History Characters / DextersLaboratoryMajorCharacters

* BrainlessBeauty: She's an adorable sister, but a rather dumb one.

** A brief gag implied he had telepathy in his first appearance, an ability that was never brought up again. Although he might have been making that up to intimidate Dexter.

* EvilCounterpart: To Dexter; tall and composed to Dexter's short and insecure. His younger sister, Olga "Lalavava" Astronomov, is this to Dee Dee, a short and solemn Technician to Dee Dee's tall and joyful Performer; while Dee Dee unwittingly destroys Dexter's creations but truly loves her brother, Lalavava bullies Mandark mercilessly and displays little to no care for him. His parents also serve as not so evil counterparts to Dexter's, being a pair of 60's era hippies in contrast to Dexter's straight laced 50's inspired ones. His intentions towards science are also diametrically the opposite of Dexter's for while Dexter engages in science to improve mankind and the boundaries, Mandark wanted to use science as an extension of his own malevolent tendencies and take over the world.

%%* FauxAffablyEvil: Since "Ego Trip", he has fallen into more of the fake-affable villain category.

%%* HarmlessVillain: After VillainDecay.

* NerdyBully: A nerdy genius who often seeks to destroy both Dexter and his laboratory. One of his future selves in "Ego Trip" [[EvilNerd still has the same nerdy appearance]] [[BadBoss and is also an abusive boss who enjoys tormenting and torturing one of his employees]] (Dexter's future self).

* RealMenWearPink: Literally. His parents were expecting a girl, but when it turned out to be a boy, they decided to dress Mandark/[[spoiler:Susan]] in pink clothing and flip-flops either way. Clearly, Mandark wanted to step out of this once Dexter ridicules him for this.

* TeachersPet: Competing for the role with Dexter.

* NeatFreak: The episode "Pslyghtly Psycho" suggests that she is actually germophobic, particularly when her gloves and slippers are removed and she finds herself afraid to even set foot on the carpet barefoot. This is outright confirmed in the episode "Glove at First Sight", which focuses on how she met Dad during her treatment for her fear of germs.

* NerdyBully: A nerdy genius who often seeks to destroy both Dexter and his laboratory. One of his future selves in "Ego Trip" still has the same nerdy appearance and is also an abusive boss who enjoys tormenting and torturing one of his employees (Dexter's future self).

* FiftiesHair: As standard for his StandardFiftiesFather appearance, he wears his hair in a conservative cut that Ronald Reagan would have favored.

* StandardFiftiesFather: He walks a fine line between this and the BumblingDad.

* LeanAndMean: He's a skinny EvilGenius.

* MeaningfulName: His vaguely Russian last name creates a [[EvilCounterpart parallel]] with Dexter's Eastern European Accent, [[spoiler: [[MeaningfulRename and his first name drives him to reject the New Age hippie lifestyle in favor of hard science.]]]] His Russian sounding last name Astromonov also serves as a shout out to the series creator being a Jew from Russia. It's implied his father may be of Russian and perhaps Jewish descent to parallel Genndy Tartakovsky while his Asian mom parallels Yoko Ono.

Dexter's rival and fellow scientist, who regularly tries to shut down his lab. He's in love with Dee Dee, but she never returns his affections. He was raised by two hippie parents. His real name is [[spoiler:Susan]].

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the 2009 computer game ''FusionFall'', Dee Dee is depicted in a more mature artsyle.
* AllGirlsLikePonies: She is a pony fancier, as are her cloney best friends. There was the episode where she asked Dexter to turn her into a pony because she liked the [[MyLittlePhony My Little Pony expy]] so much.

* CatchPhrase:

* ForScience: His CatchPhrase is dedicated to his appreciation for science.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Oooooh, what does *this* button do?" The unfortunate answer is, more often than not, "cause some sort of catastrophic disaster in the Lab".

* LightIsNotGood: Mandark's lab before post-finale seasons.

* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His alternate getup is a costume colored red and black.

[[folder:Dad]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9878768_3313.JPG]]
->Voiced by: Creator/JeffBennett

[[folder:Mom]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dexter_mom_transparent.png]]
->Voiced by: Creator/KathSoucie

* SeventiesHair: With some carry over from the [[SixtiesHair 60s]], in a flashback from "Snowdown" she wore her hair in a grown out bouffant (teased at the crown) that was down her back when she snowballed Dad in college.
* EightiesHair: The flashback episode "Glove at First Sight" showed Mom dressed as a ValleyGirl with a side of [[Music/{{Madonna}} Material Girl]] which included a side ponytail and fluffy bangs. For the big New Years Eve dance, she wears her hair in a asymetrical bob that Creator/MollyRingwald would have favored.
* NinetiesHair: Her mid-century housewife appearance is updated with an attractive and low-maintenance bob that Creator/MegRyan would have favored during the time of the show's premiere.
* ActionMom: Demonstrated in "Mom and Jerry", "World's Greatest Mom" and "A Mom Cartoon".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Most notably in the episode "Chess Mom", where she embarrasses her son while trying to cheer him on at the chess tournament.
* BerserkButton:
** As seen in "Dexter's Rude Removal", the most Mom ever got beyond angry was when the rude clones of Dexter and Deedee not only made a huge mess of her kitchen during a food fight but used profanity as well.
%%** Germs, period.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Whenever her BerserkButton is pushed, or her children are threatened.
* CuteBruiser: Dexter's mother has shown to be able to fight very well.
* FieryRedhead: The family is split evenly between this and the DumbBlonde stereotype; Dexter and his mother are fiery redheads, his sister and dad are happy-go-lucky yellow-haired ditzes.
* {{Flanderization}}: Her NeatFreak tendencies get played up considerably in the later episodes.
* GeniusDitz: Similarly to Dexter's dad. She shows frightening proficiency with technology when it comes to battling germs, but has also had several moments of stupidity.
%%* HappilyMarried: To Dexter's Dad.
* HartmanHips: To the point where she currently provides the trope image. As shown in the episode ''Sister Mom'', when Dee Dee gets turned into a duplicate of Mom in that episode, she feels her hips with awe. Exaggerated when Dexter is later seen using her butt as a seat when they're riding a bike.
* {{Housewife}}: She seemed to have little characterization outside of her housework, though it's been implied a few times that she was a lot more rebellious in her youth. Her typical outfit that she wore everywhere even included yellow rubber dishwashing gloves and an apron.
* IconicItem: Her yellow rubber gloves. So much so that she feels naked without them.
* LikeParentLikeChild: Her kitchen is as important to her as Dexter's laboratory is to him, and when Dad starts horsing around in there it earns him a "GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN".
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Inverted. She’s the mad scientist’s beautiful mother. Pretty, prim, demure, and totally oblivious to the extent of her son’s genius.
* MaleGaze: Cameras don't hesitate to get as many shots from the back as they can. "Better Off Wet" in particular features her in a bikini.
* MamaBear: Best shown in "Go, Dexter Family! Go!", where hearing her son cry for help motivates her into breaking free from her bonds and kicking the aliens' asses.
* MistakenForBadass: She once "defeated" the reigning snowball champion (Dexter's dad) by playfully chucking a snowball at him. He's been convinced ever since that she has evil snowball powers, which she passed on to Dee-Dee.
* NeatFreak: The episode "Pslyghtly Psycho" suggests that she is actually germophobic, particularly when her gloves and slippers are removed and she finds herself afraid to even set foot on the carpet barefoot. This is outright confirmed in the episode "Glove at First Sight", which focuses on how she met Dad during her treatment for her fear of germs.
* ParentalObliviousness: It's amazing how she, along with Dad haven't figured out that the lab exists. This is partly explained by Dexter wiping their memories, but they only ever seem to find out when Dexter accidentally tells them himself.
* RedheadInGreen: She wears a pale green blouse-shirt with a wide collar, white apron and dark green pants. Also her bikini is green.
* SkewedPriorities: She favors cleanliness over anything. One episode has her ignoring the fact Dexter had destroyed her entire house over the fact he was clean.
* UnnamedParent: She's only ever referred to as "Mom" -- though her maiden name is probably "O'Reilly," given that in one of the later episodes, her brother visits the family and his last name is "O'Reilly."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mandark]]
[[quoteright:143:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mandark_324252_2465.jpg]]
->Voiced by: Creator/EddieDeezen
Dexter's rival and fellow scientist, who regularly tries to shut down his lab. He's in love with Dee Dee, but she never returns his affections. He was raised by two hippie parents. His real name is [[spoiler:Susan]].
----

* HartmanHips: Shown in the episode ''Sister Mom''. When Dee Dee gets turned into a duplicate of Mom in that episode, she feels her hips with awe. Exaggerated when Dexter is later seen using her butt as a seat when they're riding a bike.

* BigSisterBully: Her treatment of Dexter has shades of this at times. In "Golden Diskette", she steals Dexter's money right out of his hands to buy something, and when Dexter asks why she did so, she tells him point-blank, "You're so small and weak that I ''could''!" And that's not even getting into the OnceAnEpisode incidents of her destroying his lab for no reason other than fun.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Gets hit with this pretty bad. Her intelligence and disposition towards Dexter fluctuate wildly from episode to episode. In some episodes, she's rather innocent and her destructive tendencies are accidental and due to playful clumsiness, and she only bothers Dexter because she wants his attention; in others, she's far more malicious and intentionally antagonistic, acting as a BigSisterBully who messes with Dexter because she can. In some episodes she's a GeniusDitz who acts as a StraightMan to the more naive and impressionable Dexter; in others, she's barely literate and dim-witted even by ordinary standards.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Dexter often participates in the foolishness of not only Dee-Dee, but the other kids his age. Justified, considering that despite him being more intelligent than his peers, he is still a child and therefore has the same desires as many other kiddos.

* ProtagonistTitle: He is the show's main character and his name is featured in the show's title.

* VillainDecay: When Mandark was introduced first, he was portrayed as being much smarter than Dexter, and his lab was (and still is) even bigger and more impressive than Dexter's. However, after Dee Dee destroyed his lab, Mandark [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter fell to second place,]] [[CantCatchUp and is no longer]] Dexter's equal.

* DependingOnTheWriter: How smart he is can differ from episode to episode.

* NoSocialSkills: He has trouble understanding how to talk to kids his age as well as basic concepts; for example, in different episodes, he has no idea what flour and chicken pox are.

** Though they have a lot in common. Her kitchen is as important to her as Dexter's laboratory is to him, and when Dad starts horsing around in there it earns him a "GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" Like mother like son.

** '''Mandark''': ''And now I only needed a new name. A name to match the darkness that flows through me. A name that tells of the man I knew I could be. I was now…Mandark!''

* DoesNotLikeShoes: She spent nearly the entirety of "Sassy Come Home" proudly running around barefoot after she took off her "goshforsaken boots", which attracted a new playmate - Sasquatch.

%%* HartmanHips: When Dee Dee gets turned into a duplicate of Mom in one episode, she feels her hips with awe.

* HappilyMarried: To Dexter's Dad.
* HartmanHips: When Dee Dee gets turned into a duplicate of Mom in one episode, she feels her hips with awe.

%%* HappilyMarried: To Dexter's Dad.
%%* HartmanHips: When Dee Dee gets turned into a duplicate of Mom in one episode, she feels her hips with awe.