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This villain was proposed and approved on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki to be a baddie who stands out for being incredibly clever, charismatic, and/or quite successful. Like both Complete Monsters, Near Pure Evils, and Inconsistently Heinous villains, any act of removing this villain from the category without a Removal Proposal shall be considered vandalism and the user will have high chances of being | ||
| “ | *sniff* I just love the smell of fear! | „ |
| ~ Lobo relishing in Puss's fear after drawing blood from him - also his most famous quote. |
| “ | What's the matter? Lives flashing before your eyes? | „ |
| ~ Lobo's catchphrase after Puss's lives flash before his eyes after he slashed him with his sickle. |
Lobo, also known as the Wolf or Death, is the overaching antagonist of the 2022 animated film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
He is the physical embodiment of Death, who appears as a white wolf in a black cloak. During the events of the film, he becomes intent on killing the legendary Puss in Boots once and for all as punishment for carelessly wasting eight of his nine lives.
He was voiced by Wagner Moura, who also portrayed Pablo Escobar in Narcos and Laszlo Sosa in The Gray Man.
Appearance[]
Lobo is a large, silvery-white, bipedal wolf with an elongated snout, goatee, gray "mask" marking on his face, sharp teeth, and bright red eyes that glow when he's excited. He wears a black riding cloak with a built-in hood, and brown trousers under the cloak. He carries a pair of razor-sharp sickles that can be combined at the handle and extended to form a double-bladed glaive.
Personality[]
Lobo is a cunning and sinister individual whose sole purpose is to take the souls of the deceased. Although he waits in the shadows for people to die naturally, if someone angers or offends him enough, he will physically manifest in order to attempt to take their life by force.
Lobo is sadistic and thrill-seeking, as he takes a degree of pride and pleasure in his job, and openly admits that he enjoys striking fear into his victims. This is shown by the pleasure he took in scaring and provoking Puss in Boots with his taunts, eerie whistling, and his very presence, and how he got especially excited when he managed to draw blood on the cat. Lobo also admits to having a dislike of cats and the fact that they all have nine lives, finding the very idea to be "absurd".
Despite Lobo's sadistic and sinister nature, he does have a sense of honor and nobility, as his main reason for pursuing Puss in the first place was to punish the cat for arrogantly squandering his eight lives with reckless abandon, concluding from this that it would be best to kill Puss before he wasted his final life. Not to mention Puss often declared that he "laughed in the face of death", therefore Lobo was insulted and disrespected by Puss by his words as well as his deeds in wasting his lives. This indicates that despite representing the end of mortal life, Lobo holds life sacred and is disgusted by those who don't treat their own lives with true appreciation or care. He also has a sense of fair play, as he always gives Puss the chance to fight back whenever they encountered each other, even giving Puss's old sword back to him for their final duel on the Wishing Star. This suggests Lobo prefers to give fair fights for those who challenge him, but his comments about how much he would enjoy taking Puss out from the realm of the living seems to indicate that he may have brought him his sword back just for sport, finding it more entertaining to see Puss fight rather than just surrender. But also warns him this will be the last time if he meets him once more and doesn't want to look for him again.
When Puss finally stops running from him and instead fights him while promising to respect his final life with his friends, Lobo, although initially enraged that Puss has changed and thus "ruined his hunt", quickly calms down and recognizes that killing him now would be pointless and unethical. Thus, Lobo honorably decides to let Puss live out his final life, respectfully biding the cat to live his last life well. However, he does warn Puss that they will meet again eventually when Puss's life finally comes to a permanent end. This all but proves that Lobo isn't unbeatable, even if he is unavoidable in the long run.
Overall, Lobo is best described as a harsh, but fair and reasonable individual who takes his job seriously and enjoys a thrilling challenge, but doesn't kill just for the sake of doing so and is able to respect and spare those who prove him wrong.
History[]
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish[]
| “ | I never do this... but can I get your autograph? Been following you for a long time. Sign right there. (He pulls out a wanted poster of Puss and points to the word "dead") | „ |
| ~ Death to Puss in Boots. |
Lobo first appears, mixed in with the residents of Del Mar as Puss duels the Giant. However, Puss first meets the Wolf after being told by the town veterinarian that he is down to his ninth life, meaning that if he dies again there's no coming back. Puss isn't bothered by this, as he goes down to his favorite bar to relax and drink some milk to avoid his problems. That attempt to deflect the serious news is suddenly interrupted by a sinister, melodic whistle. The source of that whistle is coming from a mysterious hooded figure, who appears seemingly out of nowhere and sits right next to Puss. The menacing figure claims to be a fan, but when he asks Puss to sign a wanted poster specifically where it says "dead", it's clear that he's got something else in mind.
Believing that this is just another bounty hunter trying to collect a reward on him, Puss triumphantly draws his sword, only to have it immediately swatted away by The Wolf. The two have a duel, but it's one that Puss is losing the entire time, with the Wolf somehow calculating and predicting every single move he makes. The fight concludes when the Wolf deprives Puss of his rapier and grazes the cat's forehead with one of his sickles, drawing a stream of blood which drips down Puss's face (according to the legend, Puss in Boots was never touched by a blade prior). As the terrifying realization that his demise will be permanent dawns on Puss, the Wolf picks up the scent of the blood and gets eerily excited to dispatch the cat, dragging his twin sickles across the floor as sparks fly. The horrific beast orders Puss to pick up his sword so they can finish their duel, but Puss flees out of fear instead, escaping through the sewage system, much to The Wolf's amusement.
Lobo appears again in front of Puss to terrify him on two occasions: first while Puss, Kitty and Perrito are running away from Big Jack Horner's men (on the occasion Lobo places two coins on his eyes to send a message to Puss), and then during the battle on the river, scaring Puss to the point of having a panic attack. But in the Cave of Lost Souls in the Dark Forest is where they finally meet again. Lobo reveals his true identity and explains that he has come to personally kill Puss not for money or fame, but instead to punish him for arrogantly squandering eight of his nine lives with reckless abandon, all while "laughing in the face of death". Seeing Puss conversing with reflections of his past eight lives, Lobo also expresses his disgust for how cats have nine lives due to how some such as Puss can carelessly squander them, and shatters the crystal reflections as he taunts Puss. Utterly terrified that he has come face-to-face with the embodiment of the very thing he once laughed at, Puss runs away, much to Lobo's amusement.
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"This is gonna be fun."
| “ | What's wrong? Lives flashing before your eyes? | „ |
| ~ Lobo as he faces Puss on the Wishing Star |
Soon, with Puss's friends and his enemies watching from the various points of the fabled Wishing Star, except for Big Jack Horner trapped in his bottomless bag, they witness a final showdown between the fearless hero and the Grim Reaper, where the harbinger of Death slashes the ground with his sickles to summon a ring of fire around himself and Puss. He gives Puss his sword back for a proper climactic battle. Lobo has enjoyed the chase thus far, but grown tired of the cheap novelty and is ready to make that final notch on his sickle. But this time, Puss is ready to face the powerful enemy, now having true friends to protect and a last life he wishes to cherish.
Puss rises to the occasion and disarms his foe, mirroring the scene where they first met, where Lobo taunted Puss to pick up his weapon but with Puss now the one taunting Lobo, not out of arrogance, but out of mutual respect. Puss makes clear that he'll never truly be able to defeat Lobo and only wishes to keep him at bay so he can cherish this one life before it later reaches its end. Frustrated, but also impressed, Lobo curses in Spanish out of rage.
Lobo stares into Puss's soul, telling the cat that he came here to claim the life of "an arrogant little legend who thought he was immortal", but he doesn't see that in Puss anymore. Knowing now that Puss has learned his lesson, Lobo decides to spare Puss by telling him to live his last life well and that they will meet again. Puss accepts this by saying that he will accept whatever fate has planned for him when they meet each other again. Satisfied by Puss's response, Lobo happily departs from the Wishing Star, whistling that familiar tune as he walks off with a newfound respect for Puss in Boots. But warns him that this will be the last time meeting him if he dares meet him again he'll end his life.
Powers and Abilities[]
Being the physical embodiment of death itself, Lobo possesses great physical and supernatural abilities. He is an exceptionally skilled and powerful fighter, being able to hold his own very well against the legendary swordsman Puss in Boots, and is one of the very few that can match the cat's speed and agility. In fact, Lobo is the only known individual who has ever managed to draw blood on Puss with a blade.
Lobo is very strong, being able to smash Crystals with his blades with no effort at all, and has some amount of control over fire, which was shown by him conjuring a ring of fire around himself and Puss for their final duel. He can go anywhere he likes, which is shown by him being completely unaffected by the Dark Forest, appearing inside a crystal trap that isolated Puss in Boots and effortlessly passing through the star wall.
Quotes[]
| “ | Well, well if it isn't Puss in Boots himself. | „ |
| ~ Lobo's first line, introducing himself to Puss |
| “ | Everyone thinks they'll be the one to defeat me. But no one's escaped me yet. | „ |
| ~ Lobo during his first meeting with Puss in Boots, foreshadowing his true identity. |
| “ | I just love the smell of fear! | „ |
| ~ Lobo relishes in Puss's fear after drawing blood from him. |
| “ | You know, I'm not a cat person. I find the very idea of nine lives ABSURD! And you, didn't value ANY of them. So, why don't I do us both a favor and take this last one NOW!? | „ |
| ~ Lobo explaining his reason for wanting Puss dead. |
| “ | I’ve enjoyed the chase, Gato, but I think we’ve reached the end now, you and I. | „ |
| ~ Lobo facing Puss on the Wishing Star. |
| “ | You're gonna take the coward's way out? Run away to more lives? Or you're gonna fight? | „ |
| ~ Lobo taunting Puss before their rematch on the Wishing Star. |
| “ | This is gonna be fun. | „ |
| ~ Lobo before dueling Puss on the Wishing Star. |
| “ | You really got to stop losing that. | „ |
| ~ Lobo after disarming Puss during their duel on the Wishing Star. |
| “ | GRRRGH, ¿POR QUE DIABLOS FUI A JUGAR CON MI COMIDA?!? GRRRRGH! You're RUINING this for me!! I came here for an arrogant little legend who thought he was immortal... But I don't see him anymore... | „ |
| ~ Lobo's villainous breakdown and defeat, all while gaining a newfound respect for Puss in Boots. |
| “ | Live your life, Puss in Boots. Live it well. You know that we will meet again, right? | „ |
| ~ Lobo allowing Puss to live out his last life. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Lobo is based on the folkloric character of the Grim Reaper, whereas the tune he whistles is based on The Silbón, a legend associated with the Los Llanos region of Colombia and Venezuela.
- Since the Grim Reaper/Death is normally portrayed as humanoid, it's possible that Death can shape-shift and specifically chose to take the form of a wolf, since the individual he is targeting, Puss in Boots, is a cat, though most likely he's not.
- In order to not spoil Lobo's true identity, which isn't revealed until much later, he is credited as the "Big Bad Wolf" (or at least "the Wolf") in promotional material, although he is never referred to as such in the film. Lobo himself doesn't have any connections with the original Big Bad Wolf from the Shrek films.
- The Dual Sickles he wields are likely a reference to the aforementioned Grim Reaper's Scythe, both being farming equipment.
- Contrary to appearance, he is not a bounty hunter, but instead this is just what Puss mistook him for until he revealed his true identity later on.
- Lobo admitted that he hated that cats have nine lives, considering it to be absurd, and he held a personal contempt for Puss, who arrogantly squandered eight of his lives, in reckless abandon all the while claiming he "laughs in the face of death". This basically means that Puss was insulting Lobo every time he said this remark.
- When Lobo crosses his sickles on his chest, it makes him appear similar to Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Dead. Fittingly, they are both canines and embodiments of death itself.
- Lobo is the only character completely unaffected by the Dark Forest, appearing inside a crystal trap that isolated Puss in Boots and showing the ability to effortlessly pass through the star wall. This is because he is not a mortal being, but instead the personification of death itself, the end of mortal existence.
- There are several subtle hints about Lobo's true identity throughout the film:
- The numbered cards during the death montage have a hooded wolf with sickles at the four corners.
- He makes his very first entrance by suddenly appearing right next to Puss with ghostly silence.
- Prior to that, he could be seen in the top left corner of the screen as the camera pans over the villagers of Del Mar watching Puss as he battles the giant. Unlike everyone else, he is not cheering for the cat and is instead ominously staring at him.
- His weapons are a pair of sickles, and his attire is a pitch-black cowl, which bare a strong resemblance to the Grim Reaper's scythe and cloak respectively. Also, his appearance as a silvery-white, bipedal wolf with gray mark on his face is likely a reference as Lobo is usually depicted as a berobbed skeleton.
- During his first encounter with Puss, the Wolf notes that "Everyone thinks they'll be the one to defeat me. But no one's escaped me yet", meaning that everybody dies one day.
- When Puss once makes another crack at death, the Wolf scratches his wanted poster, hinting why he's actually here.
- When Puss, Kitty and Perrito escape from Big Jack Horner's henchman, the Wolf puts two stray coins over his eyes as he watches him leave, making him look like a corpse. This is also a reference as to how Ancient Greeks buried the dead with coins over their eyes so they would have money for passage to the Underworld.
- When Puss sees the Wolf for the first time in the Dark Forest, the scenery surrounding him looks like a skull.
- The Wolf keeps appearing out of thin air with seemingly no one but Puss (initially) able to see him. This is a pretty clear indication that the Wolf is no mere bounty hunter.
- While every other major character is introduced with a wanted poster (sans for Perrito, who has an "unwanted poster"), he isn't. This lampshades how Lobo is not a criminal and merely wanted to hunt down Puss specifically for wasting his lives.
- Lobo's quick rant in Spanish (¿POR QUE DIABLOS FUI A JUGAR CON MI COMIDA?!?) roughly translates into English "WHY THE HELL DID I PLAY WITH MY FOOD?!?", likely showing his disappointment in toying with Puss over the course of his journey instead of killing him when given the chance.
- If one looks closely at the audience during Puss's fight with the giant, they can see Lobo in a corner observing the battle, proving his claim of witnessing most of Puss's deaths at least partially true.
- He serves as a lesson to Puss in Boots, as he, as Lobo said himself, didn't value any one of his eight lives out of an arrogant belief he'd always have another life, which is why Lobo personally hunts Puss for his last life in the first place. It's only when Puss finally shows willingness to respect and fight for his last life for his friends that Lobo decides to spare him.
External links[]
- Death on the Villains Wiki
- Death on the DreamWorks Wiki
- Death on the Shrek Wiki
- Death on the Universal Studios Wiki
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