- For the in-game character, see Mugman.
"Come on, Cuphead! It's time for a double down!"
—Mugman to Cuphead, Carn-Evil
Mugman is the deuteragonist of The Cuphead Show!. He is Cuphead’s younger twin brother.
Description[]
Appearance[]
What is different about Mugman's appearance compared to his brother is having a blue color scheme to replace Cuphead's red color-scheme, a shorter straw, and a much bigger nose. His eyes are smaller and is head is slightly thinner. Mugman's appearance remains the same as his appearance in the game, save for a few differences. Like Cuphead, his colors are a bit duller, his gloves are yellow, and his skin has a beige tint to it, and his shoes having an orange tint. He also has thin eyebrows.
At night, he wears a blue onesie matching to Cuphead's one. When it's cold, he wears a dark gray coat matching his brother's denim blue one.
Mugman is 3'2" tall. Despite being the younger twin, he’s slightly taller than Cuphead.
Personality[]
Mugman is fun-loving like Cuphead, though he is shown to be careful and less rash compared to his brother, and acts as the voice of reason for him. While he cares for Cuphead, the two of them bicker half the time. His voice actor Frank Todaro describes him as "the more cautious one, and does love adventure, but usually just tries to make sure Cuphead and him stay alive".
Although being a timid person who shies away from danger, he has displayed incredible feats of courage. He saves Cuphead from damnation by pulling his brother's soul out of the Soul Ball machine and restoring it to his body and has so far defeated the Devil three times. In "Sweater Off Dead", while Cuphead is secretly panicking about the Devil taking his soul, Mugman is the one who decides to take decisive action and takes him to Quadratus. During the episode "Dangerous Mugman", he became more brave and confident when he believed wearing Cuphead's goggles would magically make him braver, until he proudly realizes he did all the stuff by himself.
He is also very in touch with his feminine side, shown when babysitting Baby Bottle and being excited at it calling him "mama", disguising himself as a bride when going out, knitting an invisible sweater for Cuphead, making embroidery, disguising himself as a lady for calling the attention of the postman, and being too much into his character of Talula Piccolo, wishing to be hired as a dancer.
Unlike Cuphead, who loves to be the center of attention, Mugman gets bad stage fright and freezes up in front of an audience.
In both seasons 1 and 2, Mugman is shown to give a big value to the promises he makes, in "Root packed" he stops himself and Cuphead from going to the movies for the promise they made to elder kettle (to make sure his garden stays safe) and in "A high-seas adventure" he is willing to help captain Brineybeard even if that means to change his own ways to do so.
In the episode "The I Scream Man" it is clear that Mugman can be quite a perfectionist, as he is bothered by the Ice Cream Man's crooked hat.
He seemingly tends to be very insecure, as he wants to be reminded that he is needed. There is an example of this twice in season 2, in episode "Another Brother" when Mugman suggests that Cuphead should get a new brother. He clearly expected another reaction from him, which causes Mugman to become saddened when a reaction from Cuphead was not shown. Same thing for "Sweet Temptations". In the scene where the brothers were about to escape Sugarland, Mugman gets stuck and asks Cuphead to go ahead without him, but then calls for help again as Cuphead was initially about to leave him behind. He is always the one to apologize first and stands up for others rather than himself. This gives him a lot of pressure he can't handle at times, for he can get mad at minor things such as the ice cream truck's music. However, Mugman does understand when he's in the wrong and quickly regrets his actions. he can also come to doubt on his own opinion, as we can see at the end of the fourth episode. He desperately goes after Cuphead, apologizing for being overprotective. He then finds out later that he was right the whole time.
The events of the episodes Dangerous Mugman and A High Seas Adventure in particular seem to have hardened Mugman, being subsequently more confident and brave, and less cowardly than he was in season 1. This can be seen in the episode The Devil's Revenge. Despite being trapped in the Underground and the Devil trying to make him lose hope, Mugman remains very relaxed, especially because he is confident that Cuphead will come and save him.
Powers and Abilities[]
Like Cuphead, Mugman is fast, durable, and is able to detach his head.
Mugman is extremely perceptive and detailed oriented. He was able to pick up signs that the Carnival wasn't what it seemed by observing his surroundings. This has come in handy several times when avoiding the devil. He is also able to retain memory quite well, being able to remember Quadratus's advice and prevent Cuphead from removing the sweater.
Mugman has shown to be a capable swordsman as he was able to to wield one against a crab monster in "High-Seas Adventure." It's possible he learned from Elder Kettle as he used a cutlass.
Mugman has shown to be talented in the culinary arts, being able to bake pies, and cakes. He also shows other talents such as knitting, embroidery, and being able to build a log cabin with a stove, despite the limited resources he has.
Weaknesses[]
Mugman is prone to being a nervous wreck under high stressed situations. He also tends to freeze up when he's the center of attention, or has to do public speaking in front of a large crowd.
Though he tends to be more perceptive of the duo, Mugman can be oblivious at times such as being ignorant to Baby Bottle's true nature until the end.
Mugman tends to worry alot which fuels his anxiety, and may have a sense of insecurity due to being overshadowed by his older twin brother.
Just like how Cuphead depends on him, Mugman seems to depend on Cuphead for safety, as the two are almost never apart from each other. Mugman hates being separated from Cuphead and tends to panic when he’s on his own, as shown in Ghost ain’t real, The Devil’s Pitchfork or Don’t answer the door.
Appearances[]
Season One[]
"Carn-Evil"[]
TBA
"Baby Bottle"[]
TBA
"Ribby & Croaks"[]
TBA
"Handle with Care!"[]
TBA
"Roll the Dice"[]
Mugman has more of a minor role in this episode. He starts off by playing with Elder Kettle's lucky tire with Cuphead. As the boys chase the runaway tire to get it back, they end up on the set of "Roll the Dice." Mugman remains seated in the audience to watch his brother perform, only to freeze up in terror when Cuphead tried to ask for help, due to stage fright.
"Ghosts Ain't Real!"[]
TBA
"Root Packed"[]
TBA
"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"[]
TBA
"Piano Lesson"[]
TBA
"Release the Demons!"[]
TBA
"Dead Broke"[]
TBA
"Rats All, Folks"[]
TBA
"Say Cheese!"[]
TBA
"Lost in the Woods"[]
TBA
"The Devil's Pitchfork"[]
In 'The Devil's Pitchfork', he joins his and Cuphead's bikes together with boards. While being forced to chauffeur Cuphead around, they spot the Devil's pitchfork in the woods. Mugman reacts with apprehension, but soon the boys have fun with it. After Cuphead refuses to give the pitchfork back, the Devil takes Mugman hostage.
Season Three[]
TBA
Relationships[]
Family[]
Cuphead[]
Mugman protects Cuphead from the Devil with a hug
Cuphead is Mugman's older twin 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, Mugman deeply cares for his brother. The two are polar opposite, but they also perfectly complement each other: Cuphead is impulsive and acts without thinking about the consequences, Mugman acts as a conscience for him and brings him to his senses, with varying degrees of success. He often gets dragged into dangerous situations because of Cuphead, and while he enjoys adventures too, his concern is that the two of them get out safely. Mugman never blames Cuphead when he puts their lives in danger, and is always by his side, even if he is sometimes annoyed by his carelessness. Mugman hates being separated from his brother and tends to panic when he’s away from him, as shown in Ghost ain’t real, The Devil’s Pitchfork or Don’t answer the door, unlike Cuphead, who has no problem with it, and even appreciate some times without his brother.
Despite his cowardice, Mugman shows extraordinary bursts of courage whenever Cuphead's life is in danger. In the first episode, he prevents his brother's soul from being stolen by the Devil. In the episode "Sweater Off Dead", after Cuphead wakes up from a nightmare, Mugman decides to act and takes him to Quadratus. His brotherly love for Cuphead allows him to knit him an invisible sweater extremely effective against the Devil, and he protects him from all the Devil's attempts to steal his soul. At the end of the episode, when Cuphead thanks him for knitting the sweater, Mugman replies that "he'd never make a sweater for no other than his dearest sweet, sweet brother".
Jail Broken marks the first time the two brothers have a profound disagreement: While Cuphead wants to escape from prison, Mugman wants to make the best of it. Although they will escape together, their time in prison seems to have strained their relationship as they spent the majority of Season 2 arguing. From getting upset at his brother for eating his candy and getting them lost in the woods, to trivial things like where to spend the day, this shows that while Mugman does love Cuphead and will go with the flow, his patients does reach a boiling point, as Mugman let his jealousy towards Cuphead taking his place in "Piano Lessons," cause him to rig a piano to drop on Cuphead after the performance; but later on, he is shown to understand his mistake.
Despite that, Mugman still retains his love and respect for Cuphead as the two teamed up to make sure Elder Kettle kept his promise to take the duo to the movies and the amusement park, and do other activities such as the haymaze in Release the demons.
Mugman may have felt their bond slipping during the events of "The Devil's Pitchfork," and wanted to make up with Cuphead by turning their bikes into Tantum Bikes. Mugman bursts into tears when Cuphead asks if they really have to do everything together, but later forgives him when he tells him that there isn’t anybody else he rather go around blowing up stuff with. They would later spend the day causing chaos together with the Devil's Pitchfork, after he left it behind. Just like how Cuphead is important to him, Mugman is important to Cuphead, as he was kidnapped by the Devil who wanted revenge on Cuphead for stealing his pitchfork.
During his time as hostage in the Underground, Mugman was aware throughout that Cuphead would indeed rescue him. That's why he remains so relaxed despite his situation and why the Devil can't break his spirit. When Cuphead actually comes to save him, the two brothers are happily reunited and Mugman thanks him « for rescuing him from eternal torment ».
During season 3, despite their recurring bickering, the relationship between Cuphead and Mugman seems to have improved. The two brothers spend a lot of time together, as shown in the episodes Don't answer the door, Roadkill, Holiday Tree-dition and the Devil and Ms Chalice.
Elder Kettle[]
Elder Kettle is Mugman's caretaker, along with Cuphead. He shows some annoyance with the rules and chores imposed by his guardian, but not as much as Cuphead. In the first episode, while Cuphead does everything to avoid painting the fence, Mugman, on the other hand, tries to stay focused on his task, until he and his brother are distracted by the Carnevil. In the episode "Baby Bottle", he does his best to keep Elder Kettle's radio intact, knowing that he and Cuphead will be grounded if they break it.
Mugman seems to hold Elder Kettle in higher regard than Cuphead. In the episode "Root Packed", while he and Cuphead originally wanted to take advantage of Elder Kettle's sleep to go to the movies, Mugman soon feels guilty, and suggests to his brother that they should take care of his vegetables like Elder Kettle took care of them when they were babies, proving that he is grateful to his guardian for raising him and his brother. 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 his "man handle", not knowing that it was Elder Kettle who glued it back on. In the episode "Dirt Nap", 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 at times seems to favor Mugman more as he works hard, and tries to obey the rules more. Though, he won't hesitate to scold him whenever he and Cuphead fight, or ground him. Despite that, Kettle loves Mugman and shown great concern when he and Cuphead were taken hostage by Werner.
The Devil[]
Mugman defeats the Devil by putting on the invisible sweater
The Devil is Mugman's enemy, along with Cuphead, since he tried to steal Cuphead's soul. Initially terrorized by the Devil, Mugman doesn’t hesitate to stand up to him, determined to protect his brother from the evil creature. In the first episode, Mugman prevents his brother's soul from being stolen by the Devil, and after a frantic chase, he manages to trick the Devil into destroying his game Soul Ball game, releasing all the souls trapped inside, and provoking his anger.
In the episode Sweater Off Dead, Mugman knits an invisible sweater extremely effective against the Devil to protect Cuphead, and afterwards, he manages to foil all the traps set by the Devil. In the episode Sweater Luck Next Time, he is just as fed up as Cuphead with the Devil's useless attempts to take his soul. At the end of the episode, he defeats the Devil once again by putting the invisible sweater on him.
In the Devil's Pitchfork, Mugman is later kidnapped by the Devil out of revenge for Cuphead stealing his pitchfork. It's possible the demon plans on making Mugman pay for all of his interferences.
Mugman despises the Devil for everything he stands for, especially when he tries to take his brother's soul. Though, he still fears the villain, often shaking whenever he appears, this is especially shown in the Devil's Pitchfork as he is taken away in the Elevator to the underworld.
Baby Bottle[]
Mugman offers his teddy bear to Baby Bottle
Cuphead and Mugman meet Baby Bottle in the episode of the same name, when someone dropped him off at their front door. Mugman becomes instantly attached to the baby, to the point of being overjoyed when the baby calls him "mama." When Cuphead gets angry after Baby Bottle bites him, Mugman prefers to defend the latter, convinced that babies need all love. Even after Baby Bottle drops the goldfish bowl and locks him and Cuphead out, Mugman does not change his mind. He finally gets angry when Baby Bottle tries to destroy Elder Kettle's radio, and when the baby rips the head off his teddy bear, he tries to attack him physically, then realizes that he is not a baby but "it's evil." What happens next only confirms it, as he and Cuphead are unable to deal with the baby and its evil intentions. At the end of the episode, Mugman, like Cuphead and Elder Kettle, is relieved to get rid of the baby by leaving it at someone else's door.
Porkrind[]
Porkrind calls Mugman out for his cowardice
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".
Mugman seems to like Porkrind, which is not reciprocated, as we can see in the episode Dangerous Mugman. Mugman is excited as he tells him a story about a shoe he lost, not knowing that it deeply upsets Porkrind. He is offended when the merchant does not believe him capable of accomplishing the mission he and Cuphead have set out on, and he is determined to prove to him that he can be brave too. 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 Cuphead.
Quadratus[]
Mugman asks Quadratus for help
In the episode Sweater Off Dead, Mugman decides to take Cuphead to see Quadratus after his brother has a nightmare about the Devil. Mugman holds Quadratus in high esteem, saying that he is a great sage who is supposed to know all. When Quadratus orders him to knit an invisible sweater for Cuphead, he obeys without flinching. It is unknown how Mugman learned about Quadratus.
Ms. Chalice[]
Cuphead and Mugman meet 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 are curious about how she does it and follow her to the movies, until she notices their presence. Unlike Cuphead, who wants to look cool in front of her, Mugman prefers to be honest, referring to himself and his brother as a couple of dumb-dumbs, and admitting that they failed to steal the cookies from Elder Kettle. He follows his 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.
Later, in "Charmed & Dangerous", Mugman loses his trust on Ms. Chalice after she abandons him and Cuphead to the police, even slamming the door on her after arriving at their cottage, but seems to forgive her later on.
Ribby and Croaks[]
TBA
The Root Pack[]
TBA
Bowlboy[]
Not much is known about Mugman's relationship with Bowlboy, but it's apparent that the former doesn't like the latter for some reason.
When Mugman encountered Bowlboy in the episode, "Handle With Care!", he snapped at him after the latter made a compliment on his appearance.
Later in "Another Brother", Cuphead ditched Mugman for him, much to his shock. After the two brothers explode on the firework, Bowlboy appears as their doctor at the hospital and prepares to insert an injection on the both of them.
It's unknown why Mugman holds high animosity towards Bowlboy prior to the events of Handle with Care.
Miss Cyclops[]
Mugman was shown to be scared of Miss Cyclops, quivering while passing her cell and interacting with her the few times he does. But at the end of Episode 1 of Season 2, he reassures her and is grateful when she gets him and his brother out of prison.
Captain Brineybeard[]
Brineybeard holds Mugman in high regards as he kept his promise during "A High Seas Adventure!" calling him a real pirate. He also wasn't upset that Mugman accidentally broke his legs when he was turned to stone, and was extremely happy with his new peg-legs.
Cala Maria[]
Mugman first met Cala Maria in the episode "A High Seas Adventure!" after he & Cuphead promise to help Captain Brineybeard find his "girlfriend". However, he was completely unaware that she was a giant sea mermaid, and was immediately frightened upon seeing her. Even before meeting Cala Maria, Mugman had already grown to be afraid of her when learning that she sank ships and turned people to stone. He, however, was determined on keeping his promise to Brineybeard and helped deliver both him and his gift to her. Even when she claimed that she would eat him, Mugman still showed her the box of sweets the pirate had picked for her regardless.
Despite this, it is implied that Mugman might harbor romantic feelings towards her, as he became smitten by her singing and applauded her for it, only to be dismayed when she refers to him as "dinner" after he tries introducing himself. In the episode "The I Scream Man", when Mugman is reading a book about a pirate being in love with a mermaid, he envisioned him and Cala Maria in the respective roles, which further hints that he might be attracted to her.
Muffin Ice Cream Man[]
Mugman was never fond of the ice cream man, due to him constantly pestering him while he was reading his story. He then tries several times to shoo away the ice cream man, which also included attacking him at the end. Feeling guilty later on, Mugman goes down to a small town in order to find and apologize to him. That's when the ice cream man goes mad, and attempts to seemingly pursue and ram over Mugman with his ice cream truck, until they reach the gates of the cottage, where it is revealed that he has bought a smaller hat when Mugman insulted his regular hat earlier. He then sees his book and spoils the ending where the protagonist dies in the ending. Having enough where he was chased down, all for a minor reason, then have his story ruined, Mugman viciously attacks the ice cream man. Although we see them both in the episode "Dead Broke", they don't seem to hold any kind of grudge against each other.
Baroness Von Bon Bon[]
At first, Mugman isn't bothered by the Baroness. He happily enjoys Sugarland without a care. When Cuphead points out her creepiness, he doesn't see it, brushing it off. He then sees that his brother was right and quickly becomes scared of her. He and Cuphead desperately try and run from her and barely escape her wrath.
Werner Werman[]
At first, Mugman was polite toward Werner, until he learned the rat wanted to take over the cottage. Mugman despises Werner for not only the series of mishaps that led to him and Cuphead getting hurt when trying to get rid of the rat, but for eating Elder Kettle's surprise cake. When the boys are pinned to the wall, they are later held hostage by Werner, who threatens to blow them up if Kettle doesn't sign over his cottage to him.
Ludwig[]
Mugman greatly admires Ludwig, as he takes everything he says very seriously. He gets annoyed when Cuphead doesn't see how "great" his tutor is, pointing out that he can't even say his name right. He becomes upset when Ludwig says that he loathes him. Mugman shows immense jealousy when Ludwig takes interest in Cuphead for being naturally gifted in piano playing. He even goes as far as telling Cuphead to give up his upcoming recital and even tries to sabotage his own brother by hanging up a piano that would fall on his brother as soon as he finished the song.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- As seen in the episode "Sweater Off Dead", Mugman is good at knitting, as he was able to knit an invisible sweater for Cuphead with ease. Also, he can do embroidery, as shown in "Jail-Broken".
- Mugman seems to suffer from glossophobia. As seen in the episodes "Roll the Dice" and "Root Packed", he freezes in terror whenever he has to speak in public.
- However, he was able to win a dance contest with Cuphead and Ms. Chalice in "Charmed and Dangerous," and perform a comedy act with a dummy in "Down and out". It's possible because he was in a group, Mugman is able to feel more confident.
- 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 theorized that their souls were taken by the Devil.