Elder Kettle

*For the animated character, see Elder Kettle/TCS.*

* Cutscene
* Base

"Now go to my writing desk and use the mystical inkwell there. You need to prepare yourself for a scrap!!"

—Elder Kettle to Cuphead and Mugman, Introduction

**Elder Kettle** is the overarching protagonist of *Cuphead* who acts as the caretaker of Cuphead and Mugman. He is responsible for the brothers' finger gun powers and possibly writing the tutorial.

He is voiced by Joe Hanna in *The Cuphead Show*.

## Description

### Appearance

Elder Kettle is a tannish-looking coffee pot with a light fawn lid and stripe on the bottom of his body and a long spout above his metal mustache that has a small chip to the side. He wears white gloves, light fawn shoes and he's always carrying a brown cane.

In *The Cuphead Show!* he looks almost the same, but there are some noticeable differences: he now wears a small pair of glasses (which he is amost blind without), a pair of red slippers and his cane as more of a derby design. Additionally, his color scheme is more of a grey shade instead of tan, with his lid and stripe being slate grey.

### Personality

Elder Kettle is a classic parental figure, being very wise and always wanting the brothers to do the right thing.

## Story

Elder Kettle acts as the parental guardian of Cuphead and Mugman, keeping them out of trouble and warning them constantly not to go to the casino in Inkwell Hell. One day, the brothers manage to wander far away from home and become in debt to The Devil.

Despite being disappointed by what the brothers have gotten themselves into, Elder Kettle agrees to help them, for he fears what The Devil will do to them if they don't succeed. He gives the pair a potion that grants them the ability to use their weapons and requests that they do the tutorial before starting their quest. After Cuphead and Mugman defeat all of the debtors in Inkwell Isle One, Elder Kettle catches up to them. He reveals that the brothers are growing in strength and may be able to turn the tables on both King Dice and maybe even The Devil himself. However, he also says that they will have to hold onto their contracts in order to stand a chance against him.

In the good ending, Elder Kettle is seen participating in the celebration with the other debtors, being proud of Cuphead and Mugman for their victory against The Devil.

## Gallery

*Elder Kettle reunited with Cuphead and Mugman**Elder Kettle in a cutscene**The potion he gives to Cuphead and Mugman**A statue of a character closely resembeling Elder Kettle, as seen in the background of Rugged Ridge**Elder Kettle as seen in the good ending**Elder Kettle as seen in the Thank You image found in the Studio MDHR website**Elder Kettle in the 1 year anniversary T-shirt advertisement**Elder Kettle in the second 1 year anniversary T-shirt advertisement**Elder Kettle in the second anniversary image**Elder Kettle in the first year anniversary of Cuphead's Switch release**The Cuphead Show! reference sheet**Elder Kettle in the 2020 Christmas artwork*
## Trivia

* His design may based on the character Mr. Coffeepot from the 1935 Van Beuren cartoon *Picnic Panic*. Both characters even have cup-like children that they care for.
* When he was younger, Elder Kettle had a more fanciful mustache. He even wishes for this mustache as shown in Woeful Wishes of Cuphead: Comic Capers & Curios.
* Elder Kettle is not a good yodeler. According to Cuphead in A Mountain of Trouble, it sounds like "someone was badly mistreating a goose".
* Statues of somebody bearing a close resemblance to Elder Kettle can be seen in the background of Rugged Ridge, maybe suggesting a connection between him and The Legendary Chalice, since her statue is also seen in the same place.