Slithe

Slithe (occasionally written as S-s-Slithe in reference to his speech impediment) is a fictional character in the animated television series ThunderCats. He is the reptilian leader of the evil Mutants.

Character information
Confrontations with other Mutants
Even though Slithe's leadership of the Mutants goes mostly unchallenged, there are occasions when members of his group revolt against him. He usually manages to snap them back in line with his natural authoritarian demeanor, but he tends to have confrontations with certain Mutant rivals more than others. Vultureman and Rataro often give Slithe a hard time. Since Vultureman is an inventor, he is constantly brainstorming with new schemes on how to defeat the ThunderCats, yet Slithe frequently proves unreceptive to these ideas. This dismissiveness angers Vultureman because he has full confidence in his inventive skills.

Rataro appears in only a handful of episodes, but in those few instances he invariably enjoys mocking Slithe's leadership abilities. In the episode "The Feliner", Rataro tells Vultureman that he is a much better leader than Slithe, and that there was a time when Slithe was under his command, serving as a mere cook. Although not a regular character, Rataro instantly assumes control of the Mutants when he comes to Third Earth, with Vultureman standing obediently at his side.

Size
Slithe, Monkian, and Jackalman are not the only members of their respective species to arrive on Third Earth. But unlike Monkian and Jackalman, Slithe appears substantially different from others of his reptillian kind. Slithe has bigger ears and has a much larger body compared to others of his species. He is a darker shade of green and wears a type of tiara on his head. Slithe is also larger when held beside the other Mutants. Although he is not considered tall, he is still very muscular and broad. In the episode "The Shifter", when Vultureman switches Slithe and Jackalman into each others bodies, Jackalman reports that being in Slithe's body feels "slimy", to which Slithe warns, "Watch it Jackalman! This scrawny body of yours is no bargain!"

Slithe's weapon
Slithe's tail is proven in many cases to serve as a powerful weapon. In the episode "Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr", when Slithe and Panthro battle hand-to-hand, Slithe primarily uses his tail to fight Panthro rather than his hands. Slithe’s tail is also shown useful when he knocks Lion-O, Cheetara, and Panthro along with his nosediver off a cliff in the episode "Tight Squeeze". But Slithe’s tail isn’t used only against his enemies; it is also a fine tool for cheating in card games. In the episode "Mumm-Rana’s Belt", when Slithe and Monkian play a game of cards and Monkian’s back is turned, Slithe’s tail creeps up to grab a wanted card.

Temper
Throughout the series, Slithe's short temper is made very well known. Many times, he exhibits an impatient hostility toward Vultureman by demanding new weapon inventions. In the episode "The Sound Stones", Vultureman tries to convince Slithe and Jackalman that this time his new idea will work. It doesn't take much for Slithe to become annoyed, and so he hurls his chair in Vultureman's direction. Another example found in the third episode of "Thundercats Ho!" has Slithe riding behind Jackalman aboard the nosediver after Lion-O had stolen his skycutter. Slithe says that riding with Jackalman on the nosediver is humiliating. (This scene is unusual because Slithe typically rides the nosediver while Jackalman rides the skycutter.) When they meet with Captain Shiner, he jokes that Slithe and Jackalman make a pretty pair; Slithe takes a couple of axe-swings at Shiner in response, but the Captain dodges this angry assault and beams back to his ship before Slithe can try again.

Bravery and cleverness
Slithe is probably the boldest of the Mutants and isn't beyond daring to confront Mumm-Ra. In the episode "Tight Squeeze", Slithe tells the Mutants they should persuade Mumm-Ra to eliminate the ThunderCat weapons so that they will be defenseless. The other Mutants are reluctant to ask favors of Mumm-Ra, leaving Slithe to handle it himself. Venturing alone to the Black Pyramid, he manages to get Mumm-Ra to trap all of the ThunderCats' weapons inside their Sword Chamber, applying little effort by tauntingly questioning the extent of Mumm-Ra’s power to provoke this desired response. In the episode "The Spaceship Beneath the Sands", he stands up to Mumm-Ra and refuses to return the Mutant technology that his group secured from their sunken spaceship in the desert.

Slithe is also very clever and the ThunderCats have learned to be prepared for anything when dealing with him. In the episode "The Spaceship Beneath the Sands", Tygra remarks that "Slithe is the worst of that bunch." Meanwhile, in the episode "ThunderCubs", when Vultureman steals the Mutants' spaceship, the Ratstar, he declares aloud to himself that he's the smartest Mutant in the business, but this pride is short-lived when realizing that he has been overheard by Slithe, who had suspected Vultureman was up to no good and had managed to sneak aboard while Vultureman was busy trying to make away with the ship.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu