History Characters / Beetlejuice

* SatanicArchetype: He's the closest thing to a "Satan" that the film's afterlife seems to possess. It is indicated that he worked for the CelestialBureaucracy which manages the afterlife before he [[FallenAngel quit]] and went "freelance" as a "Bio-exorcist." He is invited to the house by the then-recently deceased Maitlands and [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal with them to get rid of the Deetzes, and later makes a deal with Lydia to save the Maitlands from an exorcism.]] Much in the same way that Lydia's parents and their city friends are meant to represent the worst that modern humanity has to offer (shallow, apathetic, etc.), Betelgeuse represents this on the ghostly side, being a pervert, a con man, and a complete sociopath. Much like how {{Beelzebub}} is the "Lord of Flies", Betelgeuse both has "beetle" in his name (in pronunciation, at least) and seems to subsist on bugs. He also briefly [[ScaledUp takes on the form of a serpent with his face]] to scare the Deetzes Even the fact of his name being a source of power for him (he can be summoned and banished by saying it three times and he cannot say it out loud himself) is a reference to some forms of Demonology, where it is believed that knowing a demon's true name can give you power over it.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He talks like Edward G. Robinson.

** His hatred for his abusive mother is known, and he will go on rants about her and the sad childhood he endured.

* SecretRelationship: She has a primarily sexual one with Charles, although the pair try to keep it a secret from Lydia, as Charles doesn't think she's strong enough to handle the truth about their relationship yet. When Lydia finds out, [[{{Understatement}} she is less than happy about it.]]

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the movie, Betelgeuse very clearly had the hots for an underage Lydia and was openly perverted in his behavior towards her. This take on him, however, shows absolutely no indication of lusting after her and she's notably one of the few characters he ''doesn't'' hit on; he still plans to marry her, but he also makes it very clear that it's just a MarriageOfConvenience and he has absolutely no intentions of actually consummating it.

->'''Originated by:''' '''Barbara:''' Kerry Buter (OBC), '''Adam:''' Rob McClure (OBC)

* Psychopomp: Serves as this in the Afterlife as the Maitlands' caseworker. As stated in the film, anyone whose death is attributed to Suicide becomes a "Civil Servant" in the Afterlife.

* UncertainDoom: They are last scene when Betelgeuse launches them from the house by use of a TestYourStrengthGame, although it is never clarified if they were killed or simply injured.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Delia is an InUniverse example. Living people in both the movie and the cartoon ridicule her strange art, but the ghosts of the Neitherworld think it's great. The Monster Across The Street buys one of her sculptures, and her art show is a big success.

* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: Double Subverted in "Highs-Ghoul Confidential"; he already had his powers and could be plenty chaotic with them, but he didn't gain full control of his "juice" until getting publicly humiliated at his high school prom finally sent him over the edge, making him say his {{Catchphrase}} for the first time.

* CatchPhrase: "It's showtime!"

* CoolLoser: She's looked down upon by Claire Brewster and considered unpopular by some of her classmates because of her interest in the weird and macabre. This is ignoring the fact that Lydia's a smart, creative, and caring young girl and probably one of the best people you could have for a friend.

** In "Snugglejuice", when Lydia first sees him after he's been [[{{Brainwashed}} "rehabilitated"]] in Neither-Neither-Land, the Neitherworld's prison system, she initially thinks that it's just another one of his scams or pranks... but when he ''refuses to eat [[TrademarkFavoriteFood a beetle]]'', that's when she knows that something is seriously wrong.

* AffablyEvil[=/=]FauxAffablyEvil: Zig-zaggs between the two. On one hand, while he's hardly anybody's friend, Betelgeuse actually seems like a fun guy to be around (unless you're a woman). He offers to make Barbara and Adam an Italian dinner, attempts to do the task that they wanted him to do (albeit in a manner they didn't like), and is genuinely confused about Lydia's choice to be dead, but still offers to help her out since she seemed insistent. Then he demonstrates that he's a crude, perverted murderer with no restraint or self-control, and it becomes clear that as fun as he seems, he is a dangerous man to be around for more than a few minutes, even if he does have genuinely quirky traits.

* AffablyEvil: While hardly anybody's friend, Betelgeuse actually seems like a fun guy to be around (unless you're a woman). How miserable can someone really be if he occasionally dresses up as a cowboy, enjoys carnival games, and offers to make Barbara and Adam an Italian dinner?

* FauxAffablyEvil: Betelgeuse's fun side can actually be the enjoyment of a sadistic nature to torment and just about kill with his pranks. It has been shown that he's reckless if not willing to harm people, with DarkHumor continuing in the laughter and humorous effects afterwards.

* PhraseCatcher: Saying his name three times allows him, the speaker and anyone else in contact with them to go between the Neitherworld and Outerworld. Lydia's usually the one to say it, but Claire unwittingly summoned him this way once in one episod, as did the residents of the Neitherworld when they cheered him for being a "sandworm hero."

* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: Double Subverted in "Highs-Ghoul Confidential"; he already had his powers and could be plenty chaotic with them, but he didn't gain full control of his "juice" until after he was publicly humiliated at his high school prom.

* HiddenDepths: He presents as a DumbBlonde, but he really isn't. He's well versed in the works of his old friend Shakespeare, knows enough about auto mechanics to repair Doomie on his own, and is something of a chemistry whiz.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: In one episode, we find out she’s afraid of hospitals. She gets over it by the end, though.

* ArtEvolution: In their debut episode, Bea has dark grey hair and pale greenish skin, but in all following appearances her hair is blonde, her skin is a pale lavender, and her face more closely resembles her two sons.

* HiddenDepths: As revealed in "The Brides of Funkenstein," Prudence has a wild side underneath her mousy exterior.

* TheDitz: He doesn't have much in the "brains" department, even being convinced rather easily by Mr. Monitor that getting a damaged TV set is better than getting his own TV show like the other members of S.N.O.T.R.A.G.

* TheUnFavorite: In the ''Crimebusters on the Haunt'' miniseries that was among the comic book tie-ins by Harvey Comics, he believes his parents to prefer his brother Donny. They deny this is the case, but he doesn't believe them, particularly since it is apparently common for his mother and father to ask him why he can't be more like Donny.

** For the love of all that is good… '''''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Never. Hurt. Lydia.]]''''' He will juice you something fierce if you even so much as insult her.