Vinnie (Biker Mice From Mars character)
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Vinnie (Vincent) is one of the three principal (and eponymous) characters - the others being Throttle and Modo - 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.
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[edit] Character, background and appearance
[edit] Physical appearance
Like the other mice in the series, Vinnie is a humanoid Martian Cave Mouse. 21 at the start of the first series, Vinnie is the youngest of the three Biker Mice (‘the bros’), and at 6ft 1, also the shortest. He weighs 190lbs. He is white furred, with red eyes, handsome and with a very well developed physique. In the new series he has been re-drawn as significantly less muscular, giving him a more lanky appearance, a decision which has received a mixed reaction from fans of the ‘classic’ series.
[edit] Dress
Vinnie’s habitual dress throughout all four seasons consists of close-fitting blue trousers, black motorcycle boots, a purple bandana around his neck, black gloves and a pair of green bandoleers crossed over his chest. His helmet in the classic series was white with a red stripe and blue visor; it is now black with red trim. In 'The Pits' he disguises himself as a human using a black wig, brown hat, shirt and red tunic, with a blue bandana covering his face. In the episode ‘Hard Rock’, a flashback to the Martian Wars of Liberation shows him dressed in dark clothing with a sleeveless jacket and headband. In ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’, set during the Wars and before the mice came to Earth, he is seen wearing drab, dust-coloured clothing, presumably a makeshift form of camouflage.
[edit] Vinnie’s mask
Probably the most distinctive aspect of his appearance, Vinnie wears a metal mask over the right side of his face. This is made of a Martian alloy known as Flex-Plate. It is a viscous metal, used primarily in the repair of Martian motorbikes, which moulds itself into a perfect fit on the surface on which it is placed, yet remains flexible – so that Vinnie’s expression can still be seen. The mask was made for him by the female Freedom Fighter Harley (see below) to cover severe scarring received during the Wars. Quite how he came to receive these injuries is the subject of confusion. In ‘Back to Mars’, Throttle tells Freedom Fighter leader Carbine that Vinnie, like Modo (who has a cybernetic right arm) received his injuries at the hands of Dr Karbunkle, a scientist working for the Plutarkians, as a result of Karbunkle’s experiments whilst Vinnie was a prisoner. The contemporary comic book version confirm this, adding that Vinnie was conscious and unsedated during the experiments. This is also the view taken by the new series. However, in ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’ Vinnie’s injuries are shown as being the result of a missile strike. As yet there is no satisfactory explanation for this lapse in continuity.
[edit] Background
Almost nothing is known of Vinnie’s background prior to the events of the cartoon series. His mother is mentioned briefly in ‘A Scent, A Memory, A Far Distant Cheese’, but it is a quirk of the Biker Mice that there is never any reference to their fathers. Fan speculation has suggested that this is because they were killed in the Wars. Although he is sometimes referred to as Vinnie VanWham (a name first used by Vinnie in ‘The Pits’) this is not his true surname. According to the show’s writers the Freedom Fighters abandoned the use of surnames to prevent reprisals on their families, and VanWham is just a nickname Vinnie has given himself. However, the name has caught on with the fans, and even appears on some internet TV guides. On occasion all three Biker Mice are listed as VanWham – this is due to the use of the word ‘bros’ by the Biker Mice to refer to themselves, leading to an erroneous belief that they are blood-relatives. ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’, the last of the classic series to be shown, but with content predominantly first in chronological order, shows Vinnie in his late teens. At that stage he was already a member of the Freedom Fighters. This group was 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. In many ways Stoker was closest to the latter, perhaps because they were so alike, and much of what Vinnie is today he owes to Stoker’s training and guidance.
In addition to his fighting duties, Vinnie acts as team mechanic in the absence of a professional; note that in 'Rock and Ride' it is he who takes responsibility for fixing Throttle's bike - as a direct consequence of which he first encounters Charlene Davidson (see below).
[edit] Character
Vinnie is one of the best looking and arguably the best biker of the Martian Mice. Unfortunately he is all too aware of this. He is vain and egotistical, a fact frequently pointed out by those around him, as in this quote from ‘Test of Friendship’:
VINNIE: "Hey, sweetheart - room for two on my bike."
CHARLEY: "Yeah. You and your ego.”
He is also an adrenalin junkie to the point of insanity – the greater the danger, the more fun he is having. His comment in ‘Rock and Ride’ (“Whoa! Imminent destruction! What a rush!”) is typical of his attitude to danger, and indeed life in general. The notes on the Official Website suggest that this is related to the experiments Karbunkle conducted on him back on Mars; as a result, Vinnie lives each day as if it will be his last (and his behaviour ensures that it often very nearly is!).
Thus far, he would merely be entertaining, if sometimes annoying. However, looking beyond these - admittedly dominant – character traits there is a far more attractive mouse. He is fiercely loyal to the bros, and to his friends in general – in ‘The Adventure Begins’ he is the only one prepared to defend Stoker’s reputation against the widespread belief that Stoker had turned traitor. He is very brave, often suicidally so: his single-handed rescue of Throttle and Modo in ‘The Pits’ – against impossible odds – is one of many heroic acts. In spite of what he owes to Stoker, he tends to feel a painful sense of inadequacy in his presence, as the great leader overshadows everything that Vinnie would like to think he himself has become. The injuries to his face have left psychological scars, as have the events involving Harley. Although he likes to think of himself as a lady-killer, in reality he is often endearingly shy and awkward around those women he genuinely cares about, especially if they show any sign of reciprocating those feelings. The truth is that behind the ego Vinnie is a much more thoughtful, sensitive and loving individual than he is prepared to admit.
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Vinnie’s bike
Given the title of the series, it is inevitable that the bros’ bikes feature prominently. Vinnie’s matches his character perfectly. It is a big, flashy red racing bike, fitted with all the usual refinements of the Freedom Fighters’ favourite mode of transport. These include twin missile launchers, twin guns, rocket motors allowing ultra-high speed or even sort bursts of low altitude flight, a tail-mounted grappling hook and artificial intelligence. This last feature, common to all the bros’ bikes, allows it to come when whistled for, respond to commands when Vinnie is not actually riding it, and even operate independently for self-defence and other purposes. The idea that Vinnie's bike is called 'Sweetheart' is a myth - although he does refer to his bike as such, he uses it as a generic term of endearment - he calls everyone sweetheart, especially Charley and even on one occasion Throttle!
[edit] Weapons
Generally speaking, Vinnie carries the standard Martian laser pistol, although in the new series he uses a variety of side-arms. His distinctive personal weapons, however, are expanding flares, originally created for him by Harley and hot enough to shear through metal and melt a gun from the inside. In the new series, he favours small blue disks, thrown by hand or shot from a launcher mounted in the front of his bike, which can cut through metal, deliver an electric shock or short circuit machinery. However, he still uses the flares from time to time.
[edit] Love life
A would-be Don Juan, Vinnie flirts automatically with virtually any girl he comes across. However, there have been two women who have played particularly significant roles in his life.
[edit] Harley
Harley was the tragic heroine of the three part story ‘Once Upon A Time On Mars’ that closed the classic series. The attractive, intelligent, ginger-furred mouse acted as mechanic to the Freedom Fighters during the Wars of Liberation, and was also their unofficial nurse. Vinnie was smitten with her the first time they met. However, there was a rival for her affections, namely Vinnie’s mentor Stoker. Crippled by his sense of inadequacy in the face of Stoker’s superior talents and experience, Vinnie felt he had no chance. Little did he realise that it was towards him, not Stoker, that Harley’s own feelings were inclined - she was badly shaken when Vinnie was listed as missing in action. As far as Vinnie was concerned his only hope with Harley lay in his looks, so his injuries came as a double blow and he tried to avoid letting Harley see them. Harley, however, was concerned with Vinnie’s personality more than his looks. She treated him, and made him the mask which he wears to this day to cover the scars – and indicated her feelings for him by kissing him. Very shortly after this, however, she was kidnapped by Mace, a rat working as a spy for the Plutarkians, and was never seen again. The tragedy has left Vinnie was mental scars that exist to this day, and it is apparent he still carries a torch for his lost love.
[edit] Charlene Davidson
Charlene ‘Charley’ Davidson is a human mechanic and owner of the Last Chance Garage in Chicago. The feisty, attractive young woman encountered the bros when threatened by the classic series’ arch-villain Lawrence Limburger, a Plutarkian disguised as a human businessman. Vinnie was the first of the bros she met, when he came to the ‘Last Chance’ looking for parts to repair Throttle’s bike, just in time to intervene and rescue her (with the other bros’ help) from Limburger’s henchman Greasepit. This was to typify their relationship throughout the series – whenever Charley was endangered, it was usually Vinnie who came to her aid.
Vinnie is clearly infatuated with Charley, and throughout the series makes repeated attempts to impress her with his riding and fighting abilities. However, outwardly, at least, Charley is resolutely unimpressed. She seems to take a great delight in deflating his ego, though Vinnie is equally quick to respond to her put downs – for example when she is first introduced to the bros – and Vinnie’s ego - in ‘Rock and Ride’:
“CHARLEY: Mice. With antennas… and biker clothes… and motorcycles… and -
VINNIE: Don't forget your basic studly bod.
CHARLEY: I've seen better.
VINNIE: Maybe, but not with this much charm”.
His constant referral to her as ‘sweetheart’ or ‘babe’ is simultaneously irritating and endearing. Despite his flashy showing off, it becomes increasingly obvious that this is no mere flirtation on Vinnie’s part. Perhaps the most telling evidence of this comes in the three part story ‘Back to Mars’. When Vinnie realises that returning to Mars will mean leaving Charley behind he is visibly dismayed. When the time comes for the mice to actually leave Earth he awkwardly attempts to tell Charley something – probably his feelings for her – and when she ignores this he is crestfallen. Most significantly of all, when, later in the story, Limburger hints at some threat to Charley, Vinnie is thrown into a violent rage, hurling himself at the bars of the cell in which he is being held in a futile bid to get at the Plutarkian, heedless of the fact that they are electrified. The reason why he does not act on these feelings are probably threefold: first, his residual feelings for Harley; secondly uncertainty over Charley’s feelings for him, and finally perhaps a fear of commitment lest something similar to Harley’s fate should befall Charley.
Charley’s feelings for him seem ambiguous at times, but she does seem to be strongly attracted to him. He is the member of the Biker Mice with whom she seems most comfortable, it is with him she spends most of the time, and she always rides behind him on his bike when she isn’t riding her own. She is deeply upset when she believes she has caused his death in ‘Last Stand At The Last Chance’, and in the same episode, after a success against Limburger’s goons, Charley and Vinnie celebrate (in Throttle and Modo’s absence), laughing happily together as if they were long time lovers and they weren’t in the midst of a battle. They embrace, Charley sighs, "What a guy," and Vinnie just laughs and smiles. The moment is only interrupted when they realise, with some embarrassment, that they are acting as rather more than just friends.
Under such circumstances, it is perhaps fitting that the last episode of the classic series ended with Charley giving Vinnie a tender kiss on the cheek, and the pair of them riding off into the sunset together on Vinnie’s bike.
Their relationship has continued - on a more low key scale - in the new series. It was perhaps most clearly expressed in their joyful, loving reunion after the Biker Mice's absence from Earth for some years.
[edit] References
‘From Mars’, http://www.geocities.com/stoker1439/BikerMice/
The Official Biker Mice From Mars Website, http://www.bikermice.tv/
Biker Mice From Mars Episodes: ‘Back to Mars’ Parts 1 -3 (1994); ‘Road Ravens’ (1993); ‘Hard Rock’(1994); ‘The Adventure Begins’ Parts 1 and 2 (2006).
[edit] External links
The Unofficial Biker Mice From Mars Fan Club, http://www.bikermice.com/
