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Main Characters
Jupiter Jones
"Just call me Jupe."
Played by: Mila Kunis
The titular protagonist.- Action Survivor: Jupiter spends most of the film needing to have things explained to her and be rescued. She starts learning cunning when Titus kidnaps her, but it's not a honed skill until Balem tries to force her to abdicate.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: She lampshades this as she tells Caine she's fallen for him, even after she knows that he ripped someone's throat out.
- Almighty Janitor: Jupiter's ultimate fate. She owns the entire Earth, but can't tell anyone (they'll think she's crazy) or even exercise her power (that would mean harvesting Earth).
- To be honest, though - Earth can't possibly be the only thing in her inheritance. If someone's around almost 90,000 years and plans on having her reincarnation written into her will, then there's got to be much more than a single planet available to that reincarnated self. It's much more likely that she simply wants her family to still live somewhat normal lives, and occasionally do things to help them out.
- Damsel in Distress: She's being hunted by three different sets of people in the first act of the film, though only one of them wants to kill her.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Her father was killed by home invaders, before she was born, who stormed their home and took everything of value, just because he pleaded with them not to take the family telescope. After his death, her mother became emotionally distant to everyone, including herself.
- Gender-Blender Name: Not that Jupiter is a common name for any gender by any means, but it started out as the name of the male Roman Top God, after whom the planet is named.
- Gut Feeling: Despite being given very solid reasons for trusting Titus enough to marry him, and the fact that his entire presentation was Metaphorically True, she still felt something was off and was extremely hesitant to go through with it. Titus even tried to force her hand into the imprinting device when she pulled away due to Titus' ship being attacked by the Aegis.
- Hates Wearing Dresses: A recurring bit in the film is Jupiter waking up to find herself dressed in something she wasn't wearing when she passed out in prior scenes, to which she responds with shock and sometimes annoyance at being made to wear something way fancier than she's used to.
- The Illegal: As a result of being born while her mother was being smuggled to America.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: A downplayed and justified example. When Jupiter was with Kathryn Dunleavy (whose name she used as a pseudonym on her egg donation consent form), she photographs alien abductors, but then doesn't know how such a picture showed up on her phone. Caine explains that the Abrasax dynasty has considerable experience and the technology to erase short-term memory, and those who slip through the cracks tend to be disbelieved.
- Meaningful Name: Jupiter has the name of an extraterrestrial body. Jupiter is also the name of the king of the gods, as Jupiter is the queen of the interstellar magnates. In-universe, her name is meaningful to her family as her father named her after his favorite planet, and she was born with Jupiter in Leo.
- Rags to Riches: The titular Jupiter, illegal Russian immigrant maid who is secretly (genetically) the queen of Earth.
- Reincarnation: She is the genetic reincarnation of Seraphi Abrasax.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: To both Titus and Balem. While fans are rightly annoyed that she doesn't take her opportunities to kill them, there are sound arguments and justifications, in-universe, for her not to. For more details, see the Headscratchers page.
Caine Wise
"I have more in common with a dog than I do with you."
Played by: Channing Tatum
- Animal Motifs: He is described in-universe as a lone wolf searching for a pack. His characterization is defined by his loyalty to Jupiter and martial skills. His name sounds much like "canine."
- Artistic License – Biology: He's described as being "half-albino." No one can be half-albino as it's a genetic condition that affects the whole body. It's possible this hamhanded term was meant to describe Leucism
, which describes a partial loss of pigmentation, but Caine's coloration doesn't resemble that condition either. - Earn Your Happy Ending: In-universe. He goes from being a complete pariah, abused and distrusted by virtually everyone, to the chosen mate and bodyguard of Jupiter, an Entitled Queen of Earth who may also have inherited Balem's holdings as well.
- Half-Human Hybrid: He is both genetically manufactured and half wolf.
- Meaningful Name: Caine is part canine. He's also a badass who starts out working for a bad guy, fitting with Name of Cain.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: He is a part-dog, part-man soldier-turned-bounty-hunter fanservice machine. His weapons of choice are a pistol that barks and a handheld energy shield, his method of transportation is a pair of Rocket Boots that never leave his feet, he pilots a shapeshifting amphibious one-man fighter jet, and by the end he gains prosthetic "angel wings" grafted onto his back as a skyjacker again.
- Noodle Incident: He once ripped the throat out of an "Entitled." How and why he did it is never fully explained, but it's implied that the Entitled in question was Balem.
- Shirtless Scene: He has to take his shirt off to allow Stinger to heal his wounds. For some reason, he doesn't put the shirt back on once the wounds are healed. And then Jupiter is kidnapped while he's still shirtless, so he spends the next ten or so minutes of the film bare-chested as he chases after her. And it was great.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He's very cold and aloof, but comes to care for Jupiter.
- Super-Soldier: He's a legendary Skyjacker who can apparently track a single gene in the whole gyre.
The Abrasax Family
As a Whole
- Aristocrats Are Evil: All three have royal titles and all three are evil.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Murderous, duplicitous, vaguely incestuous...
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The three heads of the Abrasax Corporation.
- Human Aliens: In fact, humans in this universe are aliens. We Earthlings aren't truly human.
- Incest Subtext: All three of them have a creep fascination with Jupiter because of how much she looks like their mother.
- Royally Screwed Up: See above.
Balem Abrasax
"I CREATE LIFE! ...and I destroy it."
Played by: Eddie Redmayne
- Ax-Crazy: He is quite unhinged, even compared to his siblings.
- Bad Boss: He is petty, spiteful, and cruel, especially to his employees.
- Big Bad: He is the main antagonist of the movie, as he dispatches assassins to kill Jupiter just so she won't threaten his rightful inheritance.
- Deadpan Snarker: From his introduction he's snarky towards his siblings, especially Titus.Titus: You are looking a little worse for wear. Could it be that success doesn't agree with you?
Balem: And you look so well. Could it be that failure agrees with you? - Evil Overlord: As de facto King of the Universe and leader of the Abrasax family, he harvests billions of lives for immortality, wealth, and the satisfaction of his ego.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: Throughout the film, he speaks as if he has a sore throat. However, there are times when he raises his voice. According to Eddie Redmayne, his larynx was ripped out by a "wolfman", presumably Cain. (He also cheerfully admits it was a "pretty bad performance by all accounts".)
- A God Am I: Balem considers himself to be the bringer of life and death.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Had he never sent assassins after Jupiter, she may well have remained blissfully unaware of her heritage and never claimed her title.
- Ironic Echo: One of Jupiter's first lines in the film is "I hate my life." In the movie's climax, Balem tells Jupiter that his mother used to say the same thing."Do you remember what you used to tell me?... I remember. You said 'I hate my life.' You begged me to do it. YOU BEGGED ME TO DO IT!!!"
- Large Ham: He only screams when he's not whispering. "I CREATE LIIIIIIIIFE... And I destroy it".
- Meaningful Name: Knock off the 'm' from Balem and you have Bale, as in evil and spite.
- Mood-Swinger: He goes from calm and collected to violent and enraged and back again in the blink of an eye, almost without warning.Balem: [Calmly] Double our security deployment and destroy any ship that comes near the planet...GO!!!!!
- Non-Action Big Bad: Balem only has one fight in the movie, and he loses pretty easily. Even Jupiter, who gets abducted or taken hostage by everyone in the film, can easily defeat Balem once they're in a one-on-one fight.
- Orcus on His Throne: Spends the entire film getting other people to find Jupiter and bring her to him.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Generally acts like a spoiled Momma's Boy throwing a tantrum.
- Shame If Something Happened: He is only able to get Jupiter to come of her own accord by kidnapping her family. But of course he'd never dream of doing anything to them.
- Shoot the Messenger: He's shown "harvesting" one of his followers for bringing bad news.
- Suddenly Shouting: He speaks in a whisper most of the movie, except for these lines: "GO!", "I CREATE LIFE!", "HOW DARE YOU?!", and "YOU BEGGED ME TO DO IT!!"
Guess which lines the audience remembered? - You Have Failed Me: When his assassins fail to kill Jupiter a second time, he "harvests" the guy who hired them.
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Pulls this on Jupiter. She shoots him in the leg.
Kalique Abrasax
"All you have to do is close your eyes."
Played by: Tuppence Middleton
- Beauty Is Bad: She may be her brothers' (comparative) Token Good Teammate, but she's still unpleasant by normal standards, and she's universally regarded as very physically attractive.
- Benevolent Boss: Whatever character flaws she may have, there is one consistent redeeming feature throughout the film. She is a pleasure to work for. She is always seen treating her employees and servants kindly, even when they caution or disagree with her, rewards those who work for her very well even if they're nothing more than Splice mercenaries who are universally regarded as the bottom rank of society and unworthy of respect, and even though she has ulterior motives, she treats Jupiter as an equal, while offering her employment in her household, despite having no obligation to do so. She does not fear betrayal because her servants have no reason to betray her.
- The Chessmaster: Kalique scuppers both of her brothers' plans with nothing but a single, well-timed bribe.
- Eating the Eye Candy: She's certainly pleased to have her palace broken into by a shirtless Caine.
- Living Forever Is Awesome: She pretty much says this word for word to Jupiter while explaining her exceptionally long lifespan, and the "one resource truly worth fighting for."
- Meaningful Name: Kalique is said the same way as Caligula — the corrupt and decadent dictator.
- Ms. Fanservice: Her main scene in the film has her in the bathtub, and she comes out of it with a fully-naked rear shot.
- Only Sane Woman: Lies somewhere between this and More Deadly Than the Male, depending on where you think she falls on the Sliding Scale of Antagonist Vileness. She's more financially conscious than Titus and her plans are more effective than Balem's.
- Really 700 Years Old: She claims to be a little over 14,000 years old, despite looking like she's in her early forties, until she takes a dip in a Fountain of Youth.
- Token Good Teammate: Compared to the rest of the "royalty," at any rate. She's the only Abrasax sibling who isn't trying to get Jupiter killed at any point in the film. She also rewards the bounty hunters who find Jupiter generously.
Titus Abrasax
"Sometimes lies are the only reason I get out of bed in the morning."
Played by: Douglas Booth
- Bond Villain Stupidity: His plan to marry Jupiter would have worked perfectly if he hadn't "honored his promise" to vent Caine into space for "betraying him."
- The Charmer: He's always seen sweet-talking women in the film.
- Consummate Liar: Just look at his image quote.
- The Hedonist: He's too busy with his zero-G splice orgies to be bothered with things like keeping the company running. It's established at the start that he's squandered his inheritance and suffered a recent financial setback, and needs Earth for funds.
- I Gave My Word: Despite being a consummate liar, he does technically keep his promises; however, he is rather fond of Exact Words and Loophole Abuse.
- Modest Royalty: Invoked. He's clearly not modest (his ship has a giant chapel, hundreds of servants, and solid gold statues), but he meets Jupiter barefoot in jeans and a T-shirt and bows to her, in order (it's implied) to get her to underestimate him.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had he not tried to scam Jupiter into marrying him so he could kill her, Jupiter might not have been Jaded enough to see through Balem's performance.
- Smug Snake: He likes to think of himself as a great manipulator and a master of lies, but he apparently has a terrible head for business, spent his inheritance on Hookers and Blow, and makes careless mistakes that cost him the win. His brother and sister run circles around him.
- Upper-Class Twit: Wealthy and cultured, but a dim-witted hedonist who looks like a fool around his siblings.
Supporting Characters
Stinger Apini
Played by: Sean Bean
- Animal Motifs: He is a beekeeper with incredibly precise piloting skills. He also used to have wings.
- Attack Hello: One of the first things he does when he meets Caine, is punch him through the wall.
- Easily Forgiven: Played with. Caine gets him out of his imprisonment on the Aegis because his skills are necessary for rescuing Jupiter, and nobody else has such skills, but Caine goes on to make sure Stinger has no other reason to betray him before teaming up.
- Half-Human Hybrid: He is half bee.
- Meaningful Name: Stinger Apini is part bee. Apinae is the subfamily for most bees in Taxonomy.
- The Mentor: To Caine.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Averted. He's alive and well at the end of the movie, despite being played by Sean Bean.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: He has these, although they only appear gold for a moment when they do so. They appear to be from the partial bee DNA, apparently.
Captain Diomika Tsing
Played by: Nikki Amuka-Bird
- The Captain: Of a crew of space cops.
- I Gave My Word: Stays in the rapidly destabilizing atmosphere of Jupiter to save Jupiter and her whole family, because she "promised every second [she] could."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Allows Caine to fly down and save Jupiter despite it being reckless, dangerous, and possibly illegal.
