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Percival C. McLeach is the main antagonist of Disney's 1990 animated film The Rescuers Down Under. He is an evil poacher who believes in "recycling" endangered animals into purses, wallets, or other animal-skinned products. With his giant bushwhacker machine, he tears up the countryside, catching whatever wildlife falls into his snares. The prize he covets most is the great golden eagle named Marahute and her eggs. He will use every trick he knows to catch and kill her, even going as far as kidnapping a young boy in hopes of finding her secret hideaway. He was voiced by the late George C. Scott.

Personality and Traits[]

McLeach does a lot for rare animals. For a start, he keeps them rare. He is a poacher who captures rare animals and sells them, typically for their hides. Unnecessarily merciless, he clearly enjoys slaughtering animals, at one point even singing a twisted version of the song "Home on the Range". He is a professional hunter and tracker, and although he has only a third grade education (which he considers to be an accomplishment on his part), he is quite shrewd, able to fib and deceive effectively. He is also quite devious, tossing Cody's backpack into Croc Falls so that Cody will be presumed to have suffered death by crocodiles, coming up with the plot to trick Cody into leading him to Marahute, and being mindful that Cody will never believe he is just letting him go, maintaining a nasty demeanor even as he releases the boy.

He has, for some unknown reason, chosen not to slaughter his pet Goanna Lizard, Joanna, and although he threatens her on several occasions. It is always when she misbehaves or bumbles.

His only weakness are that he believes himself to be vastly superior to animals in contrast to his nemesis, Cody, who understands animals and shows great respect. However, the poacher is more of a smart idiot than said genius as it is his ignorance that both makes it easy for Joanna to steal his eggs without her master catching her in the act until the last minute, and at Croc Falls, where his snooty unwise efforts leads to his demise when he doesn't discover yet why the crocodiles flee from him, when they are fleeing from the even deadlier waterfall.

At first glance, McLeach does not appear healthy. Despite his burly forearms and broad back, he seems to be balding, and sports a pot-belly. However, he is quite strong, able to fight off several saltwater crocodiles, which are considered among the most dangerous animals in the world.

Appearance[]

McLeach is dressed like an Australian stockman. He wears an akubra hat with crocodile teeth in its leather band. Around his neck is a backwards facing bandana. He wears a vest over his shirt. As seen, from capturing Marahute to trying to feed Cody to the crocodiles in Croc Falls, McLeach wears a Drizabone riding jacket.

Weapons and Abilities[]

As a poacher, McLeach has many weapons for killing animals. His most common weapon is a Winchester Model 1912 shotgun, but with heavy modifications, such as a scope. It seems that he can remove gun's barrels when shooting. When he wants to hunt, his shotgun has two barrels. But when shooting at a thin object, like the rope holding Cody over Crocodile Falls, McLeach can remove a barrel for a one-bullet shot.

McLeach, aside from using his shotgun, also utilizes knives for skinning his captive animals. But this has also left him a special talent for knife-throwing as seen when he hurls them at the map Cody was in front of when the boy was being interrogated, without stabbing him. McLeach does this again when he throws Cody back his pocket-knife without hitting him.

Role In The Film[]

McLeach attempted to steal and kill the rare, celestial golden eagle Marahute (and he said he was going to feed her eggs to his pet Goanna Lizard, Joanna). He was incredibly ruthless in his attempts to kill the eagle. He seems to enjoy his job even once singing to himself (in a parody of Home On The Range) "Home, home on the range, where the critters are tied up in chains. I cut through their sides, and I rip off their hides, and the next day I do it again". However, McLeach has proven not to be very intelligent, stating that he only made it through Third Grade to Joanna, and when he tried to beat her in her egg-eating craze when she was stealing his eggs.

At the film's end, as McLeach tries to kill Cody to keep him from tattling on him about his capture of Marahute by feeding him to a bunch of crocs that inhabit the rivers near Crocodile Falls, he's knocked into the water by Joanna, who was chasing Bernard. There, The Crocodiles then turn their attention from Cody to McLeach, and attack the poacher and lizard. But at first, he seems to fight them off, saying "You'll think twice before messin' with Percival C. McLeach!". However, as it turns out, the large reptiles were escaping from the huge waterfall, and even Joanna, who has swam to shore, has informed McLeach of it by waving good-bye. The greedy poacher then discovers his fate, and tries to escape, but the rapids eventually sweep him over Crocodile Falls and McLeach plunges to his doom.

House of Mouse[]

McLeach make a cameo appearance in the House of Mouse Episode, House of Crime. He is stolen along with the other villains by Phantom Blot. But he, along with the rest of guests are released after Mickey defeats Phantom Blot.

Trivia[]

  • McLeach shares the same similarities to his predecessor Madame Medusa from the first film The Rescuers. He kidnapped a young boy in order to find the Golden Eagle while Medusa kidnapped a young girl in order to find a precious diamond. They both own reptiles as McLeach owns a female Goanna Lizard, Joanna, while Medusa owns two male crocodiles, Brutus and Nero. McLeach and Medusa both have shotguns. Although, he is a bit more contemptuous and drastic as he wants to kill Cody after he captures Marahute to keep him from being arrested, while Medusa didn't want to kill Penny. She just wanted to make off with the diamond and leave Snoops and Penny with the crocodiles on Devil's Bayou, stealing Penny's teddy bear in the process. McLeach is also a slightly better shot than Medusa, though probably only because his gun has a scope and the fact that he is a hunter by profession.
  • McLeach's shotgun is a Winchester Model 1912 but with heavy modifications, such as a scope. One weird fact is when McLeach first appears, his model 12 shotgun has two barrels. However, when McLeach tries to shoot the rope holding Cody over the crocodile-infested waters, it has just one barrel, though McLeach could have taken the second barrel off, it still has a scope.
  • When McLeach first appears, he pulls a feather out of Cody's jacket and puts it in his hat, but in previous shots there was already a feather in his hat.
  • McLeach was left out of Mickey's House of Villains despite appearing in the aforementioned House of Mouse episode.
  • McLeach's lair is in the middle of abandoned opal mines and states that there is nothing else anywhere close to it, however, he tells Cody to be quiet or the rangers will hear. However, it could be that McLeach just wanted Cody to stop talking.
  • McLeach is animated by Duncan Marjoribanks, the same who animated the villain of Pocahontas, Governor Ratcliffe, who also shares the same Sin of Greed that McLeach has.
  • McLeach is similar to the non-Disney villain Kent Mansley from The Iron Giant, because they both target and interrogate a young boy who knows about a larger creature they are after.
  • McLeach is also similar to non-Disney villain Carface from All Dogs to go Heaven they both try to lure the protagonist in the water but then get thrown in themselves and are attacked by crocodiles: McLeach by Crocodiles and Carface by King Gator. After their defeat the protagonist is rescued from the water.
  • McLeach is also similar to Jadis the White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as both come passing through the forest in both Australia and Narnia and find the protagonist in their paths; in McLeach's case, Cody, and in the White Witch's case, Edmund and at first offer to help them McLeach helps Cody out of the trap he set while the the White Witch takes Edmund into her warmth offering him Turkish Delight, but both later take them as prisoners and hold them captive in their lairs and lock them away in cages. McLeach throws Cody in an animal cage with hay and straw in it while the White Witch threw Edmund in the cold ice chamber and demands things from them. McLeach demands for Cody to tell him of the eagle while Jadis demands to know where Peter, Susan, and Lucy are. The differences is that Edmund actually trusted the White Witch while Cody never trusted McLeach.
  • McLeach also has a similarity to non-Disney villain, Cat R. Waul from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. They both replace the villain from the first film McLeach replaces Madame Medusa and Cat R. Waul replaces Warren T. Rat and both have non mammals for sidekicks in McLeach's case, Joanna the lizard and in Cat R. Waul's case, Chula the spider, but the differences is that Cat R. Waul is intelligent and sophisticated and McLeach is brutal, obnoxious, and ignorant.
  • Mcleach is also shown to be a braver villain than Captain Hook from Peter Pan when being attacked by crocodiles McLeach manages to fight them off while Captain Hook screams and panics for Mr Smee to save him Mcleach also has similarties with non disney villiain Chip Hazard from Small Soldiers both at first believe themselves to be defeating their enemies Mcleach the Crocodiles and Chip Hazard Archer Mcleach says i whooped you i whooped you all you'll think twice before messing with Percival C Mcleach after he sees the crocodiles retreating from attacking him and after Chip Hazard kicks Archer off the Telephone Pole he shouts victory is our's and both of their victories are short lived Mcleach is swept down the falls to his doom and Chip Hazard is destroyed when Alan electracutes him in the Telephone Pole he also shares similarities with Warner Brothers Animated Villain Ruber from Quest For Camelot both have an animal lackey they often abuse Mcleach a monitor lizard named Joanna and Ruber an unnamed Griffin    
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