cute, but Cacophonic: The newborn Warmblers are adorable, but also very, very LOUD.
- Gigantic Adults, Tiny Babies: The hatchlings are barely larger than Blue, while their mother is at least twice the size of an elephant.
- Mama Bear: The mother Warmbler is not happy when she sees Jacob and Maisie with her hatchlings, charging at them full tilt even after most of the litter go back to her. She only stops once Maisie returns the runt that was clinging to Jacob's back.
- Monster Is a Mommy: The mother is huge, imposing, and is clearly ready to trample Maisie and Jacob to death, but only because she sees them as a threat to her young. She even gives up the chase after the last of them is returned to her.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: The hatchlings possibly even beat out Blue in the adorableness department.
- Volumetric Mouth: Fitting for how loud they are, the baby Warmblers have pretty big maws.
Giant Crab
A gigantic purple crustacean that menaces Jacob and Maisie.
- Combat Pragmatist: Shows hints of this during its fight with the Red Bluster, namely by using its claws to shield its face from her initial attack and spending most of the battle evading and retreating, only to then sneak up behind Red and secure the most dangerous part of her - the horn - in one claw while going for the neck with the other.
- Giant Enemy Crab: This is its exact role in the movie.
- Jaw Drop: Manages to do this despite lacking an actual jaw. After being confronted by Red, it drops Jacob's boat out of its maw in a clear imitation of this trope.
- Oh, Crap!: Visibly has this reaction upon seeing the Red Bluster rising from the ocean right in front of it.
- Stealthy Colossus: Despite its massive size, it was able to sneak up on the duo from a relatively clear lagoon. Lampshaded by Jacob.
