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Hopper is the main antagonist of A Bug's Life. He is the older brother of Molt and the former leader of the grasshoppers
Hopper and his gang forces an ant colony living on Ant Island to gather food for the grasshoppers each year in exchange for protection, though in reality the grasshoppers are simply taking advantage of the ants and use fear tactics and physical violence to keep them in line. However, Hopper is the only grasshopper who realizes that the ants heavily outnumber the grasshoppers, and if the colony ever realizes this, they would overthrow the grasshoppers.
He is voiced by Kevin Spacey.
Role in the film
One year, when Hopper and his gang arrive at Ant Island, they discover that the food has gone missing. Enraged, the gang breaks underground and confronts the terrified colony, demanding answers. Hopper specifically antagonizes Princess Atta, attempting to instill his beliefs of the natural order of things. Hopper then decides to give the ants more time to recollect the food. When the Queen protests, Hopper takes the young Princess Atta hostage and takes her to his pet Thumper. However, an inventor ant, Flik, briefly takes a stand for Dot, but Hopper cowes him into backing down. Threatened at Flik's defiance, Hopper demands twice the original order of food before the last leaf falls before his gang departs.
Months later, Molt concedes with Hopper and suggests that the gang remain in Mexico. Enraged, Hopper confronts Molt, who admits that two grasshoppers, Axel and Loco, had convinced him to do so. Hopper arrives and claims that the gang shall remain in Mexico, but then remembers Flik's defiance. Axel and Loco attempt to blow off Hopper's concerns by reminding him that the ants are smaller and weaker than the grasshoppers. In response to this, Hopper kills Axel and Loco by burying them in grain, and uses this to prove a point to the rest of the gang, revealing that the ants are more numerous than the grasshoppers, and are thusly more powerful, and that the real reason they are returning to Ant Island is to keep the ants under their control. The gang then sets off to Ant Island.
When the gang arrives at Ant Island, they discover that the ants have failed to gather enough food. Enraged, the grasshoppers take control of the island and force the ants to gather all the food on the island, and Hopper abducts the Queen, intending to kill her once all the food has been collected. By night time, a circus troupe arrives, secretly planning to distract Hopper while Flik mans a constructed bird to scare the gang off. Hopper initially orders the troupe killed, but finds their antics amusing and decides to spare them. During the show, the circus troupe gets the Queen to safety, causing an enraged Hopper to confront them. Before he and his gang can kill the troupe, Flik pilots the fake bird, terrifying the grasshoppers. Hopper initially begins to flee, but the fake bird id set aflame by P.T. Flea, the troupe's ringleader, exposing it as a fake.
Hopper holds Dot hostage and demands to know who attempted to trick him. Flik confesses that the bird was his idea, and Hopper orders Thumper to beat Flik. Hopper eventually calls off Thumper and attempts to use Flik as an example to the other ants not to attempt to take a stand against him again. However, Flik gets up and continues his standoff against Hopper, recalling the amazing things the ants have done over the years. Hopper approaches Flik and prepares to kill him, but Atta defends him. Hopper then notices that the rest of the colony has become inspired by Flik's speech. Despite Hopper warning the ants to stay back, the colony charges at the gang. The grasshoppers, realizing they are outnumbered, immediately flees, leaving Hopper to be captured by the ants. The colony traps Hopper in a cannon and prepare to blast him off, but it starts raining, forcing the colony to retreat into the anthill. In the chaos, Hopper frees himself and abducts Flik before flying off.
The circus troupe pursues Hopper and Flik through a thicket, tearing off one of his antennae as they chase him. However, Hopper manages to escape with Flik still in his clutches. However, Atta manages to rescue Flik, but Hopper pursues them over a river. The three land on the shore, and Hopper corners Flik against a bird's nest while Atta is forced to hide. Hopper tells Flik that he plans to return to Ant Island next season with more grasshoppers and begins strangling Flik, but is disturbed when a bird arrives to investigate the commotion. Hopper, believing the bird to be another fake, begins taunting it until it screeches at him, revealing it to be real. Terrified, Hopper attempts to flee, but the bird snatches him up and carries him over her newly hatched chicks. Hopper is then fed to the chicks, ending his reign of terror.
It's Tough to Be a Bug
Despite his death in the film, Hopper somehow reappeared in the short film.
Personality
Hopper was very authoritative, having a grip over the grasshoppers and the ants alike. He often responded to threats against his leadership with violence and fear tactics. Though he often abused Molt, he would not kill him due to a promise he made to his mother. However, because of this, Hopper often took his anger against Molt out on others, usually members of his gang. Hopper was also not above killing those who posed a threat to him. This was shown when he murdered Axel and Loco for suggesting that the gang remain in Mexico, and later attempted to kill Flik for standing up to him.
Hopper was little more than a thug, enforcing brute strength to solve most of his problems. He also held an xenophobic nature, seeing the ants as inferior to the grasshoppers. In spite of this, he also knew that the ants outnumbered the grasshoppers, which was the main reason he was so strict about keeping them under his control. However, though he was stronger than most of the other insects, even he was terrified of birds, which possibly stemmed from an attack from a blue jay that resulted in his right eye being scarred.
Appearance
Hopper is a large, brown Grasshopper who is very tall (at least, for an insect). He has a good yellow left eye, and a bad right eye from a blue jay. He towers over Flik and the ants in the movie. His legs are long, good for long ranged kick attacks.
Trivia
- He is similar to General Mandible from Antz as both are Complete Monsters as well as being insect leaders who are angry at the ants.
- His violent nature and bad temper are similair to Black.
- Hopper is the first Pixar villain to die.
- Hopper is considered one of the most evil Pixar villains, along with Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear and Syndrome.
Gallery
