Every hero requires a villain or two (or many) to make them deserving of their hero status. Batman, James Bond, Godzilla… they all have unique rogues’ galleries to offer up challenges requiring daring escapades and skills from the hero to beat the baddie. One such hero and his bevy of bad guys (and gal!) that we lovers of retro film almost take for granted, as many of us started watching his heroics at a very early age, is that wascally wabbit: Bugs Bunny. For almost twenty-five years during the Golden Age of animation, Bugs battled witches, angry white men, hairy monsters in tennis shoes, and an entire assemblage of hilarious villains that are still making us laugh today. We thought it would be fun to throw a list together of his top ten best and most famous enemies, as they all deserve a moment in the spotlight. And sorry, Daffy Duck didn’t make the list, as we consider him more of a rival/partner than a true enemy. So without further ado, here are ten of the heroic rabbit’s most iconic adversaries… roll ’em, Smokey!

A moronic one-shot character with a large fan following, the hilariously dumb Pete starred in only one short during the Golden Age. His pure stupidity, and seriously, this guy is dumb, made him stand out against other Bugs’ adversaries… and that’s really saying something. His iconic laugh will either tickle your funny bone or sound like nails on a chalkboard, but either way, when Bugs gives him the lumps, nothing is funnier.

Created by the great Friz Freleng, this pair of goofy gangsters gave Bugs a run for his money in a handful of shorts when new adversaries were being created to flesh out Bugs’ list of enemies. Hilarious in contrast, the short, peevish Rocky (“ShadUp!”) and his lumbering henchman Mugsy, fit right at home in the Warner Brothers cartoons. As the studio practically invented the gangster film, it only made sense their leading cartoon star would tangle with caricatures from that genre.

Director Chuck Jones liked to pit Bugs against villains many times his size, and they didn’t come any bigger than this musclebound moron who the rabbit faced in a couple of hilarious sports themed shorts. More animal than human, The Crusher’s most hilarious trait was how he seemed to growl more than talk. The fact this guy spent his time trying to defeat a rabbit in the boxing or wrestling ring showcased his very questionable smarts… or should we say animal instincts?

Another hulking adversary created by Chuck Jones to terrorize Bugs. He only starred in two cartoons with the rabbit, but he’s easily one of the most recognized secondary Looney Tunes players. And upon writing this article, I learned there is actually a brand of shoes called Gossamers.

And yet another Chuck Jones creation, Witch Hazel has the distinction of being the bunny’s only female adversary. Voiced by the great June Foray in a majority of her shorts, Witch Hazel is obviously evil, as she continuously tries to cook Bugs up in a witch’s brew, but her charming and hilarious demeanor can’t help but make you love her. And how funny is it when she tears off and leaves a cloud of hairpins behind her?

I once read someone describe Bugs and Wile E. Coyote’s standoffs as a chess game. I can’t agree more, as the usually silent Coyote from the Chuck Jones Road Runner cartoons is a full-blown pompous ass during his run-ins with our hare hero, complete with a snobbish, super genius voice. Of course, his super-ego is no match for the street-smart Bugs and their confrontations end just as violently for the Coyote as they do in his pursuits of the Road Runner.

Originally created by Robert McKimson as a one-shot player, this slobbering, manic monster ended up starring in a series of cartoons with Bugs after Jack L. Warner himself expressed how much he liked the character. And thanks to Jack, a potentially minor player in the Looney Tunes roster grew to become one of its most famous members. It didn’t hurt that he was incredibly funny in his inarticulate ferocity.

Of all of Bugs Bunny’s enemies, Marvin was the most dangerous. A Martian with the capabilities of destroying our planet with a little stick of explosive material called an Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, Marvin tested Bugs on a few occasions when the rabbit somehow ended up in outer space and needed a science-fiction villain to tangle with. Like Taz, he only starred in a handful of shorts, but similar to the little devil, his limited screen time didn’t detract from him becoming one of the more popular Looney Tunes characters. And since I was able to write this article, thankfully Bugs was successful in thwarting Marvin’s plans.

According to Sam’s creator, Friz Freleng, legendary voice artist Mel Blanc, who voiced a majority of the characters on this list, hated providing the voice for this legendary cartoon villain because his hilarious raving and screaming hurt his voice. Loud and short-tempered, Sam was the rabbit’s most explosive opponent, as well as his most versatile. Sam could star as a Western outlaw or a pirate (his two most famous personas) or any other number of villain types, given the time period for which the cartoon was set. I love all of the villains on this list, but none make me laugh harder than Sam.

1. Elmer Fudd

Bugs had meaner, scarier and much more threatening opponents throughout his career, but was there ever any question that this little guy with the speech impediment would not be his most famous adversary? When one thinks of the most iconic image of a Looney Tunes cartoon, it’s almost always Elmer the hunter stalking Bugs in a woodland setting. I would go as far as saying that Bugs and Elmer rank up there with Stan and Ollie and Bud and Lou as one of the most iconic comedy duos in screen history. But unlike those duos, they could sing too (see WHAT’S OPERA DOC?).

 

Honorable Mentions:

The only character to beat Bugs more than once. Not a fan favorite, but anyone that can actually best Bugs on multiple occasions had to make the list.

A one-shot character with one of the coolest designs in cartoon history. According to Chuck Jones, the only reason this guy’s cartoon was produced was because producer Edward Selzer said bullfighting cartoons were not funny. And the rest is history.