History Characters / TheIronGiant

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Rogard's shown to be an honorable, level-headed, open-minded leader who keeps his wits about him even as the Giant is curb-stomping his Army unit. He is willing to listen to a beatnik junkyard owner claim the Giant is friendly even after watching the robot nearly destroy a battleship. In the end, he tries to get as much information as he can before making any decisions.

-->'''Rogard:''' That missile is targeted to the Giant's current position! ''Where's the Giant, Mansley?!''

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Despite facing an imminent nuclear missile strike thanks to Mansley, Rogard remains dignified the entire time and calmly informs him that there is no way to escape their fate. Luckily, the Giant saves them.

* AmnesiacDissonance: The Giant loses his memory at the start of the film thanks to a dent on the left side of his head.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Mansley seeks to destroy what he sees as a threat to America, but it's clearly motivated more by his selfish desire for glory than any love for his country. His growing paranoia, willingness to threaten a child's mother, chloroform said child and potentially endanger his life by lying to General Rogard that the Giant killed him really doesn't help his case. In the end, his obsession with destroying the Giant causes him to launch a missile attack on the town of Rockwell. When he realizes that [[TooDumbToLive this means his own death]], his inherent cowardice comes out and he tries to flee for his life while outright saying "Screw our country, I wanna live!"

* GutturalGrowler: Voiced by Creator/VinDiesel.

* To General Rogard. Where Mansley puts on the image of the ideal 50s Manly Man, he is in reality an insecure, cowardly and ineffectual loser. The general on the other hand, is the [[FourStarBadass real deal.]]

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Mansley seeks to destroy what he sees as a threat to America, but it's clearly motivated more by his selfish desire for glory than any love for his country. His growing paranoia, willingness to threaten a child's mother, chloroform said child and potentially endanger his life by lying to General Rogard that the Giant killed him really doesn't help his case. In the end, his obsession with destroying the Giant causes him to launch a missile attack on the town of Rockwell. When he realizes that [[TooDumbToLive this means his own death]], his inherent cowardice comes out and he tries to flee for his life.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: She's as beautiful and cute as she is kind, cute and sweet.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: She's as beautiful as she is kind.

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/VinDiesel[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' César Soto (Latin American Spanish), Creator/DaisukeGori (Japanese), Creator/AdamFietz (Swedish)[[/note]]

%%* {{Dieselpunk}}

** Ted Hughes opens his book with these three questions: "How far had he walked? Nobody knows. Where did he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows."

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/EliMarienthal[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' Creator/HectorEmmanuelGomez (Latin American Spanish), Kazuhiro Shindo (Japanese), Leo Hallerstam (Swedish)[[/note]]

* AdaptationalNationality: While he is American in the animated film, he is British in the book given the nationality of the book and his namesake Ted Hughes.

* KidHero: He's around nine years old and is the main protagonist.

--> ''"Only Hogarth felt suddenly sorry. He felt guilty. It was he, after all, who had lured the Iron Giant into the pit."''

* RedIsHeroic: Wears a red jacket throughout the film.

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/JenniferAniston[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales (Latin American Spanish), Creator/NorikoHidaka (Japanese), Creator/OlgaGolovanova (Russian), Susanne Barklund (Swedish)[[/note]]

* AdaptationalNationality: While she is American in this film, she is British in the book given the nationality of the book and her namesake Ted Hughes.

* DudeMagnet: Several male characters notice and comment on her appearance. Kent even ends up staring at her buxom and hips at one time.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only noticeable female character in the movie. Subtly lampshaded in a deleted scene where Hogarth shows her some of his comics books, and she points out the lack of female characters.

->'''Voiced By''': N/A

* UnnamedParent: His name is never mentioned in either medium.

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/HarryConnickJr[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' Creator/ArturoMercadoJr (Latin American Spanish), Creator/KazuhikoInoue (Japanese), Mikael Roupé (Swedish)[[/note]]

-->'''Hogarth (after drinking espresso):''' [[MotorMouth So she moved me up a grade 'cause I wasn't fitting in, so now I'm even more not fitting in, I was getting good grades, you know, like all A's, so my mom says, "you need stimulation," and I go, "no, I'm stimulated enough right now!"]]\\

-->'''Dean:''' [to Hogarth] If we don't stand up for the kooks, who will?

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/ChristopherMcDonald[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' Raúl de la Fuente (Latin American Spanish), Creator/HochuOtsuka (Japanese), Johan Hedenberg (Swedish)[[/note]]

* BewareTheSillyOnes: His ButtMonkey nature is discarded in the movie's second half, wherein he chloroforms and threatens a child.

* EvilRedhead: He has red hair that match his {{fiery|Redhead}} personality.

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Subverted -- Mansley is a clear case of NoRespectGuy, a ButtMonkey, and almost totally incompetent, all of which are classic symptoms of the ISV. Despite having -- theoretically -- good motivations for wanting the giant gone, it's made very clear that his paranoia and obsessiveness is the primary ''instigator'' of most of the problems in the story, and almost gets everyone in town killed as a result of his irrational determination to see the Giant destroyed.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: He does this many times, but especially when the Giant starts attacking.

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/JohnMahoney[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' César Soto (Latin American Spanish), Masaru Ikeda (Japanese), Hans Wahlgren (Swedish)[[/note]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Especially with regards to Mansley, who he despises.

* GenderBlenderName: His given name can also be given to girls. Though the name would have been exclusively male in America at the time the story takes place.

->'''Voiced By''': Creator/EliMarienthal[[note]]'''Other Languages:''' Héctor Emmanuel Gómez (Latin American Spanish), Kazuhiro Shindo (Japanese), Leo Hallerstam (Swedish)[[/note]]

---> "Hogarth? What an embarrassing name. May as well name him Zeppo or something."

* DeadpanSnarker: "Hogarth? What an embarrassing name. May as well name him Zeppo or something"

* MeaningfulName: Kent ''Mansley'' embodies a lot of the typical, celebrated ''manly'' traits of the Ideal 1950's Man. Unfortunately for Mansley, he's in a film out to {{deconstruct|edTrope}} said traits.

* DirtyCoward: Although Mansley pretends to be a composed agent of the government, serious danger causes his cowardice to become readily apparent. When the Giant shifts in UnstoppableRage mode, Mansley can be seen shrieking at the jeep driver to flee faster with rising panic in his voice as the Giant starts to gain on them. It culminates when he tries to flee to safety after dooming everyone in the town thanks to his own paranoia rather than FaceDeathWithDignity.

* AscendedExtra: She only appears in the book. Her role in the movie is the complete opposite.

* YouNoTakeCandle: His grasp on English is broken -- justified as he's an alien robot -- so Hogarth sometimes talks to him this way so he can understand him better.

--> '''"Only Hogarth felt suddenly sorry. He felt guilty. It was he, after all, who had lured the Iron Giant into the pit."'''

* MysteriousPast: In the original release, who he was before meeting Hogarth was a complete mystery. The Signature Edition release includes a deleted dream sequence where it shows he came from another planet and was part of an army of planet killers which served to reinforce the idea that he was created to be a gun. However, why and how he ended up on Earth is still unknown.

* PartsUnknown: It isn't clear where the Giant is from besides not originating on Earth.

* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: How invulnerable he is seems to vary across the movie. Early on, he is knocked out by having a train crash into him, and later he is temporarily incapacitated by anti-aircraft missiles. But during his battle with the Army, he effortlessly withstands tank shells and 16-inch battleship cannons. Possibly justified by being in a dedicated combat mode during the latter.

* GoodParents: Implied. A deleted scene has Hogarth sadly missing his father, hinting Mr. Hughes was a good father.

* UnnamedParent: His name is never mentioned.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Mansley seeks to destroy what he sees as a threat to America. His growing paranoia, willingness to threaten a child's mother, chloroform said child and potentially endanger his life by lying to General Rogard that the Giant killed him really doesn't help his case. In the end, his obsession with destroying the Giant causes him to launch a missile attack on the town of Rockwell. When he realizes that [[TooDumbToLive this means his own death]], his inherent cowardice comes out and he tries to flee for his life.