Bugs Bunny (Space Jam)

:NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Bugs Bunny from the Space Jam movies. The mainstream version can be found here: Bugs Bunny.
 
Bugs Bunny is the deuteragonist of the Space Jam film series. He is an anthropomorphic rabbit who is well known for his leadership skills and cunning tactics that he uses to defeat his foes.
In the first Space Jam film, he was voiced by . In its 2021 Sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, he is voiced by . In the Japanese dub, he was voiced by .
==Personality==
The Space Jam movies show Bugs in more of a heroic life. Rather than outwitting those who are out to cause trouble for him, he stands up to those who pose a threat not just to him, but to his friends and others. However, this can make him somewhat cocky, since he believed he outsmarted the Nerdlucks when first meeting them and smugly walks away, only to be blasted by them, much to his shock.
Bugs shows more of a lust for woman in the original Space Jam, as evidenced by his immediate infatuation for Lola Bunny when first meeting her. He may come off as denser, since he was unaware, he had upset Lola by calling her "doll", despite her display of obvious fury. Bugs is shown to be far more selfless as well, since he wanted Michael Jordan to think over betting himself to Mr. Swackhammer even though he and his friends would be taken to Moron Mountain instead. He also willingly pushed Lola aside when Pound almost belly-flopped her and was crushed instead.
In Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bugs is shown to have become incredibly lonely since Al-G separated him from his friends long ago and longs for a friend; When first meeting Lebron James, he throws a hunter outfit onto him and says that he wants to be chased, which is rather unusual. He acts arguably self-centered as he and Lebron travel around the Serververse recruiting basketball players to compete against Al-G. Instead of helping Lebron gather players that would help him stand more of a chance, he uses the opportunity to gather all of his friends, even if they aren't on board on coming with him at first. He even interrupts Lola in the middle of an obstacle course as she tries to become an Amazon.
It is evidenced that Bugs can get angered at times and does not like being told what to do or if others talk down to him. When Lebron confronts him overusing his invulnerability to reunite with his friends when he is trying to rescue his son and tries to take over leadership of the Tune Squad, he becomes visibly upset. He was also mad at Al-G Rhythm when he decided to give the Toons "upgrades" against their will. Despite this, Bugs still shows that he is capable of selflessness by performing the step-back move to weaken Al-G Rhythm and the Goon Squad at the cost of his life.
==Biography==
===Space Jam===
Bugs appears at the beginning of the film where he and Elmer are participating in their usual Rabbit Season shenanigans, when Elmer is crushed by a platform from a spaceship being piloted by aliens call the Nerdlucks. Bugs tries to outsmart them, but they eventually see past his act and take him captive.
The aliens force Bugs to hold a town meeting for the toons to let them know that the Nerdlucks are taking them captive. None of the toons take them seriously because of their size, but they realize the threat at hand when Yosemite Sam is blasted by their guns. Bugs is able to trick them into believing that they have a chance to fight against their slavery with a fake rule book that "states" that the toons are able to fight against their captors in a sport of their choice. Due to the Nerdlucks' small size and build, they decide to play in a game of Basketball. However, they are in need of dire help after witnessing the Nerdlucks transform into the Monstars by taking the talent of famous NBA basketball players.
Bugs is then able to bring famous NBA Basketball star, Michael Jordan into their world and requests his help. MJ refuses at first, but eventually agrees to help after being confronted by the Monstars. As they recruit players for their team, the Tune Squad, Bugs falls in love with a female bunny named Lola. However, their relationship is off to a bad start when Bugs indirectly offends Lola by calling her "doll". Bugs and Daffy Duck then travel to Michael's house in the real world to retrieve his Basketball gear and briefly encounter MJ's kids.
The Tune Squad eventually plays against the Goon Squad. However, they are easily outmatched due to their size and strength. By half time everyone is discouraged, but Bugs rallies their hopes and deduces that they use cartoon physics to compete. With this, and some of the "good stuff", the Tune Squad heads back out and is able to catch up to the Monstars. By the third half, Michael confronts Mr. Swackhammer, the boss of the Monstars, and makes a new bet; If the Tune Squad Wins, the Monstars have to return the talents they stole. If the Monstars win, Michael will be an attraction on Moron Mountain. Despite Bugs' reluctance to let his friend take the fall, MJ and Swackhammer shake on it and the game resumes.
However, the Monstars get more aggressive and injure many of the Tune Squad's players. At one point Pound tries to crush Lola, but Bugs takes the hit and gets crushed. Touched by his bravery, Lola kisses Bugs as means of gratitude, much to Bugs' happiness. By the last ten seconds of the game, the Tune Squad is in need of one more player since mostly everyone else is in pain. Luckily, they are joined by Bill Murray at the last second. Everyone works together and Michael is able to score the final dunk to win the game. Bugs and the others watch Mr. Swackhammer berate the Monstars for losing, only for him to get betrayed after being questioned by Jordan over why they take the abuse he gives them and is launched to the moon by one of Wile E.'s rockets. After the Monstars return their talents and become they Nerdlucks again, they ask Bugs if they could stay in the Tune World instead of Moron Mountain, to which Bugs allows them to. As Michael leaves, Bugs pulls Lola into a kiss, much to the female rabbit's pleasure.
===Space Jam: A New Legacy===
Sometime after the original Space Jam, the Toons were confronted by Al-G Rhythm in Tune World. Seeing the toons as threats that would get in the way of his future plans, he offers them the chance to explore the many worlds of the Serververse. Bugs is the only one who is not excited about this, nor does he agree to do so. However, his friends take up on Al-G's offer and go to leave Tune World in his rocket. Bugs attempts to convince them to stay to no avail and he watches in sadness as the rocket leaves.
A few years later, LeBron James is sent to Tune World by Al-G Rhythm as means of getting of getting his son, Dominic James, back and becomes a toon himself. After exploring Tune Town, he encounters Bugs Bunny after briefly being chased by him burrowing underground. Ecstatic to have someone in his life again, Bugs ropes LeBron into his activities. However, Bugs eventually recognizes LeBron as the famous Basketball player and shares the reason as to why his friends are gone. LeBron then shares the situation he is in and asks Bugs for his help. Bugs agrees and leaves Tune world with LeBron by luring in and outsmarting Marvin the Martian and taking his spaceship.
As the duo travel through the Serververse, LeBron makes a list of the players he wants on his team to compete against Al-G. However, Bugs secretly plans to use the chance to reunite with his friends. The two first arrive in DC world, with Bugs as Batman and LeBron as Robin, and try to recruit Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Daffy refuses to come along with them at first, but agrees to join as the coach of the Tune Squad to avoid facing prejudice by the Justice League for almost causing a runaway train to crash into an orphanage. Bugs continues to recruit the rest of his friends and LeBron begins to grow angry after catching on to Bugs' intentions.
Bugs and LeBron then go to the Island of Themyscira, where he tries to get Lola to rejoin the Tune Squad during a trail set by Wonder Woman. He tries to catch her attention as she goes through the obstacle course, only to be shot down numerous times. It is only when he and LeBron are almost burned alive in a lava pit and Lebron revealing his son is in danger that she helps them and becomes an Amazon since she chose to help her friends rather than finish the obstacle course. As Lola reunites with her friends on the ship, Bugs happily looks at them all together again before joining them.
Bugs and the rest of the Toons play Basketball with their Cartoon Physics as the ship travels. This only further frustrated LeBron since he took the sport too seriously. By the time everyone is back home on Tune World, Bugs still refuses to take the game seriously. LeBron's patience reaches the end of its rope and lashes out at Bugs for his antics and using the moment to reunite with his friends. He then tries to take control of the Tune Squad and takes the marker out of Bugs' hand to prove his point, much to the shock of his friends. Bugs then grows mad as he refers to LeBron as "that kind of King". He argues with LeBron until the giant clocks reaches zero and Al-G arrives in the Tune World and the planet transforms from 2D animation to CGI. As Al-G confronts the Tune Squad, he decides to "upgrade" them by turning LeBron back into his live-action self and changing the Toons from cartoons into CGI, much to everyone's (except Daffy) chagrin. Disgusted by his appearance, Bugs drops his friendly attitude and threatens Al-G with his famous "This means war" line, although the AI-G didn't take him seriously.
Al then filled the audience with other WB characters and humans that he kidnapped from the human world, including James’s family. Bugs tries introducing himself to LeBron's family, but is shocked by the barrier separating the audience from the Basketball arena. Al-G then announces that if the Tune Squad wins, the humans can go home. If they lose, they stay here. Daffy, being apathetic at usual, smugly comments to Bugs that they are safe, only for Al-G to add that the Toons will be deleted if they lose, to which Bugs and Granny confront Daffy over his comment. The opposing team, the Goon Squad was then revealed, with Dom among them, now spiteful of his father due to Al’s manipulation.
The first half starts with disaster for the Tune Squad due to the Goon Squad's talents and usage of power-ups and "Style Points", while LeBron still forbids the Looney Tunes from using their Cartoon Physics, much to Bugs' annoyance. During half time, Bugs is shown to be visibly disappointed by them losing. He briefly regains hope when Sylvester claims he found Michael Jordan in the crowd, although he loses this newfound hope when it is revealed that it was Michael B. Jordan. After Lebron is confronted by the Toons for his bad behavior as a coach and father, he realizes his mistake and gives Bugs leadership over the Tune Squad. Bugs then devises his plan over what he and his friends need to do in order to win.
With this strategy intact, the Toons are able to turn the tides and catch up to the Goon Squad. This results in AL-G lashing out at the Goons and Dom in a fit of rage. Afterwards, LeBron confronts Dom and apologizes, causing Bugs to cry over the father and son's reunion. Dom then joins the Tune Squad before Al-G Rhythm joins the Goon Squad and upgrades himself into a giant, muscular Basketball player. He then takes away whatever points the Toons score and breaks through Lebron on one of his dunks.
With only a few seconds remaining, Dom states that in order to win, they need to perform the step-back move that causes a glitch that would weaken Al-G and the Goons, which would allow them to make the final shot and win the game. The downside is that the performer will be deleted and die. LeBron accepts to be the one who will perform the move, but in midplay, Bugs steals the ball and, to everyone's horror, he performs the step-back glitch that causes him, Al-G and the Goon Squad to glitch out and lag. LeBron and Dom then work together to score the final dunk when Bugs' shot comes short and they win the game, resulting in the deletion of Al-G and the Goons. As the humans return to the real world, the Toons, LeBron and Dom sadly realize that Bugs is dying as a result of performing the move. The two say goodbye before leaving and everyone and everything in the Tune World turns back into its normal 2-D animated self. Realizing that his time is up, Bugs tells his friends that he is happy that they were able to come back together before he disappears.
One week later, LeBron drops Dom off at the E3 camp he wanted to go to while still holding a passion for Basketball. To his surprise, he meets Bugs, who was able to survive (as toons can survive anything). He asks LeBron if he can stay with him until he can find a way back home. LeBron agrees as Bugs reveals that his friends are in the real world too and claims that they will be staying with him as well. As the end credits play, Bugs can be seen lounging at LeBron's pool, driving a car with Lola and playing golf with Bill Murray.
==Trivia==
*When Bugs meets LeBron, he briefly turns into his fat self that he used to mimic fat Elmer, which is based off of the "Big Chungus" meme.
*Bugs playing golf with Bill Murray could possibly be a reference to one of the many sequels in planning after the original Space Jam movie, "Golf Jam".
*Bugs makes several references to the first Space Jam movie.
*In both Space Jam films, Bugs has demonstrated protectiveness towards Lola; In the first movie, he pushes her aside when Pound tries to crush her and takes the hit instead. In the second film, he gets worried when Al-G "upgrades" her.
*It is unknown why Bugs was despondent during break time in the second movie, as in the first film he was the only one apart from Michael and Lola who wasn't discouraged. It may be possible that it was because he had just reunited with his friends after so many years apart and it seemed as if he was going to lose them again.
==Gallery==
Bugs Bunny Space Jam.jpeg
Bugs Bunny with Michael Jordan.jpeg|Bugs Bunny with Micahel Jordan
Bugs Bunny a Shakespearean Actor.jpeg
Bugs smooch .jpeg|Bugs kissing Michael Jordan to prove that he's real
IMG 20201115 124032.jpg
Space-jam-disneyscreencaps.com-6099.jpg
==External Links==
*
==Navigation==
Category:Looney Tunes Heroes
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:Comedy Heroes
Category:Science Fantasy Heroes
Category:Comic Book Heroes
Category:Crossover Heroes
Category:Theatrical Heroes
Category:Adaptational Heroism
Category:Male
Category:Animals
Category:Anthropomorphic
Category:Selfless
Category:In Love
Category:Loyal
Category:Sympathetic
Category:Protectors
Category:Voice of Reason
Category:Wise
Category:Masterminds
Category:Virtually Resourceful
Category:Optimists
Category:Immortals
Category:Role Models
Category:Revived
Category:Deal Makers
Category:Successful
Category:Chaotic Good
Category:Adventurers
Category:Disciplinarians
Category:Leaders
Category:Famous
Category:Fighters
Category:Pacifists
Category:Strategists
Category:Poor
Category:Merciful
Category:Tricksters
Category:Dimension Travelers
Category:Martyr
Category:Charismatic
Category:Honorable
Category:Tragic
Category:Pragmatists
Category:Bond Protectors
Category:Paragon
Category:Honest
Category:Provokers
Category:Philanthropists
Category:Determinators
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Strong-Willed
Category:Arrogant
Category:Warriors
Category:Rescuers
Category:Rebellion Heroes