Cala Maria (The Cuphead Show!)

Full name: Cala Maria.

Nickname: Sea Beast; The Dreaded Sea Beast; Number 1 Sea Beast (by herself); My Sweet/baby (both by Captain Brineybeard).

Species: Giant Siren/Gorgon/Mermaid.

Gender: Female.

Fighting style:

Family: Unnamed Sailor (Father); Unnamed Fish (Mother).

Personality: Cala Maria appears to be hostile and dangerous, turning all the pirates into stone. She has a no-nonsense, down-to-business attitude, preferring to focus on her career as a sea monster rather than reciprocate the feelings of anyone who loves her. She is also very sassy and snarky, as shown when she flatly calls Mugman "Dinner" when he was introducing himself to her. Despite this, she is very merciful when she gave Captain Brineybeard a 10-second head start before attempting to eat him and his friends. She speaks using an ambiguous European accent.

Powers and Abilities

Her favorite food is squid livers.

In her song, Cala Maria reveals that her father was a sailor, and her mother was a fish.

Cala Maria is implied to have somewhat of a sweet tooth; she is shown to indulge in the rather gross body parts of different sealife in the same way a lady might do with exotic chocolates. She sincerely refers to them as sweets and they can be used to distract her. Her taste for sweet foods is played more straight when she also mentions eating lots of tiramisu.

Given that her hair is a dead octopus, it is unknown how it is also able to change into snakes when she's in her gorgon form (it could be possible that the octopus may somehow be attached to her).

Additional information: Accent Adaptation: She had a cutesy, pitchy voice in the game. Here, she gains a deeper voice and an ambiguous European accent. note Adaptational Badass: Hoo boy. In the original game, she only transformed into her gorgon form after being bitten by electric eels in what appeared to be a painful process. She also was just one of many bosses. Here, not only can she change between her mermaid and gorgon forms both at will and instantaneously, but she's the single most terrifying monster roaming the seas of the world, and is presented as a threat the heroes cannot possibly hope to fight. Adaptational Villainy: In the game, she was a boss because Cuphead and Mugman were coming to collect her soul for the Devil, and after they defeat him and destroy the contracts, Cala Maria celebrates with the other debtors in honor of the duo. Here, she petrifies pirates and destroys their ships because she genuinely enjoys being the fiercest monster in the seven seas. Adaptation Dye-Job: Her petrifying Eye Beams are colored green in the games, but are red in the show. Cala Maria's skin is greenish in the animated series, while in the video game it was a pale pink, becoming light green once transformed into a gorgon; it regains its original color only in Mugman's dream. Adaptation Personality Change: What could be gathered from her game sprites and lose quotes, she seemed to be a bit of a flirty woman, even calling the cup brothers cute. In the show, she's instead a serious, no-nonsense woman with focus on her career. Although, she does slightly adopt more of her game traits by the end. Affably Evil: She's very polite for a terrifying man-eating sea monster. She even gives the Cup brothers and Brineybeard a ten-second head start before she eats them, and blows a kiss to Brineybeard as they escape her clutches. Of course, a lot of this is implied to be because she's touched by Brineybeard's gift... she's much less friendly beforehand, referring to Mugman as Dinner to his face and making no bones of her plans to eat them. Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Much like in the game, she's utterly gigantic, towering over pirate ships as if they were bath toys. Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Just like in the game, she's one of the very few female antagonists, and a Proud Beauty at that, who wears a midriff-revealing top resembling a Seashell Bra. Beautiful Singing Voice: Mugman is simultaneously terrified of her and enthralled by her singing voice! He applauds her after she finishes her Villain Song. Mugman: Wow, you have a beautiful voice. Being Evil Sucks: Zigzagged. She loves being evil, but part of her villain song does have her admit being the fiercest monster in the sea makes for a lonely life. Though she quickly writes it off as Worth It in the next verse, her body language, expression and the way she angrily swats away her sad reflection in the water, implies the loneliness may bother her more than she wants to admit. Berserk Button: Do not call her "baby". When Brineybeard does so, she turns him to stone on the spot, even after his love for her let him break free. Bizarre Taste in Food: The Chocolate of Romance that Captain Brineybeard wanted to give her? It was filled with fish guts. This is odd enough, but then she eats them as if they were candy... though kudos to Brineybeard for knowing his woman! But for Me, It Was Tuesday: She has no clue who Brineybeard is until he reminds her of the specifics of their date, like having tiramisu for dessert. What makes this a villainous trope instead of a forgettable date is Cala Maria casually admitting she planned to eat Brineybeard on their date but ended up filling up on tiramisu. Card-Carrying Villain: Prides herself in being a dreaded sea beast, her dream job since she was a little girl. Deadly Gaze: Her stare can turn anyone she looks at to stone. Deadpan Snarker: The most dangerous monster in the sea... and the sassiest. When Mugman tries to introduce himself, she flatly states that his name is "Dinner". The Dreaded: She's known as the "dreaded sea beast" due to her tendency to destroy pirate ships and turning the pirates to stone. Dude Magnet: Despite her well-deserved reputation, both Brinybeard and Mugman are smitten with her. Averted with Cuphead, who shows no sign of being attracted to her. Early-Bird Cameo: She briefly appears in the opening credits of every episode before her debut episode "A High Seas Adventure!" She's annoyed at Brineybeard looking at her through his spyglass, nicely foreshadowing their roles in the debut episode they share. Fame Through Infamy: In addition to just enjoying being a dreaded sea beast who slaughters everyone that approaches, her Villain Song has Cala Maria basking in the fame she's achieved from her work, referring to herself as a star who everyone knows throughout the seven seas for the horror she's inflicted. It's clear she takes delight in her name being feared far and wide! Friendly Enemy: This seems to be her role by the end of her episode. On one hand, she warms up to Brineybeard and the Cups, to the point that she even lets them out of her domain by reciprocating Brineybeard's flying kiss. Still, she loves her sea beast career and refuses to go out with Brineybeard, let alone stop trying to petrify or eat him. Giant Equals Invincible: She's as colossal as her game counterpart, and actually retains her supernatural abilities unlike the rest of the characters, meaning the cup brothers (and Captain Brineybeard) don't really stand a chance in an actual fight against her. Notably, the end of the episode involves her just letting them go, rather than her being defeated. Giant Woman: She is a beautiful, curvy woman (at least when not showing her Nightmare Face) who is practically kaiju-sized, even compared to her video game counterpart. Gorgeous Gorgon: Just like in the game, she's probably one of the cutest gorgons you'll see. Brineybeard and, to a lesser extent, Mugman are both extremely charmed by her. Half-Human Hybrid: She claims her father was a sailor and her mother a fish. Hence, she's a mermaid. Here There Be Dragons: Swims in the opening shot of Inkwell Isles; given that it's a map-like view of the place, it has this effect. Interspecies Romance: Part of her backstory and her debut episode. Apparently, her father was a sailor and her mother was a fish, which is... certainly a very direct route to becoming a mermaid. She also went on a date with the human pirate Brineybeard, though she admits she did it because she planned to eat him afterwards and only didn't because she had filled up on tiramisu. Meanwhile, her debut episode "A High Seas Adventure!" is all about showing Brineybeard's love for her... and while she does hold some affection toward him, it's not enough to be his girlfriend, or to stop trying to kill him. She's a career-focused woman! In "The I Scream Man", Mugman reads a book, and imagines himself as a pirate trying to romance Cala Maria. It's still a dream sequence, but Mugman was clearly charmed. Karma Houdini: Much like Baby Bottle, she's one of the few antagonists who didn't get any retribution by the end of her episode. In her case, she's flat-out too powerful for the protagonists to really do much about. Literal Maneater: Her seductive appearance and her habit of swallowing people makes her this. Lonely at the Top: During her song, she mentions that being the number one sea beast is a "lonely life"... but in the very next line, she says she wouldn't want any other life for herself despite this. Apparently, it's a fine price to pay to chase her dreams! Married to the Job: She tries to let Brineybeard down gently by telling him romance isn't in the cards for her right now because she's more focused on her job... of being the most terrifying sea beast in the seven seas. Mighty Roar: Her appearance in gorgon form is frequently punctuated with a distorted roar. Ms. Fanservice: Just like in the game, Cala Maria is beautiful and she knows it. She frequently moves in a flirtatious manner and we later see her in a dress that further accentuates her curves. Mythology Gag: A literal one with her accent. Of course the mermaid with gorgon powers is going to have a (vaguely) Greek accent- that's where the Medusa/Gorgon myths originate! Nightmare Face: Gives a whopper of one in her big entrance complete with lightning, eyes glowing like red traffic lights, and a mouthful of fangs. She pops it out a few more times in the episode for good measure. Our Mermaids Are Different: Similarly to the game, she is a gigantic, fish-tailed mermaid with an octopus in place of her hair. She says she's the daughter of a sailor and fish so her merperson status may literally just be the result of her being a half-human hybrid- though given her size, that was a hell of a fish. Oh, and then there's the entire 'being able to transform into a gorgon' ability of hers. Pet the Dog: Even though she claims to be Married to the Job, she's genuinely charmed by the gift Brineybeard gave her and when he blows her a kiss despite her having attempted to eat him and the brothers, she decides to blow one back at him with her Super-Breath which also helps them leave her island. She basically decides to let them go instead of chasing them. Sea Monster: Her career, apparently. She's also not just any Sea Monster; according to her song, she's the number one sea beast, and the episode supports that she's entirely correct in this opinion! She's basically her world's version of Kraken and Leviathan. Spell My Name with a "The": In her song, she refers to herself as the Cala Maria, though it's ambiguous whether Cala Maria is meant to be treated that way, or whether she's using it to emphasize how famous she is. Sweet Tooth: Parodied. She is shown to indulge in the rather gross body parts of different sealife in the same way a lady might do with exotic chocolates. She sincerely refers to them as sweets and they can be used to distract her. Played more straight when she also mentions eating lots of tiramisu. Taken for Granite: In keeping with the gorgon half of her aesthetic, and straight from the game, her gaze can turn people to stone. Nobody has ever been able to turn back to normal except for Brineybeard due to the Power of Love. Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: She's a giant mermaid, making her the Huge Girl to both Captain Brineybeard and Mugman's Tiny Guy. To Serve Man: She's a giant monster that feasts upon ships that cross her territory, and tries to eat Brineybeard, Cuphead and Mugman. Trrrilling Rrrs: Can hardly go any sentence without rolling her r’s, which adds ambiguity to her accent as many European languages roll their r’s. Villain Song: "I Am the Cala Maria" which she sings in the style of a classical opera where she explains her origins and her childhood dream of being the most feared sea monster in the seven seas. It doubles as her "I Am" Song... and the reveal of her Card-Carrying Villain status! What the Hell Is That Accent?: Her accent is European, no doubt, but exactly where in Europe is a little hard to pinpoint. For the most part, she sounds Greek or Russian, but there seems to be some French, German, and maybe even Polish thrown into the mix. It's the same vaguely "Eastern Europe" accent her voice actress does as Nadja in What We Do in the Shadows (2019), who was supposedly Greek, so that's probably the intent. Would Hurt a Child: When Mugman makes himself known, she makes it clear she planned on eating him and Cuphead, something she reiterates to Brineybeard. You Talk Too Much!: Played for Laughs. Her first, rather unimpressed, response to Brineybeard's declaration of love is telling him he talks too much, alongside Eye Beams. Your Size May Vary: She's a Giant Woman, but as typical with giant creatures in cartoons, her exact size relative to the brothers and Brineybeard varies from shot to shot.