Marvin the Martian

Marvin the Martian is a Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies character who usually shows up as an alien villain from Mars, dressed in a Roman soldier’s helmet and skirt. He’s been voiced by Mel Blanc, Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen, and Eric Bauza, among others.

He first appeared as the bad guy in the 1948 Bugs Bunny cartoon *Haredevil Hare*, and then in four more cartoons released between 1952 and 1963. His look was based on Hoplite armor, the kind worn by the Roman god Mars. The creators thought putting that helmet and skirt on an ant-like creature would be funny, and since he had no mouth, they had to show he was talking entirely through his movements, which required expressive body mechanics.

In the original shorts, Marvin was never given a name—he was called the Commander of Flying Saucer X-2 in *The Hasty Hare* (1952) and sometimes referred to as “Antwerp” in promotional materials or stage shows. The name “Marvin” was chosen in 1979 for *The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie* when the character started getting merchandising interest.

Marvin comes from Mars but often appears elsewhere. He’s usually with his dog K-9, and sometimes with other creatures, like the “Instant Martians” that grow from candy-sized drops when water is added. He wears a green helmet and skirt with a red suit (though in some early shorts the colors were swapped), and basketball shoes like Chuck Taylor All-Stars. His head is a black sphere with only eyes, and the curved crest on his helmet looks like an ancient Greek hoplite’s or Roman centurion’s, with a push-broom top. Bugs Bunny once called him a “bowling ball wearing a spittoon.” He speaks in a soft, nasal voice, often using technobabble, and is known for lines like “Where’s the kaboom? There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!” and “This makes me very angry, very angry indeed.” His voice is similar to Claude Cat’s.

He frequently tries to destroy Earth with his “Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator” (originally called “Uranium Pu-36,” later changed to “Illudium PU-36,” with “Pu” referencing plutonium). He over-pronounces the name of the device, which looks like a stick of dynamite, to avoid confusion with other explosives. His reason for destroying Earth is that “it obstructs my view of Venus,” and he’s been at it for over two thousand years, suggesting Martians have very long lifespans. Bugs Bunny always foils him, and he’s also battled Daffy Duck (as Duck Dodgers) over space territory and Planet X.

Later, Marvin appeared in *Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century* with Gossamer as his assistant, and made a cameo in the 1988 film *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (set in 1947, a year before his first cartoon). He’s been in three TV shows: as a toddler in *Baby Looney Tunes*, as a main antagonist in the *Duck Dodgers* series, and as a supporting character in *The Looney Tunes Show*. In *Baby Looney Tunes*, his helmet has a propeller instead of a push-broom, and he’s shy and nonverbal at first before making friends. In *Duck Dodgers*, he’s a Martian commander serving Queen Tyr’ahnee, using his original name from *The Hasty Hare*. In *The Looney Tunes Show* episode “Reunion,” he’s a former classmate of Daffy’s who’s been plotting to destroy Earth since graduation, and a flashback reveals the yellow part on his helmet is actually his hair.