Vincent (Over the Hedge)

**Vincent** is the main antagonist of the 2006 Dreamworks Animation film Over the Hedge (which is based on the comic strip of the same name). He is an evil bear who makes a deal with RJ to have the latter to bring back his food to him . He is also RJ's former best friend and currently his arch-nemesis.

He is voiced by Nick Nolte.

## Over the Hedge

At the beginning of the film, Vincent is RJ's only friend before Verne and the rest of the gang. One night, RJ is on the hunt for food due to him being hungry but is unable to reach a bag of nacho cheese chips. He then notices Vincent's cave behind him and quietly sneaks into the cave. Before getting his hands on Vincent's food, RJ reminds him that stealing Vincent's food is a bad idea and not to greedy himself as well taking anything he needs, however, his hunger and greed cause him to steal all of Vincent's food. When RJ nearly succeeds in stealing Vincent's food as well opening the Spuddies, Vincent wakes up and notices RJ.

Noticing RJ, Vincent gets confused and asks him that he woke him up earlier since the moon is not full. Then Vincent notices the wagon filled with his food and threatens RJ to kill him for trying to steal his food. RJ tries to explain by lying to Vincent that he is trying to feed food to his family and has a family of one (in which Vincent knows that RJ is lying) and when that didn't work, RJ once again tries to explain to Vincent by saying that the food is not stolen since its still in cave. This led RJ to accidentally causes the wagon roll out of the cave and into the street, causing the two animals to worry about the food. The wagon then stops, and RJ and Vincent are relieved and share a laugh together about how they thought it was going to get destroyed.

Unfortunately, a trick drives by on cue and crushes the wagon. Shocked and angered, Vincent chases RJ outside of the cave and attempted to kill RJ before the latter can escape by jumping in front of him and grabs his head as well opening his jaws to eat him. Terrified by being eaten, RJ tells Vincent to wait, and he can get all of his food back, saying that Vincent will have to do it himself if he eats him. Thinking twice, Vincents makes a deal with RJ to have the latter to collect all of the food he wants (including Spuddles, "enough just isn't enough").RJ exclaims that a week is too short and impossible for him to collect all the food but accepts this when Vincent threateningly squeezes his head with his claws. Then Vincent tells RJ that when the moon is full, he is waking up and his food better be right back to him as well as also telling him that if he ever thinks about breaking the deal and running away, Vincent will hunt him down and kill him. He then puts RJ down and returns back to cave to sleep. RJ gratefully accepting and immediately searching for food.

One night, RJ makes his own bed at a tree, using a newspaper as his blanket. As he goes to sleep, the wind blows the newspaper away and Vincent captures RJ in which he tells him that his time is now up and then opens his mouth to eat RJ (despite RJ saying that he still has six more days). RJ then wakes up revealing that the scene was just a nightmare. Soon after losing the food and having a chase with Nugent, RJ looks up in the night sky sees the stars forming Vincent in his imagination, who threateningly tells RJ that the moon and he will see him in the morning. Then Vincent takes the moon (which transforms into a Spuddie) and disappears from RJ's mind.

Vincent does not physically appear in the film again until near the climax, where RJ was about the bring the food to Vincent before noticing that Vincent was already on his way to kill him before being impressed with RJ's actions (which is manipulating and betrayed his new friends which led them to be taken away by Dwayne Lafontant). He then tells RJ if he keeps up manipulating and betraying other animals in order to have everything he ever wanted, he will end up just like him. RJ remarks that he already had everything he wanted (referring to the animals, who are being taken away and almost getting killed by Dwayne). Vincent blows this off, telling RJ that he said it himself that he is a "family of one" and saying it is how animals like the two of them survive. Vincent then carelessly states that some animals got hurt in the process, saying it is life and convinces RJ that he does not need his new friends. However, RJ has a change of heart and rightfully decides to help his new friends instead of ending up like Vincent by having the wagon filled with food he already collects to crash Dwayne's van. Angered that RJ broke the deal and have his food destroyed once again, Vincent chases RJ through the hill and lunges at the latter in order to kill him right after Dwayne is left unconscious and Verne attempted to warn RJ about Vincent's presence.

Immediately, Spike, Bucky and Quillo takes control behind the wheel, following playing a video game. RJ tries several times to make the gang let him in during the time he tries to get away from Vincent, but they refuse since they found out that RJ is using them and betrayed them. Verne tells the porcupine children to lose Vincent, so they push a button that activates the hammer on the roof, which hits Vincent on the head after he pushes the rabbit off. Vincent then violently rips off the hammer which he used to kill RJ but however missed him and smash a window. After the gang finally let RJ inside after being told by Verne that his tail is not tingling, Vincent tears the metal roof upwards and yells to RJ that he is dead, and his friends are next. Quickly, Penny jumps down and sticks her quills onto Vincent's nose which cause him to roar in pain. Spike, Bucky and Quillo makes an immediate left turn, which almost cause Vincent to have his claws off the van and then drives the van into the two helium balloons of a jester and a knight riding on a brown horse (which catches Vincent's attention, as he astonishingly says "Ooh!") for bonus points.

The balloons caught Vincent and he is dragged off the van and up into the air as the animals cheer over getting rid of Vincent. Defeated, Vincent was angry that he lost and shouts RJ's name. After RJ and the other animals return to the woods, Hammy warns them of Vincent's return by calling him a "scary clown'" due to him having a balloon of jester with him. After using Penny's quills to pop the balloon, Vincent roars in anger as he about the kill the animals, RJ and the others tries to escape from by going back at Gladys' backyard although Gladys and Dwayne are also about to kill them, with the former using a weed hacker and the latter using a cattle prod.

Eventually, RJ fits Verne's shell and distracts Vincent, teasing him by saying the words he told him in the beginning "enough just isn't enough" and eating a Spuddie. Outraged, Vincent shouts RJ's name again and roars angrily as he lunges himself at RJ in an attempt to finish him off. Hammy however drinks some energy drink that makes everything freeze for a while after Hammy makes time stop. Hammy then sets the Depelter Turbo to sting that any bears that trespass. As the freezing starts to fade away, RJ is fished out of Vincent's mouth with a fishing rod by Verne and RJ teasingly salutes goodbye to the bear, as he flung into the red lights in Gladys' backyard which also knocked Gladys and Dwayne down.

The Depelter Turbo then notices the villains in the backyard and started to defeat them. After that, Vincent (who now almost lost all of his fur) is seen drugged and taken away by the Animal Control with a mask and is sent to the Rocky Mountains.

## Personality

Vincent is mean, obnoxious, short-tempered and dangerous in nature. He is a greedy, abusive, traitorous and nasty bear who likes to sleep and believe that selfishness will take him far, and he even proudly tells RJ he is going to be like him someday and he doesn't Verne and the rest of the other animals which would lead them to be killed by Dwayne Lafontant; However this proves Vincent to be wrong as RJ instead uses the wagon of food to stop Dwayne's van and rescue his new friends/family, thus betraying Vincent and making himself to be a better person. One of his most objectionable and iniquitous plans is stealing food from campers which explains how he got food in his cave. Thus Vincent 's brutal and acquisitive side gets the best of him as when he tried to kill RJ and his new friends as revenge for the latter having his food destroyed again.

Unlike Gladys and Dwayne, Vincent almost has no redeeming qualities (which is forgiving RJ if the latter gave the food back to him which would make him still alive despite being aware that RJ is a liar and thief). Vincent will also not hesitate to harm or kill anyone who stands in his way.

Vincent's actions also show that he cares about nothing but himself and his food.

## Appearance

Vincent is a tall, muscular, American black bear. He has brown eyes, a black nose, and sleek fur, and cream muzzle.

## Trivia

* Vincent is sometimes thought to be the central or overarching antagonist of the film. However, this isn't true as Vincent is the one who drove and kickstarted the plot of the film which basically causes the film's conflict, constantly stressing RJ out while he is with the gang (showing that he is a bigger threat in the film) and having more malicious traits. However, what really makes him the main villain/antagonist of the film is that fact he opposes RJ and his friends out of personal contempt (which makes sense is Vincent is RJ's archenemy) while Gladys and Dwayne merely just see them as vermin and the fact that even after RJ decided not to be like Vincent and saves his friends instead, the latter still opposes him as well as his defeat ending the conflict.
	+ However, these mistakes aren't without justification, as Vincent has less screen-time and dialogue than the other two, combined with the fact that all three of them are defeated simultaneously.
	+ Also, not to mentioned, it's also confirmed by the writers of the film that Vincent is the main antagonist of Over the Hedge.

* Vincent's fate is different in both the film and the video game. In the film, Vincent was taken away by the animal control and remained the animals' enemy while in the video game adaptation of the film, Vincent stayed in the outdoor woods and reformed, becoming the animal's new friend and a new family member.
* His praise towards RJ near the climax where compliments on him on his deceitfulness to get what he desires (methods he frequently employed himself) was added in the film since, for all of his viciousness, he was not an especially villainous figure, only to trying to survive as he had worked personally to acquire his necessitates and was perfectly reasonable to negotiate a settlement with RJ after he both greedily and unnecessarily tried to take and accidentally caused the destruction of what was rightfully the bear's.
	+ To avoid having Vincent as too sympathetic to the audiences, it was added that he manipulated, betrayed and even murdered his best friends to fulfill his needs and take a remorseless pride in his cruelty. He also attempted to kill the other animals, as well as RJ for no actual good reason at all.

* Vincent acts as a foil to RJ. Both are introduced as a selfish, avaricious, and independent loners who take human food to survive, but RJ later redeems himself after coming in contact with Verne, Hammy and the other animals considering that them the family he had long sought. On the other hand, Vincent is a greedy and manipulative control freak who never redeemed himself and only wanted to get his food back, even if it meant killing RJ and the others. If RJ would let his pride and greedy consume him, he might've ended up like Vincent just like the latter mentioning about this in the climax.
* Vincent makes a cameo appearance in another Dreamworks film Bee Movie (which was released one year after Over the Hedge was released) (although he never speaks, and it could be another bear that looks like him).
* In order to prepare for his role as Vincent, Nick Nolte researched information about bears in order to give the right vocal tune and performance to his character.
* During the scene where Dwayne gave the animal traps to Gladys, when Dwayne tests the trap, you can see him throwing a plush bear at the trap. This would later foreshadow Vincent's defeat in the movie.