Peppa Pig is a global phenomenon.
8 million viewers brought 1.35 billion dollars from the show alone. The actress who voiced Peppa Pig made $1,000 per hour. Arguably the characters are the main reason for Peppa’s popularity. And who is more compelling than Peppa Pig’s antagonist?
Who is the Peppa Pig Antagonist?
There is no single antagonist in Peppa Pig. A Peppa Pig fandom wiki was altered with a series of fake facts, including that Peppa Pig’s first antagonist was Dimitri. In the second season, the video-game character, Lucina, is said to have become his successor. This information is false.
While Lucina is not the real antagonist in Peppa Pig, the notorious wiki page did go viral. Most websites report this fact as true, although it’s definitely not. Another Peppa Pig Antagonist page (and countless memes and videos) sprung up afterward.
However, that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a few things from this fictional Peppa Pig antagonist!
Here’s a 5-minute video showing the fandom wiki page and pictures of Lucina herself:
Here are 11 fake facts you should know about Lucina, the viral Peppa Pig antagonist—and lessons we can learn about writing our own villains.
1. Lucina is Technically the Second Peppa Pig Antagonist
If you follow the Peppa Pig Fandom wiki, you’ll see that Dimitri is listed as the first main antagonist in the first season of Peppa Pig. Again, this is complete nonsense, but let’s go with it. We can learn some important antagonist character information.
Lucina takes over for Dimitri as the primary antagonist in season two.
What can we learn?
For one thing, our stories need a primary antagonist. The antagonist brings the conflict, so without one, our story sags and suffers. If one antagonist dies, we need a replacement antagonist stat.
In this made up universe of Peppa Pig, a successor quickly replaced the dead villain. Having a ready successor is good planning in business and world domination.
2. Lucina joined a Terrorist Organization To Kill Peppa Pig
According to the hilarious fandom wiki:
In Peppa Pig: The Movie, she joins Al-Qaeda in an attempt to kill Peppa and family but ends up getting killed after being shot 387 times by her fellow terrorists. She is shown to be revived at the end of the season following the release of the movie due to Mummy Pig’s carelessness while shopping near Hot Topic, though has yet to make a reappearance in the show.
There is a lot we could unpack here, but I’m going to focus on the section about Al-Qaeda.
Although the level of exaggeration here is ridiculous (and funny), it does show how far she will go to reach her goal or mission. If she’s willing to risk her life by becoming a terrorist, she’s willing to do anything.
What can we learn?
The best antagonists go to extreme lengths to reach their goals, sometimes even risking their lives. It’s vital that we create active and engaged antagonists who drive our stories forward. This drive usually comes from strong motivation and steep character stakes.
3. Lucina Is Obsessed
That brings us to our next point. In the fandom wiki, Lucina is obsessed with killing Peppa Pig and her whole pig family. This obsession impacts everything she does, says, and doesn’t do or say in the show. Every choice is dictated by this complete obsession.
What can we learn?
Strong motivation is crucial to our antagonist. I wrote another article about designing the perfect villain that you might want to check out after you finish this one.
4. Lucina Is Her Own Worst Enemy
When describing Lucina’s personality, the wiki states: “When she tries to stop the Pig family, it often backfires and causes pain and/or embarrassment to her.”
Therefore, a key quality of Peppa Pig’s antagonist is that Lucinda is her own worst enemy. Everything she does to reach her goal (kill Peppa and family) ends up hurting her. This is a classic case of internal versus external conflict that ratchets up the tension in the story.
What can we learn?
Making our antagonist their own worst enemy is a great idea. Whatever our antagonist wants most should also bring him or her some kind of pain—physical, emotional, relational, financial, psychological, or a combination.
Just like with our main character, our antagonist’s choices and actions should sometimes backfire. Bad things should happen to all of our main characters. Our antagonist is not excluded from back luck, bad timing, setbacks, or betrayals. When we show our antagonist’s struggling to reach their goal, they seem more real and multi-faceted.
Our stories only get better.
5. Lucina’s Weapon of Choice Is Her Sword Falchion
Lucina’s favorite weapon to wage war against Peppa Pig is her sword named Falchion.
In case you don’t know, a falchion is an actual medieval sword usually wielded one-handed. Picture a machete. It’s a deadly weapon that would certainly carve up poor Peppa. The falchion helps to characterize Lucina, to set her apart from other people in the story. And other antagonists in other stories. The weapon makes her more memorable.
What can we learn?
One of the easiest (and best) ways to make an antagonist distinctive is to give them a unique weapon or item. The weapon sometimes becomes a character in and of itself.
6. Lucina Is a Master of Disguise
According to the Fandom wiki, Peppa Pig’s antagonist masterfully disguises herself. One of her main disguises is Marth, a male alter ego. The disguises are often obvious to viewers, but that’s true in lots of shows. What I like about the disguises is that it demonstrates that Lucina is creative and clever.
I always like an antagonist that, at least occasionally, outsmarts the protagonist.
Usually, clever antagonists require an even smarter protagonist (by the end of the story). Think of Bradley Cooper’s character in the movie, Limitless. The whole story follows his evolution into essentially a superhuman with genius-level intelligence. When the very rich and very smart character played by Robert De Niro threatens Bradley Cooper’s character with cleverness, Cooper is already ten steps ahead.
What can we learn?
Like Lucina and De Niro, we can elevate our antagonist by making them clever. Just remember to make your protagonist outwit the antagonist in the end.
7. Lucina’s Long Lost Brother Is John Cena
This fact is actually pretty funny and one of the reasons I knew the wiki must be fake. But it does add some dimension to the antagonist. Even remotely connecting your antagonist to a famous person or celebrity instantly makes them more memorable.
Who’s going to forget a character with John Cena as a cousin? The odd ball fact makes us curious and interested as readers or viewers.
What can we learn?
Simply adding a small quirky detail to our characters can sometimes make all of the difference! What tiny, interesting fact can you add to your antagonist? Who are they related to? What everyday product did they create?
Bonus tip: If you can find a way to get readers to feel somehow connected to the antagonist, all the better.
8. Lucina Sucks at Among Us
I could have lumped this fact in with quirky character traits, but I decided to keep it as a separate topic. There is a very good reason for this: it shows a flaw. That Lucina, Peppa Pig’s biggest antagonist, is flawed is both interesting and important.
But, yes, it’s also a very quirky flaw.
Why can we learn?
We can give our antagonists flaws that humanize them, that drop them down from the pedestal of god-like superpower. Flaws show that our antagonists bleed when cut. In short, flaws reveal vulnerability. It’s not only our protagonists that need vulnerability. Our antagonists, particularly the really powerful ones, need it, too. So give your antagonists flaws—serious flaws, quirky flaws, any kind of flaws. Your story will only benefit.
9. Lucina Is Racist Against Canadians
I almost left this fact out, but it is seriously written in the wiki. We probably don’t need our antagonists to come across as pure evil, but showing values or actions that roam outside of accepted norms is useful. Depending on the kind of story (and type of antagonist) you design, you might want readers to hate your antagonist.
Dean Koontz says that he never wants to glamorize evil. Most of his antagonists bleed pure black bile. They have few (if any) redeeming qualities. He doesn’t want us to empathize with evil.
What can we learn?
While not all of us will put racism in our stories, nearly all of our antagonists will roam outside of standard values, passions, or boundaries. What line is your antagonist willing to cross?
10. Lucina Is Internally Conflicted
She doesn’t like death but wants to murder the entire Pig family. This is an incredibly powerful internal conflict that makes Lucina so much more memorable. All of a sudden she is a three-dimensional character with battling value systems, wants, and desires.
The specific internal conflict is perhaps silly, but it proves the point.
What can we learn?
Bake some internal conflict into your antagonists. Make them want (and need) two opposite things. Motivate each side, then pit those sides against each other throughout the story.
11. Lucina Has a Family
Finally, Luciana has a husband and a daughter, who is named Morgan. We’ve seen that the Peppa Pig antagonist is flawed, quirky, clever, and conflicted. Now we see that she is human. Humanizing our antagonist is an effective way to uplift a “bad guy” or “bad girl” in your story.
Not only does a family humanize Lucina, but it also gives her something to lose.
What can we learn?
Like real enemies, fictional antagonists have friends, families, lovers, and pets. They take their children to the park, help a stranger in need, rescue an abused animal. One of my favorite sayings is, “The most terrifying evil is the evil we understand.” I can’t remember where I heard that quote (or something like it) but I have never forgotten the message.
Summary of Lessons From the Peppa Pig Antagonist
Here is a quick summary of the takeaways from Lucina:
- Every story deserves a main antagonist.
- Create active and engaged bad guys.
- Design motivated villains.
- Make your bad girls their own worst enemies.
- Give them a unique weapon or item.
- Make them clever.
- Give your antagonist a quirk.
- Show that they are flawed.
- Reveal their inner evil.
- Create an internal conflict inside of them.
- Humanize your bad guys and girls.
Final Thoughts: Peppa Pig Antagonist
Thank you for reading this article about Lucile, the Peppa Pig Antagonist!
As an interesting side note, according to a study by Observer, “A thieving duck in Peppa Pig is one of the few female villains in the 100 most popular picture books”. Also, although I love Peppa Pig, if anyone is the series antagonist, it’s probably Peppa herself.
She’s notoriously mean to her little brother George.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like these other articles:
- 21 Ways To Write a Complex Villain [Ultimate Badass Guide]
- How To Become a Writer for Disney [Ultimate Insider Guide]
- The Best Writing Books For Beginners
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