#take it!!

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The Evolution Of: Fix-It Felix Jr.

(From the game, Fix-It Felix Jr.)

He's been plugged in for 30 years, so for his entire life, he's been the problem solver. Not just in-game play, but off the clock as well. We see that come into play during the 30th anniversary party, which is where we're really introduced to Felix.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

The movie, Wreck-It Ralph, follows one of the main characters, Ralph, who is written as the sympathetic bad guy character who isn't really a bad guy. And, we have the other main character, Fix-It Felix Jr., who's the hero of Ralph's game.

Now, right off the bat, this movie could have fallen into the basic trope where the misunderstood protagonist is the good guy, so that would make our "good guy", Felix, the secret villain of the movie, right?

WRONG.

In fact, right in the introduction of the movie as Ralph is giving us some juicy details via voiceover monologue, he brings up Felix, and says the line, "He's nice enough, as good guys go."

And this line gives us quite a bit to work with already. This shows us some nice insight into both Ralph and Felix. We get a taste of Ralph's kindness as he compliments Felix on his fixing skills, and we hear from Ralph himself that Felix is actually a nice guy. This is not the same old story, and I find that refreshing.

Now, I can get to the 30th anniversary party. So, I'm going to lead with the detail that should've been clear, but people seemed to have missed— It was not Felix's party. I highly doubt that Felix would shoot off fireworks that said, "We love you, Felix."

And yes, it is a bit confusing, since one of the Nicelanders did say, "Great party, Felix!" But, I feel like the Nicelanders are the ones who throw these parties every year, and Felix is basically put on a pedestal. He's a fancy centrepiece, he's just there to be quiet and look pretty. And we see this by the way he's dragged around like he's a toy, and pulled onto the dance floor so he can entertain them. And it's fine, he'll play his role. Notice that I said "role"? Yeah, we'll come back to that.

[Enter Ralph.]

Oh, and just like that, shit hits the fan. And Felix has dozens of eyes staring at him, and a Nicelander in his face, yelling at him to "GET RID OF HIM, FELIX!" Time to get analyzing! Remember when I mentioned that Felix is always on the job? Well, this movie went above and beyond to show us this. The Nicelanders are all looking to him to get rid of Ralph, so even at his own party, he still has to FIX the situation. Yup, he's still not off the clock. Which is why it's so interesting to me that his party outfit is basically his work clothes in another palette.

Oh, and that hammer by his side? Poor fella reaches down to rub his thumb over the top of it as he's sent out of the party and into the hall for a very awkward conversation with Ralph. Sorry, Pal, your hammer can't help fix social situations, but at least you can self-soothe with it. (I will be coming back to this topic.)

Felix isn't a bad guy, I'm going to sound like a broken record at some points of this essay, but this little man has been mischaracterized to death. So, to quote Ralph, Felix being "Nice enough as good guys go", is manipulated by Ralph very easily. It is clear as day, the little guy knows that what the Nicelanders are telling him to do is wrong. So, he lets Ralph come in and have some cake, even though he was told to send him away.

"Now, you all know Ralph..." Was Felix basically saying, "We all know each other here, so please, can we all just get along? He's here for some cake. He wants to join the party, can y'all just... let him?"

The big thing with Felix is that he was a doormat. He got talked over, and that was enough for him to shut down, and you can see that when Gene started to really rile up Ralph, he wanted to step in again. he was truly shocked by what he was hearing, which makes me think that the Nicelanders put on a friendly act when Felix isn't around, and that was the first time Felix had truly seen how outrageous their behavior towards Ralph had been.

[Enter Calhoun.]

While he attempts to convince Calhoun to allow him to join her on the mission, he uses the statement that it's his job, "to fix what Ralph wrecks," as a counterpoint in the argument. He can't stand by and let her do the job, that he's been doing his entire life. Not without him coming alone, not without assisting her.

Part of that is because he's programmed to be a gentleman, and even though he knows she can handle the situation on her own, it's his responsibility.

His life purpose is to fix what Ralph wrecks. Without Ralph, there's nothing for him to fix. He already knows this, but the threat of his game being unplugged makes it even clearer.

His hammer has been the solution to every problem, or at least most of them. His skill, his greatest strength, is linked to it. Throughout the movie, we see him reach for it and rub the top of it, specifically when he's in a situation where he can't control that outcome. He gets anxious when he's in a situation, that the hammer can't fix, and that gesture brings him comfort. It symbolizes his dependence on it, he feels safe and secure knowing he has it. All he has to do is reach down and grab. ((Told you we'd come back to that.))

To bring Ralph back and save his game, he gets thrown into uncharted territories. He's put in unfamiliar situations where he can't control the outcome and there's a risk of dying.

He's slowly learning that for his whole life, he's been completely sheltered.

His game is peaceful. There aren't any weapons. The only threat he has to face is the possibility of being hit by a brick, or a duck. He goes into a full-blown panic after he tries using another skill he has, and it doesn't work.

This is a reference to the scene where Felix and Calhoun are stuck in the 'Nesquiksand.' He tries to use one of his game skills to "hop out to grab one of those vines." When the attempt (obviously) fails, he says, and I quote, "I can't hop...I'm Hop-less, this is HOPELESS..." As funny as that line is— believe me, I laughed myself to tears hearing it for the first time— it's a very important moment in the movie.

It's the moment he realizes that all the skills that help him in his game, are completely useless outside of it. It's the moment he realizes the situation they're in… is dire. He's a hero and in that moment, there is nothing he can do to fix the situation.

It's only when Calhoun has to snap— well, SLAP— him out of it, that he's able to think outside the box and go outside his comfort zone.

The situation isn't solved by him and his hammer— although the hammer is used so he can heal himself— it's solved by them working together, and he's the one who came up with it. ((Good job, Felix.))

Until then, every problem he had could be solved easily. All he had to do was pull out the tool from his belt and flick his wrist. Jumping from window sill to window sill was his hard work, and sometimes, he had assistance from eating upgrade-pies. He never had the chance to work with someone else, he'd only ever been the hero who saved the day with his hammer. Much like Tamora, who is solely responsible for her troops and getting the gamer to the 99th floor. So similar, and yet, so different.

Felix has had everything handed to him on a GOLDEN platter. (Lame joke, I know.) That brings us to my next point: He inherited the role of being the game's hero.

While narrating the movie's introduction, it's stated by Ralph, Felix's hammer was handed down to him, by his father. Something that he's realizing isn't useful outside of his own game. Aside from healing himself, fixing the kart, and the shuttle, it stays on his belt. He still self-soothes with it, and he does use it two other times ((but I'll dive into those scenes in a bit.))

The tool is his only defence, and it does nothing to help him.

Another unfamiliar situation he's faced with is his feelings for Calhoun. He's falling in love, and I assume it's for the first time? I'm not sure if this statement is accurate, but I assume that he rarely— if ever—left his game.

I'm also assuming he hasn't had romantic feelings towards any of the ladies from Niceland. This makes sense with the way they dote on him, which is very similar to an aunt praising their nephew.

The whole vibe is "Aw, look at him! So polite and proper, a little gentleman!" So, either an aunt or a maternal figure.

((I can already hear y'all saying "But what about when he wins the game!?' Or maybe you guys didn't think that, but anyway, yeah. He gets a kiss, on the cheek. It's not even a kiss, it's exactly one frame. It is a peck. The only purpose it has is to serve as "wow, how kind! Thank you!" Now that I covered that— although I most likely didn't need to—I'll get back on topic!))

He's dealing with his feelings and the person he's falling for? The first time they meet, she almost shoots him several times, dropkicks him, and then shoves her gun in his face. You know what, I gotta say it. Calhoun makes ONE DYNAMITE first impression!

((Yeesh, that fell flat, I tried a bit too hard there. Like Felix trying to convince Calhoun he knows what she's talking about. That 'ahah, I definitely understood that' squeaky laugh voice. "I knooow, right?" He's absolutely clueless, but she doesn't have to know—though, she definitely does.))

But, that's his first impression of her, and he's scared— rightfully so, who wouldn't be?

But we see the moment— after he spews his name, his address, and his workplace— he looks at her, and to sum up his speech, he basically just says "Gosh, you're stunning..." (Was gonna say "purrty as a peach" but, nah)

So yeah, at first, he falls for her looks, but it's also very clear he respects her. That is one of the reasons why I love his character so much. The gestures he does— like taking off his hat while talking to her, are genuine. He's not putting on an act, he's not trying to win her over or charm her.

And I don't think it's because he feels intimidated, either. It's in his code, but it's also who he is. The whole plot of the movie is that you're code doesn't determine who you are; but for Felix, he's a genuine, good guy.

Wreck-It Ralph, as a movie, said "The trope where the good guy, is actually a stuck-up jerk? Yeah, FUCK THAT." That is one of the many reasons, this movie is so great.

He's trying— bless his heart, he is TRYING— his absolute best; to understand what she's talking about. He looks like he's attempting to process every word she says, individually. Despite the fact, he IS slightly (very) intimidated by her.

She herself is UNFAMILIAR. She's completely different from the ladies in his game. The way she looks, the way she carries herself, the way she yells at him—

Side note; I'm almost certain of this. After he put his entire self-confidence into his answer, - the most enthusiastic 'YES' I have ever heard, and she yelled 'WRONG'…she was holding in her guilt. She definitely wanted to apologize for just, absolutely crushing his self-esteem.

I have a feeling she did, while they were on the cruiser and that's most likely why she let him hold onto her leg— sorry, I have to correct myself— let him have a death-grip on her leg.

(I don't blame him, she probably didn't either. The moment he hopped on, she didn't let him balance himself—AT ALL—before she blasted off.)

He's spent the last 30 years being the one who fixes things and solves problems. Helping the Nicelanders and fixing their problems, that is his job.

With her, the situation is completely different, and he knows that. He knows she can handle things, he knows she doesn't need his help, and it's hard for him. Not only because it's outside of his comfort zone— though that is a part of it— He genuinely wants to help her, despite her not needing it. It's clear to him that even if she did, he wouldn't know how to help her because he's not familiar with her…yet.

As they team up, they find common ground with each other. They're both searching the same place, to find something— and someone. Together, they navigate through the game, Sugar Rush; Felix on the lookout for Ralph, and Calhoun is hunting down a runaway Cy-bug— that escaped in a shuttle with Ralph…as he stole 'the Medal of Heroes.'

Side-note: Felix is searching, but Calhoun has the cy-bug, and Ralph on her… jammed-up radar... that Felix could've fixed…

Did that thought not cross either of their minds? ((Never mind, the sugar particles in the air were jamming up the radar, so Felix couldn't have fixed that.)) Well, as the saying goes, "Love makes you blind."

As they navigate through Sugar Rush, they begin the process of getting to know each other. They're figuring out each other's strengths and weaknesses, their compatibility. They're opposites, which makes it more interesting.

Felix is an open book, he wears his heart on his sleeve; while Calhoun is more guarded with her emotions. She doesn't let anyone get too close— including us. There's no pinpoint moment where Calhoun starts to reciprocate Felix's feelings for her. We're kept guessing, just like Felix.

It might have been after Felix pulled both of them out of the Nesquiksand, but it could've also been before. It could've been when he was more assertive while convincing her to let him come along.

Like I said before, Felix is completely different, and that's interesting. The way Felix acts around Calhoun makes it seem like he's falling in love for the first time. It seems to be more of an infatuation at first, but a better term is 'puppy love.'

Felix follows her around while admiring her and acts similarly to an excited, lost puppy. It's charming, and satisfying as we watch his feelings evolve into something more.

As they spend more time together, he's getting to know her. He's getting to know her authentic self, and we see him fall for her even harder. He admires how smart she is, and how calmly she handles a situation. Her way of saying things, not just her tone, but her actual words. He falls head over heels, for her personality.

Maybe at some point, he thought he loved someone - since he is 30 - but now he's finding out "Wait, this is a completely different feeling. Is this what actually loving someone is like? " He gets praise and love from the Nicelanders, but this is completely different. It's not just loving him for what he does; it's loving him, even if he didn't have the hammer.

He realizes that the worst thing that can happen to him in his game is getting hit by a brick or a duck. He realizes her game is vastly different from his, and I love that he describes it as intense, because he doesn't say it in a bad way.

He's only just met her, but now he's learning about her past and not from her, but one of her soldiers. She has this tragic thing happen to her, and it's on the day SHE didn't do a perimeter search. A day that's supposed to be full of happy memories, but fills her with regret and guilt.

It causes her to have PTSD, and she's fighting an internal battle while she has to physically fight a battle too. Both battles revolve around the same thing. The monsters in her game that took away someone she loved, left her broken and vulnerable. She puts up walls, never letting anyone get too close to see how broken and vulnerable she is.

He learns this, and he doesn't ask her questions about it. He doesn't bring it up at all, and I absolutely love that. He's confused, and instead of thinking she owes him an explanation, he respects her boundaries.

He doesn't try to fix her, because to him, she isn't broken. That thought never crosses his mind.

This is something that he's never heard, he's never experienced anything like it either. Assuming his father passed away ((From the wii game, he says he bequeathed the hammer, so it was left to him in his fathers will)), and that's how he inherited his hammer, then he's struggled with loss. While struggling with his grief, he's also struggling with the weight of carrying the hammer and the reminder of who he's lost.

That isn't the situation that Calhoun has though, he's felt loss and grief. But he comes from a retro game, so the concept of PTSD is most likely limited to him. In my opinion, he doesn't have a grasp on the concept at all.

Felix doesn't clue in, "Oh wait, she got wide-eyed and quiet...then started screaming AFTER I called her a 'dynamite gal'. Those words have an impact and it's a bad one."

It's already clear, but then it's clearer. As Calhoun snaps out of her flashback and tells him to get out, he repeats those words. "All I said was you're a dynamite gal."

In his defense, he only knows what he's been told, and he wasn't told much. He doesn't see the flashbacks or the impact. He doesn't know those were the last words she heard her fiance say, or the fact that she didn't get to hear him finish saying them. He died, and it was by her own hand. She couldn't do anything to stop it. She watched the person she loved, turn into the same monster that she coded to destroy.

he's feeling confused, and he's a bit hurt too, but he respects her. He gives her a quick glance because he's concerned, but he doesn't question her.

He's upset, but also feeling absolutely so pissed off at himself— and now? Now, he's alone in unfamiliar territory again. He's vulnerable, but wait! He hears Sour Bill mention Ralph, and there's hope!

But as soon as he feels that small *sliver* of hope, it's ripped away from him. The rug is quite literally pulled out from under him and he's sent to a dark place. In the literal and metaphorical sense.

He's the hero of his game, and now he's in jail. He's scared, he's desperately begging for someone to let him out, and he's completely helpless. His only hope is the hammer, and he gathers all his strength, any power he has left in him.. and it ruins (what he thinks is) his LAST chance to escape.

I remember there being fan art, and it was a small comic. It's after he hits the bars, which causes them to triple in size, and he cries… but then looks at his hammer. His grip weakens and he lets it fall to the ground. The dialogue he says is, "What's the point, it's useless anyways..."

And holy shit, if that was an actual scene, it would have been a *gut-punch.*

He's associated with the hammer. His name is literally FIX-IT Felix, it's a part of who he is. So as he threw away his hammer, *while* he called it useless… he's questioning HIS purpose and saying HE'S useless. Like holy fuck, that would hit... ("the hammer on the nail, dead on" Haha, pardon the pun.)

It sends a message that at that moment, he's hit rock bottom. He's at his absolute lowest point, and he's never felt this helpless before. He's never been so upset or felt this overwhelming amount of self-loathing.

So when Ralph shows up and says word for word:

"Fine, don't talk. But you NEED to FIX THIS (go-kart for me, pronto.)"

It was the last straw. It was his breaking point. The dam broke, and the flood couldn't be contained anymore.

He's breaking down, he's venting and dumping out all his frustration onto Ralph.

If Ralph hadn't run off, he'd still be in his little penthouse and not feeling the absolute heartbreak he's feeling.

The "but she rebuffed my affections" line always felt out of character to me. He just says it with so much anger, but thinking about it now, with THAT context. The anger is towards himself, not her or Ralph.

The part he's not saying out loud but is absolutely thinking is "And it's my fault! We.. we had a moment and I acted like a fool, and messed it up."

He trails off, instead of saying, "I'll get her back though!" or "And I was such a gentleman!" And yeah, at first it's like yeesh… but, he did almost die, more than once. And they were making 'goo-goo eyes' so he's a lil' confused… Oh right, and HE GOT THROWN IN JAIL.

When the venting ends, Ralph tells him that he understands what he's going through. That he knows exactly how he's feeling while he's at the lowest he's ever felt... because *THAT* is how HE'S felt every day for 30 years.

Felix's entire world just completely flipped. Ralph's felt *this awful* for *that many years.* No WONDER he left!

Then he hears that what Ralph needs him to fix isn't even for himself. It's for a little girl who's the outcast of her game and this kart is her only hope.

The same way that Ralph thought getting a medal was his only hope.

He can help, and he can do it by fixing something with his hammer. 30 years, day after day of him fixing stuff and honestly, you can assume that fixing things loses its spark. He's getting praised and at some point, he's thinking "it's really not a big deal."

As he's fixing the kart up, even though it's a small task for him, it's a big deal for someone else, and it's lifted his spirits. He's back in his comfort zone, this is what he's good at and it's going to help someone!

He gets to see who this little girl, and its right after fixing her kart. He's probably so excited 'cause Ralph told him a bit about her while they were searching.

[Enter Vanellope.]

And when he sees her— this nine year old little girl… She's locked up in a cell and it looks like the one he was just locked up, but shes in chains. Giant chains that keep her from moving at all.

I can't even imagine the shock he felt. How confused, how upset, and how absolutely angry he felt while seeing that.

He hears Ralph and her name call and tease each other, and it confuses him even more. He's never had a friend like that, all he's ever known is being put on a pedestal. The nicelanders are nice, but they aren't real friends and sometimes they don't even show him respect. ((For example, Gene cutting him off while he was trying to defuse the situation at the anniversary party.))

He's only *The Hero* who *Fixes the Building*

He sees how much Ralph cares about Vanellope, which makes Felix care for her too. Shit man, he ran faster and reacted to the situation before Ralph had when the swarm of cy-bugs threw her off track. He was frantic, trying to remove the debris from the kart to see if she was okay. He's a genuine good guy, and he needs to make sure this kid is okay, but he also knows that Ralph has a bond with her.

The scene where Ralph told her to stay with Felix as he went off on the cruiser, Felix protects her with every ounce of strength and power he had. He was terrified, Calhoun was firing multiple rounds of gun shots. Yeah, he froze up for a second, but then he grabs for hand, put his arm around her, pulled her towards him, and as far away as he could from danger.

He put himself between her and the cy-bugs, he took out his hammer and I fully believe, that if he had to do it, he wouldn't have any hesitation— He would put himself in the line of danger and hit a cy-bug with it.

This is the same Fix-It Felix Jr., from the game, Fix-It Felix Jr., who avoided conflict and confrontation at all costed.

The sheer panic in his voice as he called out her name while she glitched between the cybugs to save Ralph. He sounded more panicked in that moment than he had while almost dying in the Nesquiksand.

Ralph trusted him to look out for her, and he felt like he just completely failed him.

I wanna add how upset he sounded after Calhoun said they had to blow the exit up. "But what about the game?" And her replying calmly with "There's nothing else we can do. Without a beacon," (He's hopeless, there is nothing he can do to fix this.)

And I wanna add, how happy he was seeing Calhoun again. He was shocked seeing her take down Ralph with a single hit, but he's so happy to see that she's okay— "My lady, you came back!"…And how he crumbled hearing her telling him to "Can it." He almost forgot but her yelling at him *again* has him remembering.

"Oh right, I messed up. It's my fault she left, she's mad at me. She's still mad at me...and even though I don't know why, I respect her and I'm certain that her reason is justified."

And yes, I'm bringing up the end kiss. The kiss was literally, "Heh, we did it! Couldn't have done it with you though, so thank you!"

He's *so confused*, and I love that it takes a few seconds before he smiles and kisses back.

"Oh! I thought I was gonna die, what an interesting turn this took! *gosh..she's good at kissin'…*"

I didn't mention how frantic and excited he was while he saw that Ralph and Vanellope were both okay, so I'm gonna, because I love that he cheers for Ralph— and it's because he solved the problem, and he did it using HIS OWN skills. His giant fists! The ones that caused problems and wrecked thing had solved a problem and fixed a situation.

The entire event changed everything for him. He faced confrontation instead of avoiding it, he got out of a situation without using his hammer (well, I'm talking about the Nesquiksand so technically he used it but whatever.) He's experienced a whole new point of view— Ralph's point of view, and he has so much respect for him. Not only that, but now Ralph's his friend. He's important to him, so much so that he asked him to be his best man at his wedding.

In conclusion, Felix learned so many things— besides his self-discovery that he enjoys getting roughed up.