Nick Wilde

**Nick Wilde** is the deuteragonist of the 2016 Disney animated feature film *Zootopia*. He is a con-artist fox in the city of Zootopia who finds himself compelled to aid Officer Judy Hopps, a rabbit, in her investigation. Despite their differences, Nick forms a friendship with Judy, who helps him realize he doesn't have to be the sly fox others label him as.

## Background

Nick came from a poor background living with his mother (his father is never seen or mentioned). As a child, Nick had a dream of joining the local Junior Ranger Scouts, for the goal of receiving genuine acceptance. When he was eight or nine years old, his mother scraped up enough money to buy a brand new scout uniform, allowing him the opportunity to join the division. Though he was the only predator there, the only fox, Nick attended his initiation with confidence and zeal but unknowingly walked into a trap. The "initiation" turned out to be a cruel prank and Nick was ridiculed, brutally beaten and muzzled by the other scouts for being a fox (as foxes are considered among the vilest and untrustworthy species of mammals in the Zootopia world). After running outside to escape his tormentors, Nick broke down in tears, developing a triggering fear of muzzles and dislike towards preys and specist mammals. From that moment forward, Nick vowed to never expose his true vulnerability to others, resulting in the fox presenting himself as stoic and unreachable.

As a result of this experience, Nick declared that if the world viewed foxes as nothing more than vile and untrustworthy scoundrels, he should not only accept it but embrace it, subsequently doing so by becoming a successful con artist.

At some point during his status as a con artist, Nick fell in with Mr. Big, a feared arctic shrew crime boss, developing a stable partnership with him. Mr. Big liked and trusted the fox, welcoming him into his home and even introducing him to his beloved grandmother. However, Nick later took advantage of Big's trust by selling him a very expensive wool rug secretly made from the fur of a skunk's rear end. Feeling betrayed and disrespected, Mr. Big turned Nick away, threatening to kill him if they ever met again.

By the start of the film, Nick appears to be well-off, claiming to have made $200 on a daily basis since the age of twelve (though the accuracy of these claims is questionable). He often works and splits the day's earnings with his quick-tempered best friend, partner and fellow fox, Finnick.

### Personality

Nick is generally charismatic, sociable, street-smart, wise-cracking and highly cunning. A shifty, sly, and mischievous fox, traits supposedly common to all foxes, Nick is easygoing and slick, easily conning and tricking others through his charm and friendly demeanor for money. He nearly always has a sly smile on his face and seems unfazed throughout most of the events.

Due to his troubled history, Nick grew to be cynical, devious and prejudiced himself, and due to the events, he developed a fear of muzzles and a dislike towards prey. Unlike Judy, he viewed the world of Zootopia as an abysmal place, where dreams are nothing more than far-off fantasies, and those who strive to become something more than they're stereotyped to be, are simply wasting their time and energy. Nevertheless, he kept a somewhat positive aura by embracing and exploring his strong points, which were his wits, intelligence and ability to con practically everyone he came across. He also maintained a strong sense of humor, as he often uses wisecracks as a coping mechanism when found in a troublesome situation. As a result of his past, Nick grew to be uncaring towards the opinions of other mammals, no matter how cruel, giving him a sense of strength and independence. These traits would ultimately play a crucial role in solving Zootopia's deadliest conspiracy and would lead Nick to understand that it is possible to become something more than you're stereotyped to be.

Though he appeared to be uncaring to those around him, Nick was sympathetic towards those who experience prejudice, like he did in the past. Witnessing firsthand the trials and tribulations that Judy was wrongfully forced to endure while fighting to prove her worth on the police force, Nick became a firm supporter to the bunny, subsequently proving himself to be quite fearless and protective when it comes to those he cared about.

However, Nick's love for Judy would also act as his weakness, bringing about his vulnerability and rendering him capable of becoming strongly affected by the viewpoints of someone else. He is quite resentful towards those he held a personal trust towards, particularly the ones he personally believed to have accepted him. Said anger was present when Judy publicly stated the feral disease to be due to the predators' biology, which caused Nick to feel betrayed towards their apparent friendship when she had essentially reinforced prejudice of predators, foxes included. Even so, his laid-back nature makes him a quick forgiver, as his care for others ultimately overrides his occasional bitterness.

As collected as he appears to be, Nick doesn't handle intense situations particularly well, compared to Judy (a trained officer, granted) who generally maintains her composure and takes charge of situations when things go haywire. Contrast to this, Nick often goes into an immediate panic when in danger, becoming anxious, cowering in fear, and pessimistically jumping to the conclusion that he'll soon meet his demise, seen several times throughout the Otterton case. Nevertheless, he was unwilling to abandon Judy in these situations, against her wishes, and even before their relationship matured; this would hint at Nick's selflessness before his true nature was revealed to Judy.

Nick has a fondness for coffee as he was seen drinking one after Mayor Lionheart's arrest. He also has a liking towards blueberries when he ate some that Judy got from her family's farm which he later commented how tasty they are.

## Relationship

### Judy Hopps

“*So, we cracked the biggest case in Zootopia, and look at us now. I've become a cop, and we're the best partners in the ZPD! I still can't resist the odd dumb bunny joke, but Judy knows I love her.*”
―Nick Wilde
At the start of their partnership, Nick viewed Judy as a nuisance. He also later mentioned to have noticed her canister of fox repellent when they first met, leading him to believe her to be a bigoted individual, which he detests. He spent their first few hours together, as accomplices, making attempts to rid himself of her grasp, though the fact that she was just as cunning made this a difficult task, and one that was never fully seen through. Their first interactions would contradict the stereotype, and one that Nick initially abided by, of the "dumb bunny and sly fox".

Over time, however, Nick would learn more about Judy and her persistence in cracking her first case, discovering that her will to prove herself on the force had been motivated by the prejudice given to her by her fellow officers at the police department, namely Chief Bogo. Nick personally related to this as he, too, had made attempts to join a team, to fit in, only to be shunned and scorned simply because of his species. With this in mind, he made it his goal to ensure Judy achieved her dream of proving her worth, going as far as to explain his backstory to her, believing she deserved to know the reasonings behind his ill treatment towards her at the start. This would be a significant moment for Nick, as he had once vowed to never expose his hidden vulnerability. Judy, in turn, would comfort Nick and push him to understand that he's more than what the world sees him as, and although he initially avoided acknowledging this, he was shown to have taken it to heart once Judy offers him the chance of becoming her partner on the police force. It was further revealed just how strongly he valued Judy and her friendship after the latter's unintentionally prejudice words against predators were given during a press conference, as he lamented to the bunny his feeling of betrayal, after the one individual in the world that had finally believed in him turned out to be just as prejudiced as everyone else. The fact that Nick filled out the application Judy gave him just moments ago, means he was more than happy to join the ZPD and become her partner.

Following their falling out, Nick didn't entirely forget Judy, having held onto her carrot pen the entire time of their separation. When she finally returned to reconcile, it didn't take long for him to forgive her, knowing that - after the heat of the confrontation had passed - her words and positive feelings towards him were genuine.

From that moment forward, Nick continued to treat Judy with love, care and support. He was unwilling to ever leave her side, even in the darkest of moments, such as their final confrontation with Bellwether, and subsequently accepted her offer of becoming an officer, and her partner, at the ZPD, proudly so. He was shown to have garnered a respect for her cleverness and ability to, now playfully, outsmart him, affectionately referring to her as a "sly bunny". As his realistic views on the world influenced Judy, her optimism and idealistic attitude influenced Nick, as he became open to taking chances and making a difference in the world, doing so by becoming the ZPD's first fox officer.

Nick often refers to Judy as "Carrots" as a term of endearment.

### Finnick

Finnick is Nick's partner and close friend. They regularly work together, pulling off cons across Zootopia as a means to make money at the start of the film. The two are vastly different in personality, with Nick being reserved and charming, while Finnick acts mostly on raw emotion. The two are nevertheless successful in their partnership, though they have been shown to constantly take shots at one another for their own amusement when not working. When Judy blackmails Nick into helping her in a case, Finnick leaves Nick while laughing at his humiliation, though it appears that neither took that particular instance seriously, as they kept contact with one another following that event.

Behind their sassy remarks, their relationship appears to be a healthy one, as Finnick was willing to help Judy and Nick reconcile after their falling out, indicating that there is care between the two, though they simply express it in an unconventional way. After Nick becomes a cop months after the start of the film, he can been seen eating a pawpsicle, further implying that their companionship remains by the end of the film.

### Mr. Big

“*I trusted you, Nicky. I welcomed you into my home. We broke bread together, Grandmama made you a cannoli. And how did you repay my generosity? With a rug made from the butt of a skunk. A skunk-butt rug. You disrespected me. You disrespected my grandmama, who I buried in that skunk-butt rug.*”
―Mr. Big talking about their history to Nick Wilde
Prior to the events of the film, Nick had a stable partnership with the powerful crime lord, Mr. Big, with the latter having grown significant fondness for the fox during these events, inviting him into his home and even introducing him to his grandmother. However, Nick took advantage of Mr. Big's trust by selling him a very expensive wool rug secretly made from the fur of a skunk's butt. Since that incident, Mr. Big harbored a harsh dislike towards Wilde, threatening to kill him if he ever returned to his estate. Nick, meanwhile, grew to fear Big immensely.

Once the two crossed paths again during Judy's case, Mr. Big confronts Nick on his actions, expressing genuine feelings of hurt and betrayal, to which Nick silently responds to with apparent guilt. However, due to his association with Judy, who coincidentally saved the life of Big's daughter, Big's grudge against Wilde lifted, and their friendly relationship was rekindled, with Big going as far as to invite Nick to Fru Fru's wedding reception, among other tokens of kindness.

### Chief Bogo

When Nick first meets Bogo, he shows no feeling of intimidation, despite the cape buffalo being a generally feared and respected figure. He was quick to call the chief out on his bigotry, and was successful in putting the truth behind Bogo's prejudice into light; so much so that Bogo was unable to argue against him. Nevertheless, like Judy, Nick's efforts during the Otterton case was enough for Bogo to accept the fox into his force, and the two have been shown to share a camaraderie, which amuses Judy and the other officers.

### Flash

Flash is one of Nick's friends. During their encounter at the Department of Mammal Vehicles, Nick takes advantage of Flash's slow movement to waste Judy's time by telling him a joke, which Flash takes a while to react to.

At the end of the film, Nick (now a ZPD officer) is surprised to discover that Flash has a hobby of drag racing when he and his partner, Judy, pulls him over for speeding.

According to director Rick Moore's Twitter account, Flash and Nick attended school together and were both members of the track team.

## Trivia

* Nick's last name, Wilde, is a play on the word "wild", given the fact that foxes are wild animals.
* Since real-life red foxes are nocturnal and being in direct sunlight could damage their eyesight, Nick has a pair of sunglasses.

* Nick seems to suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or a Panic Disorder triggered by muzzles. This is seen at Judy's press conference when he looks at the pictures of the savage predators being muzzled; he is visibly horrified at the sight and promptly has a flashback to his traumatic childhood event when he was muzzled.
* Nick Wilde meet Thomas, Twilight Sparkle and their friends in *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle Goes to Zootopia.*
* Nick Wilde, along with Judy Hopps guest star in *Thomas' Adventures of My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)**.*