| “ | You have only yourself to blame. You being the hero of all of this means that I have to be the villain. But I never wanted to be the villain! I wanted to be the cute sidekick who gets his own plush toy and a spinoff show. (…) You really don't get it, do you? So happy to star in your "amazing world." Can't you see that none of this is real?! (…) It doesn't matter. Once you're out of the picture I can be WHOEVER I WANT! I'm sorry, Gumball Watterson… THERE'S NO OTHER WAY! | „ |
| ~ Rob to Gumball in "The Disaster." |
Rob, also known as Dr. Wrecker, is the main antagonist of the animated series The Amazing World of Gumball.
He's initially an unremarkable background character at Elmore Jr. High; ergo, Rob is banished to the Void, a dimensional wasteland of TV static that removes any "mistake" from existence. After escaping, his body is corrupted into a glitching, broken form, and he declares himself Gumball Watterson's sworn enemy, seeking vengeance and a meaningful role in the world.
Rob eventually discovers through Banana Barbara's prophetic paintings that the Void will destroy the universe. In an attempt to rescue the main characters, he transforms them into humans to help them escape to "the other place" (presumably our reality). Despite this, his warnings are ignored following his defeat, and he is the first to fall into the Void as the destruction begins.
He is voiced by Charles Philipp. As Dr. Wrecker, he was voiced by the late David Warner. His Superintendent Evil disguise was portrayed by Garrick Hagon.
What Makes Him a Shojo Villain?[]
- Villainous/Anti-Villainous: Rob commits several villainous deeds; below are some notable ones:
- In "The Nemesis," he tries to destroy the "Elmore dam" to flood the entire town of Elmore
- In "The Bus," he places a bomb on a packed school bus and attempts to ransom $1,000,000 from the police.
- In "The Disaster," Rob steals the Universal Remote from the Van Shopkeeper and erases him from existence with it. He then uses the remote to split apart Gumball's family and make them hate him. Finally, he attempts to trap Gumball in the Void, presumably to leave him in limbo for eternity.
- In "The Rerun," he has the remote again and inadvertently causes a time paradox that results in Anais being erased from existence, Darwin devolving into a normal fish and dying from lack of water, and (later) Gumball nearly dying.
- In "The Ex," he tries to kill Banana Joe using various violent traps simply because he finds him annoying. His murder attempts include trying to obliterate him with an exploding burger, crush him with a stack of bricks, and squash him with oil drums rolling down a road.
- In "The Future," he kidnaps Banana Barbara and keeps her in a warehouse for over a week to decipher her paintings. Rob strangles, threatens, and abuses her throughout. He later fights Gumball, Banana Joe, and Darwin ruthlessly by painting a bazooka, crack in the floor, and shark into reality.
- In "The Inquisition," he forces the entire Elmore Junior High school staff and the children to become humans against their will using transmutative technology, enforcing a strict, abusive rule with no tolerance for dissent. He also brainwashes the students into enforcing his rules.
- Manipulative/Cunning: In "The Bus," he manipulates a group of adults into disguising themselves as criminals to show students the dangers of skipping school. In reality, this was a ploy to extort money from the police and frame them for a real crime. He also shows his cunning when he throws the Universal Remote into the Void, forcing Gumball to follow it to save his loved ones and thereby leaving his archenemy inside.
- Envious: Rob is jealous of Gumball's status as the main character while he himself was erased from existence.
- Obsessive: He is obsessed with getting revenge on Gumball.
- Intellectual Superiority: He is among the most cunning and intelligent characters in the series, especially considering he knows that everything is fictional whereas the others don't, and also because of his strategic schemes.
- Egotistical: Rob often acts arrogantly, believing that he is entitled to be in control or remembrance, making everything revolve around him, and blaming other characters for things that are his own fault. In "The Disaster" and "The Rerun," he acts like a god wannabe and uses the Universal Remote to bend reality to his will for attention and during a power trip.
- Vain: Rob is rather insecure about how he looks post-disfiguration, claiming he looks like a "nobody."
- Charismatic: He can be theatrical and charming much of the time.
- Short-Tempered: He is extremely irritable over very minor things, like when Gumball forgets his name. He has a breakdown in "The Ex" where his eye visually lights up in flames as he strangles Gumball, as his trap for Banana Joe had been foiled.
- Petty: Rob tries to kill Gumball and his family over being left in the Void, which was a complete accident. He also tries to kill Joe in "The Ex" simply because he was "easy to hate."
- Delusional: Rob believes he was forced to be a villain to reclaim his place in the world, even though he chooses it because it suits him emotionally, making him a hypocrite.
- Deranged: He can be unhinged at times. In "The Future," he gets so angry that he nearly crushes Banana Barbara with a crowbar before forcing himself to stop.
- Dual Nature: Rob rewinds time in "The Rerun" to undo all of his harmful acts out of remorse, and in "The Inquisition," he tries to save the cast from the Void.
- Hidden Vulnerabilities: He is insecure about being forgettable and having no purpose in the world.
- Psychological Warfare: He forces Gumball to watch as his family is torn apart or even when they die in "The Rerun" to psychologically abuse him.
- Redemption Arc Potential: Rob has shown that he is capable of redemption, and it is likely he will be redeemed in Season 7 if the Void continues to destroy Elmore and he stops it or helps in some way.
- Tragic Past: He was erased from existence and imprisoned in the Void because the world decided he didn't matter enough. When he escaped, he was disfigured and became evil because it gave him a sense of purpose.
- Is Obsessed with Social Status: Rob wants to be more recognized in the world.
- Holds Grudges: He has a massive grudge against Gumball.
- Complicated Relationships: He has a complicated relationship with Gumball and even saved his life in "The Rerun," claiming that he couldn't do it and briefly that Gumball was likable.
- Faces Betrayal: He feels betrayed after he was left behind.
- Has Trust Issues: Has no true allies in the entire series and couldn't trust anyone to remember him and save him from limbo.
- Wears Red/Black/Purple: He has red shorts.
External Links[]
- Rob on the Shonen Villains Wiki
- Rob on the Seinen Heroes Wiki
- Rob on the Villains Wiki
- Rob on the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
- Rob on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
- Rob on the Entertainingly Detestable Wiki
- Rob on the The Amazing World of Gumball Wiki