Tortoise John

**Tortoise John**, also known as **the Mayor**, is the main antagonist of the 2011 Nickelodeon Movies film Rango. He is the former mayor of a town called Dirt, Rattlesnake Jake, Bad Bill and other minions' former leader and boss and Rango's arch-nemesis.

He is voiced by the late Ned Beatty who also played Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear in Toy Story 3.

## Rango

The mayor is first seen talking with Rango about "whoever controls the water controls everything" in his office after the latter indirectly killed the hawk in which he appointed Rango as the new sheriff of Dirt. He was later seen again when the townsfolk were angry about the water problem in which he pretends to help town protect the water from any thieves.

When it was announced that the bank has been robbed, John is seen alongside Rango calming down the townspeople when the water jug was found missing (in which it was he that stole the water jug in the first place). After capturing the false thieves (Balthazar, Jedidiah, and Ezekiel) and seeing that the water jug is empty, Rango confronted him in the middle of his golf game about the water problem. After Rango suspected that the mayor is the true culprit behind the water problem of Dirt and left. Tortoise John sees that Rango is starting to believe that he is a real hero and orders Bad Bill to call Rattlesnake Jake in order to prevent Rango from foiling his plan (which is building a new city and destroying the town).

That evening, Tortoise John is seen watching Rattlesnake Jake forcing Rango to admit what he said to the townspeople were lies (such as claiming that he killed the Jenkin brothers with one bullet even he didn't, as well as claiming that Jake is his brother when he isn't). The mayor and his minions then kidnap Beans offscreen and try to persuade her to sell her family's ranch to him in which was part of his plan and when Beans refused, John had Rattlesnake Jake force her to sell the ranch to him. However, they were interrupted by Rango, who returned to town in order to help the townsfolk and stop Tortoise John's plans given that he realizes that John is the one who is responsible the water problem of Dirt and had Rattlesnake Jake get rid of him.

After the fight between Rango and Rattlesnake Jake is over, the mayor had his henchmen threaten Beans' life knowing that Rango cares about her, forcing Rango himself to surrender after being told by John to give his gun to him. The mayor and his henchmen then throws Rango and Beans into the water tank locking them inside in order to have them drowned. As the two lizards were taken care of, the mayor then betrays Jake by pointing Rango's gun towards him revealing that he is also part of the obsolete Western era he intends to destroy and he's no different from Rango. As the mayor pulls the trigger in order to kill Jake, he finds out that the bullet isn't inside the gun and was secretly taken by Rango as a plan B option in which he uses to break the glass of the water tank, flooding the town and sending them all outside. The mayor is left on his back trying to convince Rango that they can work together before Rango rejects this and turns the mayor over to an angry Rattlesnake Jake, who then tip his hat to Rango which is one legend to another.

With Tortoise John at his mercy, Rattlesnake Jake uses the Mayor's previous words against him "Pretty soon no one will believe you even **existed**" as well also then taking the evil tortoise with him into the desert as revenge for betraying and trying to kill him.

## Personality

At first, it was thought that Tortoise John was a nice, caring, authentic and protective mayor but however later in the film, it turns out that he is actually a manipulative, hypocritical, and ruthless sociopath who manipulated Rango in order to have his goals succeeded. This was seen when John had Rattlesnake Jake force Rango to admit his lies or when he drowned Mr. Merrimack and framed Balthazar for it and tried to drown Rango and Beans inside the Water Tank for trying to foil his plans. After doing this, the mayor then betrayed Jake and plans to shoot him with Rango's gun showing that he has no care for him.

When defeated by Rango, the mayor tries to manipulate the latter into working with him before Rango rejects this and turned him over to Jake who takes him away from the town screaming and uses the mayor's words against him, thus proving that he is a coward.

## Trivia

* Tortoise John was inspired by Noah Cross, the main antagonist of Chinatown. Unlike, Cross, John does not get away with his crimes.
	+ Coincidentally, both films were distributed by Paramount Pictures.

* Tortoise John is one of the last characters to be played by Ned Beatty before his retirement in 2013 and his death in 2021.
* Despite his name being Tortoise John, he is never referred as throughout the film. Instead, he is solely referred as "The Mayor", even in the end credits.
* Ned Beatty (the voice of Tortoise John) and Blake Clark (the voice of Bulford) previously worked in Toy Story 3.
	+ Coincidentally, Ned Beatty's character in Toy Story 3 Lotso is also a villain while Blake Clark's character in the film that was already mentioned Slinky is also a hero.