Characters of Peter Pan

The works of J. M. Barrie about Peter Pan feature many memorable characters. The numerous adaptations and sequels to those stories feature many of the same characters, and introduce new ones. Most of these strive for continuity with Barrie's work, developing a fairly consistent cast of characters living in Neverland and the real-world settings of Barrie's stories.

This article covers the characters appearing in the canonical works of Barrie, the major motion pictures based on them, and the major prequels/sequels (authorized and not):

• The Little White Bird or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (novel) - PPKG
• Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (play) - PLAY
• Peter and Wendy (novel) - P&W
• Peter Pan (1924 film) - 1924
• Peter Pan (1953 film) - 1953
• Hook (film) - HOOK
• Return to Never Land (film) - RNL
• Peter Pan (2003 film) - 2003
• Peter Pan in Scarlet (novel) - PPS
• Peter and the Starcatchers (novel) - P&SC
• Peter and the Shadow Thieves (novel) - P&ST
• Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (novel) - P&SR

Peter Pan

Main article: Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a boy who refuses to grow up. He can fly, and has an apparently unique connection to the magical realm of Neverland.

Wendy Darling

Main article: Wendy Darling

Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a girl who befriended Peter Pan, and whom he took with him to Neverland to be a mother for himself and the Lost Boys. She is nice to the lost boys even though she wants to get home and see her parents. She is also kind and caring, and her long name states her class. She is 12–13 years old, although in the 2003 movie, she seems to be about 14.

Captain James Hook

Main article: Captain Hook

Captain James Hook is a pirate, and Peter Pan's archenemy. He is determined to get revenge on Peter for cutting off his hand and feeding it to a giant crocodile.

Tinker Bell

Main article: Tinker Bell

Tinker Bell is a fairy, and a companion to Peter Pan at the time of his adventures with Wendy Darling. Tink follows Peter but is very jealous of Wendy and Tiger Lily, and wants to get rid of them so she can have Peter to herself. In the play she is played by a spot of light

The Lost Boys

Main article: Lost Boys (Peter Pan)

The Lost Boys are a gang of boys who fell out of their prams and were not claimed by their parents, so they were sent to Neverland. There have been many Lost Boys over the years, although the most known are Tootles, Nibs, Curly, Slightly, and The Twins, who all appear in the original story. Additional or different Lost Boys appear in sequels, prequels and adaptations.

John Darling

1907 illustration by Oliver Herford.

John Napoleon Darling is the second youngest of the Darling children. In some of the adaptations, such as Disney's "Peter Pan (1953 film)", he wears glasses and a long nightshirt and top hat, and carries an umbrella with him. When Peter Pan can't lead the Lost Boys, he acts as their intelligent leader. He is 8 years old in the Disney version, and 12 in the musical version. He is fascinated by pirates. Even though John does not appear in "Return to Never Land", he does make a nonphysical appearance as one of the clouds seen in the sky during the opening scene of the film. He makes a brief appearance during the ending scene of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He is around 11-12 in the 2003 movie.

Michael Darling

1907 illustration by Oliver Herford.

Michael Nicholas Darling is the youngest of the three children in the Darling family. His age is 4 (8 to 9 in the 2003 movie), but Barrie states in Peter and Wendy that he still wears pinafores, and on his next birthday he'll start wearing shirts. In Disney's film he wears pink footed pajamas, and carries a small teddy bear with him, even in the dream world of Neverland. He is quite sensitive. He looks up to his older sister Wendy and he sometimes bickers with John, his older brother.

In an early draft of the play, the character's name was "Alexander" or "Alex", but was renamed after Michael Llewelyn Davies and his middle name came from Nicholas, who were born during the play's development. In the novel 'Peter Pan in Scarlet' it is mentioned that Michael was lost (or rather died) in the War. He does not appear in "Return to Never Land", the off-shoot sequel to movie #1, the only time he appears is in the clouds at the beginning.

George and Mary Darling

George Darling is the husband of Mary Darling and the father of Wendy, Michael, and John. He is also a bank/office worker, and can be quite loud and boisterous, as well as pompous and self-important. He seeks to attract attention, from his co-workers to his wife and children. However, deep inside, he is actually a kind-hearted person that just wants what's best for his family, especially his kids. In the Disney variant, he believes the stories (told by his daughter in this version and not by his wife) to be a "lot of silly stories" and "poppycock", though he could be stressing from finding out that he might lose his job. The 2003 movie also has George Darling as pompous and angry; he states that he must become a man "that children fear and adults respect", and he again barks at Wendy for her to grow up, here scheduling formal instruction for his daughter the following morning with his sister Millicent instead of just kicking her out of the nursery.

In the Disney adaptation of the story, he was modeled after and voiced by Hans Conried, who is also the model and voice for the villainous Captain Hook. In many productions of the play, they are sometimes played by the same actor. However, when cooled down in the end of the film, he changes his mind about Wendy's "crazy stories". He later remarks having seen a pirate ship such as Peter Pan's when he was very young himself. In contrast to his moody outbursts, he is gentle at heart - when he punishes the children by taking Nana the dog outside, he feels sorry for her and soothes her to comfort her.

In the book Peter and the Shadow Thieves, it states that he and Molly were childhood friends in their neighborhood of Kensington Gardens, and it is hinted in that story that he had a crush on her. Since Molly is a nickname for Mary, who would later be listed as his wife in the book, "Peter Pan," it is assumed that Molly later married George Darling and gave birth to Wendy, John, and Michael.

He is named after George Llewelyn Davies.

Mary Darling is the wife of George Darling and the mother of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, who travel with Peter to Neverland. She shares a first name with Barrie's wife.

Mrs. Darling (as she is commonly referred) is a loving wife and mother, but not demonstratively so. She is said to have a kiss that she holds in the right corner of her mouth, which is reserved for one person, who is neither her husband nor any of her three children. It is later said that her kiss looks very much like Peter Pan. Mrs. Darling's story is played in Peter and the Starcatchers, where her name is changed to Molly, which was a nickname for Mary in her day.

In the Disney version of the tale, she is voiced by Heather Angel.

Nana

Nana is the Newfoundland nurse of Wendy, John, and Michael, hired by the Darlings to look after the children on his modest income. Although George Darling is somewhat embarrassed to have a dog in his employ, Nana is good at her job. In the original stage direction of the play it is stated that "She will probably be played by a boy, if one clever enough can be found, and must never be on two legs except on those rare occasions when an ordinary nurse would be on four." In the Disney movie, Nana was a St Bernard.

Nana II is a St. Bernard owned by Jane's family in Return to Never Land and may be a descendant of the original Nana. Although it's hinted that she believes she's in charge of Jane, there's no indication that she has any actual authority, but is just a pet.

Pirates

Smee: Captain Hook's right-hand man in J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and the novel Peter and Wendy. He seems an oddly genial man for a pirate; Barrie describes him as "Irish" and "a man who stabbed without offence" – and is shown in the multiple pantomimes or movies of Peter Pan as a rather stupidly entertaining man interested in loot rather than Hook's more evil pleasures. Smee typically represents a humorous side to pirating, often portrayed as a portly man with a bulbous nose and red cheeks, but J.M. Barrie has hinted at a darker side. When captured by Hook, every child in the brig loves Smee – he cannot lay a fist on them and does their darning – despite his belief that they fear him. Hook contemplates that Smee has good form without knowing it, which is of course the best form of all. He almost tears into Smee for this but knows that clawing a man for having good form is very bad form. Smee offers to save Wendy from the plank, if only she promises to be his mother - an offer she refuses, J. M. Barrie using the words, "Not even for Smee". Smee's position on the Jolly Roger is presented inconsistently (in a sense, it could be said that "no two 'Smees' are alike"). In Peter and Wendy, he is identified as the ship's bo'sun. In most Disney storybooks Smee is said to be first mate (the position held by Starkey in the novel), and this would explain him being addressed as 'Mister Smee' by Captain Hook, although some refer to him as the cook; in the Disney film, however, contrary to popular belief, he is never mentioned as the first mate. However, he consistently acts as Captain Hook's "left-hand man" (though with varying degrees of personal loyalty). In Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook, Smee and Hook's relationship takes on an almost intimate tone, at times even resembling an old married couple or a master/servant arrangement. Smee is allowed access to Hook's private quarters, is seen preparing meals for the Captain and even helps him disrobe before bed. When Hook threatens suicide, he makes it obvious that he expects Smee to stop him, to which Smee replies "not again". Hook also confides all of his darkest and most personal thoughts and concerns to Smee, seemingly exclusively. When Hook admits (likely untruthfully) that he wants to die, Smee embraces the captain and kisses him on the cheek to dissuade him. In Peter Pan in Scarlet, he has moved into the Underground Home of the Lost Boys. He leaves Neverland by the end of the book and opens up a shop that sell souvenirs from Neverland that he collected.

Starkey: First mate on the Jolly Roger. He is also called "Gentleman Starkey" because of his impeccable manners. He used to be an usher in a public school and is described as "still dainty in his ways of killing." He is the only pirate (apart from Smee) to survive the final battle, being captured by the Indians and forced to be a babysitter for them. He is also the only one of Hook's pirates (apart from Smee) who returns in Peter Pan in Scarlet, now happily in charge of a large group of extremely well-mannered child pirates (the children he was watching for the Indians; he taught them manners and then taught them piracy). Sadly, hid attack on the Jolly Roger (renamed the "Jolly Peter" by Peter) fails and Fireflyer eats his "treasure"- an immense pile of onions. He was one of the pirates who made up Hook's much smaller crew in the Fox animated series. Here, he was a foppish French pirate who wielded a rapier.

Ed Teynte: Hook's quartermaster. First pirate to be killed by Peter in the final battle.

Bill Jukes: Used to be on the Walrus under Flint, and is heavily tattooed. Second pirate to be killed by Peter in the final battle. In Fox's animated series, he was instead a teenaged boy from India named Billy Jukes, an inventive lad who was the ship's gunner, responsible for maintaining the "Long Tom", a cannon stylized to resemble a white tiger.

Cecco: A very handsome man of Italian descent. He was said to have cut his name in letters of blood on the back of the governor of the prison at Gao (though this has never been proven). Third pirate to be killed by Peter in the final battle.

Cookson: He is said to be Black Murphy's brother (though this was never proven). One of the pirates in the Fox animated series, he was portrayed as the ship's (extremely bad) cook, given the first name Eucrates and was apparently of Greek origin, as he spoke with a very thick accent.

Noodler: Not much is known about him, except for the fact that his hands are fixed on backwards.

Skylights: (Morgan's Skylights) Appears only briefly in the book, immediately being killed by Hook for accidentally bumping against him and ruffling his lace collar.

William Slank: An evil man who was second in command on the ship known as "The Never Land". He was only shown in the book series called Peter and the Starcatchers. He is presumed dead after Peter and the Shadow Thieves.

Alf Mason: J.M. Barrie briefly mentions Alf Mason, but the 2003 film describes him as a man so ugly his own mother sold him for a bottle of Muscat. However, in Peter and the Starcatchers, Alf is a not a pirate serving Hook but is a sailor who befriends Peter, James, Tubby Ted, Prentiss and Thomas. In Peter Pan & The Pirates, Alf Mason was the ship's carpenter and general strongman.

Little Richard: A huge giant of a man who is very handy with a whip in Peter and the Starcatchers. He is eaten alive by Slank so that he could live.

Black Pirate: J.M. Barrie only states that he is gigantic and has had many names that still terrify children on the banks of the Guadjo-mo.

Robert Mullins: The last pirate killed by Peter before his duel with Hook. In the animated series, Robert Mullins was the last of the crew of Captain Hook, a superstitious American who hailed from Brooklyn and was something of a father figure to Billy Jukes.

George Scourie: One of the pirates killed in the battle with the Indians.

Charles Turely: Another pirate killed in the battle, fell to the Great Panther's tomahawk.

Foggerty: An Alsatian, the fourth pirate to die in the battle.

Indians

Tiger Lily

1907 illustration by Oliver Herford.

Tiger Lily is the princess of the Tribe of Indians (Native Americans) living on the island of Neverland. Tiger Lily is nearly killed by Captain Hook when she is seen boarding the Jolly Roger with a knife in her mouth, but Peter saves her. In the earlier versions of Peter Pan, it is assumed that she disapproves of Wendy and even Tinker Bell at one point because of her envy.

In the Disney version, Tiger Lily is kidnapped by Captain Hook and Smee. Hook threatens to kill her if she does not tell him Peter's hiding place. Save for a brief call for help (which is the closest she ever comes to speaking, although her cry is muffled by water as she sinks but one can still tell and it's apparent), she remains silent, as she does through the whole movie, refusing to betray Peter. She is saved by Peter and he takes her to her tribe. During the celebration of her return, Tiger Lily shows her affection towards Peter. At first, Peter watches Tiger Lily dance, then Tiger Lily jumps down and gives Peter a kiss. This turns Peter bright red. Then they dance together, which makes Wendy very jealous. Corinne Orr voiced Tiger Lily's only line (albeit in an uncredited, early role).

In the rather dark French comic book adaptation of Peter Pan, Tiger Lily makes a few appearances as a rather spoiled princess. She is saved by one of Peter Pan's best friends and her father remarks that he is worthy to be her husband, but Tiger Lily refuses and wants to marry Peter instead. As she forces a kiss on Peter's lips, Peter, shocked and upset, pushes her away in rejection. Her father is displeased with her behavior and Peter Pan and his friends leave.

In Fox's animated series adaptation, she has a brother named Hard-To-Hit and somewhat of a bigger but recurring role there, and more likely speaks. Their tribal chief is known as Great Big Little Panther, who is also their father. She and her sibling sometimes accompany and assist Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the Darling siblings and the Lost Boys on the adventures that they have together. There does not seem to be any competition amongst her, Wendy and Tinker Bell for Peter's affections in this version. She is portrayed by voice actress Cree Summer.

In the 2003 film adaptation, Tiger Lily is sitting in a tree when John and Micheal Darling are caught in a trap, presumably set for the pirates. She laughs at them and is captured by Hook, along with John and Michael. Peter and Wendy fly to the rescue. Tiger Lily, John and Michael are attacked by a pirate when they attempt to escape. John knocks the pirate into the water, and Tiger Lily kisses him, showing she may have romantic feelings for him instead of Peter.

Tribes

Piccanniny tribe: the Indians who appeared in Barrie's original play were based on the native peoples of North America.

Mollusk tribe: the Indians in the Starcatcher books.

Scorpion tribe: a dangerous group in one of the Starcatcher books, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, who use poison as their main weapon and are the most feared tribe of them all.

Jane

Jane (last name is not given) is the daughter of Wendy Darling and appears briefly in most versions of the story as the one to follow Peter to Neverland after Wendy has grown up and lost the ability to fly.

In Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates she makes a brief cameo by means of time travel. While in the past, she meets her mother who at the time is still living with Pan and having adventures in Neverland. Jane is overjoyed to see that the stories her mother told her are all true and even meets her mother's younger self. However, while she and her mother do love each other, Jane ultimately breaks her mother's heart because her very existence proves to Wendy that she will one day leave Neverland and grow up.

Jane's largest role was in the film Return to Neverland, where she is portrayed as a cynical, no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl who refuses to believe her mother's stories about Peter Pan or in anything else for that matter. In fact, unlike Wendy, she is not interested in playing "mother" for the Lost Boys and spends most of her time in Neverland just wanting to leave. She was forced to grow up as quickly as she did, losing both her faith and in effect her childhood, due to living in London during the Blitz. In the movie, she is mistaken for her mother by Captain Hook, who kidnaps her in a scheme to get Peter.

Jane eventually marries and has a daughter, called Margaret in Barrie's original story and called Moira in Hook. In Barrie's original story, Peter flies away with Margaret and "thus it will go on," meaning Peter will come for each of Wendy's female descendants when they are young, and he never grows up. However, in the film Hook, Moira eventually marries Peter Pan, they grow up, and have two children: Jack and Maggie.

Jane's family

Wendy is Jane's mother. She is Wendy Darling, grown up, and entertains her children with stories about her adventures with Peter Pan.

Danny (Daniel) is Jane's little brother in Disney's Return to Never Land, who first appears at the beginning of as an infant, and is a pre-schooler in most of the scenes he appears in. He believes entirely in his mother's stories about Peter Pan. He is very similar to his uncle Michael (from the original Disney film adaptation), even to wearing footed-pajamas, (although Danny's are pale green, instead of Michael's pale pink ones). In Barrie's original story, Jane is an only child.

Edward is the husband of the adult Wendy in Return to Never Land, and the father of Jane and Danny. He is called to serve in the British military at the beginning of Return to Never Land, and returns at the end of the film. He is depicted as a warm and caring man. In Barrie's original story, Wendy's husband is mentioned only once and remains unnamed.

The Bannings

The Bannings are characters from Spielberg's Hook.

Peter Banning is Peter Pan, grown up. When he fell in love with Moira, he abandoned his eternal youth. He was adopted by an American couple named Hank and Jane Banning, and forgot about his life as Peter Pan. He is played by Robin Williams.

Moira Banning is Wendy Darling's granddaughter and Peter Banning's wife. It is possible that she is the sister of Margaret, Wendy's granddaughter in Barrie's original story.

Jack Banning is Peter and Moira Banning's son.

Maggie Banning is Peter and Moira Banning's daughter.

Molly Aster

Molly Aster is one of the main characters of the four Starcatchers novels. She has striking green eyes and golden brown hair. She is the daughter of famous Starcatcher Leonard Aster and his wife, Louise Aster, and is therefore a Starcatcher by blood and very wealthy. She is very headstrong and stubborn. She constantly squabbles with friends and even her father, whom she respects and admires. She is also very brave and thoughtful, and seems to have a good grasp on her inherited Starcatcher powers. She wears a locket filled with Starstuff at all times.

She has a romantic attraction to both Peter and young George Darling. She and Peter catch each others' eye almost immediately after boarding the ship The Never Land in Peter and the Starcatchers. But his decision to stay on Mollusk Island at the end of P&SC and the arrival of George in Peter and the Shadow Thieves, combined with the fact that she is growing older while he is not, complicates her feelings for him. In Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, she and Peter have many arguments, though they part on good terms (with their mutual first kiss,the book says it was the kiss that they will both carry for the rest of their lives in their minds) and she makes him promise to visit her, he replies "Someday". (This kiss is often seen as an allusion to the "hidden kiss" that both Wendy and Mary Darling have in J.M. Barrie's original Peter and Wendy.) Her feelings toward her childhood friend George grow warmer after she calls on him for help in Peter and the Shadow Thieves. She responds to George's maturity compared to Peter, and treats him with greater respect.

Her relationships with Peter, George Darling, Tinker Bell, and the mermaids are all consistent with her being Wendy's mother, a conclusion hinted at but not confirmed by the authors.^[1] (It's confirmed in the forthcoming Peter and the Sword of Mercy.^[2]She is called "Molly" rather than "Mary", however "Molly" is a traditional nickname for girls named "Mary".^[3]

St. Norbert's

Mr. Grempkin Second in Command at St. Norbert's Home For Wayward Boys. He has the habit of coming up with rules as the mood strikes and clouting boys on the ear. He is also the grammar teacher.

The Headmaster's Daughter An awful girl who likes to drop spiders on the boy's heads

Prentiss A rather new boy at St. Norbert's.

James James seems to be closer to Peter then any other boy at St. Norbert's. In Sword of Mercy, he becomes James Smith and works for Scotland Yard

Tubby Ted As a running gag, Tubby Ted is always hungry.

Thomas A boy from St. Norbert's

Other characters

Mermaids look typically as you would imagine, a fish tail for legs and a shell bikini and shells in their hair. They are jealous of Wendy as Peter likes her better than them.

Crocodile/Tick-Tock Hook's only nemesis besides Peter, and also the only thing for which he is mentioned as having any fear. It ate Hook's missing hand when Peter cut it from him in battle, and longs for the rest of him. Hook subsequently tricks it into swallowing an alarm clock so that he can know of the creature's approach by the ticking. While shown to be a "good" character from Peter's point of view in most pantomime productions, in animated depictions, while it clearly likes Hook's taste best, it is shown to not be above pursuing anyone else who falls in the sea. In Hook, it has been shown to have been killed, stuffed, and turned into a clock by Captain Hook, but also, at the end, it was shown to have been alive, somehow, as of after he was knocked out of the clock's framework, fell on Hook, swallowed him, and belched. It is called "Mr. Grin" in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Although Tick Tock appears in the Disney version, he is not in Return to Neverland, where Tick Tock is replaced by an octopus. when the octopus attacks Hook, the pirate says he somehow got rid of the crocodile. The Crocodile appeared in many other Disney films, cartoons, and TV shows, such as Goliath II, Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, Aladdin Jungle Cubs, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

Ravello See Captain Hook

Fireflyer A silly blue fairy born out of a baby's first laugh in Peter Pan in Scarlet. Like most fairies he's conceited and self-centered, but he's a devoted friend to the lost boy Slightly.

Leonard and Louise Aster The parents of Molly Aster. Leonard is an ambassador for the Queen to Rudoon. In the book Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Louise is taken captive by the others.

Lord Ombra A shadow creature from Peter and the Shadow Thieves.

Captain Nerezza A cruel captain lacking a nose who is often employed by the "Others" from Peter and the Shadow Thieves.

King Zarboff III The King of Rundoon and one of the "Others" in the Peter and the Starcatchers series.

Other fairies

Main article: Disney Fairies

References

1. ^ [1] B&N interview with Barry and Pearson]
2. ^ http://www.ridleypearson.com/KIDS/index.php
3. ^ Genealogy research: English Common Law, cousins explained, more

External links

Characters of Peter Pan at Neverpedia