- “You are one dynamite gal.”
- ―Felix to Calhoun
Sergeant Calhoun is a major character in Disney's 2012 animated feature film Wreck-It Ralph and its 2018 sequel. She serves as the non-playable protagonist of the first-person shooter game Hero's Duty, where she must fend off monsters known as the Cy-Bugs. Calhoun was programmed with "the most tragic backstory ever", rendering her stoic and serious. She ironically finds herself teaming up with the ever-cheerful Fix-It Felix Jr. on his journey to find Wreck-It Ralph, after the latter accidentally flew to Sugar Rush on a spaceship, carrying a Cy-Bug, when he game-jumped to her game.
Background[]
- Felix: "Sheepers. Is she always this intense?"
- Kohut: "It's not her fault. She's programmed with the most tragic backstory ever."
- ―Felix and Kohut, on Calhoun's attitude[src]
Calhoun originates from Hero's Duty, one of the more recent games of Litwak's Arcade. During gameplay, she is the head of a sect of which the player is a new recruit. In pursuit of the Medal of Heroes, Calhoun acts as the interactive guide for the first-person shooter, leading them through waves of Cy-Bugs while offering in-game intel.
According to her cohort, Kohut, Calhoun has been programmed with "the most tragic backstory ever." On the day of her wedding to her true love, Dr. Brad Scott, Calhoun forgot to complete one of her highly important perimeter checks. As a result, a Cy-Bug broke into the wedding chapel as they were exchanging their vows and devoured Brad, Calhoun screaming in anguish as she grabbed a mini-gun nearby and opened fire on the monster. The tragedy left Calhoun with a hardened heart and a bitter outlook on life.
Unlike the other video game characters whose jobs are over once the arcade closes, Calhoun and her troops play a crucial role in the survival of their world: the Cy-Bugs in Hero's Duty have very simplistic AI, so that their only instincts are to kill and consume anything in their path. Should they ever escape Hero's Duty, the entire arcade would be put in grave danger. This nonstop struggle also plays a role in Calhoun's excessively serious demeanor.
Official Description[]
- In the sci-fi battle zone of Hero's Duty, Sergeant Calhoun is more than just a pretty face — she is the tough-as-nails, take-charge leader who fights for humanity's freedom. When she's not offering in-game intel, she's training her troops for the next attack wave. This unrelenting commander is driven by a personal vendetta and will stop at nothing to protect the player and the arcade from a virulent Cy-Bug invasion.
Development[]
According to director Rich Moore, Sergeant Calhoun was initially written as a male character. The gender flip occurred because Moore felt that a male action hero was an overdone concept.[1] When the animators later encountered difficulties with translating Felix's 8-bit appearance into a more contemporary aesthetic, it was noticed that his 3D model was easier to design when he was alongside Calhoun, which led to the idea of pairing them up romantically.[2]
Calhoun went through a number of design changes. In some iterations, she had skin camouflage. In others, she had raven hair and a predominately blue suit. She was also a cyborg at one point.
Personality[]
Calhoun is hardcore, tough, and incredibly strict. She commands her troops with a firm and authoritative hand and exhibits a fierce tenacity in which failure is never an option. She has no tolerance for shortcomings, and does not hesitate to roughly reprimand her soldiers, and additionally seems to enjoy goading them with taunts to increase their drive. Although Calhoun comes off at first as crass and insensitive, she is very serious and stoic when not engaged in gameplay. Her tragic backstory has left her heartbroken and untrusting, with a dry sense of humor. Her backstory and dedication to her job make her consider herself a soldier first and a woman second.
Against her programming, however, Calhoun is not entirely devoid of emotions such as sympathy and solicitude. For example, she is unwilling to perform acts of violence unless warranted as a form of punishment; she was uncomfortable with the idea of harming Felix in the Nesquik sand, due to the hero's innocence. Furthermore, her extreme devotion to duty is a partial result of her selflessness. She values the lives of video game characters and carries a majority of the burden of protecting the arcade, brought upon her by the Cy-Bugs' defect programming. When danger arises, she works tirelessly to prevent as much damage as possible. During the climax, she was ultimately willing to sacrifice her own life in order to protect Vanellope von Schweetz; the glitch was unable to leave the game, prompting Calhoun to remain by her side for as long as possible. Though rarely in a situation which she cannot control, Calhoun is trusting towards others when urgency calls for an open mind. This is evidenced by her willingness to trust Felix's plan to escape the Nesquik Sand pit, and again when she trusted Wreck-It Ralph's plans to save Sugar Rush from the Cy-Bug invasion, despite her initial (and completely validated) distrust towards the Bad Guy beforehand.
Although she does not voice it, Calhoun can be very impressed when others take the initiative and this proves successful. She is clearly impressed by Felix when his plan to get them out of the Nesquik Sand works, and she even smiles when Ralph creates a beacon which gets rid of the Cy-Bugs.
By the end of the film, Calhoun managed to open her heart to others once more. She moved past her programming and found love anew in Fix-It Felix Jr. Her expression during their wedding indicates that she has developed into a much happier individual.
She also seems to have a dark sense of humor, as after Vanellope jokingly ordered everyone who was mean to her to be executed, she smirked and said, "Oh, this place just got interesting." She also tends to use peculiar phrases in her speech that directly contrast her serious demeanor, such as, "Flattery don't charge these batteries, civilian" and "The Cy-Bugs would chew up that game faster than a chicken hawk in a coop of crippled roosters."
Physical appearance[]
Sergeant Calhoun is a tall, beautiful woman who wears heavy, form-fitting black and red armor. She has a large bust, a slim waist, and long, shapely legs. She has fair skin and short golden blonde hair. Her hair is cut into a blend of a short bob and choppy pixie cut style with side bangs. Her eyes are light blue. She wears dark eyeshadow and thick black eyeliner. She has long dark lashes. Her lips are a deep rosy pink. Calhoun retains the most human-realistic appearance of all the main characters.
Her general article of clothing is a suit of heavy, black armor that covers every inch of her skin, excluding her neck, face, and head. During gameplay she wears a matching helmet with a full-face visor/heads-up display. Several points throughout the suit are illuminated with red lights, and a metal belt around her waist contains her blaster. At her wedding, she wore a white wedding dress with a veil.
Appearances[]
Wreck-It Ralph[]
Calhoun during Hero Duty's gameplay.
One week after Hero's Duty's installation, Sergeant Calhoun and the soldiers are ready for another day of eradicating the deadly Cy-Bugs. Unknown to Calhoun, the video game bad guy Wreck-It Ralph has game jumped into her game, disguised in the armor of troop member Markowski. When the round of play ends due to Ralph's oafishness, Calhoun aggressively reprimands the "soldier" for interfering with the first-person shooter. She then orders her troopers back to their start positions for the next round. After the arcade is closed for the day, Calhoun and her troopers hear a strange noise and immediately fire away upon spotting a figure. The figure turns out to be Fix-It Felix Jr. from the game of the same name. Calhoun demands to know why Felix has arrived, and the bashful hero tells her that his cohort, Ralph, has entered her game. Calhoun brushes it off as nonsense until an escape shuttle flies by with Ralph and a baby Cy-Bug aboard.
Calhoun and Felix teaming up.
Calhoun and Felix head to the Game Central Station, where the Surge Protector tells them that Ralph went firing into Sugar Rush. Though Felix sees it as a simple mishap, Calhoun worries for Sugar Rush's safety, due to the fact that it is now inhabiting a Cy-Bug. According to Calhoun, Cy-Bugs are viruses, as they are unaware of the fact that they are living in a fictional game. In her words, all they know is "eat, kill, multiply", and without a beacon to stop them, they will consume both Sugar Rush and the entire arcade. Calhoun prepares to enter Sugar Rush before such a tragedy can unfold, though Felix asks to join. Calhoun refuses, but the handyman is unwilling to let her risk her life to fix Ralph's mistakes alone, as it is his job to fix what Ralph wrecks. Calhoun eventually allows him to join and the duo enters the game. They soon find the shuttle that Ralph crash-landed, only to find both Ralph and the Cy-Bug to be absent. Calhoun uses her Cy-Bug tracking device to find the bug, but the sugar particles in the atmosphere interfere with the signal.
Calhoun and Felix in the laffy taffy forest.
While searching, Calhoun asks Felix why Ralph has gone AWOL (absence without official leave). Though he has no clue, Felix voices his fear that Ralph may have "gone Turbo". Unaware of the phrase, Felix explains the story of Turbo and TurboTime. Calhoun was openly disgusted by Turbo's story, but now had an understanding of Felix's situation. Meanwhile, Calhoun's scanner leads them across a large double-striped candy branch over Nesquik-Sand, but the branch suddenly dissolves, causing them to fall into the sand below. Felix, feeling despaired, goes into a panic, causing himself and Calhoun to sink faster. Calhoun slaps the hero to calm him down, throwing the sentient Laffy Taffy vines above them into fits of laughter; the more they laugh, the lower the vines stretch down. Felix gets the idea to have Calhoun continue slapping him so that they can grab hold of the vines and free themselves. Calhoun is notably uncomfortable with the idea of abusing the innocent Felix, but he reassures his safety as his magic hammer has the ability to heal him instantly. With this information, Calhoun repeatedly punches Felix, causing the vines to laugh and lower. Felix is soon able to grab hold of one, as well as Calhoun, lifting them out of the sand, and towards safety. Calhoun is briefly taken aback by Felix's dashing heroism, and the two share a gaze of mutual affection. Upon noticing the vines' attempt to serenade the duo, Calhoun fires her gun to scare them off so that she can get back with the mission.
Calhoun dangling right above the Cy-Bug's hidden nesting ground.
Felix repairs the crashed shuttle, and he and Calhoun take air to search for Ralph and the bug. During this time, Felix becomes smitten with Calhoun and tries to compliment her by calling her "one dynamite gal". This triggers Calhoun, who is bombarded with memories of her deceased fiancé (he also called her a "dynamite gal"). After a panic attack, she lowers the shuttle in front of the castle of King Candy (ruler of Sugar Rush), where she orders Felix to remove himself. Later on, a lone Calhoun stumbles upon an underground Cy-Bug nest, which holds thousands of eggs ready to hatch. The eggs eventually do and the Cy-Bugs begin to ravage through Sugar Rush. Calhoun finds Ralph on the Sugar Rush Speedway and blames him for bringing about the game's destruction. Ralph insists that he saw the Cy-Bug die in a taffy swamp, only for swarms of the monsters to suddenly burst out of the ground. Calhoun then evacuates the game's citizens and prepares to destroy the entrance. However, a little girl named Vanellope who has befriended Ralph is unable to leave her game because she is a "glitch".
Calhoun and Felix facing the Cy-Bugs.
After the citizens desert the game, Calhoun hesitates to destroy the portal due to Vanellope's inability to escape but informs Felix that without a beacon, the Cy-Bugs cannot be stopped. Ralph quickly formulates an idea to erupt the Diet Cola Mountain, hoping to have the lava act as a beacon. He borrows Calhoun's hoverboard to fly to the top of the mountain, where he begins to smash its crater of mentos, but then Turbo (who has become a Cy-Bug after being eaten by one) attacks him and flies him into the air. Calhoun and Felix protect Vanellope from the Cy-Bugs that begin to advance on the portal. Unfortunately, Calhoun soon runs out of ammunition, forcing the trio back into the portal, but a force field barred Vanellope from leaving. Calhoun then drew her combat knife as Vanellope glitches to save Ralph as he breaks free from Turbo's grasps and brings the entire crater of mentos plunging into the lava, causing a massive eruption that produces a beacon, which attracts all the Cy-Bugs and vaporizes them, along with Turbo, for good.
Tamora and Felix's first kiss.
As Felix congratulates Ralph for saving Sugar Rush, he kisses Calhoun on the cheek. Calhoun becomes surprised, and as she yanks Felix up, she initially appears to strangle him, but then she kisses him back, showing that her heavy heart has softened. After Sugar Rush is restored, Calhoun watches in amusement as Vanellope, who has transformed into a princess, jokingly decrees to have everyone who has bullied her to be executed. Calhoun then calls for Felix and Ralph that the arcade is about to open. So Calhoun, Felix, and Ralph return to their respective games, just in time for Felix and Ralph to save Fix-It Felix, Jr. Sometime later in the epilogue, Felix and Calhoun marry with Ralph serving as Felix's best man and Vanellope as Calhoun's maid of honor, and this time, all her men are standing watch for a potential Cy-Bug attack just in case. Calhoun is shown to continually join Felix, Ralph, and Vanellope on a series of game-jumping adventures during the end credits.
Ralph Breaks the Internet[]
Calhoun returns in the sequel, with Jane Lynch reprising her role. When Sugar Rush is unplugged by Mr. Litwak, at Niceland, Felix and Calhoun ask people to adopt the homeless racers, which no one accepts, so Felix and Calhoun adopt all of the racers themselves. Then Surge Protector takes her and Felix to the apartment's kitchen, which Surge saying it isn't easy raising all those kids on their own, which they disagree with, until the realize he was right, as the racers destroy the living room, and hit Surge with a block.
When Ralph comes back from the Internet, and Sugar Rush is restored, Calhoun and Felix are seen cheering on the racers, as they brag to Surge how to raise kids (which is drowned out by race engines). Then when the arcade characters go to Niceland, Calhoun is seen attending with Felix, as Ralph serves them burnt pie.
Once Upon a Studio[]
Calhoun returns alongside the rest of the Arcade inhabitants at the Disney Animation Studio for a group photo with all the characters from the previous films to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the studio and The Walt Disney Company's founding in 1923 by Walter Elias Disney and his brother Roy Oliver Disney.
In a deleted scene, Calhoun is seen interrupting Gazelle, Daisy Duck, Ariel, Lady Isabela Madrigal and Madame Medusa in the ladies' room to rush them out before it's too late for the photo.[3] In the final product, when Goofy accidentally breaks the camera, Calhoun and many of her cohorts sadly prepare go back inside the animation building until they hear Alan-A-Dale playing "When You Wish Upon a Star". This lifts Calhoun and everyone else's spirits where they sing the song together and successfully take the group photo.
Printed media[]
Hero's Duty[]
Sergeant Calhoun and Brad Scott on the cover of Hero's Duty.
Calhoun plays a major role in the spin-off comic that takes place before the film, revealing the sergeant's programmed backstory. It begins with a mission. Calhoun and her troops were assigned to travel to a planet with no name, a wasteland ravaged by a new robotic enemy known as the Cy-Bugs, to rescue the surviving civilians of the planet's apocalypse. The troops immediately storm out after landing, but the bugs quickly prove to be an invincible force. During the battle, Calhoun and her second-in-command, Kohut, are accidentally separated from the rest of the troops and are nearly killed by an overwhelming amount of bugs, only to be saved by a man named Brad Scott.
Brad takes the two back to his refuge, where he introduces himself as one of the original creators of the Cy-Bugs. He explains that the bugs started out as a concept for a toy, but by the time production was nearly complete, scientists realized they had created a powerful weapon instead—weapons armies around the world would want. Brad warned them not to go through with the mass production, but the scientists did not listen. Unfortunately, the bugs eventually went berserk and dominated the planet. The scientists escaped, but Brad voluntarily stayed behind to keep the creatures at bay.
He then informs Calhoun that there is a way to defeat an immense infusion of bugs, but it will take much work. To defeat them, he would have to reach the 99th floor of Hero's Duty Tower to activate a beacon, but with the bugs ravaging throughout the tower, it will take weapons capable of great power to hold them off. Brad takes the time to hand over specially designed weapons to Calhoun and Kohut, specifically built for the Cy-Bug's destruction. The plan is set in motion, and Calhoun reunites with her troops (who had reached the trapped civilians), handing over the special blasters to them, evacuating the civilians, and keeping the Cy-Bugs out of Brad's path in the process. Eventually, the beacon is created, and the bugs are destroyed.
During the celebration, Calhoun and Brad realize they highly admire each others' efforts and actions during the mission and soon fall in love, and with the Cy-Bugs sure to return, Calhoun and Brad team up to stay on the planet and keep the creatures at bay for the sake of humanity, the troops loyally following along.
Disney Comic Zone[]
Calhoun appears in two comic stories of the single-issue magazine. Calhoun first makes a brief appearance at the end of the comic attending Ralph's "Wrecking Party".
In the second story, a narcissistic bully wrongfully hogs the turns of meeker players in an attempt to beat the Hero's Duty game. Displeased with the bully's attitude, Calhoun ignites the game's "Anti-Bully Boss", which sparks an unbeatable battle at the very end of the game. The plan results in the bully's ultimate failure and embarrassment.
Video games[]
Wreck-It Ralph[]
Calhoun plays a minor role in the game, taking place after the events of the film. She appears in the opening and ending cutscenes alongside Felix and makes a few vocal cameos during the Hero's Duty stage of the game.
Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition[]
Calhoun has three of her own power discs in the second installment of the series. "Cy-Bug Swarm", which allows the map to have a swarm of Cy-Bugs fly about, "Calhoun's Command", which decorates the Toy Box map in the style of Hero's Duty and "Sergeant Calhoun's Blaster", which gives the player Calhoun's blaster as a weapon against enemies.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
Calhoun in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
Calhoun appears in the crossover fighting game as one of the playable heroes. She is first mentioned when Ralph tells the rest that Cy-bugs act like viruses, and she later returns infected in the fifth chapter of the campaign. Calhoun is unlockable as a playable character at the cost of 10 chips.
Calhoun is a Back-line Damage role hero. Calhoun uses her gun from the movie to fire at enemies, her main skill is using her gun to fire a megablast which deals damage to all enemies. Calhoun can also throw at enemies grenade and a Cy-Bug to deal damage to enemies. Calhoun deals bonus damage equal to a percentage of enemies' Armor stat.
Calhoun has friendship campaigns with Fix-It Felix Jr. and Violet Parr. She also has friendship campaigns with Chief Bogo, Gaston, and EVE.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Calhoun's harshness and manner of speech (with lots of obscure metaphors) are very similar to Glee character Susan "Sue" Sylvester, who is also played by Jane Lynch.
- Her facial appearance is also similar to that of Jane Lynch.
- Jane Lynch appeared in costume as Calhoun on the Halloween 2012 episode of The Ellen Show.[4]
- It's possible that Calhoun's main inspiration was Samus Aran from the Metroid series.
- Sergeant Calhoun's name is not mentioned on camera until the epilogue told by Ralph. She is only referred to by "she" or "her" by her soldiers, and "Ma'am" or "one dynamite gal" by Felix.
- Calhoun's first name, Tamora, was only mentioned on her biography on the official website for the film.
- However, in Ralph Breaks the Internet, Felix calls her "Tammy", a nickname for her first name.
- Calhoun is the only female character in Hero's Duty.
- Some versions of Ralph Breaks the Internet had Felix and Calhoun joining Ralph and Vanellope in their journey to the Internet. This was partially altered to keep the arcade in the plot, and due to the belief that having too many characters adventuring through the Internet would overwhelm the story.[5]
- Additionally, early concept art suggested that Calhoun would have been pregnant for much of the film. This was most likely removed because it would not have made logical sense for such a thing to happen to a video game character or substantially fit into the plot.
- There were early versions of Ralph Breaks the Internet that showed flashbacks to Calhoun's childhood. Her childhood home had the appearance of a 1950s house, but with military weapons like bombs and fighting toys amidst her stuffed toys and diaper table.[6]
- Given that Calhoun wears her battlesuit for a majority of the film (and franchise), the only other outfits she has ever worn are her wedding dress (in both of her weddings featuring Dr. Brad Scott and Fix-It Felix, Jr.) and her off-duty attire in the epilogue of Ralph Breaks the Internet.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.moviefone.com/2012/10/31/rich-moore-wreck-it-ralph/
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=jUmjDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28&dq=%22as+soon+as+he+was+paired+with+Calhoun%E2%80%9D&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjp6ZDC77bSAhUm0oMKHV4VCfoQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=%22as%20soon%20as%20he%20was%20paired%20with%20Calhoun%E2%80%9D&f=false
- ↑ "Once Upon a Studio Photo Deleted". Instagram. Retrieved on April 23.
- ↑ Guys, Jane Lynch Dressed As Her Space Marine Character from Wreck-It Ralph For Halloween
- ↑ "An Early, Behind-The-Scenes Look Into The Making Of ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’" (October 30, 2018).
- ↑ Julius, J., Johnston, P., & Moore, R. (2018). The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet. Chronicle Books.
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