Modo (Biker Mice From Mars character)

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Modo is one of the three principal (and eponymous) characters - the others being Vinnie and Throttle - of the American cartoon series Biker Mice From Mars, broadcast between 1993 and 1996, with a new series in 2006. He is a humanoid mouse, and a member of the Freedom Fighters organisation committed to liberating Mars from domination by the fish-like Plutarkians, and later the humanoid cat Catatonians. Throughout, the three Biker Mice spend most of their time on Earth, initially after being shot down by a Plutarkian warship, and later returning to the planet on a special mission to recover equipment vital to the survival of the Martian population.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Character, background and appearance
2 Modo’s bike
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Character, background and appearance

[edit] Physical appearance

Modo

Like the other mice in the series, Modo is a humanoid Martian Cave Mouse. 23 at the start of the first series, Modo is 6ft 9, and weighs 420lbs. He is dark grey furred, with red eyes, and easily dominates every scene by virtue of his height and heavily muscled physique.

In the new series his physique has not been as significantly altered as with the other Biker Mice (‘the bros’).

[edit] Dress

Modo’s habitual dress throughout all four seasons consists of close-fitting blue trousers, black, purple trimmed motorcycle boots, and a purple and yellow armoured chest plate, with purple shoulder guards, attached to a red harness. He also wears a black eye patch over his left eye. In the new series his boots have been replaced with a curious conical and possibly armoured version. In the three part story ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’, set during the Wars and before the mice came to Earth, he is dressed in drab clothing, with a blue headband, and appears to be similarly dressed in the brief flashback to their days on Mars in ‘Back to Mars’.

[edit] Modo’s bionic arm

All three of the bros have distinctive injuries as a result of the Wars of Liberation. In Modo’s case, he was blinded in his left eye by a missile strike (as documented in ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’), but more spectacularly the same incident destroyed his right arm. As a prisoner of the Plutarkian-employed scientist Dr Karbunkle, this was replaced by a bionic version of immense strength, fitted with a twin laser blaster and a small catapult-like device for launching small explosives. Although a great asset in the bros’ fight against their enemies, Modo remains self conscious about it and particularly its origin. The bros’ human mechanic Charley has worked to maintain it and possible add to its functions. The arm has been redesigned for the new series and now features only a single barrelled gun (although it appears to be of a slightly larger calibre), but it also features a variety of other gadgets including a remote control to operate some of his bike’s functions.

[edit] Background and Family

Modo’s background is the most well documented of all three mice. The use of the term ‘bros’ by the Biker Mice to refer to themselves is purely a symbol of camaraderie; there is no evidence that they are in any way related. However, alone of the bros he does have some family who either appear or at least are given prominence in dialogue. Of these, by far the most important is Modo’s "old grey-furred Momma." She is referred to in virtually every episode, and Modo frequently quotes her (sometimes rather off the wall) words of wisdom (“A mouse’s best friend is his bike” from ‘Bleu Cheese Bros’). She actually only appears – in ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’ - once, very briefly and heavily obscured. Through her, we know that Modo’s maternal grandfather was white-furred.

As with the other bros Modo’s father is never mentioned (fan speculation suggesting he was killed in the Wars of Liberation), but he does have an older sister, unnamed, who in turn has two children. Of these, Modo’s niece – brown furred, blonde haired Primer – was reputedly the wildest. She is only seen briefly in a flashback as a young girl in ‘Back to Mars’, although an unnamed blonde Freedom Fighter has been tentatively identified by some fans as an older incarnation of Primer.

Rimfire

Her brother Rimfire, however, has taken a far more prominent role. Grey-brown furred, with brown hair marked with a distinctive orange 'skunk' streak down the centre, Rimfire is courageous and a genius with computers. However, he is also prone to getting into trouble and as a Freedom Fighter has been frequently captured by both the Plutarkians and Catatonians. As a result, in the new series episode ‘Break Up’, the intended replacement of Throttle with Rimfire as a member of the Biker Mice is greeted with unconcealed dismay by Vinnie.

The Freedom Fighters were formed by the legendary mouse Stoker in response to the corruption of the Martian government and ineffectiveness of the Martian Army that had allowed the Plutarkians to gain the upper hand. Stoker became mentor to Throttle, Modo and Vinnie. By the events of ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’ (last in the classic series, but mainly featuring events that chronologically occurred first) Modo was already a prominent member of the group and was a close friend and comrade of Throttle and Vinnie (it is never clear what the bros’ relationship was before the Wars, assuming they knew each other at all). Nothing is known of Modo’s life before his time in the Freedom Fighters.

[edit] Character

The classic gentle giant, Modo prefers to avoid violence when possible. There are, though, a few exceptions: the Plutarkians, Catatonians and their allies; Rats (humanoid Martian rats, anyway) and anyone who threatens his bike (see below). Although generally placid, he can be subject to sudden mood swings (becoming violent when Vinnie starts to beat him in a game of Chinese Chequers, ‘The Masked Motorcyclist’). When angry, his right eye glows red. He has a strongly protective attitude towards children, and dotes on his nephew Rimfire. His personality has been deeply influenced by his mother, and he seems to have taken everything she said to heart; in particular her insistence that “A gentleman doesn’t speak poorly of a lady” (‘Unforgiven Cheese’) leads him to treat the women he encounters with great respect, always calling them “Ma’am” – even Charley, with whom the bros have a very informal relationship.

[edit] Modo’s bike

Given the title of the series, it is inevitable that the bros’ bikes feature prominently. Modo’s is a heavy, three-wheeled affair fitted with all the usual refinements of the Freedom Fighters’ favourite mode of transport. These include laser blasters, rocket motors allowing ultra-high speed or even sort bursts of low altitude flight, a tail-mounted grappling hook and artificial intelligence (A.I.). This last feature allows it to come when called for, respond to commands when Modo is not actually riding it and even operate independently for self-defence and other purposes. Although A.I. is common to all the bros’ bikes the feature seems particularly marked in Modo’s, which has a personality of it’s own – albeit one which reflects that of it’s owner. Modo is obsessed with his bike, naming it (Lil’ Hoss), referring to it as his “darling” on numerous occasions, constantly polishing it and nurturing it, and even (in ‘A Mouse And His Motorcycle’) risking his life to rescue it. Threatening Lil’ Hoss is one of the few things guaranteed to truly enrage Modo: never mind his eye glowing red – in ‘A Mouse and His Motorcycle’, when Greasepit is on the verge of shooting Lil’ Hoss, Modo’s entire body glows red!