A Brief History of Marvin the Martian

Marvin the Martian, compared to other Looney Tunes characters, has had a relatively short career on screen. Marvin, clad in with a brush-topped helmet and a kilt, first appeared in Haredevil Hare (1948), alongside Bugs Bunny. In this comedy, Marvin (then called Commander X-2) is blasted to the Moon on a "Mars to the Moon Expedition" only to meet Bugs Bunny, the first test rabbit to be rocketed into outer space. When Bugs discovers Commander X-2's plan to blow up earth, conflict erupts resulting in the moon being blown up with dynamite. In the last scene we see Bugs and Commander X-2 hanging off the point of the now permanently crescent shaped moon.

Marvin the Martian's most famous role was in "Duck Dodgers In The 24 1/2th Century" (1953). This short was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The shorts production backgrounds created for this classic is also noteworthy. Painted by artist Phillip de Guard, they are now some of the most sought after animation production backgrounds ever created by Warner Brothers. In competition with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian vies for control of the Planet X (where alumdium fozdex, the 'shaving cream atom' can be found) The ensuing struggle for control results in a nuclear holocaust. In the final scene, the three characters are shown clinging to each other from beneath the only small bit of planet leftover.

Marvin the Martian was only in two more Looney Toons episodes after Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½ Century. Hare Way to the Stars (1958) and Mad as a Mad Hare (1963). Both these animation shorts were directed by chuck Jones, and in both, Marvin was pitted against his original antagonist, Bugs Bunny

Although Marvin the Martian wasn't being used in Warner Brothers animation for some time, his image was still being widely used distributed, mainly to promote a number of commercial products.

In 1980, CBS aired Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over, a compilation of animation shorts, that contained the classic Duck Dodgers and the 24 ½ Century, along with a new short staring Marvin the Martian, titled Spaced out Bunny. Marvin's new appearance was the first in 17 years.

Marvin the Martian has since plastered lunch boxes and other numerous items of Warner Brothers promotional inventory and has gained a regular spot as the villain for the half hour Duck Dodgers TV series.