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Retro Chill is a Crossover of sorts between two Calvin and Hobbes Script Fic trilogies - Swing123's series (consisting of Calvin and Hobbes: The Movie, Calvin and Hobbes II: Lost at Sea, and Calvin and Hobbes III: Double Trouble) and garfieldodie's series (consisting of Can You Imagine That?, Attack of the Teacher Creature, and Trouble Island). It is perhaps the turning point in the Calvinverse - two previously unrelated stories come together to form a cohesive whole.

Fittingly, Retro and Rupert & Earl Chill have teamed up to get their archenemy - our six-year-old protagonist. They successfully abduct him, leaving behind an Evil Knockoff to fool the other four protagonists. Now, Calvin must escape the ship before everything goes kaput.

A rewrite has been completed, acting as the Grand Finale of the rewritten Calvinverse.


This fanfic provides examples of:

     Tropes for the original 
  • Accidental Misnaming: Played with - it first appears that Evil Calvin calls Susie "Marcie", but he then reveals he was actually talking to Moe. He then calls him "Mack" and "Ginger".
  • Actually a Doombot: Calvin believes this when he encounters the real Retro, and tries to prove it's this.
  • Air-Vent Passageway: Calvin ends up in one in Chapter 11.
  • American Accents: The evil Calvin has a New York accent.
  • And I Must Scream: The heroes' plan is to trap Rupert, Earl, and Retro in paused time forever.
  • Are We There Yet?: Socrates says this while the group travels to Rupert's ship.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: According to Calvin, second grade involves "mustard gas, whips, swinging pendulums, and long division."
  • Author Catchphrase: "Help. Cry for help." It first appeared in Double Trouble, then appears in Chapter 18 here, then shows up in the first and second season of The Series.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Retro and Bob team up with Rupert and Earl.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Hobbes and the others arrive in the upgraded wagon in Chapter 20.
  • Big "NO!": Calvin does one after the planet selector fails to take him to Earth.
    • Evil Calvin also does this when he's sucked up by the Imaginator, turning into a Rapid-Fire "No!".
    • Calvin does another one (after a Big "WHAT?!") when he learns he has to go to school tomorrow.
  • Big Red Button: Retro pushes one to activate a signal in Chapter 11.
  • Big "SHUT UP!": Retro does one to quiet the aliens down.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Calvin does one after Retro tells him that he'll be tortured. It's quickly subverted, though, because Calvin didn't actually hear what he was saying.
    • Calvin does a straighter one after learning he has to go to school tomorrow, followed by a Big "NO!".
  • Black Belt in Origami: Calvin quotes the Trope Namer in Chapter 6.
  • Blackmail: Evil Calvin plans to use the Planet Deteriorater to blackmail the planet into bowing down to Retro and Rupert. It's even the title of Chapter 11!
  • Blah, Blah, Blah: The narrator says this during a scene where Retro tries to quiet the aliens down.
  • Book Ends: The very end of the movie is a line-for-line recreation of dialogue from the beginning of Can You Imagine That? (which, canonically, is the first installment in The 'Verse).
  • Breath Weapon: The Spacers suck things into their mouths ala Kirby.
  • Brick Joke: In Chapter 7, Evil Calvin complains about the quality of a certain vendor's chocolate ice cream, planning to sue. Later, in Chapter 13, he asks Fake Mom and Fake Dad for some chocolate ice cream - specifically better than the vendor's. (He's still planning to sue, too.)
    • An early chapter has Sherman biting Socrates' ear. In Chapter 13, Sherman responds to a disparaging remark of his with "Come closer so that I may bite you," prompting Socrates to back away and rub his ear.
    • Another early chapter has Calvin playing mock-Jeopardy! with an alien. Much later, in Chapter 14, an alien responds to a question with "I'll take weird creature for 500, please."
  • Bring It: Lampshaded.
    Evil Calvin: Bring it on.
    Calvin: Is that the best banter you can come up with?
    Evil Calvin: I'm working on short notice. Give me a break.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Evil Calvin, unsurprisingly.
  • Chekhov's Gun: After Socrates uses the Time Pauser, Andy pockets it for safekeeping. Later, in Chapter 13, he and Sherman flee from some guards and end up activating it.
    Sherman: Well, well. It would appear that your inability to remember anything has paid off.
    • Better yet, the very first chapter has Calvin using the Time Pauser to extend summer vacation, and Hobbes asks "what happens when you touch the button again, but I'm not touching you? Do I stay here in the point where time doesn't exist?" Seventeen chapters later, Hobbes remembers this moment and comes up with a plan to trap the villains in paused time forever.
      • The original "gun" comes up again, as Andy apparently dropped it - leading Retro to get it.
    • Another incredibly long wait between reappearances: the guitar used in the climax of Calvin and Hobbes: The Movie is used again to get Calvin out of a force field.
    • The gun used at the end of Trouble Island (helpfully pointed out by the narration) is used again to revert things back the way they were.
  • Chirping Crickets: Alien crickets, no less.
  • Circling Birdies: After getting socked by the evil Calvin, Hobbes sees "a bunch of stars, planets, tweety birds and somewhere in the deeper recesses of his brain, he heard a harp playing for no apparent reason."
  • Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Done somewhat jokingly with Calvin.
    "Well, it's about time! I've been waiting a full one minute! Who has that kind of time? Get me out of here!"
  • Continuity Nod: The evil Calvin references VVV's, much to Hobbes' disgust.
  • Cool Starship: Sherman built one, and nobody's too sure how he managed to do it.
  • Cowardly Sidekick: Bob to Retro.
  • Crapsack World: Earth under Evil Calvin's management.
  • Dedication: Bill Watterson is thanked in the opening credits.
  • Delayed Reaction: It takes a long time for Galaxoid and Nebular to figure out that Calvin was lying about being the Earth Potentate.
  • Delinquent Hair: Evil Calvin has a mohawk.
  • Department of Redundancy Department:
    Retro: This is perfect, Bob. With my brains and his army and my brains, we could rule the world side-by-side.
  • Descriptiveville: Apparently, Qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm are the makers of the best Qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm-ian burgers in all of Qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm-ville.
    • Later, Ernie suggests that the newly-conquered Earth be renamed "Retro and Rupertville". It gets shot down quickly.
  • Do Not Adjust Your Set: Retro, Rupert, and Earl do this to every station in the world, explaining their Evil Plan.
  • Double Subversion: When Socrates finally learns about his transmitter chip, he marches over to Sherman, plucks him up, and... begins laughing. After everyone else starts laughing, he abruptly stops and angrily tells him to take it out.
  • Duck Season, Rabbit Season: Retro does this with Calvin when they're arguing over whether the former is Rupert in disguise or the actual Retro.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Played for Laughs, as Calvin wants more respect than he really needs.
  • Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Sherman creates a device that can destroy planets, and Evil Calvin repeatedly threatens to use it once he gets his hands on it.
  • Egopolis: Retro and Rupert brainstorm names for their newly-controlled planet. Among them include Rupretoia, The Planet of Evil, and The Planet of No Calvin.
    • Much later, in a mere two weeks Evil Calvin manages to turn Earth into a dictatorship, where everyone bows down to him and follows his laws:
    No watching TV unless it's the military channel, all money from the toy stores go to him, and you have to say "Long live Evil Calvin" every day.
  • Evil Knockoff: The villains create an evil Calvin to ruin the real one's reputation.
  • Evil Laugh: Lampshaded:
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Brainstorm's Defeat Current Dictator and Give User Control all at the Same Time device.
  • Extreme Omnivore: The Shadowfax eat anything they can.
  • Eye Pop: Bob does this after Calvin threatens him with death.
  • Face Palm: Calvin does one after being tricked by Socrates.
  • Fireball Eyeballs: Evil Calvin gets these after getting pounced on by Hobbes in Chapter 20.
  • Gasp!: Done by Calvin when he learns of the villains' plot. His parents do another one soon after for the same reason.
  • Get Out!: Remarked upon:
    Rupert: Next time, Next time, we don't just go bursting into people's homes like we did. We freaked everyone out.
    Earl: Isn't that a good thing?
    Rupert: Normally, yes, but it's not when they throw their furniture at us and yell "GET OUT, GET OUT".
  • Group Hug: Socrates asks for one as a Last Request - allowing him to use the Time Pauser and get out of Dodge.
  • HA HA HA—No: Socrates' reaction to Sherman suggesting he'll let the whole transmitter chip thing slide.
  • Hates Being Touched: Bob immediately zooms away upon realizing Earl's about to touch him during their conversation.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Bob.
    Hobbes: Welcome to the Good Side. Don't expect free donuts, though.
  • Hidden Depths: Hobbes is surprisingly good at singing.
    • Also, Andy has a black belt in karate.
  • Hold Up Your Score: Rupert, Earl, and Bob give Retro a 10, 9.5, and 9 for his attempt to get the aliens to shut up.
    "Hey, I beat my old record."
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every chapter is named after a song.
  • Insignificant Little Blue Planet: The planet selector's explanation of Earth is "home to the most obsolete and stupidest aliens in the universe, THE EARTHLINGS!" Calvin argues against it, but the voice simply tells him that they're always fighting and have never visited another planet. He can't argue with that.
  • Insult Backfire:
    Susie: Man, you are evil!
    Evil Calvin: Why, thank you.
  • Ironic Echo: Evil Calvin threatens a man that he'll be beaten senseless on the count of three. Later, when he holds the remote to destroy the Earth, he does the same thing - only everyone bows down before "three".
  • Kill and Replace: Retro's plan for Calvin is to kidnap him, ruin his reputation with an evil clone, lower defense systems so the aliens can take over, and then kill the real Calvin.
  • Kill It with Fire: Hobbes tries this on the Shadowfax, but it doesn't work - the Spacers are weak to fire, and the Shadowfax actually love it.
  • Kill It with Ice: The actual weakness of the Shadowfax, which Socrates exploits with a catch rope and a freezer.
  • Kill It with Water: Hobbes tries this on the Shadowfax, but it doesn't work - it was actually the Blackosts that were weak to water.
  • Last Request: Evil Calvin lets Socrates have his - a Group Hug, which allows him to use the Time Pauser and save everyone.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: Everyone splits up in Chapter 13, taking one invention with them.
  • Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Hobbes and Socrates agree on this when they accidentally get caught in a net.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Finally subverted, as Calvin tells Socrates about the chip in his head.
  • Look Behind You: Calvin claims that there's a white thing with glowing green eyes and razor-sharp talons behind the aliens in Chapter 7, inciting mass panic and allowing him to escape.
  • Loophole Abuse: The arena forbids using Calvin's inventions... but that doesn't stop Sherman from constructing something.
  • MacGyvering: Sherman takes an advanced Zok gun, the wagon, and a propeller, and constructs an armed vehicle in Chapter 15.
  • Malicious Misnaming: Socrates calls Sherman "Bucky".
  • Marshmallow Dream: Referenced as a Shout-Out to SpongeBob SquarePants.
  • Meaningful Name: The Tornaduses can create tornadoes, and the Clawracks have Wolverine Claws.
  • Medium Awareness: When the group encounters a goose in space:
    Hobbes: Well, this story is starting to get weird.
    [...]
    Socrates: Well, the authors have added in giant mutant geese. This should be an interesting scene.
    • Then, at the end of Chapter 17:
    Hobbes: OK. Now we're doomed.
    Calvin: Unless we miraculously come up with a plan in the next chapter.
    • "Wow. That was even more dramatic than the lava scene."
    • Chapter 20:
    Hobbes: People sure do get slammed into a wall a lot in this scene.
    Calvin: Well, what else are we supposed to do?
  • Music Soothes the Savage Beast: This is how Hobbes defeats the Clawracks. The trope name is even mentioned.
  • Mystery Meat: The aliens' dinner meatloaf had contents so disgusting, the narrator refuses to say what it is.
  • The Napoleon: Retro remarks "Hard to beat up someone, when you're three feet tall, huh?", and Calvin reacts with horror.
  • No-Sell: Moe is not knocked back at all when Calvin crashes into him in Chapter 20.
  • Not Himself: The evil Calvin, masquerading as the real one, ends up suspected as this by Hobbes and Socrates.
  • Not-So-Innocent Whistle: Socrates does this after the evil Calvin informs Sherman about something derogatory he said.
    • The alien crew also do this when Earl asks why they didn't take Calvin to the torture room. (Answer: they were too busy watching SpongeBob SquarePants.)
  • Numbered Sequels: Zig-zagged. The fic itself has no numeral, but other sources tag it with a "4".
  • Off with His Head!: Rupert threatens Lenny with this if the latter starts freaking out about the ghost again.
  • Only One Name: Lampshaded as the three antagonists get trapped in paused time:
    Rupert Chill was gone.
    Retro Griffin was gone.
    Earl... uh... Earl was gone.
  • Our Founder: Evil Calvin has a monument of him when he takes over Earth.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: Evil Calvin has no trouble at all beating people up.
  • Playground Song: Socrates sings "48 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" in Chapter 12, much to the annoyance of everyone else.
  • Pun-Based Title: Chapter 13 is titled "Feats Don't Fail Me Now".
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "I...... AM... NOT... THE... EARTH... POTENTATE!"
  • Rapid-Fire "No!": Evil Calvin does this while being sucked up by the Imaginator.
  • Reactive Continuous Scream: A newly-awakened Calvin and an alien do this for a bit in Chapter 4.
    • Also done briefly between Bob and the rest of the protagonists in Chapter 12, though Hobbes stops it because Bob is harmless.
  • Rule of Three: People wondering how "a little hairball (Sherman) built something so big".
  • Running Gag: The alien crew freaking out about a ghost.
    • In a fight scene, someone kicking/stomping on another person's appendages, causing them to scream "YEEEE-OW!" or something similar and drop one of Calvin's inventions.
    • Bob getting startled by the aliens.
  • The Scream: Every protagonist does this at the start of Chapter 17, as it appears they'll crash into lava and die (except Socrates, who somehow knew that the ships were lava-proof).
  • Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Socrates does this to Hobbes for a change.
    Hobbes: Hey, I'm supposed to be the one that vanishes and leaves the other hanging! Now I know how Calvin feels when I do it to him.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Retro and Bob were trapped in a box, and Rupert and Earl accidentally free them.
  • Sequelitis: The movies that Galaxoid and Nebular send down In-Universe.
  • Shout-Out: Every chapter is named for a song: see the list below.
    "Oh, it's Larry! Which of those creatures behind you are Curly and Mo?"
    There once was a man from Peru
    Who dreamed he was eating his shoe
    He woke with a fright
    In the middle of the night
    To find that his dream had come true.
    • Also in Chapter 15, Hobbes sings "The Best Song Ever" by Chris Rice (which also names the chapter).
    • In Chapter 16, Andy turns on the radio to find "Thunderbirds are Go" by Bustednote .
    "This is a good song."
  • So Last Season: In Double Trouble, the Shadowfax were easily defeated with any kind of light. The ones in this story, however, are much bigger than the last ones, and presumably a special variety immune to light.
  • Super-Speed: The Clawracks are very fast.
  • Sure, Let's Go with That: Bob says this verbatim when Rupert questions him on why he let Calvin leave.
  • Take a Number: Done in the Torture Place, despite nobody else being in the store. They end up with 5,849,596, and it takes more than a day to get to their number.
  • Take That!: The Torture Place has the complete first and second seasons of The Backyardigans on VVV.
  • Teleporters and Transporters: Sherman has a teleportation belt.
  • This Is a Drill: Brainstorm bursts in the castle with a giant drill in Chapter 20.
  • Throw the Book at Them: Galaxoid tosses a planet field guide at Rupert, specifically revealing that Earth does not have a potentate.
  • Titled After the Song: Every chapter title is one of these.
  • Tractor Beam: Sherman's ship doesn't have one of these, and Calvin gets angry about it.
    "THAT DUMB HAMSTER BUILT IN A SHIELD, LASERS, AND HIGH TECH LAVA PROOF METAL, BUT HE CAN'T PUT IN A STUPID BEAMER!"
  • Trilogy Creep: Serves as this to two different trilogies.
  • Troperiffic: This story is the point where the verse starts being this.
  • We Need a Distraction: Calvin gets Bob to wave his arms around so he can escape his cell once again.
  • Wolverine Claws: The Clawracks have these, unsurprisingly.
  • Worst. Whatever. Ever!: Evil Calvin yells at an ice cream vendor that their chocolate ice cream was the worst he's ever had.
  • You Are in Command Now: Hobbes ends up becoming the leader of the group with Calvin in captivity.
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Hobbes says this when Dave suggests playing Go Fish in Chapter 14.
  • Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: The protagonists have finally gotten Rupert, Earl, and Retro out of the way, the alien crew is happy, and they all return home. It all seems well until you remember there was another threat back on Earth...

     Tropes for the rewrite 
  • And the Adventure Continues: The story — and thus, the rewritten Calvinverse — ends with Calvin and his friends going off on another adventure.
  • Back for the Finale: Pretty much every major character is back, including Susie, Moe, Rosalyn, Galaxoid and Nebular, and even former one-off villain, Jark. Subverted with Miss Wormwood, as Calvin is no longer in her class, although she does get a mention in the epilogue.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: On one hand, we've got a Big Bad Duumvirate of Rupert and Retro trying to finally exact their revenge on Calvin, but Retro plans to betray Rupert, not seeing him as human. They replaced the original Calvin with an Evil Twin, but he is The Unfettered and quickly develops his own agenda, recruiting Jark and the monsters under his bed to destroy the world. And then we've got the Entity, who is manipulating all these parties for its own ends.
  • Breaking Speech: Retro attempts this when he informs Calvin of his theory that everything that's happened since Can You Imagine That? is a result of the original Imaginator imprinting on Calvin's subconscious, giving him the real friends he had always yearned for, enemies that he could defeat on his own, and a chance to be the hero. Whether or not this is true, it's never confirmed, but Calvin refuses to believe it either way.
  • The Bus Came Back: An evil bus - Jark from Season 3's Attack of the Monsters two-parter is back and ready to rumble, thanks to Evil Calvin.
  • But for Me, It Was Tuesday: As he and his fellow monsters are defeated, Jark vows he will get revenge one day. Calvin and the others can't seem to remember who he is.
  • Challenging the Bully: Moe returns one last time for Calvin to stop him from picking on Susie in an epic (non-violent) Curb-Stomp Battle. The best part is that, as Calvin points out, Moe is so low on Calvin's threat list by this point that there's not even a hint of fear for him. It shows just how much Calvin has changed over the years.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: Unlike the previous version, which saw the heroes undergo a more comedic torture, this version starts out comedic but turns incredibly serious as Rupert and Retro put Calvin through some serious psychological torture that leaves him practically comatose.
  • Dirty Coward: Moe, big time. Even Evil Calvin is disgusted.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Rupert and Earl's friendship breaking down is not unlike a toxic, sometimes abusive, relationship, as Earl tries to hold everything together despite how dangerous Rupert is before finally having to admit that he needs to abandon him for Earl's own good, as well as for the crew and their planet.
    • Dr Brainstorm explaining to his family that he isn't evil is depicted not unlike someone coming out of the closet.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Whatever the Entity is, it is beyond worldly (let alone human) comprehension. Not really on the same plane of existence as everyone else? Check. Suggested to have had a hand in previous Calvinverse events? Check. Makes its presence known with blinding light? Check. What little we see of it being long, dark tentacles? Check. Not having any specific preference for good or evil? Check. Implied to be at least somewhat responsible for Hobbes being "real?" Aaaaand check.
  • End-of-Series Awareness: During the epilogue, Socrates creates one last vlog for his viewers and thanks them for all the support they've given him and his friends, tying into how Retro Chill is the finale of the rewritten Calvinverse. The other characters also discuss their various past adventures and how they would've liked to do some things differently.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Earl realizes he's finally reached his limit when he sees how sadistically Rupert and Retro are torturing Calvin. The aliens agree, but they were never all that evil to begin with.
  • Fate Worse than Death: Rupert and Retro being trapped in time-stop for all eternity is bad enough, but the Entity clearly has malicious intentions as it wraps its long legs around them, intending to feed on their now never-ending lives.
  • Grand Finale: Of the rewritten Calvinverse stories, and the Calvinverse as a whole.
  • Growing Up Sucks: Calvin begins to feel this way as second grade approaches, feeling depressed and melancholic about the changes in his life. Thankfully some encouragement from the gang, Rosalyn, and especially Hobbes seems to improve his mood at least a little. Then Rupert and Retro kidnap him immediately after.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Dr Brainstorm starts heading this way through the story, but he briefly contemplates a Heel Face Turn Slam when his fan club points out he could use the monsters to take over the world. Thankfully, Jack talks him out of it, and he plays this trope completely straight.
    • Also, the alien crew finally defect away from Rupert when Earl shows them the Cold-Blooded Torture that he and Retro are inflicting on Calvin, and they decide to stand up to Rupert's cruelty.
    • Earl, meanwhile, seems to be undergoing more of a Hazy-Feel Turn, as while he hasn't exactly renounced his evil ways, he recognizes that Rupert is going too far, and is acting more out of pragmatism - protecting the people of Zok - than any kinship with the heroes.
  • Heroic BSoD: Calvin enters one after his brutal torture session. He's able to force himself out of it when Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man and Tracer Bullet join forces in his mind to get his brain working again.
  • He's Back!: Dr Brainstorm, after receiving a pep talk from Rosalyn, of all people, finally gets out of his funk and decides to save the world from Evil Calvin and the monsters.
  • Humiliation Conga: Moe is put through this as Evil Calvin avenges "himself" for the bully's past cruelty, putting him in a jester's outfit, keeping him on a leash and forcing him to eat garbage. Of course, Moe learns no humility from this, believing it should be him ruling the monsters and dreaming of the day when he can go back to beating up little kids again.
  • Ignored Epiphany: Socrates attempts to reason with the alien crew to let them go so they can save Calvin, but they're not used to thinking for themselves and lock them away. Later subverted when they are shown the full scale of Rupert's cruelty.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Any hope that Moe may have a speck of decency inside of him comes crashing down during the monster invasion. When cornered by the monsters, he begs for them to eat Calvin instead of him (with the provision that he get his spare change beforehand), and he spends much of his captivity yearning to beat up smaller children and taking over the monsters for himself.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
    • The pay off to the Running Gag about Socrates' vlog has him thanking his viewers and talking about ending his video series, which could also be construed as speaking to the viewers at home about the end of the Calvinverse.
    • During the epilogue, the gang talks about some of their adventures in a manner that sounds like the authors sharing their opinions on said adventures (wishing they gave the story where Andy was mistaken for a pharaoh a follow-up, for example).
  • Let's Get Dangerous!: Hobbes does a very effective job of leading the group on their mission to rescue Calvin.
    • Also - Dr Brainstorm when he decides it's time to snap out of his funk and save the world from the monsters.
    • Hobbes again when he learns of Calvin being tortured, leading to him attacking Rupert.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Just what exactly is Hobbes? How are all of Calvin's adventures real? The story's answer: it doesn't matter. Theories are presented, such as Retro believing that Calvin's first altercation with the Imaginator left his imprint on the universe, creating enemies for him to beat, but it's never definitely stated whether this is true. Hobbes' nature, meanwhile, is hinted to be connected to the Entity, as it greets him as "old friend" when they briefly encounter, but Hobbes himself doesn't seem sure, despite feeling a small degree of recognition upon seeing him. In any case, by the end of the story, he has a super-vague idea of what he is, but he's decided it's irrelevant. What's really important is being Calvin's best friend.
  • Parental Substitute: Jark becomes a very twisted version of this towards Evil Calvin, at one point even calling him "the son I always hungered for".
  • Post-Climax Confrontation: Rupert and Retro are defeated in Chapter 18. The Evil Calvin storyline continues into Chapters 19 and 20.
  • Save the Villain: Calvin saves Earl from being burned alive - a fate he realizes is far too grisly for him.
  • Ship Tease: A very brief one, but Calvin's admission that he's impressed with how Susie handled herself during the monster invasion comes across as a tad flirty, which Susie clearly reciprocates.
  • Shout-Out: Doubles as a Mythology Gag, as Watterson named Miss Wormwood after the character by CS Lewis, Calvin's second grade teacher is named Mrs. Screwtape, after a character from the same story.
    Hobbes: Your teachers have weird names.
  • Shut Up, Hannibal!: The Evil Calvin attempts to get inside Calvin's head, about how he's a part of him that can't be gotten rid of, but Calvin flat out tells him to shut up and tackles him back into the Duplicator.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Calvin's parents and Rosalyn surprise themselves in how well they deal with escaping from the monsters, as well as saving Susie from Evil Calvin and Jark.
    • Susie herself later takes a level when helping interrogate one of the monsters, taking advantage of its hatred of cuteness to torture the answers out of it.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Hobbes when he finds Calvin being tortured. He's able to take Rupert down singlehanded until Socrates reminds him that Calvin will need help recovering.
  • Villainous B So D: Rupert has reached his all-time low at the beginning of this story. After his last defeat at Calvin's hands after Calvin and Hobbes III: Double Trouble, he's lost the will to do anything but stew in his own hatred for the boy, leaving the last remnants of his empire to continue crumbling around him.
    • Dr Brainstorm has entered a more tragic one, as he seems to finally be aware of how small the odds are of him finally taking over the world, leading him into a fit of depression that Jack is having trouble shaking him from.
    • Earl enters one when Calvin saves his life. He's not used to someone looking out for him, never mind a mortal enemy.
  • Wham Line: A small one in Chapter 18, courtesy of Galaxoid and Nebular, who have spent every moment of the 'Verse and original comic believing that Calvin is the Earth Potentate:
    Galaxoid: (fondly referring to Calvin's gang) Nice group, them.
    Nebular: Indeed. Convenient that Calvin was the first human we ever met.
    Galaxoid: Very... It really is a shame, though...
    Nebular: Hmm?
    Galaxoid: He really ''should'' be the Earth Potentate. He's so overqualified for it.
    Nebular: (Nods in agreement)
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Exploited by Calvin against the titular villains. Retro, during his Breaking Speech (described above), brags to Calvin about his intentions to destroy Rupert as well since he doesn't see the alien as real. In the final battle, once he's rendered defenseless, Calvin immediately begins asking Rupert what he will do once Retro turns on him. A few moments later, Rupert demands the Imaginator from Retro, who refuses to give it up, and the rest is history.

Alternative Title(s): Calvin And Hobbes IV Retro Chill

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