Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Adaptation-Specific Characters / Characters

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise character index
Willy Wonka | Bucket Family
The Four Bratty Kids | Other Adult Characters | Adaptation-Specific Characters

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1971 Film

Mr. Arthur Slugworth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slugworth.jpg

"I congratulate you, little boy. Well done."

Played By: Günter Meisner (1971 film), Mick Wingert (Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

One of Mr. Wonka's underhanded rivals in the field of candymaking, he's only mentioned in passing in most versions but is an Ascended Extra in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He approaches all five Golden Ticket finders in turn with the offer of even greater riches than what Mr. Wonka's promised if, during the tour, they manage to get a prototype Everlasting Gobstopper for him...

Adaptational Villainy: Slugworth is only given a brief mention in the book as one of Wonka's candy making rivals who employs spies to tell him the recipes to Wonka's candies so he can copy them. Here, he's portrayed as a Corrupt Corporate Executive who bribes the golden ticket finders with money and a better life in exchange for stealing an Everlasting Gobstopper from Wonka. Ultimately subverted when "Slugworth" reveals himself to be an employee of Wonka who subjects the kids to the Secret Test of Character.
Adaptation Expansion: In the 1971 film, he provides the major subplot.
Ascended Extra:
- In the book and other versions, just one of Mr. Wonka's rivals and an Unknown Character; in the 1971 movie, a major supporting character and in the end actually an employee of Mr. Wonka! As part of the kids' (but especially Charlie's) Secret Test of Character, Mr. Wilkinson pretends to be Mr. Slugworth, making him a Good All Along The Mole. Thus, most of these other tropes are intentionally invoked.
  Charlie: It's Slugworth!
  Wonka: NO! NO! That's not Slugworth, He works for me!
  Charlie: For you?
  Wonka: I had to test you, Charlie. And you passed the test, YOU WON!
  - On the same note, for the subplot to work, the real Slugworth was named as Wonka's biggest rival in the film, while in the book and other adaptations, he was just as random as Wonka's other rivals.
- His role gets extended even further in Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where he goes into the factory, apparently with the intention of getting the gobstopper off Charlie and then betraying him. It turns out that he's just keeping an eye on Charlie, however, and tries to get rid of Tom and Jerry so that Wonka won't think Charlie deliberately brought them into the factory and throw him out.
Canon Foreigner: Not Slugworth who's a minor character in the book but Mr. Wilkinson, who is the true identity of the 1971 movie's "Slugworth".
Corrupt Corporate Executive: One of many who bedeviled Mr. Wonka before he became a recluse — and he's still at it even now.
Demoted to Extra: Subverted by the 2005 adaptation, where he only very briefly appears in a flashback sequence narrated by Grandpa Joe. However, this is actually the real Slugworth, as opposed to his other two appearances, where he's actually Wonka's employee Mr. Wilkinson.
Devil in Plain Sight: Charlie (and later Grandpa Joe) appear to be the only characters who are unnerved by him, even when he turns up at Mr. Salt's factory just in time for a worker to find a Golden Ticket for Veruca. (With the other brats, he blends in with members of the press to get access to them.) Of course, it probably helps that the four brats are greedy enough not to have any qualms with his offer in the first place.
Evil Plan: He exploits Mr. Wonka's contest by approaching and bribing the Golden Ticket finders to steal a prototype invention for him, which he will figure out and duplicate to get it to the market first. It's a lie to see who would be greedy enough to take the deal.
Evil Wears Black: He wears a black suit. The "evil" part, however, is just a façade.
Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Subverted. It's all an act.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a scar on his face. Though it turns out to be a Good Scar.
Impersonation-Exclusive Character: He's an employee impersonating the real Slugworth as a Secret Test of Character. The true Slugworth is still around with his own candies, but he never actually appears.
Meaningful Name: Just like slugs, he's a slimy sort of guy.
Named by the Adaptation: He's just known as Slugworth in the book.
Obviously Evil: Between his appearance, his name, and his demeanor, he gives of some very strong "bad guy" vibes. Which is exactly what he wants to do.
The Rival: While Mr. Wonka has many rivals, in the movie Slugworth is said to be the worst out of all of them.
Satanic Archetype: He's a jealous rival of the mysterious and seemingly godlike Wonka, and he appears to five children and offers to give them unimaginable wealth if they betray Wonka. Ultimately, he turns out to be Mr. Wilkinson, an actor hired by Wonka to pose as the real Slugworth and test the children's loyalty. This is actually a good representation of the Jewish idea of Satan, since according to Judaism, Satan is on God's side and only tempts mortals in order to test their faith.
Secret Test: The Slugworth plot serves to show that at least some of Mr. Wonka's quirkiness is Obfuscating Stupidity so that no one forms any outside attachment to him.
Terrible Trio: In the book, Slugworth tends to get mentioned alongside two other rival candy makers named only as "Fickelgruber" and "Prodnose". Played with in that they likely weren’t working with each other, though they are in the 2023 version.
Token Human: Mr. Wilkinson appears to be Wonka's only non-Oompa-Loompa employee. And even if he's not, we never see any others.
Villainous Cheekbones: Subverted. He has prominent cheekbones, but he's not really a bad guy... or even actually Slugworth.
Walking Spoiler: In the 1971 film, largely because the guy who introduces himself as Slugworth is really pulling a Secret Test of Character.

Mr. Jopeck

Played By: Werner Heyking (1971 film)

Mr. Jopeck is the owner of the local newspaper stand. Charlie works for him as a paperboy.

Benevolent Boss: When Charlie finds the last Golden Ticket, Mr. Jopeck saves him from the crowd that is forming and tells him to run straight home so he can keep the ticket safe.
Decomposite Character: Takes the sweetshop owner's role from the novel as the one who saves Charlie from the bystanders after his Golden Ticket.

2005 Fim

Dr. Wilbur Wonka

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/84m_z9e_gmbuj_c_mw6gvkxgupy.jpg

Played By: Christopher Lee

Why is the 2005 incarnation of Willy Wonka so much more of a Manchild than others? It has to do with a heretofore unknown Backstory involving his dentist father...

Alliterative Name: Just like his son. Wilbur Wonka.
Anti-Villain: A combination of Skewed Priorities and honest concern for his son's health drives his actions. When he finds that his son effectively wants to become his career antithesis, he chooses to abandon him.
Canon Foreigner: The most significant one in any adaptation to date.
Fantasy-Forbidding Father: He is a dentist who doesn't allow his son to eat candy, driving Willy to rebel against him to achieve his dream of being a chocolatier.
Foil: To his son, Willy Wonka himself. Both men are successful in their own right (Wilbur being a highly respected dentist, Willy being arguably the most famous candyman in the world), but their career paths are the complete opposite.
For Your Own Good: His harsh anti-candy stance is motivated by this. He's willing to let his son trick-or-treat on Halloween, but he takes the candy and throws it into a fire, piece by piece, as he lectures the boy about the downside of sweets. It's implied that in hindsight, he realized he Was Too Hard on Him.
I Have No Son!: He relocates his house when young Wonka runs away, so he cannot go back. Subverted: Charlie finds out that Wilbur collected various newspaper articles about his son's success in the years since, which are posted on the walls of his office.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's never explained how he removed his house right out of the block.
My God, What Have I Done?: He never outright says it, but it's implied that he regrets abandoning his son.
Safety Worst: For the sake of his son's teeth, he forbade all candy and made young Willy wear horrible braces and headgear. Interestingly, he may have had a point with the latter. He recognizes the adult Willy by his distinctive teeth, suggesting the boy really did have a problem that the braces corrected.
Satellite Family Member: He's only important for Willy Wonka's backstory. He doesn't want his son to become a chocolatier and Willy decides to run away from home. When Willy came back and saw that both his father and house were gone. He grew up to be a chocolatier like he always wanted but started distrusting families.
Skewed Priorities: His obsession with healthy teeth and disdain for sweets seems to trump all.
Sliding Scale of Parent-Shaming in Fiction: Type II initially (bad parent), but escalates to Type III (bad person) when he ensures his runaway son cannot return to him, leaving the boy to fend for himself. He regrets this, however.
So Proud of You: Subtle, but he's revealed to have saved several newspaper clippings of his son's success as a Chocolatier. Even if he didn't agree 100% with the exact career path, he apparently has some pride for how hard his son worked and how far he was able to go.

Mr. Arthur Slugworth

Played By: Phil Philmar

A business rival of Wonka's, who along with others sent spies to work in his factory in order to learn his secrets, a plan that eventually succeeded and caused the chocolate maker to become a recluse.

The Cameo: Only appears for one scene.
Unseen No More: Since the 1971 Slugworth was actually an imposter, this makes the 2005 film the first proper appearance of the character.

2013 Musical; West End only

The Tramp (Unmarked Spoilers)

The Tramp / Mr. Willy Wonka

Played By (Original London Cast Recording): Douglas Hodge

Savvy viewers will suspect it beforehand, but The Reveal in the final moments of this adaptation is that that the elderly tramp Charlie Bucket encounters at the dump during Act One is actually Mr. Wonka in a disguise. (The 2005 musical Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and The Golden Ticket have similar twists — he becomes a Composite Character with the sweetshop owner — but the disguises are near-transparent in those versions and there is no reveal. The Broadway retool follows suit, but Wonka establishes his plan at the top of the show) The following additional tropes apply to this version of the character and the show as a whole, but can't be revealed/discussed above or on the show's main page due to their spoileriffic nature.

Adaptational Heroism: A complex example: While he is the reason Charlie gets a Golden Ticket in the first place, this information is kept from the audience until the last possible moment. Moreover, if his kindness to the worthy is expanded upon in this version, so is his disregard for the unworthy, making him truly Anti-Heroic!
Adaptation Expansion: Not a huge amount of expansion compared to other versions, but significant nonetheless.
And the Adventure Continues: The reason he is seeking a successor in this version is because there's so much more he wants to create and accomplish in his life, but the day-to-day duties of running the factory are keeping him from doing so. Once he installs Charlie as his successor, he leaves his old life behind to pursue new dreams elsewhere in other worlds.
Because You Were Nice to Me: It's likely that few in the world of this show would show basic politeness to a grumpy old homeless man, but Charlie (perhaps owing in part to his own humble background) is so good-natured and nonjudgmental that he is open and friendly to him. He's completely unaware that the tramp is actually someone very powerful who happens to be seeking a good child to become his heir, and if Charlie can be nice to the lowest-of-the-low, it stands to reason... That Charlie also shows a genuine appreciation of Mr. Wonka's work means a great deal to the latter, who's long felt taken for granted, and from that meeting on the boy is an unknowing Morality Pet whose path to an incredible happy ending is Mr. Wonka's work...with a few hoops the boy must jump through placed along the way to thoroughly test his kindness and creativity.
…But He Sounds Handsome: When Charlie explains to the tramp that he only collects Wonka Bar wrappers, he compliments the boy on his taste: "Ah, you're a connoisseur!"
Cast as a Mask: Averted. To hide this, the tramp isn't mentioned in the cast list.
Character Development: Subtly so. As Douglas Hodge sees it, Mr. Wonka "lost his faith in innocence" over time, disillusioned with/by a cynical adult world, and developed a Sugar-and-Ice Personality. He also feels wanderlust to bring other wonderlands he's imagined into being, but he loves his factory too much to leave the beautiful, strange world within it to just anyone. (Hodge noted in a Broadway.com interview that he's thus "put himself on the scrapheap" — a Pun once one learns this plot twist.^noteAlternatively, he's Down in the Dumps!) When he meets Charlie in his tramp disguise, he quickly realizes that the boy is everything he's looking for in a successor, and his Hidden Heart of Gold is moved to action. As he leaves at the end, Mr. Wonka regards the whole business as putting the past behind him...which would mean he's put the disappointments that came with it behind him as well.
Chekhov's Gunman: To those who are not familiar with The Law of Conservation of Detail, the tramp would appear to be a mere Canon Foreigner used to help establish Charlie's character in the early going...
Deus ex 'Scuse Me: He intentionally invokes this trope in the Imagining Room so Charlie's Secret Test can take place: He tells Charlie and Grandpa Joe that the latter has to come with him to another room to take care of legal paperwork, which is "grown-up stuff", so Charlie has to stay behind...alone...and not touch anything...
Establishing Character Moment: His very first lines as the tramp — "Look at this mess. People just guzzle up their chocolate and throw away the wrappers without the slightest thought." — serve as this in hindsight. As successful and wealthy as he is thanks to people craving what he creates, he is still a sensitive artist at heart and deeply hurt to see his work being taken for granted. By the same token, he is touched to see poor Charlie vicariously appreciating it by collecting the discarded wrappers.
Foreshadowing: There are several minor details/lines of dialogue that hint at the tramp's true identity and become obvious in hindsight.
- He carries a walking stick; in fact, his whole disguise (see Wig, Dress, Accent) turns out to be the dreary, wintry counterpart to his glamorous true look.
- He takes a seat in a broken British telephone box at the dump. Now, what does this version's Great Glass Elevator resemble?
- When Charlie explains that he's glad that others litter — "If people didn't throw things away, I'd have nothing to pick up." — he replies "Very philosophical, I'm sure." The line hints at Mr. Wonka's eccentric-yet-deep way of thinking and his Deadpan Snarker nature!
- The Leitmotif of the scenes at the dump turns out to be a chiming arrangement of "A Little Me", the song Mr. Wonka conducts in the entr'acte and performs as the show's last big production number.
The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: A cheeky variant, in that the prospect of this Willy Wonka entering the audience's world to continue his work can be seen as either marvelous or terrifying...or perhaps both...and he seems well aware of this!
Good Hair, Evil Hair: As the tramp he has a full, long beard, the kind associated with "wise old wizard"/mentor characters. This is primarily a disguise, of course — even more so if Mr. Wonka turns out to be clean-shaven — but the connotations of the look bear noting. It's also a Beard of Sorrow after a fashion, reflecting his initially lonely, self-pitying mood.
Grumpy Old Man: This is how he initially comes across as the tramp, but encountering Charlie causes him to take a modest level in cheerfulness.
Hidden Heart of Gold: He rigs his own contest because Charlie is worthy of a chance to inherit his factory but won't be able to find a ticket on his own. He's the only person outside of Charlie's own family who sees his potential — everyone else sees him as, to quote Cherry, an "unlikely urchin". For Mr. Wonka it's as easy for him to realize that the boy is a diamond in the rough as it is to recognize each brat as a Devil in Plain Sight when the rest of the world doesn't. In order to execute a proper Secret Test, he treats Charlie as The Runt at the End come tour day, makes no Pet the Dog gestures towards him, and keeps this feigned disdain up until his climactic I Have Just One Thing to Say speech, whereupon his kindest nature emerges.
Imagination-Based Superpower: In the closing moments, he bids his factory — and Charlie, who sees him from a window and waves — adieu so that he can travel to places "That are not yet conceived/That are not yet achieved/And they must be believed/To be seen..." As the orchestra sounds the final chord, he vanishes in full view of the audience — effectively teleporting away and leaving the implication that his mind and specifically his imagination is just that powerful. Perhaps he's hit Brain Critical Mass with the sheer number of ideas he has?
I Never Told You My Name: No one thinks anything of it, but Mr. Wonka is able to address Grandpa Joe by name when they are introduced at the factory because Charlie mentions him during "Almost Nearly Perfect". For that matter, he learns Charlie's name during that number by simply asking him "Young man, what did you say your name was?" Charlie didn't say to begin with.
King Incognito: As an eccentric recluse with a mysterious image to maintain, Mr. Wonka likely sees assuming a humble identity as the only way he can venture outside his factory.
Long Last Look: The last thing he does, before teleporting away to who-knows-where, is take one long, last look at "my friend, my factory".
Master Actor and Master of Disguise: Beyond the heavy physical disguise, the lively, quick-on-his-feet Mr. Wonka affects a plodding walk and an air of weariness as the tramp. He is also able to conceal his true Large Ham nature. Moreover, his address to the audience in the final scene suggests that he can assume other disguises and identities as well, all the better to hide in their world.^note
Morality Pet: Charlie, though he doesn't know it, can defrost Mr. Wonka's Sugar-and-Ice Personality and bring out his kindest nature for several reasons: The boy appreciates his work in a way that others don't, he shows him unconditional kindness and politeness no matter what "form" he takes, and he reminds him of his own childhood self. (Again, there's some Rewatch Bonus here — pay attention to his reaction to Charlie's reaction to the sight of the Chocolate Room, or the boy insisting that "an Everlasting Gobstopper is still an amazing present.")
No Name Given: As The Tramp.
Old Beggar Test: An unusual example of the trope since his meeting Charlie in disguise is a Contrived Coincidence rather than planned, and Charlie innocently, unknowingly proves his worth to him by just being his imaginative, appreciative, polite self rather than helping a stranger upon being asked.
Rule of Three: The tramp appears three times — twice in Act One, and finally in the last moments of the show.
Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: When he vanishes, his disguise lands on the ground in a heap.
Shocking Voice Identity Reveal: The audience last sees Mr. Wonka in his tramp disguise and realizes that they are one and the same as soon as he begins singing in his "true" voice.
The Three Faces of Adam: Charlie is the Hunter, while Mr. Wonka is both the Lord and the Prophet — he wants to create new works elsewhere, but not before he finds someone who can ensure the continued success of the factory, which he still cares deeply about. His masquerade as the tramp is the visualization of his Prophet aspect: elderly, world-weary, fearful that the values he cherishes (innocence and creativity in particular) mean nothing to younger generations. As Charlie has more in common with Mr. Wonka than he realizes — not for nothing is the Pep-Talk Song Wonka sings to him called "A Little Me" — it's more pronounced than in other versions that the two are distinct-yet-related aspects of one metaphorical being. Among touchpoints between the two:
- They are the only characters who get solo songs (two apiece).
- They are the only characters who have Character Catchphrases.
- Each gets a bit of stage business in which they send something into the air: Charlie "sends" his letter to Mr. Wonka by folding it into a paper airplane and casting it to the winds (whereupon it "flies" up to the balcony). During "Simply Second Nature", when a sudden wave of his walking stick reveals a butterfly perched upon it, Mr. Wonka gently takes it in his hand and releases it into the air.
The Tramp: Mr. Wonka didn't choose his alter ego lightly. On the one hand, it's a reflection of his wanderlust, a desire to be free to travel infinite worlds and just create. On the other, it reflects his inner fear that the outside world may love his sweets but has turned its back on all he stands for, leaving him a "forgotten man" with no real purpose in the larger scheme of things.
Walking Spoiler: He is actually Mr. Wonka in disguise.
Wham Line: His Triumphant Reprise of "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen" serves as Mr. Wonka's way of revealing to the audience 1) he was the tramp, 2) he's only retiring from running the factory, not from creating things, and 3) he's traveling to their world next! Even if one has guessed the first part, the second and third parts are definitely Not His Sled surprises.
Wig, Dress, Accent: The basis of his disguise. Wig: Straggling, graying hair and a full beard to go with it. Dress: A tattered overcoat, scarf, cap, and gloves in varying shades of gray and black, with sagging boots to complete the ensemble. Accent: A ragged-with-age, lower-pitched voice.
Your Favorite: In the opening scene, Charlie mentions that the Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight is his favorite variety of Wonka Bar. Mr. Wonka remembers this detail and uses it to engineer Charlie's Golden Ticket find.

2023 Film

Noodle

Played By: Calah Lane

A young woman stuck in indentured servitude to Mrs. Scrubbit, who ends up befriending Wonka and helping him achieve his dream.

Canon Foreigner: Was created exclusively for the prequel.
Earn Your Happy Ending: With Wonka's help, she's freed from debt and finally reunites with her mother, who's a librarian which means she gets to read all the books she wants.
Heartwarming Orphan: She's a kind hearted young girl who tried to warn Wonka about the small print that would trap him working for Scrubbit, decides to help him become a chocolate maker and even teaches him to read.
Lost Orphaned Royalty: With a business empire rather than a royal empire: Noodle turns out to be the true heir to Slugworth's family fortune - and possibly his whole business - or at least have enough of a stake in it to interfere with his greed, which is why he stuffed her down a laundry chute when she was a baby.
The Not-Love Interest: Is this for Willy. They're a gender-swapped example of Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl as he teaches her to find hope and happiness again, and they have a very sweet scene of dancing through the streets together, and even slow-dancing at one point, that would come across as quite romantic in many other movies. But since Willy is a young man in his twenties while Noodle is in her early teens at most, their close friendship is completely platonic and far more Like Brother and Sister.
Orphan's Plot Trinket: She was found only with a ring with the letter "N", which is how she got the name Noodle. It turns out that it's actually a "Z", for Zebedee Slugworth who died prior to Noodle's birth and marrying her mother Dorothy. Scrubbit, who found her as a baby in her laundry chute, just looked at the ring sideways and mistook the Z for an N.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Considering Charlie Bucket wouldn't be born for decades after Wonka made his Chocolate Empire, she takes the role as an innocent child whom Willy Wonka shares a close bond with and helps him learn things about himself.

The Boarding House Folks

Abacus Crunch, Piper Benz, Lottie Bell and Larry Chucklesworth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boardinghousewonka.png

"Scrub scrub!"

Played By: Jim Carter (Abacus), Natasha Rothwell (Piper), Rakhee Thakrar (Lottie), Rich Fulcher (Larry)

The other unfortunate people forced to work Mrs. Scrubbit and Bleacher.

Chekhov's Skill: Their talents — accountancy, knowledge of the city's sewers, telephone switchboard work, and being able to make his voice sound like he's underwater — all play a part in Wonka's plan to expose the Chocolate Cartel's corruption.
Earn Your Happy Ending: They are all freed of the debts by the end of the film and get to return to their old lives. Larry even gets back with his ex-wife!
Food as Bribe: Abacus is at first reluctant about Wonka's plan of selling chocolate to pay off their debts and at first tries dissuading him from doing so given it requires sneaking out of the boarding house and hassling with the police. Noodle feeds Crunch some Wonka chocolate and realizes Wonka might be on to something.
Crunch: When do we start?
Mr. Exposition: Abacus once worked for Slugworth, and is the one who informs Wonka about how the Chocolate Cartel works.
The Not-Love Interest: Lottie Bell when she's introduced is quiet and shy and being the closest to Wonka's age of the adults, it could be interpreted that she'd be set up as his future romantic partner. However, when she starts being more open once feeling the need to speak up and be heard—while also having been quiet because she's a telephone operator now unable to do her job at that point in time, no kind of attention is given to the idea. Lottie's relationship with him is ultimately no different than his dynamic with the rest of the adults or hers with them.
Punny Name:
- Abacus Crunch was once an accountant, and becomes Wonka's bookkeeper.
- Piper Benz was once a plumber and she uses her knowledge of the sewers to help him avoid the police. "Benz" even sounds like "bends", as in the bends in pipes.
- Lottie Bell once worked for the telephone company .
- Larry Chucklesworth used to be a comedian.
The Quiet One: Justified and lampshaded with Lottie Bell. She is so quiet that everyone is shocked when she suddenly speaks as the group hatches their plan to sell Wonka's chocolate under the noses of the law (Larry notes "I thought you were a mime!"), but she explains that this is because she hasn't had much to talk about since becoming a prisoner of Mrs. Scrubbit. She "was quite the chatterbox" at her old telephone switchboard job.
Sad Clown: Larry Chucklesworth is a failed standup comic who is stuck in Mrs. Scrubbit's boarding house/laundry and pines for the wife who left him so long ago, with a lot of his attempts at jokes clearly his way of dealing with the pain. The epilogue establishes he gets better in more ways than one, to the point that his act wins her back once he's performing again!
Suddenly Speaking: Lottie Bell starts speaking in the latter part of the movie to everyone's surprise.

The Chocolate Cartel

Arthur Slugworth, Felix Fickelgruber, and Gerald Prodnose

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_14_6.png

"We three are the fiercest of rivals, and yet we agree on one thing. A good chocolate should be simple, plain, uncomplicated."

Played By: Mathew Baynton (Fickelgruber), Matt Lucas (Prodnose), Paterson Joseph (Slugworth)

In the book, these three men were rival candy makers who employed spies to steal Wonka’s recipes so they could copy them and reap the profits, resulting in Wonka becoming a reclusive figure. The film expands upon them and increases their roles, turning them into a rival Chocolate Cartel.

For information on the 1971 depiction of Slugworth, see his folder.

Adaptational Villainy: While in the book they already employed unsavory tactics such as using spies to steal secrets from Willy Wonka, the 2023 movie made them even worse. They were unscrupulous Elitist businessmen who would stop at nothing to squash out competition such as bribing officials, sabotaging their goods, and even straight-up trying to murder them (including a little girl).
Alliterative Name: Felix Fickelgruber.
Ascended Extra: They were only background elements in the book that explain why Wonka closed his factory to the public and are never mentioned again, save for one line Wonka says before the party enters the Inventing Room. The movie elevated them to a Big Bad Duumvirate that Willy Wonka has to deal with as they stand in the way of his dreams of being a Master Chocolatier.
Big Bad Triumvirate: All three men have formed a Chocolate Cartel where they have a monopoly over the sweets industry and drive out any prospective confectioners which includes Willy Wonka. However, Slugworth seems to be the overall leader.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Much like Wonka's famous purples, each of them prefer suits of specific colors- blue for Slugworth, green for Fickelgruber, and yellow for Prodnose.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Chocolate Cartel is a trio of fine-suited chocolate makers who work together to crush any would-be competition (such as Wonka). As it turns out the so-called "rivals" are actually working together, hoarding the chocolate from the masses and making them expensive for the poor. The members of the cartel are Prodnose, Fickelgruber, and Slugworth, the candy makers that stole recipes from Wonka in the original book.
Crushing Handshake: Has an extremely firm handshake that lets others know he means business. Becomes a plot point later in the movie.
Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: They manage to achieve their goal of stopping Wonka from selling chocolate but ruin it by trying to kill him as he's leaving the city, causing him to come back and expose their crimes.
Dodgy Toupee: Prodnose has one, revealed as such when he loses it upon his being sent floating by the Hover Choc.
Euphemism Buster: Prodnose has no idea about Euphenisms. Every time his comrades use an Implied Death Threat towards their rivals, Prodnose always spells out that it means they want them dead.
Evil Sounds Deep: Has a deep, menacing voice.
Evil Uncle: Slugworth is eventually revealed to be this to Noodle, as not only did he fake his own niece's death then abandoned her, but also tries to murder her for real.
Faux Affably Evil: They may act cheerful and polite but it does little to hide the fact they are smarmy jerks who would cross any lines to maintain their iron grip on the Chocolate market.
Fun-Hating Villain: Downplayed in that they all run confectionary businesses and evidently have Sweet Tooths of their own, but in their first confrontation with Wonka, they deride his chocolate for its additions of marshmallows and salted caramel by claiming that chocolate should be "simple, plain, and uncomplicated".
- Even further Downplayed in that they think literally everything Wonka makes is delicious, and there's strong implications the only reason they said any of those things is just to discourage Wonka.
Literal-Minded: Prodnose has absolutely no understanding of subtlety, and explicitly mentions the subtext in every conversation he is a part of, even though no one ever asks him to.
Named by the Adaptation: Felix Fickelgruber and Gerald Prodnose. Slugworth's first name is Arthur, as in the 1971 film. All three simply go by their last names in the book.
Pet the Dog: Prodnose's wig falls off after he eats a hoverchoc. Wonka catches it, and tosses it back up to him. Prodnose thanks him before hastily putting it back on.
Politically Incorrect Villain: They are elitist jerks who look down on the poor, with Fickelgruber even gagging upon hearing the word.^note"Sorry, Felix."
Race Lift: Slugworth is played by Afro-British actor Paterson Joseph. While his race was never stated in the original book, in the 2005 film he was portrayed by a white actor while the 1971 film featured an imposter who was also white, implying that Slugworth was the same in that version. Becomes important when Noodle's origin is taken into account.
Sarcasm-Blind: In addition to not understanding euphemisms, Prodnose doesn't realize his comrades are being sarcastic when they thank him for explaining an Implied Death Threat.
Villain Respect: As much as they hate Wonka for selling chocolate on their turf, they admit that his chocolate is better than theirs and his is the best they ever had.
Would Hurt a Child: It turns out the Chocolate Cartel has no qualms over attempting to drown Noodle, a young girl, in chocolate along with Willy. This is on top of Slugworth abandoning her as an infant by dropping her down a laundry chute in the first place, assuming she wouldn't survive.

Mrs. Scrubbit

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Played By: Olivia Colman

The unscrupulous owner of the boarding house that Wonka stays at, who imposes labor on Wonka and others until they pay off their debts to her.

Bad Boss: She treats anyone who works for her like a prisoner, putting them in poor working conditions and not allowing them to see the light of day until they pay off their debt.
Bad Samaritan: She and Bleacher lure travelers into their boarding house with the pretense of hospitality.
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: With how legally airtight the contract she tricks her "employees" into signing is, you'd think she'd pursue a law career instead of running a laundry.
Fluffy the Terrible: Mrs. Scrubbit is an unrepentantly cruel woman, who takes advantage of the needy, tricking them into indentured servitude and has been abusing a girl she's raised from infancy since the moment she arrived. Her boyfriend calls her PuffyWuffy.
Gold Digger: She tried to seduce an aristocrat once and only shows interest in Bleacher when she's convinced he might be nobility.
Hate Sink: While the other villains are too goofy to be completely hateable, she has no redeeming qualities. She is even hated in-universe, with Wonka even calling her a monster at some point, and Noodle even straight-up telling her that she hates her.
Loan Shark: With the help of Bleacher she entraps unfortunate travelers in debt by making them sign contracts that charge exorbitant expenses (for such things as using the stairs, with up and down counted separately). While it is provided that they have very small print in the contracts detailing what the expenses are, hesitance to sign away will result in a big bonk on the head as demonstrated when Wonka hesitates for a while and Bleacher is ready to bludgeon him.
Would Harm a Child: She punishes Noodle regularly by locking her in "the coop", a tiny pigeon coop that is largely open to the outside winter air.

Bleacher

Played By: Tom Davis

Mrs. Scrubbit's partner-in-crime.

Evil Sounds Deep: Has a deep, menacing voice.
The Dragon: To Mrs. Scrubbit, acting as both her muscle and scout, finding people in need of a place to stay for cheap on short notice, so Scrubbit can trick them into Indentured Servitude.
Ignored Enamored Underling: Starts this way. Mrs. Scrubbit doesn't think highly of him at all, until Wonka needs her to.
Pet the Dog: He sincerely compliments Larry, saying the man has real talent.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Downplayed. While not incredibly good looking, once he actually bathes and takes care of his appearance, he's reasonably handsome.
Show Some Leg: Wonka convinces him to wear a tiny pair of shorts (and take a bath) in order to unknowingly distract Mrs. Scrubbit.
Uncleanliness Is Next to Ungodliness: Until Wonka convinces him that Mrs. Scrubbit is in love with him, he's mentioned as never bathing. He's also Mrs. Scrubbit's partner in tricking people into Indentured Servitude and has no problem keeping Noodle locked up for life or poisoning Wonka's chocolates.
Unholy Matrimony: He has a crush on Mrs. Scrubbit and they do hit it off in the movie, which distracts them long enough for Wonka and his friends to go out and sell chocolate.
Villain Has a Point: Though he was just setting Wonka up to be forced into Indentured Servitude, he's nonetheless right that Wonka would have frozen to death trying to sleep outside in winter.

Chief-of-Police

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"DO NOT SELL CHOCOLATE IN THIS TOWN!"

Played By: Keegan-Michael Key

An unnamed police chief who is bribed by the Chocolate Cartel in the form of chocolate to try and stop Wonka's business from taking off.

Big Eater: He went through the Cartel's bribe of 1,800 boxes of chocolate in just a couple weeks.
Dirty Cop: He is in the pocket of the Chocolate Cartel, although he seems reluctant at first to strongarm Wonka. The rest of the police force appears to not be in on the corruption and is only enforcing the rather draconian letter of the city's laws and some of them even appear sympathetic to Wonka and his allies. The second hard evidence of the Cartel's misdeeds and the Chief's corruption is presented, the rest of the police start arresting the lot of them.
Every Man Has His Price: He has no problem taking bribes to focus his efforts on people illegally selling chocolate without a shop, but he's reluctant to rough Wonka up or potentially kill him, citing that he's supposed to enforce the law, not break it. Throughout the Villain Song "Sweet Tooth", he refuses higher and higher bribes until they offer him 1,800 boxes of chocolate, at which point he immediately accepts.
Evil Is Petty: During "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This", he demands to have the passengers of the trolley frisked, just for buying from Wonka. He even interrupts the song by telling a woman to "Put a sock in it!"
Fat Bastard: Eventually becomes morbidly obese from the massive amounts of chocolate he consumes over the course of the movie, which are provided by the Chocolate Cartel bribing him to do worse and worse things.
Formerly Fit: Starts the film as a reasonably fit man, takes all his bribes from the Chocolate Cartel in kind, promptly eating it all. After two weeks of eating all this chocolate, he gains what he guesses is 150 pounds.
Immediate Self-Contradiction: During "Sweet Tooth", he angrily declares the cartel can "keep [their] wretched chocolates" but when they up the bribe to 1800 boxes, he immediately accepts.
Laughably Evil: Despite his unsavory acts, he remains quite an amusing character. Being played by Key from Key & Peele certainly does favors.
No Name Given: Is the only major character in the film without a proper name. The film itself pokes fun at this when Affable reveals that the Chief's name is in the Cartel's ledger… a lot.
Sweet Tooth: Outright called out on this in the number "Sweet Tooth" where he tries to hold out but is eventually bribed by the Chocolate Cartel with 1800 boxes of his favorites. He gets increasingly large payments for every new dirty deed they have him do, culminating in a box bigger than his car. It seems like an outright addiction, because he goes through them shockingly fast, saying he did so because he could only get a "buzz" from bigger and bigger servings.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Something that coincides his weight. At first, when he has a bit of a gut but otherwise is just stocky, he's a Dirty Cop who accepts bribes to sabotage other up-and-coming chocolatiers, but nonetheless tries to draw the line at assaulting and possibly killing Wonka at the behest of the Chocolate Cartel, even coming off as a Minion with an F in Evil during his first attempt at coercing Wonka. By the time that his acceptance of constant chocolate turns him into a full-on Fat Bastard, he's makes sabotaging Wonka top priority over even serious crimes, even offering to wreck his shop, and even assists in the Chocolate Cartel's attempt at outright blowing him up.
Villainous Glutton: He eats so much chocolate from the Chocolate Cartel that he gains over 300 pounds in only less than a month.

Officer Affable

Played By: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

An honest policeman serving under the corrupt Chief.

Good Counterpart: Serves as one to the Chief, being an honest and friendly police officer more interested in solving serious crimes such as murder than fining people for daydreaming or shutting down people selling chocolate without a shop.
Meaningful Name: As his name Affable implies, he's actually a Nice Guy.
Punch-Clock Villain: He's only hard on Wonka because he's a police officer enforcing the draconian laws of the city, and clearly isn't happy about it. When Wonka gives him the ledger of the Chocolate Cartel's illegal actions, Affable is more than happy to arrest the Chief.
Reasonable Authority Figure: When he catches Wonka daydreaming, he takes no pleasure in exacting the hefty fine of three sovereigns. Later, when he confiscates Wonka's earnings while breaking up the Hover-Choc demonstration, he lets him keep one sovereign so that he can pay for his room. He also asks the Chief if they really should be cracking down on Wonka's business and not investigate the various unsolved murders in the city.
Token Good Cop: The Chief of Police is an imbecilic Dirty Cop while the meaningfully named Officer Affable is the only person to dislike or question some of his more suspicious actions. While the Chief accepts bribes from the chocolate cartel and uses physical violence against their enemies, such as Wonka, Affable leaves Wonka a little bit of rent money after confiscating his earnings for the day and has his boss arrested when the truth of his corruption comes out.

Father Julius

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Played By: Rowan Atkinson

A priest who is also conspiring with the Chocolate Cartel.

Ask a Stupid Question...: A variation. Immediately after asking what he did to deserve being attacked by a giraffe, he answers his own question, calling himself Judas and pointing out that he "sold his soul for thirty pieces of chocolate."
Blatant Lies: He tells Noodle he doesn't have any chocolate on him less than two seconds before popping a piece of chocolate in his mouth.
Sinister Minister: He runs the town church, which also serves as a cover operation for the Chocolate Cartel's underground lair.
Tempting Fate: Julius states that though he and the monks will have to face punishment for their crimes, "It is not this day" mere moments before a giraffe rampages through the church.

Miss Bon-Bon

Slugworth's secretary.

The Dragon: Subverted. She seems to be this to Slugworth at first, however she doesn't do much in the film, and most of the problems come from other characters doing Slugworth's bidding.
Meaningful Name: "Bon-Bon" is the name of a chocolate confection, and she works for a chocolate-selling businessman.

Characters / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Adaptation-Specific Characters

1971 Film

Mr. Arthur Slugworth

Played By: Günter Meisner (1971 film), Mick Wingert (Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)