History Characters / BojackHorsemanHistoricalCharacters

[[center: [- [[Characters/BojackHorseman Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimself [=BoJack=] Horseman]] ([[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesAToD A-D]], [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesEToK E-K]], [[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesLToZ L-Z]])| [[Characters/BojackHorsemanPrincessCarolyn Princess Carolyn]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanDianeNguyen Diane Nguyen]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMrPeanutbutter Mr. Peanutbutter]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanToddChavez Todd Chávez]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHollywooResidentsAndOtherStars Hollywoo Residents and Other Stars]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanLAResidents L.A. Residents]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMBNNetwork MBN]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHorsinAroundCastAndCrew Horsin Around Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanSarahLynn Sarah Lynn]] |[[Characters/BojackHorsemanSecretariatBiopicCastAndCrew Secretariat Biopic Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVigorAgency Vigor]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVIMAgency VIM Agency]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanGekkoRabbinowitzAgencies Gekko-Rabbinowitz Agencies]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOneShotAndBitCharacters One Shot and Bit Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMainGroupFamilyMembers The Main Group Family Members]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanFamily The Horseman Family]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanBeatriceSugarmanHorseman Beatrice Sugarman-Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanButterscotchHorseman Butterscotch Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTesuqueNM Tesuque, New Mexico]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMooreCarsons The Moore-Carsons]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanCharlotteMooreCarson Charlotte Moore-Carson]] | '''Historical Characters''' | [[Characters/HorsinAround "Horsin' Around" Characters]] | [[Characters/MrPeanutbuttersHouse "Mr. Peanutbutter's House" Characters]] | [[Characters/SecretariatBiopic "Secretariat" Biopic Characters]]]]-]

'''Beware of rampant spoilers of season 1 and 2! While the majority of spoilers involving plot points of the current season will be hidden, this is not consistent depending on the situation, with just the presence of certain tropes being spoilers. Open the folders at your OWN RISK.'''

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Hollywoo(d)

[[folder:Secretariat]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secretariat.png]]
!!!'''Played by''': Creator/JohnKrasinski

A former race horse from TheSeventies (Based on the [[RealLife actual]] [[UsefulNotes/HorseRacing race horse]]) and [=BoJack=]'s personal hero. After being banned from ever racing again for betting on his races, he commits suicide by jumping off a bridge.
----
* AdviceBackfire: See RousingSpeech below. Not really helpful at all.
* AllForNothing: After everything he sacrificed - making a deal with Nixon and selling out his brother - just to continue his career, he's banned from doing so for life after illegally betting in his favor in races. Having nothing left, he ends his life by jumping off a bridge.
* AlternateHistory: See FictionalCounterpart for how the character contrasts with the RealLife Secretariat. As for his long overdue biopic…[[ArtisticLicenseHistory Where do we begin?]]
* AmbiguousSituation: Secretariat may or may not have been suspected of {{kneecapping}} a Pinto competitor during one of his races. Whether it was true or not is never clarified.
* AntiRoleModel: To Bojack and others. While he was an admired figure to his fans, Secretariat's upbringing made it impossible for him to diverge from the damage his past had on him. Instead, he would imprint the bad answers to those issues onto others, such as little Bojack.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: A tragic example. Despite not getting on with the former and selling out the latter, it's implied that when both his father and brother died, Secretariat went through a DespairEventHorizon.
* BeneathTheMask: Underneath the smooth-talking, well-groomed and successful racer lies a fragile and depressed horse with deep-rooted issues and a desperate need to be relevant and at the top of his game.
* BrokenAce: He’s implied to have several issues, such as childhood trauma and depression and was constantly running away from his problems. Once that option was forced away from him, he committed suicide at a young age.
* BrokenPedestal: To the rest of the world once his illegal betting was discovered, and eventually to Bojack as well. As much as he admires him, even the horse starts to realize what an utter train wreck his hero was. That being said, he still looks up to him while acknowledging him as flawed, with the Lighter and Softer approach of his story in the Biopic being one of Bojack's major complaints about it.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: The race against "Giant Hearted" Sham, as presented in the {{Biopic}}, was the first race of many that Secretariat lost and is considered the beginning of his downfall.
* CainAndAbel: Sold out his brother, Jeffretariat, as a replacement recruit to be drafted to Vietnam, where he was killed.
* TheCharmer: In public appearances, he always had a winning smile and a witty retort ready. His private life was another matter...
* CigaretteOfAnxiety: During an interview after making the deal with Nixon and winning another trophy, Secretariat takes a big puff of a cigarette while talking about how big of a hero his brother Jeffretariat is for "fighting the reds" and how much of a groovy dude is President Nixon. Notably, the ExhaustedEyebags return briefly.
* CloseToHome: Why he ends up answering Bojack's letter: he identifies with him because of their similar backgrounds and insecurities. Unfortunately, the advice he gives him is [[NotQuiteTheRightThing not exactly helpful in the long run.]]
* TheDandy: Always dressed with the best suits for every occasion. The one time he didn’t was on the day of his suicide, where he looks noticeably dishevelled.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: {{Implied}} with his commentary of "not having had a happy childhood" in response to a fan letter sent by Bojack in [[TheSeventies 1973]].
* DarkestHour: His first loss against "Giant Hearted" Sham is implied to have been this in the {{Biopic}}. His being banned for life from racing most definitely ''was'' this, and it led to his suicide.
* DealWithTheDevil: Well, with UsefulNotes/RichardNixon anyway: he traded good PR (and his brother's life) to avoid army drafting and the collapse of his career.
* DeathByDespair: Losing everything you have will do that to you.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of what it means to be TheParagon, sun-kissed and naturally talented, especially [[StepfordSmiler the enormous emotional toll]] of appearing flawless to the public when the entirety of your career and image might be a coping mechanism to escape your troubled past (as well your success based on the public's love) and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope how far would anyone go to ensure they would remain someone for people to look up to]]. [[DrivenToSuicide His fate]] just proves how bad things can get for such a character.
* DespairEventHorizon: If the expression on his face before his sucide is any indication, he had definitively crossed this.
* DraftDodging: He was originally destined to be conscripted to fight in Vietnam in TheSeventies, but out of fear of falling out of public attention and losing the one talent he had, Secretariat broke out an agreement with Richard Nixon for his brother to take his place in the army in exchange of using his image as a way to propel Nixon's abysmal popularity.
* DrivenToSuicide: Banned for life from racing after illegally betting on his own races, Secretariat jumped off the Robert F. Kennedy bridge in 1973.
* ExhaustedEyebags: During the pep talk he gives [=BoJack=] during a Q&A in The Dick Cavett Show, he starts sporting this despite not having them before, implying that the [[CloseToHome colt's letter hit him quite hard.]]
* FallenHero: Everyone's faith and love for him was shattered the moment they caught him betting in his favor in the races.
* FamedInStory: He's still remembered as a tragic figure in horse racing, with books being written about him and multiple (un)successful attempts to make a motion picture out of his life.
* FictionalCounterpart: To RealLife racing horse [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse) Secretariat]]. While there's obviously quite a few changes, the show's Secretariat actually mirrors the real one's career fairly well, including his Thoroughbred Racing Triple Crown win in 1973, which is mentioned when Secretariat appears on ''The Dick Cavett Show''. Just like his real life counterpart, Secretariat's career ended in 1973, but due to him being banned for betting on his own races, and comitting suicide shortly after. The real one was retired by his owners and became a successfull breeding stud, fathering several champion racehorses.
* {{Foil}}: To his SpiritualSuccessor, [=BoJack=]. Both came from really shitty conditions to become famous superstars in horse racing and acting, respectively. Like [=BoJack=], Secretariat has done a lot of sacrifices for his career, including leaving a loved one out to dry: in Secretariat's case, getting his brother Jeff drafted to 'Nam in his place; [=BoJack=]'s, selling out his mentor Herb for a chance at playing Secretariat, ironically and both are constantly haunted and feeling incomplete about their lives. The only difference is that while Secretariat allowed his fears and failures to consume him, [=BoJack=] has constantly bounced and learned from his while continuing walking in an uncertain road.
* GreaterScopeParagon: An odd mixture with GreaterScopeVillain, Secretariat is a grand figure in Hollywoo history and within horse racing, the protagonist of a modern greek tragedy and one of the best equine athletes within the game. Fame, recognition, women, awards, standing at the top with every mortal looking up to him for inspiration; even today, when his disgraces and backstabs are well known and documented, Secretariat is still considered a living landmark and fondly remembered by a lot of people and believed to have had an untimely passing. Still, his story and glorification as a figure of veneration has influenced several people to follow in his footsteps, flaws and all. His actions while still living may have costed a Pinto his career and his own brother Jeffretariat his life. Not to say, his horrible, ''horrible'' advice was a key part in the construction of the emotional trainwreck of [=BoJack=] Horseman.
* HarmfulToMinors: While he meant well on doing so, Secretariat's advice to [=BoJack=] is one of the reasons why he's so screwed up.
* HeroicBSOD: According to history and Kelsey Jannings, he "stopped running" after hearing from Jeffretariat's death.
* HistoricalInJoke: Secretariat's first racing loss against "Giant Hearted" Sham, which is one of the iconic scenes in the biopic, is a reference to the real Secretariats "rival" Sham, who beat him in the 1973 Wood Memorial (though only coming in second, the actual winner being a stallion named Angle Light). This was seen as a huge upset at the time. Ironically, despite the impact the loss had on the fictional Secretariat, in real life Sham would go on to become AlwaysSecondBest to Secretariat.
* HistoryRepeats: Hmmm, a seemingly collected celebrity who has it all and deep down is a BrokenBird with ParentalIssues, a DarkAndTroubledPast and a pretty bad case of [[{{Narcissist}} Narcissism]]. Are we talking about Secretariat or [[Characters/BojackHorsemanBojackHorseman [=BoJack=]]]?
* IconicSequelCharacter: Talked about in season 1 and briefly appearing in the final episode, it was in season 2 when his long-awaited biopic was shot and life was [[AmbiguousSituation (partly)]] shown in {{flashback}}s and SecondHandStorytelling.
* {{Kneecapping}}: [[RashomonStyle May or may not]] have done this to a Pinto during one of his most difficult races.
* LonelyAtTheTop: Despite his claims and his public face, Secretariat was a pretty lonely man who lost the few good things he had during his career, leading up to his suicide.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Secretariat, in the prime of his game as he appeared in ''The Dick Cavett Show'', has a long, smooth red mane flowing down with thin yet muscular build and impeccable suits when out of his normal racing attire.
* {{Narcissist}}: A rare [[http://www1.appstate.edu/~hillrw/Narcissism/stylescompensatory.html compensatory]] example. Secretariat found his worth when he discovered himself good at racing and as such, tried to maintain the perception that he was happy with the way his life turned out, those superficial feelings being the result of improving himself. Once that ability to run away from everything was taken out, he committed suicide.
* OffstageVillainy: See AmbiguousSituation and KickTheDog above.
* OneSteveLimit: {{Averted|Trope}}. Both Secretariat and his brother Jeff have similar sounding names, with only the first half being different.
* OnlyOneName: Just ''Secretariat''.
* PatrioticFervor: {{Invoked}} from his part as in accordance to his agreement with Richard Nixon: Any mention of him must be in the highest of praises and any public appearance from Secretariat must give the image of a devoted, die-hard American citizen.
* PropagandaMachine: For Richard Nixon in tandem with a backstage deal for DraftDodging. He...[[BadLiar wasn't very good at hiding his uneasiness]].
* PosthumousCharacter: Long dead before the series began.
* RagsToRiches: One of the few known things about Secretariat’s past is that he wasn't born into money and had to work hard to gain his wealth and reputation, with his status as a ScholarshipStudent helping quite a bit.
* RousingSpeech: Well, he tried putting it as a rousing speech towards his young fan, but it's seriously up for debate whether it is a hopeful or a cynical, unhealthy one. For better or worse, it's what Secretariat believes and [=BoJack=] took such words to heart.
-->''[=BoJack=], when I was your age, I got sad. A lot. I didn't come from such a great home, but one day, I started running, and that seemed to make sense, so then I just kept running. [=BoJack=], when you get sad, you run straight ahead and you keep running forward, no matter what. There are people in your life who are gonna try to hold you back, slow you down, but you don't let them. Don't you stop running and don't you ever look behind you. There's nothing for you behind you. All that exists is what's ahead.''
* ScholarshipStudent: Secretariat got his start in racing by earning a scholarship. It's implied one of the reasons why the famed loss against "Giant Hearted" Sham affected him as much as it did was because it put his scholarship in jeopardy.
* SecondHandStorytelling: Most of his backstory, reasoning for his actions and influence within the story is thrown out during {{flashback}}s, dramatizations through the making of his biopic or small background references peppered throughout seasons 1 & 2.
* TheScottishTrope: A {{biopic}} about his life had been in production since the mid-80s with any attempts to make it often resulting in delays, turnarounds or just sheer DevelopmentHell. The curse believed to be bestowed upon the movie was legend among Hollywoo. It was only in 2014 when the movie finally got underway with Kelsey Jannings as director, Lenny Turtletaub as producer and [=BoJack Horseman=] (one of Secretariat's biggest fans) playing the lead. Even then, the misfortunes occurred during filming certainly reek of this trope: frequent clashes between director, producer and main actor; another actor’s off-set death; delays resulting in a total rewrite of the movie with shift of crew halfway through filming; [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers a repeated face-burning incident]]; and most notably [=BoJack=] disappearing mid-film and a resulting massive ToneShift of a kind not seen before in Hollywoo. Worse, people bought the bullshit version instead of the reality.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: All of his hard work ultimately lead to nothing, and he ended up alone, broke, ruined and much more depressed than before. And then he killed himself.
* SoundOnlyDeath: [[InvertedTrope Inverted.]] He’s shown jumping off the John F. Kennedy Bridge and hitting the water, but the only sound heard is the wind and the traffic on the bridge.
* SpiritualPredecessor: To [=BoJack=]. They've got the same issues and darkness, all right. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're alike in every way, diverging in small but important matters: Secretariat, while receiving blowback from every corner, gave up by comparison much quicker than [=BoJack=], who still seems determined to achieve happiness even if life piles up its case of why he should just give up.
* StepfordSmiler: He's generally very good at hiding it, though it’s especially noticeable when he’s giving an interview after selling out his brother Jeffretariat.
* TragicHero: Either this or a TragicVillain. [=BoJack=] and many others see him as this; a good guy driven to villainous at worst or morally grey at best actions that ultimately lead to his demise. Then, again...
* TragicVillain: Either this or a TragicHero, depending on how one interprets his actions.
* TrappedInVillainy: Comes with the territory of becoming a living PropagandaMachine for one of the most unpopular presidents of your country.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: His response to [=BoJack=]'s letter ends shaping much of his worldview and his problems.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: When he's faced with the possibility of losing his reputation or sending his brother on a suicide mission, he chooses the latter. The [[ShowWithinAShow biopic]] implies the decision tore him up later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jeffretariat]]
-->'''Mentioned in''': [[Recap/BojackHorsemanS2E09TheShot "The Shot"]]

Secretariat's brother, who ended up going to 'Nam in his place and was killed there.
----
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Secretariat's Cain. His brother ends up sending him in his place to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam War, where Jeffretariat is killed.
* CannonFodder: Jeffretariat was enrolled in the army in place of his brother to fight in Vietnam, and got killed for it.
* CynicismCatalyst: Implied to be this for Secretariat. As Kelsey points out, Jeffretariat's death was the moment Secretariat "stopped running".
* TheGhost: He's only mentioned by name, never appearing personally at any point.
* KilledOffscreen: In Vietnam. Not that he was ever on screen, mind you.
* OneSteveLimit: {{Averted|Trope}}. Both Jeff and his brother have similar sounding names, with only the first half being different.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the time of the series, although not because of old age.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He's only mentioned, yet his drafting by the army plays a role in Secretariat's corruption and, it’s implied his death played an even bigger one in [[DespairEventHorizon breaking his brother.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dick Cavett]]

An announcer in TheSeventies whose interview with Secretariat indirectly lead to [=BoJack=] getting bad advice to live by and Secretariat to have a brief moment of depressing clarity.
----
* TheSeventies: The decade in which Dick's show aired. The only show that appears onscreen aired in 1973, to be exact.
* AlternateHistory: In this reality, Dick Cavett apparently interviewed Secretariat in 1973.
* TheAnnouncer: In a similar fashion to Charlie Rose, he is the host of ''The Dick Cavett Show'' and the one who interviews Secretariat about the present charges against him for betting on races and some fan letters that have been received, specifically one from a little boy named [=BoJack=] Horseman...
* CharactersAsDevice: His main purpose is to give some insight into the situation Secretariat finds himself in (and would end up leading to his death) and to read [=BoJack=]'s letter to the racer for him to give some really bad advice to the young colt.
* FourthWallMailSlot: In this case, a version which involved an InUniverse audience rather than real-life people. Dick organized for this to be part of the interview with Secretariat. Needless to say, the first letter being read was [=BoJack=]'s.
* LenoDevice: It is through Dick Cavett's show that some information about Secretariat is revealed: namely, the alleged accusations of him betting on his own races and his thoughts about what to do when feeling sad per little [=BoJack=]'s request.
* MrExposition: His main purpose in the {{Flashback}} ColdOpen of "Later".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Beetles]]

-->'''Mentioned in''': [[Recap/BojackHorsemanS1E02BojackHatesTheTroops "[=BoJack=] Hates The Troops"]]

FictionalCounterpart to ''Music/TheBeatles'', of course.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: They're literal beetles, so it should be obvious why they qualify.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Their appearance in the episode involves a newspaper clip in which they "call[...] quits".
* CelebrityParadox: They exist within the ''[=BoJack=] Horseman'' universe, yet Music/PaulMcCartney appears in season 2 as a human.
* CreatorBreakdown: InUniverse. The group no longer wants to tour, compose or play together.
* FictionalCounterpart: Of ''Music/TheBeatles''.
* PunnyName: The B'''''ee'''''tles.
* VisualPun: Literal beetles.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The reason for their split.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Air Bud]]

-->'''Mentioned in''': [[Recap/BojackHorsemanS1E05LiveFastDianeNguyen "Live Fast, Diane Nguyen"]]

Famous dog celebrity, his bronze statue is shown outside of his eponymous memorial airport.
----
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Taking into account that Air Bud in RealLife was just an intelligent Labrador, this version is anthropomorphic and an accomplished athlete.
* {{Egopolis}}: Has an airport named after him.
* FictionalCounterpart: Of Film/AirBud.
* InMemoriam: InUniverse. Specifically, an airport named ''Air Bud International Airport''.
* RiddleForTheAges: Well, of course Air Bud is known in this world and he's a renowned basketball player, but exactly what are his most famous accomplishments and which were the ones that earned him a monument?
* SlasherSmile: That statue is way too happy...
[[/folder]]

!!The White House

[[folder: Richard Nixon]]
!!!'''Played by''': Brian Huskey

Ehmm...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is it really necessary to explain this one]]? Ok, Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States of America, governing from 1969 to 1974, year in which he resigned from office. As it turns out, he had another shady dealing, this time with Secretariat, about a certain drafting...
----
* AnimalCompanion: Just like his RealLife counterpart, he still has Checkers on his side. Although as his bodyguard rather than a pet.
* AlternateHistory: Obviously, Richard Nixon ''didn't'' make an illegal pact with Secretariat. Even the fact that Checkers was his bodyguard is meant to be taken with a grain of salt.
* BadassBoast: While arguing with Secretariat about letting him skip army recruitment and Secretariat tells him he ''can't'' send him to Vietnam:
--->'''I can do whatever I want. I'm president of the goddamn United States of America.'''
* DealWithTheDevil: He arranges a "quid-pro-quo" with Secretariat inside closed doors when he tries to bargain his way out of being drafted: Secretariat would spouse praise for Nixon, and in exchange, he would send someone else to be recruited in Secretariat's place, a.k.a. his brother, Jeffretariat.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: The shady deal Secretariat had with Nixon was out of concern of falling out of public conscience. When drafting time came, Secretariat chose not to go at the cost of losing his brother, Jeff.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Well, it's UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, but in this case, it's his influence in Secretariat and his actions that lead to Jeffretariat's death, and eventually to Secretariat himself committing suicide.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Yep, Nixon, the archetype for a SleazyPolitician, makes an appearance here. And true to his nature, he makes a pretty amoral action that has major consequences for a major character in the series.
* LargeHam: Nixon turns entitled speeches with extra ego into an art form here.
* MyCard: He has one with a pretty badass statement, with all is said and done. During his BadassBoast above, he asks a second opinion to Checkers about what he just said and he confirms it, pointing out at what's written in his cards.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: "The president of the goddamn United States of America", according to his card.
* ProductPlacement: What Nixon asks in exchange for Secretariat's DraftDodging: he has to stand in favor of Nixon, considering his abysmal popularity.
* RightHandCat: The function of his dog-bodyguard Checkers.
* SleazyPolitician: He's all too willing to make deals on his favor.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: His proposition to Secretariat poses a difficult MoralDilemma for him, one which he loses by accepting, setting off a chain of events leading to his demise.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Checkers]]

Nixon's [[RightHandCat right hand dog]], turned into an anthropomorphic bodyguard here and present during Secretariat's StartOfDarkness.
----
* AlternateHistory: In RealLife, Checkers was the Nixon family's dog during his years as Vice President. Because of this, there was no way he could be Nixon's personal bodyguard.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The real Checkers died in 1964; Nixon's dog while President was an Irish setter named King Timahoe. Of course, [[SmallReferencePools your average viewer is much more likely to recognize the former than the latter]].
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: In this universe, Checkers is not only full blown anthropomorphic, but he's fully clothed, is guarding Nixon in person and actually has a voice. He doesn't use the last one frequently in the one scene he's in.
* AnimalCompanion: Towards ''UsefulNotes/RichardNixon''.
* BadassBaritone[-/-]EvilSoundsDeep: As a consequence of being voiced, Checkers has a deep, graveling, booming tone that stands out even in his one line of dialogue.
* CoolShades: Uses them during Secretariat's encounter with Nixon. Doubles as SunglassesAtNight since it's clearly dark outside.
* TheDragon: From their interactions, it's [[ImpliedTrope implied]] that he's this to ol' Tricky Dick.
* EnigmaticMinion: It's hard to completely tell how much does he know about Nixon's deals or even if he has a saying on the things his boss does. Checkers just stands there and observes in silence the scene unfold. He only speaks when spoken to and backs up his boss when he needs it, but otherwise, his face is unreadable.
* FluffyTheTerrible: An intimidating, quiet bodyguard named Checkers.
* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: Needless to say, he's much tougher than the ''real'' Checkers.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Well, he was the Oval Office's pet during Richard Nixon's presidency.
* MinorMajorCharacter: The right hand of Tricky Dick and probably his most trusted advisor who probably participated in more than one of his boss's schemes; yet, as far as the story is concerned, he only matters because of his presence during [[spoiler: Secretariat's moral compromise.]]
* RightHandAttackDog: He's this to Richard Nixon.
* TheStoic: Doesn't change facial expressions at all during his one scene.
[[/folder]]

!! The Sugarman Family
See [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanFamily The Horseman Family]].

!! The Creamerman Family

[[folder:Corbin Creamerman]]
* See [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOneShotAndBitCharacters One Shot And Bit Characters]] here.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mort Creamerman]]

Powerful businessman and possible partner for Sugarman Sugar Cubes, Mort is the top dog of Creamerman Ice Cream and father of Corbin Creamerman, who is implied to seek a possible alliance by marrying his son to Joseph's daughter, Beatrice. Judging by his son's meek attitude and dislike of his father personally, Mort is implied to just as image-obsessed and bull headed about everything as Joseph is, making both Corbin and Beatrice find a bigger connection than initially believed.
----
* AbusiveParents: Abusive might be too much, but there's little doubt that Corbin isn't exactly an assertive individual or that he has his dreams crushed up by his father. Telling your son that something he values like the company's pasteurization process boils down to "squeezing tit milk" just to make a buck isn't exemplary paternal behavior, at least.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Dismissed much of his son's ideas for the company's future as nothing more than bogus and thinks of the company he loves so much as nothing more than a means to an end rather than something to be nurtured.
* {{Foil}}:
** He and Joseph have different, if still oppressive, parenting skills: Joseph has no problem raising Beatrice as a more refined version of a breeding mare to be sold to the biggest bider which is in tune with the era and women's lack of rights at the time, even if he still gives her the best things money can buy without thinking of giving her any respect; Mort is implied to be upfront and far more brutally honest with Corbin with any particular idea or sense of individualism his son presents dashed immediately. Both are designed to toughen their children for the harsh world, but all it does is make them emotionally distant and resentful.
** By a generation division, Butterscotch and Mort are connected by their personalities: harsh, spiteful, conservative and dismissive of their sons' ideas. One hails from a high-class background and industrialized wealth, the other comes from skid rows and working class parents.
* TheGhost: Never appears on screen and is only mentioned by Joseph Sugarman and Corbin, his son. Considering the time setting in which he's mentioned is around TheSixties, it's most likely he'll never appear.
* GoodOldWays: How he likes to spin keeping to what they know instead of trying his son's "risky" idea, which considering how the next decades panned out, could mean ruin or late success for the FamilyBusiness. While it's ambiguous whether the changing production spelled either fate for Creamermans everywhere, it's safe to say Corbin's vision was vindicated.
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Is uninterested in Corbin's suggestion using vegetable oil instead of milk fat in the 60's, even though that is now the industry standard today.
* JockDadNerdSon: {{Implied|Trope}}. Corbin is nerdy, unassuming, well-groomed and not good with events, people, let alone women. Mort is someone who all things considered is able to exert his will on his only heir and is more visceral and less intellectual about the company.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: PlayedWith. Normally with the theme of generation and progress through time, Mort is very much on the Romantic side, with his adherence to old values and systems on how to run Creamerman Ice Cream...but he's not only dismissive of its sentimental value, he just sees it as business as usual without any need of change fitting his attitude with Enlightenment. His son on the other hand is more passionate about it but seeks a proper way to lead the company to the new era, having obviously learned the true logistics behind the curtain belonging more to the Enlightened camp with a Romantic attitude.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Performer to his son's Technician. This is where all of the bad blood comes from.
[[/folder]]

!!Squeakivus Figures

[[folder:St. Squeaky]]

FolkHero of rodents everywhere. A knight on a mission to face against King Puss Puss, oppressor of his people, to free the persecuted and end his reign of terror. "Squeakivus", a festival in his honor, is held every year to commemorate his victory. Felines, however, may see the festival as [[FantasticRacism "anti-cat"]].
----
* AmbiguouslyChristian: Judging the parallelism between the Stiltons and Euro-Protestants, Squeaky is subjected to this trope as well, with shades of MessianicArchetype. Considering King Puss Puss's image has a likeness to [[https://www.livescience.com/40843-real-dracula-vlad-the-impaler.html Vlad Tepes,]] [[UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler the Impaler]], Squeaky (and the Stiltons) may be Saxon Protestants, which were often victimized by the ''voivode'' of Wallachia.
* AntiHero: If the live representation at Stilton Manor is taken at face value, Squeaky's sole action was to stab King Puss Puss during a vulnerable moment. This, in itself, casts doubt on Squeaky's moral compass, since his actions'd only be viewed as "heroic" by mice because of the King's death, not because it was the right thing to do or because Squeaky himself was a morally righteous mouse.
* BraggingThemeTune: Per tradition, "Squeakivus" has a song which detail his battle against King Puss Puss. It does so [[TheVillainSucksSong by dissing the tyrant]]...and [[GuiltByAssociation insulting cats as a race]].
-->''I'm positively evil''\\
''I'm nasty and smelly''\\
''So I'll take my sword''\\
''And stab you in the belly''
* CustomUniform: A traditional gilded suit of plate, courtesy of being knight. His picture, most likely due to invoking his image at its prime, has him solely using this.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Squeaky fought King Puss Puss, one of the most dreaded monsters in history, and won by stabbing him in the gut.
* EyesAlwaysShut: The only picture of him, shown when Ralph explains "Squeakivus" to Princess Carolyn, has him kneeling with his eyes closed.
* GreaterScopeParagon: From the same branch as Secretariat, Squeaky's actions seemed to have marked a "before" and "after" for persecuted European mice everywhere, with his killing of King Puss Puss coming at a time where most Saxon Protestant rodents were fleeing for their lives across the sea with nothing more than swiss cheese for food. Unlike the race horse, Squeaky has been canonized as a saint with a festivity named and centered around him for all descendants of those horrific times to celebrate. However, this much talked history and its implications in modern society has done little to help the rarity of interspecies prey-predator dating, with the over-blown "anti-cat" message being accepted even by mice who know this CatsAreMean ideology to be wrong, yet still expecting the tradition to be respected.
* TheHero: Of "Squeakivus".
* TheKingslayer: Much like [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireTheKingsguard its forebearer]], Squeaky killed Puss Puss with his own sword. Whether he did it by stabbing him in the gut when turning around isn't explained, but it was by his hand, that's for sure.
* KnightInShiningArmor: He's portrayed as righteous, kind and noble, ideals a knight should aspire to have.
* MemeticBadass: InUniverse, it's possible Squeaky did kill King Puss Puss with one stroke of sword, but the over-the-top nature of the song and obvious bias as mice "pride" makes it doubtful it was as quick as the story says. Whatever Squeaky's fighting prowess was, he'll always be remembered as the one who killed the maniac cat with no effort.
* OneHitKill: One thrust of the pointy end and King Puss Puss was no more. At least, that's how the story goes and how it's represented every year in "Squeakivus".
-->''Oh, right in the cat gut!''
* OnlyOneName: May be had a surname, but legend has him pegged as "Squeaky". Just "Squeaky".
* TheParagon: To the Euro-rodent race. Felines don't quite disagree, but find the glorification of Squeaky at the cost of demonizing the entire cat race insulting.
* PatronSaint: Canonized as a saint after death and revered by Protestant rodents as such ever since for his heroic actions.
* PrepareToDie: The last verse of his traditional song, sung to the King himself.
* {{Tyrannicide}}: Part of his importance within the story (InUniverse and out), he put an end to the omnicidal ambitions of a mad cat king by stabbing him in the gut. This led to both the sparing of unmeasurable innocent lives of mice who's only crime was probably having a different religion, proper escape for immigrants rodents to other countries and the end of a long reign of terror. In a way, his whole story could be read as that of the weakling beating the large giant and saving the kingdom. Squeaky's legacy has been a mixed bag: true, his tale is revered and gives hope to the descendants of those persecuted as that of reliance and bravery, without which the land would have bled; however, such fanaticism has expanded beyond ascending Squeaky to "saint" status, focusing on the {{demonization}} of cats of all kind, with King Puss Puss becoming nothing more than a figure of hatred, a stand-in for all felines, good or otherwise. This is the main reason why "Squeakivus" isn't viewed as progressive as it should be: when it reduces people to stereotypes for the sake of a good story, the caste system isn't destroyed, just turned on its head.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:King Puss Puss]]
* AristocratsAreEvil: The biggest authority of the kingdom, wealthy, noble and an OmnicidalManiac with religious fanaticism.
* AssholeVictim: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. Whatever people's opinion of Squeaky may be, there's no doubt he made the world a favor by wasting this monarch. Problem is, by putting Squeaky on a pedestal (somewhat reasonable) and painting Puss Puss as a bastard that had to be killed (correct), descendants of the original survivors have developed a more overarching fanaticism (read:hating on all cats instead of just one) without admitting their InnocentBigot tendencies.
* CatsAreMean: Huge understatement but considering his peers in the series, played as straight as an arrow.
* FictionalCounterpart: His picture is a point-by-point replica of [[UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler Vlad Tepes of Wallachia]] and his story is similar to the persecution led by Tepes of Saxon Protestants due to religious fanaticism.
* GuiltByAssociation: Puss Puss's actions have eternally cast a shadow on felines in the eyes of Protestant mice.
* HateSink: An OmnicidalManiac with blood lust, cruel to the core and responsible for major massacres of mice in Europe, whose legacy has made cats hated by the survivors' descendants. Unless it's [[Anime/HellsingUltimate Alucard]], a FictionalCounterpart of Vlad Tepes isn't going to be sympathetic.
* TheSociopath: Being the FictionalCounterpart of a well-known psycho and organizing the massacre of millions of lives, this king doesn't hide his LackOfEmpathy and insanity.
* TheVillainSucksSong: "Squeakivus"'s traditional song extorts the virtues of St. Squeaky....by deriding and calling King Puss Puss all but a bastard. The song is still fearfully respectful of how much of a monster he was, however.
-->''Look at me''\\
''I'm a dumb cat king''\\
''I'm an ugly, mean, fat thing''\\
''Innocent mice will feel my wrath''\\
''I'm a stinky cat''\\
''Who never takes a bath''
[[/folder]]
----

* {{Foil}}: To his SpiritualSuccessor, [=BoJack=]. Both came from really shitty conditions to become famous superstars in horse racing and acting, respectively. Like [=BoJack=], Secretariat has done a lot of sacrifices for his career, including leaving a loved one out to dry: in Secretariat's case, getting his brother Jeff drafted to 'Nam in his place; [=BoJack=]'s, selling out his mentor Herb fro a chance at playing Secretariat, ironically and both are constantly haunted and feeling incomplete about their lives. The only difference is that while Secretariat allowed his fears and failures to consume him, [=BoJack=] has constantly bounced and learned from his while continuing walking in an uncertain road.

* TheScottishTrope: A {{biopic}} about his life had been in production since the mid-80s with any attempts to make it often resulting in delays, turnarounds or just sheer DevelopmentHell. The curse believed to be bestowed upon the movie was legend among Hollywoo. It was only in 2014 when the movie finally got underway with Kelsey Jannings as director, Lenny Turtletaub as producer and BoJack Horseman (one of Secretariat's biggest fans) playing the lead. Even then, the misfortunes occurred during filming certainly reek of this trope: frequent clashes between director, producer and main actor; another actor’s off-set death; delays resulting in a total rewrite of the movie with shift of crew halfway through filming; [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers a repeated face-burning incident]]; and most notably Bojack disappearing mid-film and a resulting massive ToneShift of a kind not seen before in Hollywoo. Worse, people bought the bullshit version instead of the reality.

* TragicHero: Either this or a TragicVillain. BoJack and many others see him as this; a good guy driven to villainous at worst or morally grey at best actions that ultimately lead to his demise. Then, again...

* BrokenPedestal: To the rest of the world once his illegal betting was discovered, and eventually to Bojack as well. As much as he admires him, even the horse starts to realize what an utter train wreck his hero was. That being said, he still looks up to him while acknowledging him as flawed, with the Lighter and Softer approach of his story in the Biopic being one of BoJack's major complaints about it.

* HeroWorshipper: Besides, his fame and many fans, he's got a BigNameFan in the form of [=BoJack=].

* ScholarshipStudent: Secretariat got his start in racing by earning a scholarship, partly to get out of his broken home. One of the reasons why the famed loss against "Giant Hearted" Sham affected him as much as it did was because it put his scholarship in jeopardy.
* SecondHandStorytelling: Most of his backstory, reasoning for his actions and influence within the story is thrown out during {{flashback}}s, dramatization through the making of his biopic or small background references peppered through the series.
* TheScottishTrope: A {{biopic}} about his life (beginnings, rise, fall) has been in production since the mid-80s with any attempts done often resulting in delays, turnarounds or just sheer DevelopmentHell. The curse believed to be bestowed upon the movie is legend among Hollywoo. It was only during 2014 when the movie blasted off with Kelsey Jannings as director, Lenny Turtletaub as producer and [=BoJack=] Horseman (one of Secretariat's biggest fans) playing the lead. Even then, the misfortunes occurred during filming certainly reek of this trope: there's assistant Debra burning her face; frequent clashes between director, producer and actor; Corduroy Jackson-Jackson's off-screen set death; delays resulting in a total rewrite of the movie with shift of crew halfway through filming; [=BoJack=] seemingly disappearing and a ToneShift the size never once seen in Hollywoo. Worse, people bought the bullshit version instead of reality.
* ShootTheDog: How he appears to rationalize his selling out of Jeffretariat: it's not a good thing, but if it keeps his career afloat and provides a recruit for UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, then it has to be done.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: All of his hard work, a solid and long-term built reputation and a good lifestyle, leads to nothing. At the end, he's alone, broke, ruined and much more depressed than before. And then he kills himself.
* SoundOnlyDeath: To a degree. It ''is'' shown onscreen when he jumps out of the John F. Kennedy Bridge but the only (supposed) confirmation of his death is when a splash is heard.

* StepfordSmiler: He's really good at hiding it, though. One takes a look at him and there doesn't seem to be anything troubling him. Get beyond that mask, just like [=BoJack=] or his brother's death did, and you'll see how truly sad and lonely he feels despite his success.
* TalkingYourWayOut: How does he manage to skip drafting? Offering good publicity in exchange of sending someone else in his place, of course!
* TragicHero: How he's viewed by [=BoJack=] and the majority of people; a good guy driven to villainous at worst or morally grey at best actions that ultimately lead to his demise. Then, again...
* TragicVillain: Seeing how much is left up in the air, he could also be this. Secretariat can be classified as the former or the latter, depending on the interpretation.
* TrappedInVillainy: Comes with the territory of becoming a living PropagandaMachine for one of the most unpopular presidents of your country. Likewise, he sealed the deal with promises of good PR in exchange for no war draft, but he most likely knew that if he ever stopped, Nixon could make his career crumble. Screwed one way or the other, but at least one path wouldn't have led to a full-time compromise.

* WasItReallyWorthIt: Had two brief instances of this through his life.
** The first one happened during his first loss in racing when sitting along and reflecting about the possibility of losing his scholarship and the death of [[ArchnemesisDad his father]], Secretariat reflects on the choices he's made so far in silence. [[IgnoredEpiphany This stops once his trainer enters the locker rooms]].
** The second one happened after he learned of Jeff's death in 'Nam and suffers a brief collapse in Nixon's office. In Kelsey Jannings's words:
-->''"But this moment is bigger than that. This is the moment that Secretariat stops running. Because this is the moment you realize something inside you is broken, and it can never be fixed."''
** During a brief moment, probably before committing suicide by jumping of the bridge, Secretariat contemplates everything he has done that has brought him to this point and wonders if it really paid off. No, it didn't. And so it ends.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: When he's faced with the possibility of losing his reputation or sending his brother on a suicide mission, he chooses the latter. This decision ends up tearing him up later in life.

* AbusiveParents: {{Implied|Trope}} to have gone through the exact same hell Secretariat went through.
* BigBrotherWorship: {{Implied|Trope}} as well. Being the youngest out of the two, Jeff looked up to Secretariat the way many younger siblings look up to their older brothers. Coming from the same abusive household, the two were certainly thick as thieves. It only made it more tragic to think about when this was most likely the reason Jeff caved in to the idea of going to Vietnam in his brother's place.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to Secretariat's Cain. His brother ends up sending in his place to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam War and ends up being killed there.
* CannonFodder: Jeffretariat was enrolled within the army impromptu without any notice or training for the sake of his brother, neither of which did a good job of preparing him to be an imperative part of his platoon or someone who had the basic skills to survive.
* CharacterDeath: Killed in 'Nam.
* CynicismCatalyst: As Kelsey so accurately points out, Jeffretariat's death was the moment Secretariat "stopped running".
* DealWithTheDevil: As part of the deal his brother made with UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, Jeffretariat ends being used as a pawn to prevent the collapse of Secretariat's career ''and'' still ensure the patriotism in the public's opinion.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the SacrificialLamb. Jeffretariat's life was cut short by 'Nam, but he most likely had his story, his dreams, his own life, yet all people remember him today for is his connection to his ''much more known'' brother Secretariat and the way his death triggered his descent into suicide.
* {{Foil}}: To [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanFamily [=CrackerJack=] Sugarman]] through a generational distance. Like [=CrackerJack=], Jeffretariat was the brother of one of the pivotal influences in [=BoJack=] himself during his childhood (Jeff being his hero Secretariat's brother, [=CrackerJack=] his mother Beatrice's), was drafted for a war (WWII and 'Nam, respectively) and their deaths cause their siblings' situation in life go FromBadToWorse. There's tragedy in both cases, albeit diverging: Jeff is essentially forced into service in Secretariat's place and [=CrackerJack=], like many kids his age, doesn't realize the full extent of what he's signing for.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: When his brother's faced with the possibility of losing his reputation or sending Jeffretariat on a suicide mission, he chooses the latter. This decision ends up tearing him up later in life and one can only imagine how poor Jeff reacted.
* TheGenericGuy: PlayedForDrama. His relative blandness is the reason why he's only remembered as "Secretariat's brother".
* TheGhost: He's only mentioned by name, never appearing personally in "The Shot". Given what happens next, it's doubtful he'll ever appear.
* KilledOffscreen: Not that he was ever on screen, mind you.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: Secretariat broke out an agreement with Richard Nixon for his brother to take his place in the army in exchange of using his image as a way to propel Nixon's abysmal popularity, partly out of fear of falling out of public attention and losing the one talent he had.

* SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome: Poor Jeff is subject to this; even if he had survived to old age, he was never destined to be anything but the shadow of his brother Secretariat. Simple fact: Secretariat had the looks, the charm, the talent, the racing accomplishments and everyone's adoration on his side. Jeff was by comparison an average joe whose love and determination for his older brother made him a lackey for his orders, even when it went against his better judgement. InUniverse, his only relevance within the story is his relationship with his brother and how his death impacted him rather than any mention of his life, who he was, anything. In a rather unusual way, it's his lack of mention, features and how he's overshadowed by his brother what makes his story much more tragic: just as irrelevant in death as he was in life.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He's just mentioned, yet his drafting by the army plays a role in Secretariat's corruption and his death plays an even ''bigger'' one in breaking his brother, leading to his death.

* TheAce: A famous celebrity horse who not only was a top racer, but a role model for people everywhere and beloved by those around him.
* AdaptationalBadass: While Secretariat was (and is still remembered) as one of the grand racers in the sport, his later life was stumped by increased legal problems, addictions, mental issues and family trouble which lead to his termination in disgrace. Furthermore, while he was characterized by media as a patriot[[labelnote:*]]due to a rumored behind-scenes deal with then president, Richard Nixon[[/labelnote]], he was never involved in any particularly important race against the Russians. Post-hiatus of filming ''Secretariat: A Biopic'', one of the changes made to enhance the "all true" story of the tragic racing horse is... repair his broken life and train until being able to go toe to toe against the Commie racers at a time when he already should be dead. [[FlatWhat WHAT]]. The movie's Secretariat, due to eliminating internal turmoil from the equation, not only doesn't run out of steam at any point in his life, he's still particularly in his prime when he enters a race against the still-URSS strong Russian competitors.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Probably the biggest departure from the source in terms of accuracy for his {{biopic}}. Secretariat was far from a bad guy himself, being a good chap that would be humble enough to make public appearances in talk shows, had a pretty biting wit and was nothing but accommodating to his fans, even agreeing to do a Q&A on-air in ''The Dick Cavett Show'' of letters. But that was only one of his sides, by other accounts, he was a rather shady persona himself: there were rumors about his excesses in everything including addiction to all types of drugs and ConspicuousConsumption of all kinds of extravagances. He was also very difficult to work with, in no small part due to his [[MoodSwinger changing moods]] and frequent bouts of depression; his fame was so important to him that there's a very well-documented infamous deal that involved reaching to Richard Nixon himself and discussing an exchange in which Jeffretariat, Secretariat's brother, would be send in his place for drafting while he would become Nixon's PropagandaMachine; not to say about betting in his own races, ultimately leading to banning from any competition. In the film, Secretariat is portrayed as a rather amiable guy who has no mean bone sin his body, treats everyone respectfully, often offers to teach Latin wannabe-gangbangers to give them a better future and is basically a Commie-bashin' patriotic bloody-national hero with no hangups.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Far from the initial pitch, since general interest in Secretariat's story at least from [=BoJack=] Horseman and Kelsey Jannings' perspective was to retrace step by step the plights of a well-beloved figure from early ascension to stardom to Shakespearian fall and demise in realistic, down-to-earth way which of course would involve showing Secretariat's less than noble traits and deplorable actions in a humanizing light. After creative differences lead to Jannings's dismissal, several tweaks are made to its subject's personality:
** He's nothing but personable to anyone [[labelnote:Explanation]]which the real one was, but in a more reserved manner and as an attempt to reinforce his own vision of self-worth as someone beloved and valued by all[[/labelnote]] and seeks to repair his mistakes without blaming anyone for his setbacks [[labelnote:Explanation]]the real one didn't as well....unless he was questioned or desperate[[/labelnote]].
** He's more open to love, mushy, romantic and willing to show his more vulnerable side to a lover [[labelnote:Explanation]]there's no record of Secretariat's love life, but from what's revealed from his other personal relationship, it's doubtful it was less than stormy[[/labelnote]].
** He's shown doing charity work and acting as a sage master to guide people toward a better path in life[[labelnote:Explanation]]the real one never did that[[/labelnote]].
** Since he's no longer stressed out and has a better grasp on how much more precious relationships are to his life, Movie!Secretariat has no KickTheDog and no KickTheMoralityPet moments and is portrayed as much more balance person as a result.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: ''Secretariat: A Biopic'' 's TroubledProduction sees him ascend from a RealLife TragicHero with [[ByronicHero brooding qualities]] who ended up his life in misery to an eternally optimistic, inspirational-cliche spouting, invincible hero who ends up his life with no regrets.
* AdaptationalUgliness: Secretariat, when alive, was the living embodiment of well-groomed social etiquette, the closest an anthropomorphic horse has been to being a PrettyBoy which in tandem with his gracious personality made him exude an irresistible charm. Secretariat in TheMovie is played by [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorseHimself [=BoJack=] Horseman]], who is 20 years older than Secretariat at the time of his death and in addition to his eyebags, has a gut and several wrinkles which clearly are signs of someone older than his late 30s.
* AdviceBackfire: See ALessonLearnedTooWell and RousingSpeech below. Not really helpful at all.
* AllForNothing: After all he has sacrificed, making a deal with Nixon, selling out his brother, just to continue peddling his career in racing, he's banned from doing so after illegally betting on his favor in races. Having nothing left, he ends his life by jumping off a bridge.
* AlternateHistory: InUniverse and out.
** It goes without saying that the real Secretariat was not DrivenToSuicide at the age of 27 after getting caught betting on his own races or had a brother named Jeffretariat that was killed in 'Nam. In fact, the scene with Secretariat reading Bojack's fan letter at the height of his career specifically takes place in 1973, when the real Secretariat was three years old. Though that ''was'' the year the real Secretariat was retired, the real Secretariat also lived well into 1989. [[note]]Horses live an average of 25-30 years, meaning this is about equivalent to a human dying in their fifties.[[/note]]
** Where do we begin listing the ArtisticLicenseHistory involved in his long overdue {{biopic}}?
*** As detailed above in AdaptationalBadass, AdaptationalHeroism and AdaptationalPersonalityChange, everything about Secretariat's life, moral ambiguity and moody personality is gone, making this Secretariat InNameOnly. The real Secretariat was only momentarily NiceToTheWaiter, was an emotional mess and later in life, lost his ability to keep away from debts or gambling compulsion.
*** Secretariat never married or had any children, dying in his late twenties.
*** In RealLife, Secretariat committed suicide by jumping off the John F. Kennedy memorial bridge in 1973, rather than going in for a swim there with his girlfriend Sue Side.
*** Secretariat never taught in any school or entered any international competition where he would go face-to-face against Soviet participants.
* AmbiguousSituation: According to ''Secretariat: A Biopic'', Secretariat may have been involved or at least a suspect in a {{kneecapping}} of a Pinto competitor during one of his races, getting defensive when accused of it. Whether it was true or not is never clarified, with the ShowWithinAShow making of the movie been coy about the facts as well.
* AntagonisticOffspring: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Secretariat never got along with his father, seeing him as a failure and an abusive bastard. Soon as he got an scholarship for sports, he left the family home, never intending on looking back with his sight on the future laying ahead. However, there's never any mention of Secretariat outright dissing his father, more of an "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy. Still, he reportedly fell into a slump when he was sent to the glue factory.
* AntiRoleModel: As shown below in ALessonLearnedTooWell, while he was a better figure to his fans, Secretariat's upbringing made it impossible for him to diverge from the damage his past had on him. Instead, he would imprint the ''bad answers'' to those issues onto others, such as little Bojack.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: A tragic example. Despite hating the former and selling out the latter, when both his father and brother died, Secretariat collapsed entirely.
* BecauseImGoodAtIt: He ''loved'' running and being the best there was, he adhered and made a career out of it. Having a bad past whom he wanted to leave behind, he focused on moving forward. The career meant everything to him. [[DeconstructedTrope To the point where he was willing to resort to any means to keep it...]]
* BelatedLoveEpiphany: Judging from his reticence to talk about his home life, Secretariat wasn't too fond of his father when they were both alive. Only when his father was sent to the knacker, Secretariat had a breakdown and came to terms about how he felt about him.
* BeneathTheMask: Underneath the smooth-talking, well-groomed and successful racer lies a very fragile, depressed and battered down horse with deep rooted issues and a desperate need to be relevant and at the top of his game.
* BigNameFan: Has one in the form of [=BoJack=] Horseman from ''JustForFun/HorsinAround'' who venerates and sees Secretariat as a role model since he was 8, longing to play him in a long held-up adaptation of his life. Unlike a certain Mr. Peanutbutter with his personal idol, [=BoJack=] ''does'' understand that his hero is as flawed as they come. [[invoked]]
* BrokenAce: Deep down, he was shown to have several emotional problems, childhood trauma issues, depression and was constantly running away from his problems. Once that option was forced away from him, he committed suicide at an early age.
* BrokenBird: If he's telling the truth, his childhood was anything but pleasant. He even seems close to breaking down when talking about it in ''The Dick Cavett Show''.
* BrokenPedestal: To the rest of the world and eventually to [=BoJack=] as well. The last one is especially interesting: As much as he admires him, even the horse starts to realize what an utter train wreck his hero was. That being said, he still looks up to him and acknowledges him as flawed, with the LighterAndSofter approach of his story in the {{Biopic}} being one of [=BoJack=]'s major complaints about it.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: The race against "Giant Hearted" Sham, as presented in the {{Biopic}}, was the first race of many that Secretariat lost and is considered the beginning of his downfall. Perhaps not coincidental, his father had been sent to the glue factory that day so maybe he wasn't in his best game at that time.
* CainAndAbel: Sold out his brother, Jeffretariat, as a replacement recruit to be drafted to Vietnam, where he was then killed.
* CharacterDeath: Jumped off the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge after being banned for life from racing again.
* CigaretteOfAnxiety: During an interview after making the deal with Nixon and winning another trophy, Secretariat takes several puffs of a cigarette while talking about how big of a hero his brother Jeffretariat is for "fighting the reds" and how much of a groovy dude is President Nixon. Notably, the ExhaustedEyebags return briefly.
* CloseToHome: Why he ends up answering Bojack's letter: he identifies with him because of their similar backgrounds and insecurities. Unfortunately, because he's just as lost as the little guy is, the advice he gives him leads him down the same path of running away from his problems.
* {{Conscription}}: As revealed in "The Shot", Secretariat was due to sign for tour duty in the Army during the Vietnam War at the peak of his career. Because of the inevitable fading that happens to stars when they're away from the public eye for too long, Secretariat decided to try to argue his way out of it. Eventually, ol' Tricky Dick suggested an exchange that could benefit them both. See DraftDodging below.
* TheDandy: Always dressed with the best suits for every occasion.

* DarkestHour: The aftermath of his race against "Giant Hearted" Sham, which he lost. Just sitting in the changing rooms, looking gloomy and feeling like shit. Just all of the tragedies have piled up that day and then his manager comes in and asks him about an incident about the competitor's leg...
** A second, worst one happened when he was accused of betting on his own races and eventually banned from racing. Broke and disgraced, he looks down the water under the John F. Kennedy memorial bridge and simply puts an end to his misery.
* DealWithTheDevil: Well, it's UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, but since he trades good PR (and his brother's life) to avoid army drafting and the collapse of his career, it still counts as an example.
* DeathByDespair: Losing everything you have will do that to you, especially if you have depression and you jump out of a bridge.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of what it means to be TheParagon, sun kissed and naturally talented, especially [[StepfordSmiler the enormous emotional toll]] of appearing flawless to the public when the entirety of your career and image might be a coping mechanism to escape your troubled past (as well your success based on the public's love) and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope how far would anyone go to ensure they would remain someone for people to look up to]]. [[DrivenToSuicide His fate]] just proves how bad things can get when the spotlight is taken away from such character in his DarkestHour.
** Of the BrokenHero. Secretariat was [[DarkAndTroubledPast born and raised into a broken home and had a horrible childhood]] which he prefers not to remember, but [[RagsToRiches he eventually managed to rise from it]] and become a famous, renowned celebrity race horse with all the luxuries, status and reverence anyone could ask, all while remaining unwilling to sink into self-despair [[TheParagon by trying to be as nice, accommodating and helpful as possible with other people who remind him of his past situation]]. However, as things get more and more complicated, Secretariat starts to crack and reveal how truly screwed-up he is to the point that his need to remain in control, retain what he has earned over the years and simply refusing to deal with his issues and bad decisions [[FatalFlaw starts to cloud his better judgement]]. Eventually, all of his mistakes and personal tragedies catch up to him and lead him to an early grave.
** Of TheCharmer. Secretariat's fame was not just owed to his prowess in the racing fields; his large than life sense of humor and charisma would no doubt help, with everyone seeing him as someone beyond any flaws, to be admired, respected and beloved. As such, people (fans like [=BoJack=] especially) would project upon that perception, looking up to him and trying to perceive as what they needed him to be. As such, Secretariat was happy to comply with them in acting as the person they needed to see and imitate...but, deep down he knew he wasn't. Whatever everyone saw him as was nothing but a façade, role he felt had to keep playing out of fear people would dig deeper and recoil in horror and sadness at the real him, at the broken pony in the center. Eventually, giving people what they wanted without ever receiving anything in return or opening to someone hollowed him out completely, not to say made him dependent on others for "love" which would lead him to seek to keep that status no matter the cost...
* DespairEventHorizon: No longer being able to race, Secretariat committed suicide after finding out the things he had done to keep himself racing weren't worth the toll in his spirit.

* DrivenToSuicide: See DeathByDespair and DespairEventHorizon above.
* ExhaustedEyebags: During the pep talk he gives [=BoJack=] during a Q&A in The Dick Cavett Show, he starts sporting this despite not having them before, implying that the colt's letter hit him quite hard.
* FallenHero: Everyone's faith and love for him was shattered the moment they caught him betting in his favor in the races. By the time of his death, he had become a joke and nothing more than a rebuffed former celebrity.

* {{Foil}}:
** To his SpiritualSuccessor, [=BoJack=]. Both came from really shitty conditions to become famous superstars in horse racing and acting, respectively. Like [=BoJack=], Secretariat has done a lot of sacrifices for his career, including leaving a loved one out to dry: in Secretariat's case, getting his brother Jeff drafted to 'Nam in his place; [=BoJack=]'s, selling out his mentor Herb fro a chance at playing Secretariat, ironically and both are constantly haunted and feeling incomplete about their lives. The only difference is that while Secretariat allowed his fears and failures to consume him, [=BoJack=] has constantly bounced and learned from his while continuing walking in an uncertain road. Only time will tell if he ends up the same as his hero.
** To Hank Hippopopalous. Both of them are the role models of two of the protagonists (Secretariat for [=BoJack=], Hank for Mr. Peanutbutter); and both have ''hell of dark sides''. Secretariat's train wreck of a life is well-known today by all of Hollywoo and is acknowledged as flawed by everyone, Hank is thought to be the symbol of IncorruptiblePurePureness ([[TheSociopath even when it's far from the truth]]). Overall, Secretariat's the GoodCounterpart to Hank, since in spite of his many listed transgressions, he's not as cold-hearted as the hippo.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: When faced with the possibility of losing his reputation or sending his brother Jeffretariat on a suicide mission, Secretariat chooses the latter. This decision ends up tearing him up later in life.
* GreaterScopeParagon: An odd mixture with GreaterScopeVillain, Secretariat is a grand figure in Hollywoo history and within horse racing, the protagonist of a modern greek tragedy and one of the best equine athletes within the game. Fame, recognition, women, awards, standing at the top with every mortal looking up to him for inspiration; even today, when his disgraces and backstabs are well known and documented, Secretariat is still considered a living landmark and fondly remembered by a lot of people and believed to have had an untimely passing. Still, his story and glorification as a figure of veneration has influenced several people to follow in his footsteps, flaws and all. His actions while still living may have costed a Pinto his career and his own brother Jeffretariat his life. Not to say, his horrible, ''horrible'' advice was a key part in the construction of the emotional trainwreck [=BoJack=] Horseman who has ruined quite a lot of lives.

* HesitationEqualsDishonesty: C'mon, as soon as Secretariat took a moment to catch air before saying President Nixon "[was] a groovy dude", everyone knew he was full of it.

* HistoricalInJoke: Secretariats first racing loss against "Giant Hearted" Sham, which is one of the iconic scenes in the biopic, is a reference to the real Secretariats "rival" Sham, who beat him in the 1973 Wood Memorial (though only coming in second, the actual winner being a stallion named Angle Light). This was seen as a huge upset at the time. Ironically, despite the impact the loss had on the fictional Secretariat, in real life Sham would go on to become AlwaysSecondBest to Secretariat.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Secretariat rationalized selling out his brother as a replacement within Army drafting for the Vietnam War as a necessary sacrifice to remain in the public's mind and keep his fame intact. However, if Kelsey's claims are to be believed, his breakdown upon hearing of his brother's death and soon-to-follow suicide implies his snapping out of this mentality was the thing that broke him.
* IconicSequelCharacter: He was just talked about in season 1, when his long awaited biopic finally seemed on the verge of being made. It was on season 2 when his life was [[AmbiguousSituation (mostly)]] shown during {{flashback}}s and the shooting of his biography.
* ImpliedDeathThreat: According to ''Secretariat: A Biopic'', once his coach accused him of CripplingTheCompetition.
-->'''Secretariat''': You really think I'm the guy who busted that pinto's leg? 'Cause if I am, you should be a lot more goddamn scared of me.
* ImYourBiggestFan: A fan of his, [=BoJack=] Horseman, who wrote a fan letter to him in his childhood, as an adult ended up playing him in a later film about his life and was one of the few who tried to keep it a WartsAndAll approach.
* KickTheDog:
** He sent his brother to the figurative knacker just to keep himself in the spotlight.
** If the Kelsey-era {{biopic}} is to be believed, [[AmbiguousSituation he may or may not]] have been involved in a {{kneecapping}} of a rival Pinto in one of his races.
* KickTheMoralityPet: Judging by his reaction when he was informed of his death, Secretariat must have truly cared for his brother Jeff. This only underscores what a truly horrid thing he did by trading lives with him for a chance of a longer stay in the spotlight.

* ALessonLearnedTooWell: A [[{{Flashback}} Flashback]] to [[TheSeventies 1973]] show little Bojack watching his hero, Secretariat, answer his letter in TV, about what to do if you feel sad. [[BrokenAce Secretariat]], relating [[CloseToHome to this feeling]], tells him what he did: he found out he was good at racing, and he kept doing it, just running... It didn't [[YouCantFightFate turn out so well]], either [[DespairEventHorizon for]] [[DrivenToSuicide Secretariat]] OR [[BrokenBird Bojack.]]

* LetsYouAndHimFight: Sent his brother to be drafted by the army, just to avoid being sent himself.
* MortalityPhobia: Secretariat knows he's going to die eventually, but it's hard for him to get accustomed to the idea. Being forgotten as time goes by is something he ''won't'' accept, though. He'd rather sell those he loves than seeing his star fade away. By the end, he might have embraced the Reaper a bit too much.
* {{Narcissist}}: A rare [[http://www1.appstate.edu/~hillrw/Narcissism/stylescompensatory.html compensatory]] example. Secretariat found his worth when he discovered himself good at racing and as such, tried to maintain the perception that he was happy with the way his life turned out, those superficial feelings being the result of improving himself. Once that ability to run away from everything was taken out, every single crushing reality came down towards him, leading to suicide.

* PrettyBoy: As close as an anthropomorphic equine can approach to this trope. Being TheAce with fame and fortune galore, he also had the looks and groom to show off. This, besides the age gap, is also one of Turtletaub and Kelsey's primary concerns for [=BoJack=] playing him: unlike Secretariat, he has ''not'' aged well.
* RagsToRiches: Not a lot of Secretariat's past is revealed: he and his brother didn't have the best of childhoods and this fact impulsed him to become successful. But one of the few known things was this: Secretariat wasn't born with any money, he had to work to gain wealth and reputation with his status as a ScholarshipStudent helping quite a bit.
* ReactionShot: A close up to Secretariat's face during the reading of [=BoJack=]'s letter shows him developing wrinkles below his eyelids as if just hearing about his problems is affecting and touching a sore spot for him.
* RedHeadedHero: For [[AntiHero a measure of it]].

[[center: [- [[Characters/BojackHorseman Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimself [=BoJack=] Horseman]] ([[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesAToD A-D]], [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesEToK E-K]], [[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorsemanHimselfTropesLToZ L-Z]])| [[Characters/BojackHorsemanPrincessCarolyn Princess Carolyn]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanDianeNguyen Diane Nguyen]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMrPeanutbutter Mr. Peanutbutter]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanToddChavez Todd Chávez]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHollywooResidentsAndOtherStars Hollywoo Residents and Other Stars]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanLAResidents L.A. Residents]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMBNNetwork MBN]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHorsinAroundCastAndCrew Horsin Around Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanSarahLynn Sarah Lynn]] |[[Characters/BojackHorsemanSecretariatBiopicCastAndCrew Secretariat Biopic Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVigorAgency Vigor]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVIMAgency VIM Agency]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanGekkoRabbinowitzAgencies Gekko-Rabbinowitz Agencies]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOneShotAndBitCharacters One Shot and Bit Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMainGroupFamilyMembers The Main Group Family Members]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanFamily The Horseman Family]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanBeatriceSugarmanHorseman Beatrice Sugarman-Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanButterscotchHorseman Butterscotch Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTesuqueNM Tesuque, New Mexico]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMooreCarsons The Moore-Carsons]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanCharlotteMooreCarson Charlotte Moore-Carson]] | '''Historical Characters''' | [[Characters/HorsinAround "Horsin' Around" Characters]] | [[Characters/MrPeanutbuttersHouse "Mr. Peanutbutter's House" Characters]] | [[Characters/WandaPiercesJokes Wanda Pierce's Jokes]] | [[Characters/SecretariatBiopic "Secretariat" Biopic Characters]]]]-]

* FictionalCounterpart: To RealLife racing horse [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse) Secretariat]]. There are a few changes to the history, though.

* FamedInStory: He's still remembered as a tragic figure in HorseRacing, with books being written about him and multiple (un)successful attempts to make a motion picture out of his life.

[[center: [- [[Characters/BojackHorseman Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorseHimself [=BoJack=] Horseman]] ([[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorseHimselfTropesAToD A-D]], [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorseHimselfTropesEToK E-K]], [[Characters/BoJackHorsemanTheHorseHimselfTropesLToZ L-Z]])| [[Characters/BojackHorsemanPrincessCarolyn Princess Carolyn]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanDianeNguyen Diane Nguyen]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMrPeanutbutter Mr. Peanutbutter]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanToddChavez Todd Chávez]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHollywooResidentsAndOtherStars Hollywoo Residents and Other Stars]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanLAResidents L.A. Residents]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanMBNNetwork MBN]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanHorsinAroundCastAndCrew Horsin Around Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanSarahLynn Sarah Lynn]] |[[Characters/BojackHorsemanSecretariatBiopicCastAndCrew Secretariat Biopic Cast And Crew]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVigorAgency Vigor]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanVIMAgency VIM Agency]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanGekkoRabbinowitzAgencies Gekko-Rabbinowitz Agencies]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOneShotAndBitCharacters One Shot and Bit Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMainGroupFamilyMembers The Main Group Family Members]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheHorsemanFamily The Horseman Family]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanBeatriceSugarmanHorseman Beatrice Sugarman-Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanButterscotchHorseman Butterscotch Horseman]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTesuqueNM Tesuque, New Mexico]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanTheMooreCarsons The Moore-Carsons]] | [[Characters/BojackHorsemanCharlotteMooreCarson Charlotte Moore-Carson]] | '''Historical Characters''' | [[Characters/HorsinAround "Horsin' Around" Characters]] | [[Characters/MrPeanutbuttersHouse "Mr. Peanutbutter's House" Characters]] | [[Characters/WandaPiercesJokes Wanda Pierce's Jokes]] | [[Characters/SecretariatBiopic "Secretariat" Biopic Characters]]]]-]

* HateSink: An OmnicidialManiac with blood lust, cruel to the core and responsible for major massacres of mice in Europe, whose legacy has made cats hated by the survivors' descendants. Unless it's [[Anime/HellsingUltimate Alucard]], a FictionalCounterpart of Alucard isn't going to be sympathetic.

* HorseRacing: One of the best racers there ever was.