- “You hairless runt! You broke my nose!”
- ―Tublat
Tublat is a monstrous rogue gorilla and the main antagonist of The Legend of Tarzan.
Background[]
A rival of Kerchak's, he aggressively tried to take over control of the family, but was quickly banished. With Tarzan now in charge, he seeks to defeat him and assert himself as the leader of the apes.
Strangely enough, while the books portrayed Kerchak as being the violent one, but was made more sympathetic by Disney, using the book's portrayal of Tublat as being benevolent, Disney's version of Tublat suffered the complete opposite (he is changed into a villain using the original version of Kerchak's personality).
Personality[]
Atypically for gorillas, Tublat is incredibly aggressive. He challenged Kerchak for leadership and tried to win treacherously but was defeated (with help from a young Tarzan) and cast out. He is considered dangerous by all the gorillas due to the fact that he would pick fights with anyone and for any reason. He is named after Kala's husband (and Tarzan's foster father) in the original Tarzan novel, but his personality is very much modeled on the book's incarnation of Kerchak. He once took over Gobu's family by killing their incumbent silverback. But the family (with Tarzan's help) overthrew him and Gobu replaced him. He often calls Tarzan a hairless runt and has no respect for him.
Physical appearance[]
Tublat is a large, muscular, and hairy black-brown gorilla with yellow eyes (one of which has a red iris), a mole on the right side of his chin, hair around his face resembling a beard, and only four toes on his right foot. This latter trait, evidenced by the tracks he leaves behind, is an early warning to his presence wherever he might be.
Appearances[]
The Legend of Tarzan[]
"Tublat's Revenge"[]
A violent storm has Tarzan, Jane, and the rest of the gorilla family seeking shelter in nearby caves, but they have chosen the same cave in which Tublat lives. Tarzan is no physical match for Tublat, but using his superior cunning, speed, agility, and ingenuity, he manages to defeat him.
"Enemy Within"[]
In this episode, Tublat appeared as the leader of the family of a gorilla named Gobu, whom Tarzan had earlier nursed back to health after he found him being attacked by a pack of hyenas. Gobu states that a few months before the events in that episode took place, Tublat killed the family leader and took control over instead, content to take over another family rather than Kerchak's. With the help of a malicious new monkey friend named Fungi, he forced Gobu to gain Tarzan's trust and bring him to him directly under threat of mutilating or even killing Gobu's relatives. Relishing the long-awaited opportunity to kill Tarzan, Tublat has his minions pursue him after the ape-man escapes and blackmails him into compliance by threatening Terk (who had also traveled to find Gobu and pursue a relationship with him). To save his friend, Tarzan concedes to allow Tublat to have his way with him. Eagerly intending to do so, Tublat is intercepted by Gobu himself. Emboldened by Tarzan's earlier speech towards him, Gobu openly speaks out against Tublat claiming he is dependent on the family to secure his victory over Tarzan. Seething with rage, Tublat attacks Gobu with lethal intentions for his defiance; stating maliciously he has outlived his usefulness. After beating aside, the intervening Tarzan, Tublat grabs Gobu in a bear hug to crush him to death. Gobu cries out to his family; encouraging them to stand together and face Tublat and that they are stronger than him together. Re-inspired, the family turns on Tublat and overpowers him. Driven off, Tublat lets out a roar of anger before fleeing. With him and his family now free from Tublat's malign overrule, Gobu steps up to lead them.
"Caged Fury"[]
Niels and Merkus return to the Jungle to mine diamonds that they were forced to drop after their last encounter with Tarzan in Tarzan and the Volcanic Diamond Mine. Tarzan agrees to this as long as they stay away from the gorillas. Neils and Merkus are threatened by Tublat, who they capture and plan to make money out of. At first, Tarzan agrees with this, but realizes that as much as he hates Tublat, it's unfair to let him be taken from the jungle, as it's as much his home as it is Tarzan's. As such, Tarzan sets out to rescue Tublat, despite Terk's protests and the past conflict between them. The duo learn that Neils and Merkus took him out of the jungle by train, and immediately give chase by boat along the river. When the train stops to replenish its water supply, Tarzan sneaks aboard to rescue Tublat. Tublat tells Tarzan that just because he freed him doesn't mean he'll be grateful, but Tarzan wasn't expecting thanks anyway. After freeing him, Tublat tries to kill Niels and Merkus, but is stopped by Tarzan, who sends him plummeting off the train into a canyon with a shipment of lumber. Surviving the fall into the gorge and emerging from the fallen timber, Tublat roars in fury, suggesting his threat isn't over.
Trivia[]
- Tublat first appeared in the original novel Tarzan of the Apes. However, in the novel, he was Kala's mate, and his personality was more akin to Disney's Kerchak -- gruff, stoic, somewhat impatient, and suspicious of anyone different from him. In contrast, Kerchak in the novel was a lot more like the Disney version of Tublat.
- Tublat's name ironically means "broken nose," which he received after young Tarzan threw coconuts at him.
- During the flashback in "Tublat's Revenge", Tublat said to Kerchak, before he leaves, "You won't live forever, Kerchak. This tribe will be mine." This could strongly imply that Tublat is younger than Kerchak.
- Tublat's strength is extreme, even by gorilla standards. He and Kerchak also seem to be very large for their kind, as they appear evenly matched during their fight.
- Based on the skeletons littering the cave in "Tublat's Revenge", it is possible that Tublat may have either turned, or has always been, more carnivorous than the other gorillas. Tellingly, when Tarzan attempts to use a bone against him, he easily chomps it in half, demonstrating his possible ease with taking down potential prey.
- Given that he seems unphased by the Porters' presence during their first meeting, it can be inferred that Tublat found other humans in the jungle during his exile.
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