Rango/Characters

Rango
The main protagonist of the film. He is a chameleon with aspirations for the stage and stardom, but most of all desires companionship. After being accidentally thrown out of his owner's car, he starts his journey towards his destiny.

"Voiced by: Johnny Depp"

""Well, I'm a man of many epithets. There's my stage name, my pen name, my avatar. I had a pseudonym once, but I had it legally changed. Nom the plume, I have a CB handle, I'm actually one of the few men with a maiden name...""
 * Acquired Poison Immunity: During one of his many tall tales, he claims that Rattlesnake Jake is his brother, and he's so immune to his venom that he puts it in his coffee.
 * Adorkable: Or, as appealing as his character design would allow, anyway.
 * Becoming the Mask
 * Birds of a Feather: With fellow secretly-lonely lizard Beans.
 * Companion Cube: He has a toy fish and a dismembered doll for "friends".
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Though he's generally clumsy and mostly all talk, Rango does display occasional moments of cunning before officially taking a level in badass at the end.
 * Exposed Animal Bellybutton
 * Fake Ultimate Hero: Initially.
 * The Fool
 * Genre Savvy: He seems to know a great deal about a variety of genres in fiction, westerns included, and thus doesn't have a hard time blending into Dirt.
 * Large Ham: By choice, to impress the townsfolk.
 * Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist
 * The Hero
 * Accidental Hero
 * Guile Hero
 * Hired to Hunt Yourself: After giving some back robbers an all-access pass to the bank.
 * Hollywood Chameleon: Averted. Rango's color changing abilities are limited and of little use to him in the story.
 * I Have Many Names: Boasts about this before settling on Rango.

""I say we track this pipe back to its hydraulic origin and apprehend the culprits behind this aquatic conundrum.""
 * Line-of-Sight Name: Durango cactus juice.
 * Lizard Folk
 * No Name Given: We Never Get to Hear His Real Name.
 * Oral Fixation Fixation: Uses his projectile tongue to steal a man's toothpick in the bar scene, and menacingly chews a dragonfly in his duel with Jake.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Often speaks in this. Usually to come off as smarter than he really is.


 * The Sheriff
 * Took a Level in Badass: Arguably he does this after

Beans
A ranch owner, this desert iguana found Rango and brought him to Dirt. She suspects that something has happened to the water supply of the town, that someone is throwing the water out into the desert.

"Voiced by: Isla Fisher"


 * Action Girl: She really does get dirty, and even has a shotgun ready.
 * Birds of a Feather: With fellow secretly-lonely lizard Rango.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Character Tics: Beans has an unfortunate habit of freezing in place and going momentarily catatonic when under stress. She explains that it is a defense mechanism natural to lizards faced with predators, which is true. The problem with Beans is that "her switch is broken."
 * Click. "Hello."
 * Damsel in Distress: She does get tied up in the climax though.
 * Determined Homesteader
 * Disappeared Dad
 * Feet First Introduction: "Get your slimy, webbed phalanges off my boots!"
 * Love Interest
 * Non-Mammal Mammaries
 * Plucky Girl
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Usually proceeding a catatonic fit. Her daddy was never near that mineshaft!
 * It's not a rash, it is a birthmark!
 * Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: She has hair.
 * Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Her father was fond of baked beans.

Priscilla
A young cactus mouse (or, if you believe Verbinski, an aye-aye) in the town of Dirt. At first she dismisses Rango as "funny-lookin'", she grows to admire him near the end. She has her own pair of revolvers, seems a little too excited about violence and death, and likes to make fun of strangers.

"Voiced by: Abigail Breslin"

""Can I gut-shoot someone?""
 * Badass Adorable: She's the cutest (or at the most, the least ugly) character in the whole movie, but she carries a pair of revolvers in her lunchbox.


 * Creepy Child
 * Enfante Terrible
 * Expy: She looks quite a lot like a possum version of Mattie Ross.
 * Kids Are Cruel

Tortoise John
He is the mayor of the town of Dirt, who appoints Rango as the sheriff after. He is the wealthiest citizen in Dirt, and is a polite gentleman to the townsfolk, supporting their wishes of a better life. Early in the film, he is the only character with access to the town's supply of water, which makes Beans particularly suspicious. .

"Voiced by: Ned Beatty"


 * : Due to the myth surrounding Rattlesnake Jake, and the fact Jake threatened Rango with it before, the Mayor by him definitely has this vibe to it.
 * Expy: Bears an unmistakable resemblance to Noah Cross, John Huston's character in the 1974 film Chinatown.
 * Fat Sweaty Southerner in a White Suit: Well, except for the sweaty part since reptiles can't sweat.
 * : Type A.
 * Southern Gentleman
 * Super Wheelchair: It even has a putting stick!
 * Turtle Power
 * Ultimate Authority Mayor
 * Southern Gentleman
 * Super Wheelchair: It even has a putting stick!
 * Turtle Power
 * Ultimate Authority Mayor

Rattlesnake Jake
""You got killer in your eyes, son? I don't see it.""

A fearsome, ferocious desert rattlesnake with a gatling gun for a tail and the antagonist. He is called the Grim Reaper and lauded by many as a ruthless killer who "doesn't leave a town without taking a soul."

"Voiced by Bill Nighy."

""Listen to me, you pathetic fraud...""
 * Badass
 * Badass Bandolier: Several of them are wrapped around his upper half.
 * Badass Mustache: Or at least, the appearance of one on his facial scales.
 * Beware My Stinger Tail: His rattle is replaced by an artificial machine gun made of revolver cylinders.
 * Cool Gun: It's part of his body!
 * Dragged Off to Hell: Tells Rango he'll do this if he ever sees him again. As a result of all the myth surrounding him, it's difficult to question if he can actually carry out the threat or not.
 * The Dragon:
 * The Dreaded: Just mentioning him freaks people out.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Upon his first meeting with Rango, one gets the distinct impression that he hates liars.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Upon his first meeting with Rango, one gets the distinct impression that he hates liars.

""Jake's the Grim Reaper, he never leaves town without taking blooming soul.""
 * Fangs Are Evil: Comes with the territory of being a rattlesnake.
 * The Gunslinger: A cross between Type B and Type D. He can pump out huge amounts of fire from that tail, but he can also unleash a quick burst with uncanny accuracy and speed.
 * Hero-Killer: It's established that he killed the previous sheriff of Dirt, not to mention what Bad Bill says about him.

""Hello, brother. Thirsty?""
 * Knight of Cerebus: When he shows up, the tone takes a far more serious turn.
 * Large Ham: He has almost as much a flair for the dramatic as Rango, weaving threats of Hell-fire and damnation into his speech at every opportunity.
 * Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: He's a cowboy rattlesnake with a gatling gun grafted onto his tail.
 * Noble Demon: He exhibits a disgust for treachery, underhanded tactics, liars, and seems to respect a hero of genuine strength, but he is a stone cold killer and has no sense of mercy.
 * Oh Crap: Inspires this reaction from pretty much everyone when he arrives.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: His look like the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings.
 * Rule of Cool: His Gatling gun/rattle seems to have no realistic way of working (What is the firing mechanism for that thing?) other than that it is very cool.
 * Snakes Are Evil
 * Suck Out the Poison: Jake does this when he first meets Rango to taunt him, squirting venom out of his fang and offering it to him in a shot glass.
 * Suck Out the Poison: Jake does this when he first meets Rango to taunt him, squirting venom out of his fang and offering it to him in a shot glass.

""I tip my hat to you... One legend to another.""
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Though many would say this is what everyone else thinks of Jake, he This is somewhat ironic, considering the trope's name.
 * Worthy Opponent:


 * You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Not only does Jake

Waffles
Part of the posse. A horned toad with a simpleton personality and less than appropriate amount of teeth. Regarding to his official information, he writes "surprisingly bad haiku."

"Voiced by James "Jim" Ward Byrkit"


 * Abusive Parents: His father made him cough up marshmallows he had eaten the last evening for breakfast.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Although everybody (sans Rango, Beans and Wounded Bird) in the town could be considered this, Waffles is perhaps the most prominent example.
 * The Fool
 * Friendly Enemy: Acts as one towards one of the inbred rodents for a very brief moment, warning him that he's about to hit his head.
 * Kindhearted Simpleton
 * Man Child: Waffles has a childlike personality and matching intelligence.

Wounded Bird
Part of the posse and Rango's deputy. A Native American raven who is a quiet bystander and uses a crutch of some sort to help himself walk. His general information from the movie's website states that his tracking skills are legendary and that he's big in Finland for reasons unknown.

"Voiced by Gil Birmingham"


 * Captain Obvious: In the video game, it's almost impossible not to find it funny that he keeps repeating "I'm over here", "Over here, Rango" and "I'm here" while Rango is goddamn standing right next to him.
 * Collector of the Strange: In the video game, he gives Rango updates to his abilities by getting sheriff stars traded in return. Wonder what he does with those stars...
 * Deadpan Snarker: Slightly slips into this.
 * The Dog Shot First:
 * Forgot Flanders Could Do That: While he usually speaks in short and broken sentences, in the latter part of the movie he has lines in perfect English.
 * The Lancer: To Rango, sort of, as he names Wounded Bird to be his deputy.
 * Magical Native American: Parodied with his character.
 * Mysterious Past: His information in the movie website says that he's "big in Finland for some reason." There are no hints of this in the movie whatsoever, so one could only wonder how and why he's been to Finland and what he did there.
 * The Nose Knows: It sure does!
 * The Quiet One
 * Scarily Competent Tracker: He can smell blindness or if a person has a large prostate.
 * Shaped Like Itself
 * Terse Talker

Ambrose
Part of the posse. An owl of some sort, dresses like a gentleman and, according to his official information, is a professional gambler and can speak in 12 languages.

"Voiced by Ian Abercrombie"


 * Fake Brit: Averted as his voice actor, Ian Abercrombie, actually is British.
 * I Am Big Boned: Needs to be speculated - Ambrose is notably round, but it might be just because he's an owl.
 * The Owl-Knowing One: Regarding to his official info, he can speak in 12 languages.
 * Professional Gambler: Official info again.
 * Quintessential British Gentleman
 * Tuxedo and Martini: When he's seen while Rango steps into the saloon for the first time, Ambrose is wearing his usual tuxedo with a top hat and there's a shot glass filled with cactus juice beside him.
 * Waistcoat of Style

The Armadillo

 * Half the Man He Used To Be / Normally I Would Be Dead Now
 * The Obi-Wan

The Mariachi Owls

 * Greek Chorus
 * Rockers Smash Guitars: An owl is seen smashing his guitar in the credits, while another sets his on fire Hendrix-style.
 * Unreliable Narrator

Rock-Eye the Toad

 * Asshole Victim

The Hawk

 * Necessary Evil

Mr. Johannes "Fluffy Joe" Merrimack III

 * He Knows Too Much
 * Ink Suit Actor: Of all the characters he voices in Rango, Stephen Root most resembles Mr. Merrimack.
 * Overly Long Name
 * Smart People Wear Glasses

Angélique

 * Always Camp: In addition to working for the Mayor, she runs Dirt's fashion boutique.
 * Cunning Like a Fox
 * Everyone Looks Sexier If French
 * Sexy Secretary
 * Smoking Is Cool

The Eyeball

 * Annoying Arrows: "You, got, uh, somethin' in your eye there."
 * Eyepatch of Power