Cuphead
- For the game character, see Cuphead (character).
"My name is Cuphead, I like roller coasters, and hot dogs, and tilt-a-whirl, and hot dogs, and flying swings and hot dogs, and throwing up on roller coasters in that order!"
—Cuphead introducing himself, Roll the Dice
"I ain't too worried about it."
—Cuphead's usual catchphrase
Cuphead is the main protagonist of The Cuphead Show! and Mugman's older twin brother.
Appearance
As his name suggests, Cuphead's head is a wide cup with what seems to be some sort of liquid inside, topped with a red and white striped straw. His face consists of eyes that are very close together with black pie-cut pupils, and a small red nose.
He is mostly seen wearing a black, long-sleeve shirt, white gloves, red shorts (slightly similar to Mickey Mouse's iconic short overalls), and brown shoes. He is wearing brown boots, and yellow gloves. As an anthropomorphic cup, his skin has more of a beige tint to it instead of light gray and made of porcelain. His colors are duller, and yellow-tinted a bit on his head, shorts/pants, and legs, he has yellow gloves, he has a cartoony smile, and he has a bit lighter/duller brown shoes.
At night, he wears a red onesie.
Personality
"Cuphead is confident and fun. He is not always looking for trouble... but trouble always seems to find him- even in the strangest places."
—Cuphead: Welcome to Inkwell Isles!
Cuphead is typically a nice person; alongside his younger brother Mugman, enjoying an easygoing and good life, but is relentlessly optimistic. His confidence and drive for adventure can lead him to appear devious, or get him into trouble, which makes him very cheeky, but at his core, he is kindhearted who wants to do good—but has the tendency to leap before he looks. His voice actor, Tru Valentino, describes him as "a troublemaker at heart, but he means well". However, that does not mean Cuphead doesn't have his vulnerable moments as shown in "lost in the woods," and "Dangerous Mugman."
He tends to pretend things are fine when they are not, as suggested by his catchphrase "I ain't too worried about it". Throughout most of the show, whenever he is reminded that the Devil wants to take his soul, he acts nonchalant about it, but that is because he does not want Mugman to worry about it, nor does he tell Elder Kettle about the Soul Ball mishap, because that means telling him he abandoned his chores as well as put his life in danger. A dream sequence at the beginning of "Sweater Off Dead" shows he is more scared than he lets on.
He deeply cares about his brother Mugman. The brothers tend to argue with each other, but their arguments generally do not last long, although their rivalry was heavily expanded on during season 2. Cuphead sometimes takes Mugman for granted to a point where he heavily relies on him to keep him out of trouble. Despite that he loves, dotes, and protects Mugman the best he can as his brother is the most important person to him. This is shown when the Devil takes Mugman away to make Cuphead pay for stealing his pitchfork.
Although he is more or less dimwitted in most situations, he did figure out how to drive the vegetable party away in "Root Packed", and tricked the Devil into painting their fence in "Sweater Luck Next Time". Although he is not utterly dimwitted, Cuphead is prone to making foolish decisions. While a contestant on the gameshow "Roll the Dice", he was unable to name the well-known nursery rhyme "Twinkle twinkle, little star", and in the episode "Sweater Luck Next Time", he takes off the sweater even though it can save his life from danger while the Devil is there to get him. However, the latter scenario could also suggest that Cuphead may occasionally lack a sense of self preservation, possibly bought on as a result of his own reckless nature.
Unlike his brother Mugman who gets terrible stage fright, Cuphead is described as a real show-off. He loves to entertain people and be the center of attention. Despite this, he is shown to be humble, as when he lost twice on "Roll the Dice", Cuphead was quite accepting of the fact that he lost and would attempt to leave without making a fuss.
As shown in "Sweater off Dead," Cuphead, like his game counterpart, can be a little greedy at times. He came close to selling his soul to the Devil for $10-$20. In "Piano Lessons," when Ludwig mentioned the grand prize being $10,000, his eyes lit up with dollar signs, and he disregarded Mugman's feelings about the piano recital. This later showed up again in "Dead Broke" when he came up with a way for him, Chalice, and Mugman to get ice cream.
Powers and Abilities
Like Mugman, Cuphead is fast, Durable, and able to detach his head.
Cuphead has excellent aim as he was able to land every ball in the hole in soul ball, until Mugman made him miss.
He is shown to be crafty at times, being able to think of plans quickly that could potentially help or harm him in the process.
Cuphead has a unique musical talent as shown in the intro and the episode "Piano Lessons." He has hardly ever played piano, yet was able to pick it up quick.
Cuphead may have some form of unique luck as he was able to escape certain bad situations at the last second without a scratch as show in "Lost in the Woods," "Another Brother," and "Piano Lessons." though this doesn't always help him in other situations such as High Seas adventures or Dangerous Mugman.
Cuphead may have some skill in swordsmanship as he and Mugman were playing with some swords on Brineybeard's ship, though his skill level doesn't match up to Mugman's.
Weaknesses
Cuphead's biggest flaws are his tendencies to rush in without thinking half the time. He tends to be more oblivious to the world around him, not even noticing half the time when someone wants to do harm to him, in cases like Roll the Dice and Release the Demons.
Cuphead tends to rely heavily on Mugman, as the two are almost never apart from each other. This, combined with his lack of responsibility, can make him helpless without Mugman.
Ultimately Cuphead's family and friends, are Cuphead's biggest weaknesses, especially Mugman who is the most important person in his life. He was devastated when his brother was taken away by the Devil as punishment for stealing his pitchfork.
Appearances
Season One
"Carn-Evil"
Cuphead wants Mugman and him to go to a carnival. Mugman refuses to go, but Cuphead takes him anyway. Cuphead finds a game called "soul ball". Cuphead plays the game while everyone watches. Mugman made Cuphead lose and Cuphead almost got his soul taken away. Cuphead and mugman gets chased by the devil. The soul ball was later destroyed. Cuphead survived.
"Baby Bottle"
Cuphead and Mugman find a baby bottle at their Doorstep and decide to take care of it. The baby bottle causes a lot of trouble for Cuphead while Mugman is trying to get some baby food and ended up wrecking their House, after Elder Kettle comes home and gets his mustache ripped off, he got beaten up by the baby bottle. Cuphead and Mugman then fled to a room with a hurt elder kettle and locked themselves in there after arming themselves with weapons and armor they tried to stop the Baby bottle from wrecking their house but found the bottle asleep then they sent the baby to another Inkwell Isle citizen.
"Ribby & Croaks"
Elder Kettle sent Cuphead and Mugman to make up with each other after Mugman "sleep-ate" Cuphead's ice cream with Cuphead also saying he "sleep-ate" Mugman's ice cream and finds Ribby and Croaks' club and gives them their 5 bucks and Pocket lint, only to get kicked into river. But they got onto the ship after one of the boat's pedals caught them by their shirts then Cuphead and Mugman witness the pocket lint sink into the river but their sorrow lasted short after Cuphead smelled ice cream.
"Handle with Care!"
After Elder Kettle left the house, Cuphead and Mugman have a blindfolded pillow-fight, only to discover Mugman's handle has broken off. Cuphead tries to reattach it, using honey and tape, but it does not work. The two then get into an argument on what glue is, and then finally remember what glue is, and ask Porkrind, only to find the next shipment is in 3 weeks.
"Roll the Dice"
While Cuphead and Mugman are playing with a tire, they accidentally run into the studio where the game show "Roll The Dice" (which is secretly a soul stealing game for The Devil) is being broadcasted. Cuphead is chosen by King Dice, the show's host, who gives Cuphead intentionally easy questions in order to easily take his soul, though despite the questions being easy, Cuphead misnames "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", to the frustration of Dice and Elder Kettle. When the time comes to roll the dice, where the contestants are taken to the "Mystery Prize Room" in which their soul is stolen, Cuphead first remembers a joke he forgot earlier. Dice, frustrated, angrily order Cuphead to roll the dice, to which Cuphead obliges. Cuphead, however, ends up destroying the dice, which has Dice make an unsuccessful last attempt at Cuphead's soul, but Cuphead storms off after the game is claimed to be rigged.
"Ghosts Ain't Real!"
TBA
"Root Packed"
Cuphead, along with Mugman, want to watch a new movie in the town, and hastily agree to take care of Elder Kettle's garden. Mugman, however, stops Cuphead from heading off and insists that they make good on their promise. However, it is then that they discover the Root Pack eating fertilizer in their shed, and they head off into town after the Root Pack agrees that they will take care of Elder Kettle's promise. When they come back, they are horrified by the giant party the Root Pack has set up in their lawn, and after several unsucessful attempts to chase them off, they manage to cause Ollie to cry, which causes all the vegetables to cry and leave the party.
"Sweater Off Dead"
TBA
"Sweater Luck Next Time"
TBA
"Dangerous Mugman"
TBA
"Dirt Nap"
TBA
"In Charm's Way"
TBA
Season 2
"Jail-Broken"
TBA
"Charmed & Dangerous"
TBA
"A High Seas Adventure!"
TBA
"Another Brother"
TBA
"Sweet Temptation"
TBA
"The I Scream Man"
This episode is Cuphead's only minor appearance in season 2, being seen going out to get groceries along with Elder Kettle, and later as a fantasized crew member in Mugman's book. He later comes back home to watch his brother beat up the Ice Cream man.
"Piano Lesson"
TBA
"Release the Demons!"
TBA
"Dead Broke"
TBA
"Rats All, Folks"
Cuphead and Mugman are making a surprise cake for Elder Kettle, but when Mugman discover a rat in the cupboard that claims ownership to "their cottage and all of its contents," Cuphead leads Mugman in a wild chase that resembles a Tom and Jerry episode. Eventually, Elder Kettle comes to intervene, but Werner quickly takes Cuphead and Mugman hostage. After tricking and defeating Werner one last time, Elder Kettle asks the brothers to close the door, even though most of the cottage has been destroyed.
"Say Cheese!"
TBA
"Lost in the Woods"
TBA
"The Devil's Pitchfork"
TBA
Season Three
Relationships
Mugman
Mugman is Cuphead's younger brother and best friend. Like all brothers, Cuphead and Mugman often bicker over trivial things like ice cream or simply because they are not supposed to. Despite that, Cuphead deeply cares for his little brother. The two are opposites, but complementary: While Mugman is often cautious and scared, Cuphead is there to push him to take risks and overcome his fears, often leading them into dangerous, but fun situations. Cuphead affectionately calls his little brother "Mugsy".
Although Cuphead is sometimes annoyed by Mugman's cowardice, he never judges him, and instead pushes him to excel. In the episode "Dangerous Mugman", he helps his brother gain confidence by giving him the Dirk Dangerous goggles. He also recognizes his brother's qualities, calling him "the smartest person he knows" in the episode "Roll the Dice". In the episode "Handle with Care", he is the only one who is not horrified by Mugman's broken handle, and does everything he can to find a way to fix it.
The episode "Sweater Off Dead" episode is the most revealing of Cuphead and Mugman's brotherly love. His nightmare at the beginning of the episode reveals that he is more afraid of the Devil than he let on, but keeps it all to himself to not worry Mugman. When Mugman decides to knit him the invisible sweater, Cuphead is very grateful, telling him that he is the best brother a cup could ever have. Finally, Cuphead and Mugman are protected from the Devil's fiery attack by their brotherly love.
Throughout Season 2, both their sibling rivalry started to shine through, to the point of brothers attempting to one each other in several episodes or get into heated arguments, (e.g.: Jail-Broken, Another Brother, Piano Lesson, Say Cheese!, and Lost in the Woods) but always at the end, reconsider their differences.
Cuphead has often taken Mugman for granted several times and seems to be dependent on him as show in several cases (Lost in the Woods, The Devil's Pitchfork, Sweater Luck Next Time, Another Brother,). Though he knows in the end, Mugman is the most important person in his life, and his best friend.
His recklessness and irresponsibility ultimately costs him Mugman in the episode finale, "The Devil's Pitchfork", as after he takes the Devil's pitchfork from him and relentlessly zaps him for his own amusement, the Devil then reveals that he's taken his brother as means of revenge. As he drags Mugman back to the underworld, Cuphead stares on in utter shock and devastation that his brother is being punished for his actions.
Elder Kettle
Elder Kettle is Cuphead's caretaker, along with Mugman. Cuphead is often annoyed by the rules and chores imposed by his guardian, and tries to avoid them whenever possible. In the episode "Root Packed", he does not hesitate to make him think he is going to take care of his vegetables, but as soon as he falls asleep, he wants to go to the movies. There have been moments where Cuphead accidentally makes a mess. This is evident in the episode "Carn-Evil", when Cuphead fired a cannon filled with paint, in an attempt to speed up their fence-painting chore, only to destroy the fence and drench Elder Kettle in paint, twice. The episode "Sweater Luck Next Time" episode also suggests that he is more afraid of him and his possible punishments than the Devil, pushing the latter into the bushes so Elder Kettle does not see him. In the episode "Baby Bottle", he does his best to keep Elder Kettle's radio intact, knowing that he and Mugman will be grounded if they break it.
Despite that, Cuphead is very attached to his caretaker. In the episode "Root Packed", although he had originally planned to take advantage of Elder Kettle being asleep to go to the movies, he changes his mind when Mugman reminds him that they should take care of his vegetables like he took care of them when they were babies. This proves that Cuphead is grateful to him for raising him and Mugman. Afterwards, he does everything he can to protect the vegetables from the Root Pack. In the episode "Handle with care", he is proud to show him his "man handle", not knowing that it was Elder Kettle who glue it on. His nightmare at the beginning of the episode "Sweater Off Dead" shows that he is afraid of losing him. The episode "Dirt Nap" also shows that he holds him in high regard, saying of him that he "never slows down and is full of life", despite his advanced age. At the end of the episode, when Elder Kettle thought the boys wanted to get rid of him, Cuphead and Mugman immediately clear up the situation, saying that he is their Elder Kettle, and that they love him, before giving him a hug.
Kettle seems to be stricter on Cuphead due to his carefree, reckless personality, as show in Lost in the woods, when he gets angry at Cuphead for playing when he should be helping him and Mugman prepare for winter.
The Devil
The Devil has become Cuphead's archenemy since the latter lost his Soul-Ball game at the Carnevil and the Devil tries to take his soul. Even before this event, Cuphead shows great fear of the Devil, gasping when he appears in front of him. Since then, he is terrified of the Devil taking his soul, as evidenced by his nightmare at the beginning of the episode "Sweater Off Dead", even though he tries in vain to hide it.
However, Cuphead becomes more confident when he wears the invisible sweater knitted by Mugman that prevents the Devil from taking his soul. He is then less afraid of him, even mocking him by suggesting to "try to transform into someone who doesn't fail all the time". In the episode "Sweater Luck Next Time", Cuphead feels a certain weariness as the Devil tries unsuccessfully to take his soul. He even manages to trick him into painting the fence of their house by promising that he will take off his sweater, allowing him and his brother to slip away.
In the same episode, after Cuphead carelessly removes his sweater without the Devil's knowledge, he acts as if nothing has happened, even agreeing to let the Devil stand in line with him for a ride despite the danger. While they wait in line, Cuphead tells jokes to the Devil to make him laugh, with success, and the Devil even admits that he "isn't so bad after all". However, when the Devil realizes that Cuphead is not wearing his sweater, he obviously tries to take his soul, bringing things back to status quo. This proves that if the Devil was not obsessed by souls, he and Cuphead could get along.
As of the episode Release the Demons! Cuphead no longer owes the Devil his soul since he was unable to claim it within the expiration date. He was unaware of this until the latter accidentally revealed it in The Devil's Pitchfork, when Cuphead had gotten ahold of his pitchfork and deliberately kept using it to shock him. In the end, Cuphead would end up paying the price when he kidnaps his brother as revenge. It can safely be assumed that he now hates the Devil on a more personal level because of this.
Baby Bottle
Cuphead and Mugman meet Baby Bottle in the episode of the same name, after some unknown person dropped it off at their front door. Like his brother, he is touched by the baby's cuteness, but is quickly disillusioned when the baby cries in his arms and bites him. On Mugman's advice, he tries to make an effort, but Baby Bottle mistreats him in every way possible. When Baby Bottle locks himself in the house, Cuphead makes it clear to his brother that something is wrong with the baby and that they need to get rid of him. What happens next only confirms what he says, as he and Mugman are unable to deal with the baby and its evil intentions. At the end of the episode, Cuphead, like Mugman and Elder Kettle, is relieved to get rid of the baby by leaving it at someone else's door.
Porkrind
Porkrind is a merchant whose store is located not far from the house of Cuphead and Mugman. The two brothers instinctively go to his store whenever they need something, like paint in the first episode, or glue in "Handle with Care".
Cuphead seems to like Porkrind, which is not reciprocated, as we can see in the episode Dangerous Mugman. Cuphead is happy to tell him that he and Mugman have saved up enough money to play their favorite arcade game, not realizing that this deeply annoys Porkrind. He also seems flattered when Porkrind compliments him on his courage, and does not hesitate to complete the mission he gives him. At the end of the episode, he is grateful to Porkrind for giving him the arcade game, without realizing, once again, that it is just a way for Porkrind to get rid of him and Mugman.
King Dice
Like most people in the Inkwell Isles, Cuphead is a big fan of the show "Roll the Dice", and its host King Dice. So when he accidentally finds himself on the set of the show and King Dice picks him to be the next contestant, he gets over excited, runs over to the host to hug his leg, and admits that he cannot believe he is standing next to "the" King Dice. Cuphead has no idea that the purpose of the game is to have his soul stolen by entering the mystery room, nor does he know that King Dice works for the Devil, the one who wants his soul. Throughout the game, he remains very enthusiastic, even sometimes takes the place of King Dice as the host, without realizing that the latter becomes more and more aggressive towards him. He also does not know that King Dice tried to physically attack him when he lost, to force him into the mystery room. In "Release the Demons!", Dice attempts to kidnap Cuphead while he and Mugman were venturing in the hay maze, in an attempt to get back into the Devil's good graces.
Ms. Chalice
Cuphead and Mugman met Ms. Chalice in the episode "In Charm's way", and observe her as she manages to get what she wants for free. Both of them were curious about how she does it and follow her to the movies, until she notices their presence. He wants to look cool in front of Chalice, bragging about trying to steal cookies from Elder Kettle in the morning, and asking Mugman to shut up when he talks about themselves as a couple of dumb-dumbs. He follows her advice carefully and is pleased to see it pay off (at least, he thinks it does), when the trio manages to get into the cookie factory.
During his time in prison, Cuphead briefly resented Chalice for leaving him and Mugman out to dry. Ever since escaping, however, he has since let that go. He still has faith and respect in her charming abilities and defends her when she gets badmouthed by Mugman, even referring to her as a great friend. Additionally, he excitedly opened the door for Chalice when she arrived at their house after his brother slammed it on her face.
Ribby and Croaks
Cuphead and Mugman first met Ribby and Croaks in the episode of the same name, at the Fly Trap. At first, the two were uninterested in the club, until Cuphead found out that upon entry, they will be given free ice cream. Despite their underpayment with five bucks, Ribby ultimately steals Cuphead's money and responds with kicking him along with Mugman into the pond. In retaliation though, and still determined to get their ice cream, the brother still sneakily board the ship. Upon being caught, the frog boxers attempt to beat them up, but miss and destroy the club. The two then stop when Mugman and Cuphead share a brotherly hug and make a truce between the two duos.
Cuphead then later saw Ribby and Croaks at the park, playing on the see-saw in Another Brother.
Bowlboy
Originally in Handle with Care!, after Mugman snapped at Bowlboy, Cuphead followed his path, disgusted by Bowlboy's random appearance, which may have shown that Cuphead disliked the latter.
However, in Another Brother, after breaking up with Mugman, Cuphead has Bowlboy be his replacement brother, doing dangerous acts together across the Inkwell Isles. However, Bowlboy later took his recklessness persona to the extremes, as he was planning on strapping himself, along with Cuphead to a handmade rocket. Bowlboy ultimately scares Cuphead with his motives when he claims he wants to be like Cuphead, if not become him. That is when Cuphead put his foot down and abandons the rocket, leaving Bowlboy to fly off. Bowlboy later got revenge on Cuphead at the hospital by inserting an injection on him offscreen.
The Root Pack
The Root Pack first encountered Cuphead and Mugman in the episode Root Packed. After being assigned to watch after Elder Kettle's garden, Cuphead and Mugman disliked doing this as it would interfere with them watching a movie, or show. That's when they found Sal, Ollie, and Chauncey in the shed as Sal promised to look after the garden, much to the two's pleasure. However, this was only done to get the yard to themselves in order to host a party. Later, when the two found out about this, they attempted to bust the party through several means, until Cuphead comes up with an idea to feed Ollie a sob story, to make him cry, replenish the garden, and get rid of the party. The two then attempted to scram away the Root Pack, however, the three retaliated with drinking the rest of the moisture from the replenished garden.
Captain Brineybeard
When he finds out that Brineybeard was on the ship that he and Mugman thought was deserted, his initial attitude was that of fear towards Brineybeard. This, however, changed when Brineybead revealed what his mission was, to get together with Cala Maria. Cuphead expressed disgust at this, and thought it interfered with his "High-Seas Adventure".
Cala Maria
Cuphead was mainly afraid of Cala Maria because of her intimidating nature and her willingness to eat him, Mugman, and Brineybeard upon seeing them and, unlike Mugman, never warmed up to her.
Baroness Von Bon Bon
Before meeting Baroness Von Bon Bon in "Sweet Temptation", Cuphead had heard about her through fairy tales and how she would eat children. Because of this, he thought negatively about her and attempted to leave when she introduced herself. After Von Bon Bon states that she only eats candy, he changed his behavior towards her and apologized, even forming a brief bond with her. However, Cuphead did notice her unhinged personality that stemmed from being unable to leave Sugarland on the account of an ancient curse and was creeped out by it. Nonetheless, he was excited over the idea of being able to eat as much candy as he wants. In the end, Cuphead ends up breaking one of her rules by bringing Mugman to Sugarland and Baroness Von Bon Bon turns them both into candy so she could eat them, much to his horror as they were barely able to escape her grasp.
Werner Werman
Cuphead, along with Mugman, first encountered Werner Werman in their cupboard, in the episode, "Rats All, Folks", after the rodent snuck into their cottage through the front house. Werner didn't really treat the cups nicely, instead planning to take over their cottage. The brother then tried all sort of methods to remove him, and stop him from eating Elder Kettle's surprise cake. In the end, Werner managed to use a wave of utensils to pin Cuphead and Mugman to the wall, and threatens Elder Kettle into giving him ownership of his cottage, otherwise he would blow the cups up.
Ludwig
Ludwig is initially disliked by Cuphead, mainly due to his overly fancy attitude and constant mispronunciation of Mugman's name. However, when he Cuphead unintentionally impresses Ludwig because of his mastery of the piano, Cuphead begins to warm up to Ludwig to Mugman's jealousy. Cuphead goes back to disliking Ludwig after he steals Cuphead's Piano piece and enters himself in the competition.
Gallery
"We'll be right back"
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Cuphead as a toddler
Trivia
- He doesn't seem to have the powers that he's obtained in the game. This makes sense, as Elder Kettle in the Show is still unaware that the Devil is after Cuphead's soul and, therefore, hasn't yet given the boys the potion that gave them their in-game powers. However, he can take off his head, which is an in game trait.
- Cuphead's favorite song is "The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trapeze", a 19th-century popular song about a flying trapeze circus performer, Jules Léotard.
- His favorite food may be hotdogs, as he mentions them three times when talking about himself in "Roll the Dice".
- However, he is also just recounting events from "Carn-Evil".
- He does not like Funnel Cake, but ate it anyway with Mugman in the episode "Sweater Luck Next Time", to thank him for knitting the invisible sweater.
- He is a piano prodigy, as revealed in the episode Piano Lesson. However, as he said himself, he doesn't care about piano.
- He and Mugman are the only two characters who appear in every episode.
- It has never been revealed in the game nor in the show who Cuphead and Mugman's parents are or their current whereabouts. It is also unknown if the brothers ever knew their parents (though that is debatable as Elder Kettle has raised them since they were babies), or if Elder Kettle knew them. Though there are some fans who have theorised that their souls were taken by the Devil.