He Who Must Not Be Seen: Difference between revisions

 

See also [[Ultimate Evil]]. Compare with [[He Who Must Not Be Heard]].

{{examples}}

* The Dancing Giant ghost in ''[[Haunted Junction]]'' is only seen from the knee down, and generally only one leg at a time. He's that big.

* In ''Taro Kid''/''Skyers 5'' (name varies depending on jurisdiction) the [[Big Bad]] (head of a SPECTRE-like criminal organization) is only ever seen from behind his chair.

 

* Ben Grimm often speaks fondly of his dear Aunt Petunia, but she's never been seen.

 

== Films ==

* In the 1980 Claymation educational film ''Dinosaurs!'', neither the main character Phillip nor his classmates are ever actually shown, and his teacher is only briefly seen from behind. When this film was released to home video in 1987, new scenes were added with Phillip being played by Fred Savage. The new footage featured Phillip's unseen mother, as well as a mysterious female voice who educates him on dinosaurs.

* The Soviet premier in ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]''.

* Roxy Carmichael from the 1990 movie ''Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael''.

* [[James Bond|Blofeld]] ([[The Blofeld Ploy|yeah, him]]) actually started out this way.

** But he does appear very briefly, in the illustration on his page of the storybook. From the looks of things, he must be the youngest knight of them all...

* The man directing the criminal organization in ''The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'' is only shown as a silhouette behind a curtain giving orders. It's later revealed that {{spoiler|the man behind the curtain is just a cardboard cutout and a radio; the head of the psych hospital, who has become obsessed with patient Mabuse's titular "crime manual," has been remotely directing the organization the whole time.}}

* The title character in ''Edward, My Son'' is never seen onscreen. Everything we know about him we hear from other people.

* Much like Dr. Claw Mr. Feather's boss "The Man" from ''[[Undercover Brother]]'' only the back of his head and his hands are seen.

 

== Literature ==

* Sauron of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. This, despite his being the novel's [[Big Bad]] and [[Ultimate Evil]]. The title is even a direct reference to him (the Lord of the Rings).

** Pippin, Aragorn, and Denethor see him face-to-face through the Palantír. Denethor explains Sauron's hidden nature as being due to the notion that all wise persons of power use ''others'' to do their fighting for them; however the story indicates that this is the act of dictators (like Sauron, Denethor, Saurman etc), while ''good'' rulers fight actually lead their underlings into battle (like Gandalf, Aragorn, and Theoden did).

** Somewhat undermined in the movies where the Eye of Sauron shows up plenty of times, such that the audience assumes (erroneously) that Sauron ''is'' the Eye.

* Galbatorix, the [[Big Bad]] of the ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]'', has yet to put in a physical appearance in the books. He does appear in [[The Film of the Book|The Film]], played by John Malkovich, but this was only for appearances' sake. {{spoiler|He finally shows up in the last book.}}

* Floyd Thursby, the murder victim in ''[[The Maltese Falcon]]''.

* The Patient in ''[[The Screwtape Letters]]''.

* Beatrice Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket's ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]''.

* [[Altered Carbon]] includes the often-referenced but never-present Elias Ryker. {{spoiler|It emerges that the central character, [[Takeshi Kovacs]], is inhabiting Ryker's body or "sleeve" while Ryker himself is "on stack," imprisoned in a digital environment.}}

 

* This trope fits the grossly oversized Stan ([[Take Our Word for It|or so we are told]]) from ''[[Will and Grace]]'' to a tee.

** His hand is seen in one episode, grabbing at Karen's breast.

* On ''[[Sports Night]]'', Luther Sachs was the owner of Continental Corp, which owned Continental Sports Channel, which broadcast the titular [[Show Within a Show]]. Though there were many times he was referenced (through such things as people having to take a call from him or having to go meet him, etc.) he was never seen or heard.

** This makes it even more strange to see a kind, grandfatherly character as the [[Big Bad]], while we have been assured that "Mr. Linderman" is a truly ruthless, merciless villain. [[Informed Ability]] anyone?

*** Except that he really is an evil manipulator, so he's closer to [[Affably Evil]].

** It's revealed in the [[Grand Finale]] that it was never solved.

* During several episodes of ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', Rayanne Graff mentions a friend named "Tino" who never made a physical appearance throughout the show's [[Too Good to Last|unfortunately short run]].

* The banker on game show ''[[Deal or No Deal]]''. His body can be seen from the booth, but there is no lighting on him, making him practically a shadow.

* Norm's wife Vera in ''[[Cheers]]'', although she was occasionally given a voice or partially shown.

** Also Sam's brother Derrick, although he was given a voice.

* Maris of ''[[Frasier]]''. The creators had initially planned to show her, but the [[Take Our Word for It|descriptions of her]] made her so monstrous that after a few seasons, they couldn't think of a way to show her without underselling the character.

*** Except that we did see a heavily bandaged-up Maris in a flashback in one episode set in a hospital, but it was brief and she was almost entirely covered up. Another episode showed us her silhouette against a shower curtain.

* Arthur Daley's wife in ''[[Minder]]'', fearfully referred to as "'Er Indoors."

** Subverted on the NBC episodes of ''[[The Price Is Right]]'', as he would occasionally be seen on camera as a substitute host whenever regular host [[Bill Cullen]] was either sick or on vacation.

* "This is Dr. Kahn..." from ''[[Salute Your Shorts]]''.

* In ''[[Twin Peaks]]'', Agent Cooper constantly recorded messages to "Diane" with his mini recorder, but Diane herself is never seen or heard. She does apparently mail Coop some earplugs at one point, however, so she is assumed to actually exist.

** Sarah, the town telephone operator.

** Then, of course, there was "Juanita," the waitress that Barney sometimes flirted with on the telephone.

** The camp's P.A. announcer was both this and [[The Voice]].

** B.J.'s wife Peg appears again in the surreal episode "Dreams", in a depressing [[Nightmare Sequence]] that is meant to show how much he misses her and how he believes the war has pulled him away from her. Naturally, everyone else is suffering a case of this throughout this particular episode.

** Also, Al's mother.

*** Wilson's mother.

* Bernie "the bolt" on ''[[The Golden Shot]]''.

* Nils' mother Elna in the first season of Norwegian sitcom ''Mot I Brøstet'', only referred to and heard through one-sided phone calls for the first 7 episodes. The sequel series ''Karl&Co'' did the same with Ulf's wife Magda, who stayed unrevealed throughout the entire series.

* Howard Wolowitz's mother on ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' is never seen, but her voice is constantly ringing out around his home.

* In ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'', Violet ''was'' this for the earlier series. She eventually made her full-time appearance as a character later in the run.

** Sheridan was this for the whole series.

* Amber, daughter of Tim and Daisy's landlady Marsha in ''[[Spaced]]''. The others hear her having raging (but indistinct) rows with her mother, and at one point she storms downs the stairs played by the producer's sister in a wig, but neither they nor we ever meet her or see her face.

* ''[[The Cosby Show]]'': Kenny's chauvinist older brother.

* The Inquizitor on [[Inquizition]].

* Angela Valentine was a girl in Beaver's class at Grant Avenue Elementary School in ''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''. She was mentioned in no fewer than 16 episodes throughout the series' run. Usually concerning her sixth toe or getting sick in class, having a real gold filling, the eating of library paste, winning a tool chest at the local theater, suggesting (and then winning) a class beauty contest, losing her bike plate on the playground, bringing a "baked Alaskan" to the cake sale, getting her extra toe cut off, calling Beaver a "dirty, rotten, smelly old apple," having a birthday party, getting sick in the back of the school bus and wearing a Jackie Kennedy wig to school. (She is shown very briefly in 2 episodes but only from behind and later running or walking by. No one seems to know who played the part.)

** The only time "Ugly Naked Guy" appeared on-screen, he was shot from the back (and thankfully above the waist).

* First boss Mr. Bell in ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''. His voice is frequently heard over intercom, but he doesn't appear on-screen until the end of the first season (in which he's been fired).

* ''[[The Royle Family]]'', which rarely leaves the confines of one house, creates a whole community of characters only ever described by the core cast. Chiefly; Jim and Barbara's neighbour 'Leggings' Lorraine, the housebound Elsie (who lives in the same flats as 'Nana' Norma and whose eventual death provides the background to an episode in the third series) and Dave's best friends Tony Macca and Gary. Most memorable though is Tony's supposedly tarty - and well-endowed - younger sister, Beverley.

** Some characters are talked about in several episodes before we do eventually get a glimpse of them, including Anthony's best friend Darren and girlfriend Emma (plus her parents). Dave's parents were also regularly mentioned but didn't appear onscreen until the 2008 Christmas special. In addition, crucial aspects of Norma's character are introduced in the very first episode, when she makes a phone call to the Royle household, but it's not until later in the series that we see and hear her.

* Kimmy Gibbler's parents from ''[[Full House]]'' is regularly mentioned by Kimmy, but is never shown onscreen.

** Oscar’s girlfriend “Crazy Rhoda Zimmerman” was never seen.

* John Bracken, studio head and title character of ''[[Brackens World]]'', was not seen until season two.

 

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==

** In a few early strips Linus and Lucy's parents (and blanket-hating grandmother) can be [[The Voice|"heard" off-panel]], and the kids' schoolteachers are heard (albeit [[The Unintelligible|as trombone music]]) in the animated specials.

** Also Snoopy's nemesis, The Cat Next Door.

* Susies' parents in ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]''. Their voices were heard from off-panel once or twice, but they never appeared.

** Susie's mom was seen from the waist down once.

** This also applied to the title characters in another early strip, Pom Momand's ''Keeping Up with the Joneses''.

 

== Pro Wrestling ==

* ''[[WWE Raw]]'' has an anonymous general manager who only communicates to whomever's in the arena via e-mails sent to [[Michael Cole]].

* [[Vince Russo]] was this at the beginning of his WCW tenure as "The Powers That Be," and vowed never to show his face. After he was fired and re-hired, he showed his face for the first time in WCW.

 

== Puppet Shows ==

* Scooter's uncle, the theater owner, was supposed to be this on ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. He actually ''did'' appear in a couple of season 2 episodes, but the writers decided he was better kept unseen for the force of the gag.

 

* One who really defies categorization is the character of Vern from any of the late comedian Jim Varney's ''Ernest'' routines since the action was always told in first-person fashion from Vern's perspective, allowing the audience to essentially be that character.

** Sometimes Vern's hands were seen, such as when Ernest got his hands caught in the window and asks for help, and the audience sees Vern's hands simply closing the blinds.

** "George...don't do that."

 

 

== Theater ==

* The unseen Mrs. Grundy, in Thomas Morton's ''Speed the Plough'', in which Dame Ashfield continually worries, "What ''will'' Mrs. Grundy say?" of each development. Since then the term "Mrs. Grundy" has passed into everyday speech as the embodiment of [[Moral Guardians|prudery and censorship]].

* Nell from ''[[The Comedy of Errors]]'', whose infamous breadth is probably better described than seen.

== Video Games ==

* Many First-Person Shooters have no cutscenes or anything showing the protagonist, who therefore remains faceless and sometimes also [[He Who Must Not Be Heard|unheard]].

** The ultimate example is Gordon Freeman of ''[[Half-Life]]'', where we wouldn't even know what he looks like if not for the box. He shows up very briefly in the expansions, but then in ''Half-Life 2'' he doesn't even have a model.

* An odd example from the third ''[[Sly Cooper]]'' game: Jing King, the Panda King's daughter, is only ever seen as a silhouette behind a screen. No reason is ever given for this.

* Mickey Mouse in the first ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' game is absent for most of it, leaving his castle to infiltrate Organization XIII and depending on his trusting aids Goofy and Donald to guide [[Kid Hero|Sora]]. In the sequel {{spoiler|he is vastly more prominent}}.

** Likewise, Sora's family is represented by a disembodied female voice, calling him for dinner.

* In ''[[Backyard Sports]]'', Stephanie Morgan always talks about her best friend Dorothy, who is never seen in the game.

* The protagonist in the game [[In the 1st Degree]] is prosecutor Sterling Granger. The character is male, and you can hear his voice. However, he is never seen in the game.

 

== Web Comics ==

* By the time Gordon Freeman arrives in ''[[Concerned]]'', you only get to see his arm (and weapon he's holding.) Sometimes he is in full view, but so far away you can't make out any detail.

* In ''[[Blip]]'', K's roommate is only shown in silhouette, and never named.

 

== Western Animation ==

** One episode played with this; Chicken, rummaging through the closet, pulls out what appear to be the upper halves of a man and a woman, possibly their parents. After a stunned second, Cow says it's from an old school project.

* In the original ''[[Peanuts]]'' specials, adults were never seen (and only heard as "Mwah-wah" sounds, making them also [[The Unintelligible]]), although on at least one occasion the unseen teacher's hand was shown giving a paper to Peppermint Patty.

* Dr. Claw from ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' is never shown except in an over-the-shoulder shot of him sitting in a high-backed chair which obscures everything except his gloved right fist. This was played on in the opening, which had Gadget run in and handcuff him... only to reveal that he's really handcuffed a glove attached to a chair with a bomb in it.

** The toy for Dr. Claw does reveal his face... and was a major letdown for many as a result.

** There is also the boarding house resident Mr. Smith we never see him aside from his silhouette and hand and when they eat together he has Arnold send him his food through a dumbwaiter, one episode has the residents try to break into his apartment so they can see him but Arnold convinces them to respect his privacy after they see he has a photo of the residents whom he considers his family.

** Disney had a weird, unwritten policy in the '90s that actually putting Mickey Mouse in cartoons would somehow dilute his iconic marketability. The logic was that if anything he was in was ever regarded as ''bad'', it might hurt the whole company, so it was better to never actually do anything with the character at all. A similar policy was instituted for the first ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' game. This weird policy was thankfully dropped in the 2000s, probably because people began to question just what the hell he actually did besides pose for merchandise.

* XANA from ''[[Code Lyoko]]''. As an artificial intelligence, he solely exists as a program inside supercomputers. Hence he never takes a visible form, but his influence is certainly felt, symbolized by the ever-present "Eye of XANA" logo.

** This is arguable as XANA at one point ''does'' appear physically, but takes on Jeremy's appearance. It's debatable that XANA also appears in the form of a black shadow with the logo on it.

* The nanny from ''[[Muppet Babies]]'' is usually only ever seen from the waist down; we never see her face. In a time travel episode we see her whole body but she is bent over while talking to someone in a car so her face is obscured.

* Rocko's next-door neighbor/unattainable unrequited crush Melba Toast on ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]''. We only see an arm here or a leg there, and she is never seen at all, only mentioned, after the first season (rather cleverly, the comic book played off of the lack of information about Melba in one issue by having her be a successful model... of products which only require the hand or foot to be displayed).

* Most of the characters' parents in ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' were like this; if they were shown at all, it was from the waist down. The notable exceptions were Hamton's parents (seen in [[The Movie]]), Elmyra's entire family, Calamity Coyote's dad, and Plucky's dad.

* In the first two seasons of ''[[Rugrats]]'', Chuckie's mom was presumed to be alive, and would be referenced periodically. It wasn't until the Mother's Day episode that she was finally seen, and the revelation came that she was dead.

* In ''[[The Weekenders]]'', Chloe Montez is commonly discussed yet never seen.

** Aang's friend Kuuzon is mentioned a few times throughout the show, but is never seen.

* Gazpacho in ''[[Chowder]]'' often talks about his mom but she has yet to make an appearance.

** Also adults in general they sometimes mention their parents and talk to them but we never see them except in one episode where we see Ed and Eddy's parents' hands drag them away over bad report cards, in the episodes where they're in school the teachers and faculty are also unseen.

** Also Al

* The Nightmare Prince's mother in ''[[Potsworth and Company]]''.

 

== Real Life ==

* [[Anonymous]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:That Which Must Not Be Indexed]]

[[Category:Invisibility Index]]