The Tick is a superhero in a blue bug suit (which may or may not be part of his body). He is the main protagonist of the Tick franchise.
Arthur
Arthur is the Tick's sidekick. He is formally introduced in The Tick #4, but appears as a mysterious flying figure in the background of earlier issues of that series. Trained as an accountant, Arthur purchased his moth suit at an auction and decided to pursue the life of a superhero (resulting in indefinite "psychiatric leave" from his accounting firm). After rescuing a powerful ninja artifact (the Thorn of Oblivion) and helping the Tick and Oedipus defeat the ninjas, Arthur decides to become the Tick's sidekick. In a running joke, Arthur is often mistaken for a rabbit because of the shape and size of his costume's antennae and because his wings are usually folded up. His doughy physique, shy manner, lack of self-confidence, and hesitation in the face of danger are often played for comic contrast against the attitudes and tendencies of other characters (especially the Tick). Arthur is ethnically Jewish (which is mentioned in an episode of the 1994 cartoon series), and his family wants him to leave the superhero lifestyle and return to accounting. Arthur's apartment serves as his and the Tick's superhero headquarters. The 2016 TV series reveals that Arthur's full name is Arthur Everest, but it is unknown if this is his full name in other media.
The Tick has different main allies in each of his media appearances:
American Maid (voiced by Kay Lenz). A parody of Wonder Woman and Captain America exclusive to the 1994 series, American Maid is the World's Most Patriotic Domestic and has a love/hate relationship with Die Fledermaus, though there are hints at a past romance. She is possibly the only competent superhero in the animated series apart from the Tick and Arthur, with whom she occasionally teams up. American Maid is a skilled acrobat and can throw her tiara and stilettos with extreme accuracy. Her name is a pun on "American made".
Batmanuel (portrayed by Nestor Carbonell). Exclusive to the 2001 TV series, Batmanuel is a Latino parody of Batman who teams up with the Tick and Arthur. Although he claims to be a superhero, Batmanuel doesn't have any special powers and is shown to be a cowardly, shady, and lecherous superhero. He has a love/hate relationship with Captain Liberty.
Captain Liberty (portrayed by Liz Vassey). Exclusive to the 2001 TV series, Captain Liberty is a parody of Wonder Woman who teams up with the Tick and Arthur. She is a serious and somewhat sarcastic superhero who works for the CIA. Despite acting tough to other people, she occasionally has relationship issues and woman problems. She has a love/hate relationship with Batmanuel.
Die Fledermaus (voiced by Cam Clarke). Exclusive to the 1994 TV series, Die Fledermaus has a love/hate relationship with American Maid, though there are hints at a past romance. Die Fledermaus is usually the first superhero to run away from danger except on specific occasions. He is also egotistical and obsessed with beautiful women. Die Fledermaus's equipment consists of a roof swinging grappling line gun, utility belt and exoskeleton, and articulated cape. Die Fledermaus means "the bat" in German (literally, "the flitter-mouse"). He is a parody of Batman.
Sewer Urchin (voiced by Jess Harnell). A sea urchin-themed superhero who has a luxurious apartment, largely furnished with salvage from the sewers. He has relatively few guests. Sewer Urchin has super stench slime secreting spikes on his suit that enable him to stick on any surface. He is also equipped with lemon grenades, butter shooters, bars of soap, and other various apparel to aid him in his underground endeavor. In addition, he has an oxygen tank and mask, which allow him to breathe in the thickest of sewer sludge.
A pyromaniac hero who was driven mad when his family and dog died. Father of future hero Friendly Fire.
Hand-Grenade Man
None
Carries a grenade
Mighty Agrippa: Roman God of the Aqueduct
Superhuman strength, flight, and water control
Arch-enemy of Thrakkorzog
Mucilage Man
Shoots high-density adhesives from his self-made suit
Early version of Captain Mucilage, who would appear in the animated series
Six Gun
Can juggle and fire guns very well
Oedipus
A ninja and apprentice of Shing, a ninja master. Full name: Oedipus Ashley Stevens. A parody of Elektra.
Sister Pulchritude
Can shoot energy beams and has incredible kung-fu skills, but only when she undresses
Attempted to join the Unnamed Superhero Team but was prevented by the Bumbling Bee
Paul the Samurai
Martial arts. Fights with a loaf of bread.
Arch-nemesis and brother of Sagin, who deposed him as master of ninjas
The Sultan
He was the hero of the Golden Age. Calls himself the world's best hero. Arch-enemy to King Crime. Inspired Arthur for heroism or at least side-kickery.
A Golden Age superhero who was an ally of the Sultan
Visible Man
A Golden Age superhero who was an ally of the Sultan
Civic-Minded Five
Radio King
Can make solid objects out of sound
Leader
Oddman
Has wires coming out of his mask. Most were sawed off by the Chainsaw Vigilante.
Mr. Envelope
Has an envelope-firing gun that can trap enemies
Feral Boy
Acts like an animal. The only member that appears in other media.
Fernslinger
Created by Radio King. Destroyed by the Chainsaw Vigilante.
Unnamed Superhero Team (includes the Tick and Arthur)
Rubber Ducky
Elasticity
Has a relationship with Bumbling Bee
Bumbling Bee
Shoots bees and honey from a hive strapped to her wrist
Surprisingly ruthless when playing Risk
Caped Cod
Real name—Walter. A violent, womanizing alcoholic. Has had four wives, all of whom divorced him, and four sidekicks. Prone to doing insensitive things, such as sending Bumbling Bee lingerie or giving Crazy Blue Rocket tongue depressors.
Portuguese Man-of-War
Has a barbed whip that can stun whatever it hits
Self-pitying divorcé. Real name—Warren Sr. Formerly part of a father-son team. His ex-wife, however, was horrified and sued him for custody. He lost the case and blamed his defeat on wearing his costume to court. Wears a jellyfish hat.
Running Guy
Has the speed of ten really fast men
Crazy Blue Rocket (formerly Blue Rocket)
Flies (erratically)
Formerly a great superhero, he went insane after his sidekick’s death. However, because of his detached mental state, he believes that he is in his glory days and that his sidekick is still alive. He flies into a fit of psychosis when this illusion is challenged. Often talks to himself and the jar of Johnny Wingless, which he uses to explain his plans. Because of his mental state, his plans, such as sticking honey covered tongue depressors to himself and pretending to be a tree to stop Dire Wreath’s rampage, are not very plausible. He has a very worn appearance: his costume is torn, and one lens on his goggles is broken. He is also constantly salivating. He is one of the few heroes whom even the Tick recognizes as insane.
Johnny Wingless
The former sidekick of Crazy Blue Rocket and now a detached tongue in a jar—all that remains of Johnny after a rocketing accident
Supervillains
Supervillains in The Tick include the following:
Character
Notable powers
Notes
Unaffiliated
Barry Hubris (a.k.a., the Tick)
Invented a vast supply of Tick-related gear, such as a Tick grappling gun and a Tick cycle (with sidecar), with his inherited fortune. Has no known noted powers. His gear consists of an indestructible impact shield, which can absorb an infinite amount of pressure or energy and redistribute it back at an attacker in finite quantities.
Was defeated by the Tick and stripped of his name and possessions by the Tri-State Superhero Congress. He tries to kill the Tick for his name. It is debatable whether he is a hero or a villain.
Chainsaw Vigilante
A skilled fighter with a chainsaw
Attacks superheroes, who he thinks are self-interested meddlers, but is not a true supervillain. Has never killed anyone with his chainsaw. Has a vendetta against the Tick, whom he could not subdue.
Chairface Chippendale
Master criminal strategist, good connections with underground villains
Has a chair for a head. Tries repeatedly to gain infamy by vandalizing public objects with his image. Has a son named Stoolface. Attempted to carve his name into the moon but was thwarted midway through, leaving the letters CHA on the surface.
The District Manager
Basic martial arts training, master commercial businessman
The leader of Ninjas in America. Sagin’s henchman.
Lord Byron
Leader of a criminal gang. Speaks mainly in dramatic verse.
Man-Eating Cow
Originally appeared in a pit of crocodiles and cows in Chairface Chippendale's castle. She is the only cow to survive. Considerably stronger and tougher than any ordinary cow. Like Crime Cannibal, Man-Eating Cow can consume humans with alarming speed. Has never been seen to eat anyone but violent criminals.
Ninjas
A group of ninjas that works for the District Manager.
The Red Eye
Lethal stare
A mysterious hitchhiker whose stare can kill or drive people insane and make them his servants. Has his own horror comic series. Issue 13 of his comic was published in real life.
Sagin
One of the last great masters of Ninjitsu, highly skilled at hand-to-hand combat. Adapted ninja tradition to be able to use guns.
World overlord of the ninjas
Phalanx of Gloom
Thrakkorzog
Brilliant scientist and mastermind. Access to alien technology. Has a tongue with its own mind.
Being from another dimension whose goal is to take over the world with an army of gelatinous clone-soldiers. Was thrown out for eating Toy de Force.
Cockroach
Super strength, possible nigh-invulnerability
Leader of the Phalanx of Gloom. She is French, her favorite candy is Pez, and her favorite movie may be Old Yeller.
The Red Scare
Superhuman strength and durability. Handles a hammer and sickle attached to his wrist.
Villain-for-hire from Villains, Inc., that up-and-coming superheroes hire to make them look good. Originally known as the Whirling Scottish Devil, he does not look like his cartoon counterpart.
Candyman
Has a gumball machine for a head
Underwaterer
"The other Lost Prince of Atlantis" besides Fish Boy. Quit the Phalanx of Gloom when the Tick almost hit him with an anchor.
Fuzzy Person
See entry below.
Toy de Force
Controls toy robots
Was eventually eaten by Thrakkorzog over an argument over which was better: gelatin zombies or toy robots.
The Praying Mantis
Cannibalism
Eats men only after having sex with them. Tried to use her powers on the Caped Cod. Is in the Phalanx of Gloom only because she says she is a master of jiu-jitsu. Is jealous of the Cockroach because her outfit shows off her shoulders.
Lumber Jane
Chainsaw wielding
Was once the superhero Frogwoman but was defeated by the Chainsaw Vigilante. After her defeat, she became a villain based on him; however, she is not as feared. She wields an electric chainsaw that has a 100-foot extension cord. She does not like smokers.
Semi-Billionaire
None
"The villainous enabler". He founded the Phalanx Of Gloom. He is extremely wealthy and one of the two members of the Cigar Club. He believes in the nobility of superheroes, as Multi-Millionaire does not.
The Evileers
The Fuzzy Person
Can inflate him- or herself.
Most foes find his or her power humorous rather than frightening
Mr. Tragedy
Smarter than anybody else on the team
Failed actor. Weakest of the Evileers. Was taken out by a tire. Almost never smiles.
Brilliant mastermind. Basic knowledge of militaristic strategies and extensive chemistry and scientific experience.
Decrepit leader of the Evileers. He wrote a workout book for old villains called "Terrorizing". Supposedly eaten by the Man-Eating Cow in "Big Yule Log 2001"; however, he is seen again in the Yule Log Trilogy.
Because his mother never loved him, he took a violent path: becoming a hero who uses heavy artillery. By his second appearance, he underwent anger management therapy and began living by the mantra "Keep anger in the Happy Box".
He is practically immobile when expanded. When he auditioned at the National Super Institute in Reno, Nevada, he was assigned to New Rochelle, New York.
N/A (He is a silent character. However, he had dialogue in other media, such as the book Mighty Blue Justice!)
Crusading Chameleon
Changes his coloring to match his surroundings. Sticks to walls.
He cannot replicate plaid, brick, polka dots, or any other complicated pattern; attempting to do so causes him to pass out. He is erroneously referred to as the Caped Chameleon in the first episode.
Can survive being fired from a cannon in his backyard
As a running gag, he will fire himself at the first sign of trouble, but somehow always manages to make the situation worse, or at best have no effect at all.
Plunger Man is a plumber (real name Buster) who can even venture into the girls' bathroom to thwart the evil of clogged toilets. He later used a wrench to reattach Tick and Arthur's arms after they were blasted off by Milo's invention.
Also referred to as simply the Red Herring, he can rub petroleum jelly on himself to escape the grasps of superheroes. He also has machine guns in place of eyes in his fish costume.
Real identity is Milton Roe, who is a fishmonger and jewel thief
Gave himself a glass skull to show off his large brain. He acts as a villain on principle alone, and has no real motivation other than causing chaos in ways such as attempting to gravitate the Moon into colliding with Earth. In some way, he is a spoof of Leader.
Although not technically evil, Dinosaur Neil was originally a paleontologist who got exposed to dinosaur DNA and must take a special medicine to keep himself from transforming and going on thoughtless rampages. He later marries Arthur's sister, Dot.
A cyberneticist (presumably from Communist eastern Europe, despite the western theme) who transferred his brain to a walking, talking vending machine. Has an unfortunate weakness to quarters.
A crazed bomber who tries to blow up establishments of all sorts, preferably places where superheroes are known to gather, such as the Comet Club. Rarely goes a second without mumbling to himself recollections of snippets of conversation with an unknown second party (given his obvious psychosis, this other person may just be a second personality), some glorifying himself ("And then I says, "Tell me I'm wrong!" And he says, "I can't, baby, 'cause you're not!"), others suggesting a bad end between the two ("And so he says, "I don't like the cut of your jib!" And I go, I says, "It's the only jib I got, baby!").
The Human Ton has super-strength. Handy can speak while the Human Ton's mouth is otherwise preoccupied, such as when biting the head of the Tick
An enormous dim-witted man, who is the parody of the Blob from the X-Men comics and his verbose, much more intelligent hand puppet who longs to be "a real boy". Handy apparently has an affinity for encouraging people to read literature rather than watch television; his catchphrase, fittingly, is therefore "Read a book!" Handy is a parody of Batman villain Scarface.
A group of men wearing suits, white gloves, and large metal masks that muffle their voices to the point that their ransom demands cannot be heard. They travel via zeppelin.
A freelance villain hired by Chairface Chippendale, sporting wild white hair. He uses his abilities to navigate large bodies, such as that of the transformed Dinosaur Neil.
A (former) special agent with Project S.H.A.V.E. that has been pursuing an elusive mustache—so much so that his S.H.A.V.E. allies ultimately end up ending their affiliation with him. He wears an eyepatch—not because he is missing an eye, but rather because he thinks it makes him look cool. Likely a parody of Nick Fury
In actual history, Joseph Stalin was the dictator of Russia. In this show, Joseph Stalin was one of the Terror's cronies whose Atomic Robot Zombie Cronies that he used in his plans to conquer Earth were thwarted by the Decency Squad. Many years later, the Terror mistook Stalingrad as the actual Stalin until Stalingrad corrected him.
N/A (only appears in photographs)
Lava-Man
Beings made entirely of lava, and the enemy of the Mole people.
One in particular was sent to terminate the Mole King.
Despite his plans to use his mind control to take over Earth, Mr. Mental is often thwarted due to either bad luck or having the lack of competent help.
Being shocked by high-voltage currents creates electric clones of him
He was a criminal who was "granted" his power after stealing a charity worker's Santa Claus suit in an attempt to escape from the police and being accidentally chased off the roof of a building and into a large electric billboard by the Tick (who initially believed the criminal was really Santa).
An octopus-themed enemy. He served as the conductor for the Mollusk Band and provided music at the Enemy Awards
N/A (silent character)
Omnipotus: The Devourer of Worlds
A parody of the Marvel character Galactus. He is an enormous being that feeds on celestial bodies. Although Tick doesn't really consider Omnipotus himself evil, he does consider eating planets (especially Earth) an evil act, according to the book "Mighty Blue Justice!". He has oddly small feet for his size. After Tick convinced him not to eat Earth, he did end up taking a large bite out of the Moon, which remained in that state for the rest of the series' run.
The leader of a small nation known as Pokoponesia that is known for two things: sharks and pineapples. His head resembles a pineapple (parody of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega who himself was sometimes insultingly called "pineapple-face")
The product of genetic engineering by a clowning engineer named Bud Frontier in his attempt to make a super-clown with the capacity to amuse and entertain more people than a normal clown. He hates being laughed at, however, and if he is laughed at, it usually results in him going on a destructive, violent rampage. Loosely based on the Incredible Hulk.
A female villain that wears an electric eel as a garment
She once shocked the Guy With Ears Like Little Raisins when he got too close. Her name is a reference to the singer Sheila E.
N/A (silent character)
Stalingrad
Encyclopedic knowledge of Stalin (?)
A graduate student who looks like and bases his villainy on the work of Joseph Stalin. The Terror constantly gets the two confused as he knew the real Stalin. Stalingrad later falls in love with Tuun-La: Not of This Earth and they later leave Earth together.
A group of Swiss spies that targeted the notebook of Dr. J.J. Eureka Vatos, inventor of the moth suit Arthur wears, and even tried to steal the pants from Arthur's suit in an attempt to replicate it.
Various voices
The Terror
Inventor, super-strong in his youth(?)
"The greatest villain of the 20th century... and maybe some of the 19th". He once punched out President Teddy Roosevelt. According to Arthur, he is approximately 117 years old.
Can apparently tuck in her legs and shoot flame from where they were (see Gamera).
An alien that is a brief ally of the Terror alongside Stalingrad, Human Ton and Handy, and Man-Eating Cow. Tuun-La: Not of This Earth later falls in love with Stalingrad and they later leave Earth together.
The leader of the Deertown Aztecs, a baseball team gone bad. He and his baseball team have a lifestyle similar to the Aztecs, constantly adding the phrase "Itlan" to whatever they say.
While the Tick was stranded in space and believed to be dead, Arthur attempted to apprehend this criminal solo. Upon the Tick's return from space aboard Omnipotus' rocket-powered shoe, he knocks the head off of a Tick statue sculpted in his honor by The City, which falls onto the Devil and knocks him out.
Venus' husband and sidekick who's inventing mind created a ray that made the Tick and Arthur's arms fall off and placed them on the crudely-made Evil Tick and Arthur robots which were used to frame them. Wears a poorly made angel costume.
Crudely-made robot look-a-likes of the Tick and Arthur that were created by Milo and had the stolen arms of Tick and Arthur, whom they were used to frame for various crimes
N/A (silent characters)
Zipperneck
One of Chairface Chippendale's henchmen. The zipper on his neck can be unzipped to reveal the interior of his esophagus, which is so grotesque that heroes will cease fighting just to avoid looking at it. He was also once mentioned on the 2001 live action show.
Arthur's sister. Initially she disapproves of her brother's lifestyle until she witnesses he and the Tick defeat Dinosaur Neil, whom she later marries. Like Arthur, she is Jewish.
Defeated by Brainchild and Venus in their encounters with the villains, but manage to arrest Multiple Santa.
Unknown
Taft
Physical therapist at Captain Sanity's Superhero Sanitorium, a spoof of John Shaft. The "physical therapy" he used to provide for the Tick would merely consist of him dressing in costumes and beating him up.
Fiery Blaze's abused sidekick. He is not to be confused with Friendly Fire, a member of the DC Comics superhero team Section 8 that appeared in Hitman.
Leader of the League of Superheroes. A racist, elitist, egotistical, and sexist parody of Superman. His alter-ego is a lawyer named Steve Filbert, who disguises himself behind a business suit and glasses similarly to Clark Kent.
A robot created in the 1970s to destroy Jimmy Carter; released with that same programming in The City as part of an abortive attempt to destroy the U.S. Postal Service. The first villain the Tick and Arthur fought.
"The greatest villain of the 20th century... and maybe some of the 19th".[citation needed] He once punched out President Teddy Roosevelt. He is now an extremely feeble and somewhat senile old man, though still shown to be very evil.
Mads "Murph" Murphy was a dairy farmer and animal sanctuary operator who operated as the cat-themed superhero Cat-Man-Dude. After Cat-Man-Dude was arrested for the mauling outside of the YMCA while claiming that Mangler set him up, his revealing of his identity at the suggestion of the District Attorney and the Terror's minions killing his "puma wife and litter of child-kittens" caused the government to do the 28th Amendment that was nicknamed "Murphy's Law" which prevents the law enforcement from revealing the personal information of all superheroes. His name is a reference to Catman and to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
A black dog who was the canine sidekick of Christian Soldier. On the day when the Flag Five were killed by the Terror's goons, Onward wasn't there due to being at the vet because of a heartworm condition. After suffering survivor's guilt, Onward took up the alias of Midnight, became a writer where he claims to believe that there is "no God, only Dog", and wrote the self-help book "Good Intentions".
Above average strength, speed, agility, and healing. Later he was given cybernetic enhancements. He wields a sniper rifle, dual knives, handgun, shuriken, and bombs
An antihero vigilante who is seeking to find the Terror. Overkill used to be Uncle Samson's sidekick Straight Shooter until the day when Terror massacred the Flag Five where the syphilis rendered him blind and the Terror's minions crushed his hands. This caused Overkill to gain cybernetic eyes and hands to replace his lost body parts. He is a direct parody of Deathstroke.
The world's first and most famous superhero who is a parody of Superman. He arrived during the Tunguska event in 1908. It is theorized that his arrival led to the development of superhumans.
The world's most feared supervillain and nemesis of Superian. Believed dead by the public, though the belief he's still alive is a major conspiracy theory. That is until it is revealed that he is, in fact, alive. The Tick and Arthur defeat him in the season 1 finale.
The Terror's most trusted lieutenant. After the Terror's apparent death, she became a lieutenant in the Pyramid Gang. She reunites with the Terror after it is revealed that he is alive. However, she betrays him in the season one finale to control The City for herself. She later takes on a superhero persona of Joan of Arc in season two, revealed in the season two finale as a scheme to rob AEGIS headquarters.
Leader of the Pyramid Gang, the dominant crime organization in The City. Despite his Egyptian themes in the gang, he comes from Minnesota. Killed by Miss Lint in episode 6.
A homeless but not office-less person who lives on the streets that are near Arthur's apartment. He gets his name because he makes his own hats out of tinfoil. He is a category and can make him and others (if they touch him) invisible.
Arthur and Dot's stepfather, with whom Arthur has a strained relationship. Walter is also an expert at martial arts, which he keeps secret from Arthur's family. He is later revealed to be a former AEGIS agent.
