- “You have a sharp tongue, madame! But my teeth are sharper! When I raze the city tomorrow, you will help me find that golden weapon. Or you shall fell my bite as well!”
- ―Thaddeus E. Klang threatens Katie Dodd
Thaddeus E. Klang is an antagonist from the Disney animated series TaleSpin. He was the leader of a cult-like organization, seeking the secret weapon hidden in the lost city of Tinabula.
Background[]
He is a green cobra with a black cloak, warlock-like hat, metallic jaw (capable of crushing hard objects with his bites), metallic limbs, and speaks with a metallic echo to his voice (the abundance of metal being the basis for his name). His only appearance was in the two-part episode "For Whom the Bell Klangs".
Role in the series[]
Prior to the events of the episodes, Klang learned of Katie Dodd and her work on uncovering the lost city of Tinabula. Evidently Klang had heard of the legend of Tinabula, that somewhere within the ancient city was a weapon that could destroy anything with sound waves. Enticed by the awesome power this legend suggested, Klang traveled to the deserts outside Ghafia to "persuade" Ms. Dodd to find the weapon for him.
Aware that his interference could stir up trouble with the local authorities, Klang surrounded himself with red-robed desert mercenaries, paid to aid him in his quest. He also possessed a large number of giant desert beetles, known as scarabs, that normally dwell in uncharted portions of the desert, acting as something akin to attack dogs. This latter part might seem a bit incredible, but such insects were part of the iconography of Tinabula.
The first part of Klang's plan was a success: he forced Dodd to uncover the city and discover the location of the weapon. At last Klang had achieved his ultimate goal. Brashly, he tested the destructive force of this tool of evil by firing into the sand toward Ghafia. This caused a tidal wave of sand that swept through the city, smothering the buildings and blowing down citizens in the streets.
Confident that he now had unstoppable power at his disposal, Klang put forth an ultimatum: either Ghafia give him one million guilders or he would shake the city until there was nothing left. The Ghafia police sent tanks in an attempt to apprehend Klang, but his defenses left them in the dust (literally). With no way to raise the money in time and no other recourse, Ghafia's fate was sealed.
Fortunately, Baloo and Louie managed to free Dodd from Klang's men. According to her knowledge of Tinabulan lore, there was a "master bell" which when rung would destroy the city once and for all. Despite interference from Klang and his cohorts, Baloo, Louie, and Dodd found and activated the bell, causing a massive earthquake in the city that completely destroyed Tinabula without a trace and buried Klang as well. Afterward, his metallic parts fell off, revealing him to simply be a regular, albeit oversized, cobra. With a knotted tail, he disappeared towards the desert.
Trivia[]
- It has been speculated that Klang might be the TaleSpin-incarnation of Kaa.
- Though both serpents, the only difference between the two is that Kaa is a python while Klang is a cobra.
- Coincidentally, three cobras are featured in the original Jungle Book stories by Rudyard Kipling: The White Hood (who would eventually make his Disney appearance in Jungle Cubs) is an albino cobra that interacts with Mowgli and Kaa in "The King's Ankus" and both Nag and Nagaina in the story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" who are a pair of cobras that want to drive out Rikki's adoptive human family from the bungalow.
- They do share one common trait, to which they have inconveniently caused a knot with the tip of their own tails.
- Though both serpents, the only difference between the two is that Kaa is a python while Klang is a cobra.
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