History Characters / CharlieAndTheChocolateFactoryWillyWonka

* AdaptationalHeroism: By far the most kind and selfless version of Wonka, which is justified by him being far younger than his counterparts who had been worn down by people trying to steal their recipes. Instead of a ReclusiveArtist struggling to find good in the world and a genuine connection with others, he's a warm hearted young man full of hope and dreams who makes friends rather easily and cares deeply about others, especially when his chocolate seems to have negative side affects.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Wonka is an amazing chocolate maker, but he admits that he's focused so much time on it that he's ignored other, more important, life skills such as learning how to read.

!!!'''Played By:''' J.P. Karliak (''Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''), Creator/TimotheeChalamet (2023 film)

* SecretTestOfCharacter: His ''"You lose!"'' rant can be seen as this. By pointing out the fact that Charlie's father stole the fizzy-lifting drinks and Charlie himself bumped into the ceiling, one can argue that he wants Charlie to be able to realize his own mistakes as a final token of trust.

* {{Narrator}}: For the first year of the show's West End run, he was the (prerecorded) narrator of the "Creation Overture" animated prologue, though the audience wouldn't realize it was him until the end of Act One. [[DeletedScene The prologue was dropped with the 2014 cast turnover.]]

This Wonka is gracious, friendly, pleasant, ''exceptionally'' well-read -- and ''simply cannot be trusted''. Unfortunately, by the time that last point is figured out by his guests, they have no choice but to keep following his lead no matter how wild and woolly things become. Moreover, virtually nothing gets past him, which becomes a problem for Charlie in the late going...

!!!'''Played By:''' J.P. Karliak (''Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'')

!!!'''Played By:''' J.P. Karliak (''Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''),

!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GeneWilder (1971 film)

!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/GeneWilder (1971 film), Creator/JohnnyDepp (2005 film), Daniel Okulitch (2010 opera's 2012 recording), Creator/DouglasHodge (2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording), Creator/ChristianBorle (2017 Broadway {{Retool}} of the musical), J.P. Karliak (''Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''), Creator/TimotheeChalamet (2023 film)

!!!'''Played By:''' Daniel Okulitch (2010 opera's 2012 recording)

[[folder: General]]

[[folder: 1971 Film]]

[[caption-width-right:250:"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."]]

[[folder: 2005 Film]]

[[caption-width-right:250:"Good morning, star shine! The Earth says 'hello'!"]]
->''Everything in this room is eatable. Even I am eatable, but that is called ''"cannibalism,"'' my dear children, and is in fact frowned on in most societies.''

[[folder: 2010 Opera]]

[[folder: 2013 Musical]]

[[folder: 2017 Broadway Retool and Touring Productions]]

->'''Played by:'''
-->Creator/GeneWilder (1971 film)\\
Creator/JohnnyDepp (2005 film)\\
Daniel Okulitch (2010 opera's 2012 recording)\\
Creator/DouglasHodge (2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)\\
Creator/ChristianBorle (2017 Broadway {{Retool}} of the musical)\\
J.P. Karliak (''Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'')
-->Creator/TimotheeChalamet (2023 film)

* ClassyCane: In most incarnations, he is depicted walking around with one.

* CoolOldGuy: Implied to actually be this in the novel and 2013 musical (see OlderThanTheyLook below).

* {{Hypocrite}}: He considers chewing gum "really gross" and detestable, yet seemingly sees no wrong in making profit from selling it -- he explicitly states his desire to get that flawed gum right so he can sell it. He also disdains fat children yet sees no wrong in selling chocolate and candy in general, even though sweets are a key cause of childhood obesity.

* ReclusiveArtist: In-universe. The 2013 musical plays up the ''artist'' part.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: His Daddy Issues.

* BlindShoulderToss: Does this with Mr. Salt's business card as soon as it's given to him.
* BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill: As a child.

-->'''Violet:''' It's amazing! Tomato soup, I can feel it running down my throat!\\

* CutLexLuthorACheck: While Mr. Wonka clearly doesn't have any problem with money, inventions like the Television-Chocolate setup and the Great Glass Elevator would probably make him even ''richer'' and change the world. Except he never bothers to find any applicability to them outside of candy. (Justified in the 2013 musical owing to his DoingItForTheArt motivation.) From the 2005 film:

* DoingItForTheArt: In-universe. For starters, with the exception of the chocolate-mixing waterfall, the entire Chocolate Room is simply an artistic creation of his.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: His sensitive MadArtist nature and ForHappiness motivations -- the "sugar" side of his SugarAndIcePersonality -- are downplayed thanks to such things as "Simply Second Nature" being cut (the conversation about [[DoingItForTheArt the purpose of the Chocolate Room]] is left intact, but that's it). This ties into his...

* EveryoneHasStandards: When Violet insists on trying the three-course gum, it's the closest he comes to sounding genuinely concerned about the children's safety.

-->Creator/TimotheeChalamet (2023 prequel)

* LargeHam: Mr. Wonka's mysterious, fantastical nature and boundless energy means that actors portraying him have to be large hams by default. Gene Wilder's WhatTheHellHero rant in the climax of the 1971 version has become famous, but he gets plenty of other scenery-chewing moments. Johnny Depp not only chews the scenery in the 2005 film, he gulps it down with vodka and asks for seconds. The 2010 opera has the character written as a BadassBaritone. Douglas Hodge's portrayal is a more HotBlooded take; even when he's in a calm and reflective mood, he's positively thrumming with energy and zest for life and its possibilities. (It is ''very'' telling that Hodge and his successors Alex Jennings and Jonathan Slinger are all bonafide ShakespeareanActors.)

A grandiose, commanding figure with a BadassBaritone, he is noticeably less wacky and snarky than his counterparts, his eccentric appearance notwithstanding. He is also leading a double life as the owner of a sweetshop that Charlie sometimes visits...

* BadassBaritone: He's written as a bass-baritone, never mind that the novel says "His voice was high and flutey." Other musicalizations have him as a tenor.

* BeneathTheMask: Initially he comes off as just a quirky sweetness-and-light guy, but he turns out to have a darker side and, late in the game, a dangerous temper. See SurpriseCreepy below.

* SurpriseCreepy: Of all incarnations, this Wonka initially comes off as the calmest, least hammy, and most "normal" of the lot. As the tour begins and progresses through the Chocolate Room, however, it becomes apparent that he has a dark streak going, and the boat ride reveals just what a LargeHam and NightmareFetishist he actually is.

* DudeLooksLikeALady: After 15 years of isolating himself from the world, he's shown to have a quite effeminate bob-cut.

* CasualDangerDialog: He's like this throughout the movie, reaching his high point when Mike decides to jump into the TV teleporter; Mr. Wonka, having given warnings to the other kids before the factory claims them, attempts to warn Mike in a tone somewhere between [[DeadpanSnarker exhausted and bored]]. You can tell the guy's done caring by this point.

* AmbiguousDisorder: The lyrics to "[[IAmSong Simply Second Nature]]" include mention of "all the voices in my head," implying he may be schizophrenic. Not helped by the line being not sung, but rather spoken in a broken-sounding voice. There are other hints dropped that he may not be all that right in the head. At the very least, he's clearly got a case of schadenfreude.

* AmbiguousDisorder: He is brilliant but ''far'' beyond the norm of social behavior and thinking, and not even a hint is dropped as to why in the novel and most adaptations -- the sole exception is the 2005 film. Even in-story others wonder what's up with him:
** The brats and their parents think he's legitimately insane, and in the sequel Charlie's other grandparents think this way as well.
** Charlie and Grandpa Joe, by comparison, see him as ''sane in an unconventional way''. This, in fact, is [[TheWonka the heart of the trope named for Mr. Wonka]].
** Him being on the Autism Spectrum is often brought up, with Creator/DouglasHodge [[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22853835 outright admitting]] he played him as autistic.

* ClassyCane: In most incarnations, he is usually depicted walking around with one.

Creator/TimotheeChalamet (2023 prequel)