List of Tin Man characters

This list is of characters from in the television fantasy miniseries, Tin Man, a reimagining of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz.

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Raw

Like nearly everyone in Tin Man, Raw, played by Raoul Trujillo, is based on a character from The Wizard of Oz: in this case, the Cowardly Lion. Similarly to the others, he serves the same plot function while being a much different individual.

Fictional biography

In Tin Man Raw is a Viewer, one of a psychic race of empaths who are part lion, part human. When introduced, he is the captive of the the Papé, a hunter race. DG rescues him and he joins her quest, along with tormented former law enforcer Cain (Wyatt Cain), the movie's eponymous Tin Man, and Glitch (Ambrose), the former Chief Advisor to the Royal Family, who is as brainless as the original Scarecrow. DG and her companions are told that they need to find the Emerald before Azkadellia in order to save the OZ. Raw tells DG that the Emerald is guarded by the "Grey Gale." To find the Emerald, then, they must first find the Grey Gale.

Raw has a clear sense of right and wrong; however, he is easily frightened and intimidated, and finds himself to be a coward in the face of violence. He justifies this self-image with the fact that, however reluctantly, he told Azkadellia the whereabouts of the Emerald while under torture. As with his counterpart, one of his main objectives over the course of the series is to gain courage and confidence. While he accompanies DG and the others, he grows to care very much about them, and risks his life on a number of occasions to save them.

Eventually Raw conquers his demons and becomes a brave individual, defending a pre-pubescent Viewer from the sadistic Alchemist whom he overpowers and apparently kills. He plays an integral in the final battle to destroy Azkadellia's Machine at the climax of the series.

Production and reception

Neal McDonough who plays as Wyatt Cain "said that he enjoyed working with" Trujillo "and felt tremendous compassion for him. 'Raoul, my God, what this poor guy had to go through,' McDonough said. 'Every day, he spent hours in a chair getting the makeup put on, and he never complained. I'm telling you, he never complained. I wouldn't be able to take it. I always have two rules when I'm choosing roles, and they are two things I can't have: tights and prosthetics. Raoul would go through that every day for hours. I was like, 'Man, how do you do it?' I'm just claustrophobic, I guess. He's so perfect as Raw.'" Nevertheless, The Washington Post reports that Trujillo's reimagining of the character "won't remind anyone anywhere of Bert Lahr's immortal portrayal of the same character."

Tutor

A changeling who resembles a portly dark-skinned man in his true form, Tutor, played by Blu Mankuma, is a warm and genial character who is capable of turning into a small dog. His counterpart in the novel is Dorothy's pet dog, Toto, and "Toto" was also what DG, unable to pronounce "Tutor" as a child, called him in flashbacks during the miniseries.

When Azkadellia and DG were children, Tutor taught them how to hone their magical abilities. When first introduced, he is a spy for Azkadellia, dropping holographic coins for Xora to collect and take back to her mistress. Cain soon finds the coins and deduces that Tutor has been spying on them. Tutor admits it, but claims that he stopped dropping the coins miles back and only wants to help DG now. DG accepts Tutor's explanation and allows him to continue traveling with them. Tutor proves to be a courageous and brave individual who takes part in the final battle against Azkadellia's minions.

Queen Lavender-Eyes

The former ruler of the OZ, Lavender-Eyes is based on Glinda the Good Witch of the North. She is the mother of Azkadellia and DG, and wife of Ahamo. Various flashbacks show her on her pavilion in Finaqua, a beautiful lakeland where she used to take DG and "Az" when they were children.

When Azkadellia becomes possessed by the spirit of the Evil Witch of the Dark, Azkadellia organizes a rebellion against her mother and seizes the throne for herself. She then imprisons Lavender-Eyes on a barren island in the middle of the ocean and leaves her there. Azkadellia occasionally comes to visit Lavender-Eyes, usually to mock her and sometimes to torture her by making torrential downpour fall upon her. Azkadellia can teleport to and from the island at whim by clapping her hands, and she is able to observe it at any time through a magical glass dome in her palace.

Azkadellia seems to hate Lavender-Eyes passionately. She plans to allow Lavender-Eyes to live until the day when she can "see her hope die", and relishes mocking her mother, even making a point of telling her that DG is dead. Nevertheless, Lavender-Eyes never gives up hope that Azkadellia is not beyond redemption.

When DG arrives at the pavilion where she used to sit with her mother when she was child she finds a holographic recording of Lavender-Eyes telling her to go the Land of the Unwanted and find her father, Ahamo.

Lavender-Eyes is later reunited with Ahamo by Azkadellia, but only so that she can taunt and eventually kill them. When Azkadellia is freed from the Evil Witch that possesses her and reverts to her previous benevolent self, Lavender-Eyes stands with her, DG, and Ahamo and watches the suns rise in the distance.

It is also worth mentioning that Lavender-Eyes is never stated to be the Queen's actual name. She is referred to as the Queen throughout the series but she is named as "Lavender-Eyes" in the ending credits. Glitch at one point tries to remember her name but cannot.

The Light

According to Ambrose, Lavender-Eyes was formerly the most powerful being in the OZ and held "The Light", a power similar to The Force from Star Wars. What this power is or if it entails immortality is not known; however it was potent enough to bring DG back from the dead when Azkadellia killed her. Lavender-Eyes appears to be at least magically kept young, as she has not aged since Azkadellia's coup; however, she is not indestructible, and at one point she asks Azkadellia why she doesn't just kill her. Lavender-Eyes no longer possesses the power of the Light, having passed it on to DG when she bring her back to life. DG now possesses the Light but does not unlock its full potential until late in the story, so for most of the miniseries, Azkadellia seems to be the most powerful entity in the OZ.

Dorothy Gale is implied to be the source of The Light and may even be The Light incarnate. The inscription in the cave where the Evil Witch of the Dark was trapped before DG and Azkadellia accidentally released her made reference to the Light triumphing over the Witch at the dawn of time and imprisoning her in the cave. The nursery rhyme "Two Little Princesses" which Lavender-Eyes sings to DG makes reference to The Light. Whether or not it is a divine being or merely a magical power is never fully explained but it seems to have a mind or at least a consciousness of its own as Azkadellia at one point says "The Light seems to be helping the pure of heart."

One of the main themes in the series is the juxtaposition of Light and Darkness and their existence within everyone and everything .

Mystic Man

An analogue of the Wizard of Oz, the Mystic Man, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is a scholar who is addicted to Vapours, a drug created by Azkadellia. DG seeks him out to find out how to defeat Azkadellia. He is later captured along with DG, Glitch and Cain and taken to Azkadellia's palace in Central City. Glitch and Cain manage to escape but Mystic Man and DG do not.

Azkadellia interrogates the Mystic Man who refuses to tell her what she wants to know and mocks her, saying that DG is more powerful than her. Azkadellia angrily responds that DG will never be as powerful as her, to which the Mystic Man answers, "Then why are you so scared?". Azkadellia kills him by sucking his life-force out through his mouth.

The Washinton Post contends that "Dreyfuss is subdued but charismatic as Mystic Man, the film's substitute for the Wizard."

Ahamo

Father of DG and Azkadellia and husband to Lavender-Eyes, Ahamo is the former King Consort of the OZ. When Azkadellia came to power he fled to the Land of the Unwanted and Azkadellia, not viewing him as a threat, let him stay there.

Lavender-Eyes tells DG to go to the Land of the Unwanted and find Ahamo. When DG and her companions arrive there, they are set upon by Longcoats. Ahamo grabs DG before any of the Longcoats can and takes her back to his lair to reveal his true identity to her. DG is furious at first and attacks him, but when he explains himself to her she forgives him and they form a bond.

Ahamo is later captured by Azkadellia and taken back to Central City, where he is reunited with Lavender-Eyes. They passionately embrace and kiss while Azkadellia mocks them, saying that DG is dead and she has the Emerald.

After Azkadellia is exorcised, Ahamo forgives the past and embraces her, standing along with his wife and daughters as the twin suns of the OZ rise in the distance.

Similar to the Wizard in the original Wizard of Oz, Ahamo describes how he accidentally entered the OZ when flying in his hot-air balloon.

Jeb Cain

Wyatt Cain's son, Jeb Cain is one of the leaders of the rebellion against Azkadellia's tyrannical regime. After Cain was locked in a tin suit and tortured with images of his family being killed, Jeb and his mother escaped. Jeb managed to survive Azkadellia's genocide, but his mother was murdered by General Zero. Jeb and his fellow rebels free Cain, Glitch, and Raw from a party of Longcoats led by Zero. The rebels take Zero captive, and Jeb is about to kill him when Cain stops him. Jeb is much the way Cain used to be when he meets his father later in the series, if somewhat more idealistic; however, being around his father helps Jeb mature and the father-son bond between them is quite strong.

Evil

The Mobats

The Mobats are malevolent creatures - part monkey, part bat - who are based on the Flying Monkeys from the original story. They were imprisoned with the Evil Witch of the Dark in her cave and enter into Azkadellia when the Witch takes possession of her. They are tattooed on Azkadellia's chest and when Azkadellia wishes to summon them, the Mobats appear from the tattoos. They are intelligent and obey the evil Queen's every command. When one of them, Xora, is killed during the series, her mark on Azkadellia's chest disappears. It is assumed that when the Witch of the Dark was destroyed, the Mobats perished along with her.

Xora

The leader of the Mobats, Xora is a ruthless creature whose body is covered with a number of scars and gashes as the result of her violent past. She is Azkadellia's personal favorite and Azkadellia takes on a very maternal role with her, saying, "That's my girl" to her at one point and sharing a piece of what appears to be chocolate with her at another.

Azkadellia sends Xora to follow DG, Tutor, Glitch, Cain, and Raw on their quest for the Emerald, reasoning that they will lead her straight to it. Tutor, who is working for Azkadellia, drops holographic coins which Xora collects and takes back to Azkadellia.

Wyatt Cain eventually realizes that they are being followed and spots Xora, who attacks them, only to be shot dead by Cain.

When Xora is destroyed, Azkadellia immediately senses her death and is left even more insecure and paranoid and filled with a desire for vengeance.

Longcoats

The Longcoats are Azkadellia's Royal Troops. Stereotypical evil henchmen, they get their names from the long, black coats which they wear. Describing their dark appearance, a character in the miniseries refers to them as "stormtrooper meets leather bar." Their appearance and attitude is also akin to members of the SS, Hitler's secret police. They could be seen as parallels of the Winkies in the original story .

General Lonot

The leader of the Longcoats and head of Azkadellia's military at the start of the series, Lonot was previously the most trusted ally of Queen Lavender-Eyes but defected to Azkadellia's side during the corrupt Princess's rebellion. Azkadellia kills him for failing her by sucking out his life-essence through his mouth.

General Zero

Lonot's successor, Zero is portrayed as a brutal, sadistic sociopath. He was responsible for murdering Wyatt Cain's wife and incarcerating Cain in a tin suit where he was tortured with footage of his family's excruciating demise. Later in the series he captures Cain, Glitch, Raw, and Tutor in the Land of the Unwanted and takes them to his camp aboveground. There, he and his forces are ambushed by a rebel force led by Jeb Cain. His henchmen abandon him, his prisoners are released, and Zero is taken captive. Jeb Cain later attempts to behead him as revenge for killing his mother but is prevented from doing so by his father, who later that evening takes Zero into the heart of a nearby forest and locks him in a tin suit like the one he trapped him in. The following morning, Cain takes Jeb into the forest and shows him the tin suit with Zero inside it, his eyes wide with panic. Cain tells Jeb that if they defeat Azkadellia, they could come back and free Zero after a time; if they fail, he would suffer the same fate he had tried to doom Cain to.

The Evil Witch of the Dark

A demonic spirit who was defeated and imprisoned in a cave many centuries before the events of the story, the Evil Witch of the Dark was accidentally released by DG and Azkadellia when they were children and took possession of Azkadellia. It is the corrupting influence of the Witch that causes Azkadellia to be evil. The Witch is shown communicating with Azkadellia at one point, urging her to continue her quest for the Emerald. The Witch tells Azkadellia, "I will never leave you", implying that Azkadellia suffers from a fear of abandonment. The Witch also has control over the Mobats who serve Azkadellia due to the presence of the Witch within her. At the climax of the series, when Azkadellia stands upon a platform using the power of the Emerald combined with her Machine to fix the twin suns of the OZ in a permanent eclipse, DG reaches out her hand and begs Azkadellia to accept it. After a struggle with herself, Azkadellia does take her sister's hand, and is freed from the Witch, who at this point assumes physical form without need of a host. The Witch tells DG to "Keep the little bitch", but quickly discovers that she cannot hold the Eclipse in place without the Emerald. Howling in rage, she demands that Azkadellia give her the Emerald. Instead, DG and Azkadellia link hands, insulating themselves within a magical circle of protection. Powerless to harm them, the Witch increases in size until she towers over the two princesses, screaming in fury. Meanwhile, DG's allies succeed in destroying the Machine. The Witch utters a final shriek before melting, similarly to the Wicked Witch of the West in the original story, which she is heavily implied to be.

She is similar to the Amatsu Mikaboshi from Japanese mythology and the Swamp Witch from The 10th Kingdom . She also bears similarities to Palpatine from the Star Wars mythos in terms of personality and appearance. Her proclamation of "Ohhhh, the magic is strong in you" when encountering DG and Azkadellia for the first time is particularly reminiscent of a line spoken by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith.

Reception

The Washington Post reports that as "Azkadellia and Queen Lavender Eyes, Kathleen Robertson and Anna Galvin have to fight their way to the camera from under layers of makeup and costuming, but they do a pretty good job of it."