Man Ray is a recurring antagonist in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. He is a manta-themed supervillain and an opponent of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, who frequently menaces Bikini Bottom. He is one of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's two archenemies, alongside the Dirty Bubble.
Appearance
Man Ray is a manta ray/human hybrid with a blue helmet that is shaped like the head of a manta ray and has a red suit. He also has gloves, boots and a speedo which all have a blue color. He also does not have a head under his helmet, as seen when he removed it in his debut appearance.
Personality
Man Ray is a fiery and short-tempered villain who wants to rule the entire planet. Despite having very obvious aims, he is incredibly cunning and is able to deceive SpongeBob and Patrick into believing he has turned into a force for good. As a member of several organizations and alliances, he is also fiercely devoted to those with whom he has a long relationship and to other villains. He has a really sensitive side while being a very nasty person. When the tickling belt's adverse effect prevents him from robbing the bank, his sensitive side comes out in his debut. He gives up and buys a checkbook with a dog on it to symbolize his failure.
Another instance is when SpongeBob and Patrick dress up as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy for a shuffleboard tournament in "Shuffleboarding." When they arrive, he meets them and behaves pleasant until they accuse him and another elder of breaking the law and assault them for no apparent reason other than to satisfy themselves "of upholding the law." He is also very spiteful; if he is deceived, wounded, or mocked, he will inflict suffering in the most heinous manner possible, such as shooting people with ray guns or destroying a city.
Biography
Backstory
A long time ago, Man Ray tried to become the leader of the Bikini Bottom, using his ray-gun. But Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy managed to save Bikini Bottom, by pouring tartar sauce on Man Ray, which later froze him solid. Patrick ends up unfreezing the tartar sauce which trapped Man Ray, making Man Ray escape and defeat Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy and take over Bikini Bottom. In the end, SpongeBob and Patrick get to defeat Man Ray and rescue Bikini Bottom.
He is one of the main antagonists in SpongeBob's favorite Saturday morning show, The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Man Ray has a belt that is controlled by a remote. When you press the button, it tickles him. His name is a reference to a manta ray, yet episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants rarely feature a manta ray.
Man Ray was somehow arrested by Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and imprisoned in a frozen tarter-sauce prison. SpongeBob and Patrick, during their time watching the Mermalair during the heroes' vacation, accidentally free him from his prison, but are able to subdue him due to the tickle belt. Knowing that he needs to get rid of the belt in order to escape, Man Ray pretends to want redemption from being evil. SpongeBob and Patrick try to teach him how to be "good", through the demonstration of Patrick dropping his wallet and then struggling with a heavy package, but Man Ray gets quickly annoyed by Patrick's stupidity and injures him. In revenge, Patrick tries to push the tickle belt button too many times to torture the villain, but the remote then breaks, causing Man Ray to suffer eternal tickling. Man Ray says "Please" when asking it to stop, which is enough for SpongeBob and Patrick to "graduate" him from their "goodness" class. However, Man Ray double-crosses them, stealing some weaponry from the Wall of Gadgets and then tries to rob a bank. However, Man Ray still feels the tickle whenever he tries to rob the bank, leading him to give up and to open a checking account instead. He then apologizes to SpongeBob and Patrick for his actions and gives them his helmet before walking off, seemingly redeemed.
Man Ray would later return to being evil in future episodes and video games.
Trivia
- Man Ray is a parody of Black Manta.
- Despite abandoning his evil ways during his debut, he was a founding member of E.V.I.L. in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V". In "Shuffleboarding", he actually does retire.
- He is very susceptible to the Tickle Belt.
- Oddly, he can remove his head and is still able to talk.
