Sir Hiss

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Sir Hiss is Prince John's fictional sidekick in the 1973 animated Disney movie Robin Hood, voiced by English comedian Terry-Thomas (with whom he shares a prominent set of front teeth). He is a snake, and unlike other characters in the film he is not anthropomorphised and remains serpentine. Like other characters, though, he does talk and wear clothes (just a cape and hat, in his case). As well, he is one of the few characters in the film who is not based on a real character from the original Robin Hood story, though he is somewhat comparable to Guy of Gisborne.

In the movie, Sir Hiss provides comic relief as a sycophantic lackey to Prince John, who simply calls him "Hiss." He is often the victim of the Prince's temper tantrums, which serves to magnify John's status as a villain.

In spite of the fact that he is apparently venomous, Sir Hiss is not presented as a major threat, and the greatest danger he poses is warning other villains of plots that he witnesses. He does have the same hypnotic ability that Kaa from The Jungle Book possesses, the ability to hypnotize merely by looking into his eyes. Sir Hiss attempts to use this ability twice in the movie, both times unsuccessfully (although it is mentioned that he actually hypnotized King Richard and was responsible for him leaving England, thereby creating the plot of the movie).

His outward appearance of being cowed by Prince John is only a sham, since he will gladly jibe and provoke Prince John whenever he feels he can get away with it. Behind Prince John's back, he openly mocks his master, and takes great delight in the Merry Men's song, "The Phoney King of England," which makes fun of the prince.

He is arrested and sentenced to hard labor alongside Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham upon King Richard's return.