Gargamel (LD Stories)

Gargamel (AKA "Garggy") is a character from the original comic books and cartoon show. His Wiki page is located here. He is also a character within The Reluctant Dark Knight Series and the Expanded Animated Universe.

Background Information
Straight from the Wiki: Whatever the reason, Gargamel just plain hates the Smurfs. So does his tabby cat, Azrael, who is almost always at his side - during good times or bad. According to "Gargamel's Time Trip," he first met the Smurfs when he was around twenty years old, and it was Azrael who captured Brainy - the first Smurf either of them had ever seen, and certainly not the last.

In the original comic book stories, Gargamel kidnapped one of the Smurfs during their first initial encounter with him, and intended to use the Smurf for making gold when the other Smurfs ambushed the wizard in his castle and rescued the abducted Smurf. When trying to use one of his formulas on himself to go find and capture the other Smurfs, it ended up shrinking him to Smurf size. As he found out that the Smurfs had sabotaged the formula to do this, he swore he would get his revenge on them.

While Gargamel isn't the strongest villain, he is a highly competent wizard. He has many books of spells and knows how to do them right. The Great Book of Spells can be used when there is a full moon for things beyond his normal repertoire. Contrast to his skills in the mystic arts, is - at times - clumsy, foolish, or gullible. While he is generally regarded as a wizard, his methods seem to imply he is more of an alchemist.

Fanon Wiki: He is seen throughout Season 10, but only once in one of Numbuh 404's episodes. He makes the biggest comeback in Story One as the main antagonist, accompanied by his sidekick Scruple. Although he is familiar with the King, Peewit, and King Gerard, he has not met Johan at any point in time leading up to the story. When he is first defeated by him in the Smurf Village, he is impressed by his combative skills and schemes to make him join the side of evil.

Mentoring Scruple
Though he despises his apprentice, they get along sometimes and share a hatred of Smurfs; he is often called "Garggy" and mocked or insulted when one of his schemes fails, much to his disliking. Even so, he reacts less frequently as time goes on, focusing more or less on other things. Their relationship is problematic - a real "push/pull" situation - and neither one genuinely enjoys each other's company.

Dealing With Denisa
Whenever his God-niece, Denisa, is dumped onto him from Lord Balthazar, Gargamel's only motivation behind his "kindness" towards her is the agreement between him and his Godfather: see that she is happy or suffer his wrath. Therefore, Gargamel despises the young girl and wishes she would simply leave him alone, so he often sticks her with Scruple.

After she discovered that he is a mortal foe to the Smurfs, her friends, he has had to work much harder to keep her content. This includes being nice or talking goodly of the Smurfs in her presence, postponing his projects to infiltrate the village, and letting her visit them when she is in his care - all of which makes his skin crawl.

Season 10 Episodes
Gargamel plays a role in several episodes created by Numbuh 404, which pertain to the RDK storyline.
 * Beyond the Mirror's Reflection (Ep. 25) -- He and Scruple create a mirror that will turn Smurfs to stone in the beginning, and then come to retrieve it later only to be scared straight by Ripple.
 * Kiddie Crushes (Ep. 59) -- He appears in the start of the episode when Denisa arrives, and so he places her in Scruple's care while he works.
 * The Reluctant Dark Knight (Season Finale) -- After failing to destroy the Smurfs like all previous attempts, Gargamel and Scruple are forced out of the village, having been apprehended by Johan, Peewit, and Falla. He tries to convince Johan to join his side, but he refuses, so he and his apprentice return to his hovel and discuss a plot to make him join them. Against all odds, their plan works, and so the knight is stolen for the side of Evil, giving Gargamel a main role for Season 11.

Season 11 Episodes
In certain episodes of Season 11 (specifically for the RDK Stories), Gargamel continues to perform the role of a lowly wizard constantly battling his sidekick, but notably becomes more confident in himself now that Johan is under his power. The knight percieves him as he used to see the King.
 * Woeful Smurfs (Ep. 1) -- He briefly appears at the end of this episode as Moxette visits the hovel to seek closure with the loss of Johan.
 * Somebody Learns to Hide (Ep. 2) -- Pending...
 * Dark Knight in Bright Moonlight (Ep. 12) -- Pending...
 * Mechanical Hero (Ep. 14) -- Pending...
 * A Gift for a Knight (Ep. 16) -- Pending...
 * Skipping Stones (Ep. 18) -- Pending...
 * Smurfing Over Troubled Water (Ep. 20) -- Pending...
 * Mother Nature's (Re)Creation (Ep. 21) -- Pending...
 * Denisa's Birthday Wish (Ep. 22) -- Pending...
 * Falla's Birthday (Ep. 25) -- Pending...
 * Crestfallen Christmas (Ep. 26) -- Pending...
 * Brainy's Essential Discovery (Ep. 29) -- In Brainy's Imaginarium setting, he is briefly mentioned when Papa Smurf recounts the origin of the Smurfettes.
 * The Smurfs of Poetic Prose (Ep. 31) -- Pending...
 * Blue is the Moon Stone (Ep. 32) -- Pending...
 * Befallen Breckenridge (Ep. 40) -- Pending...
 * Take Back the Knight (Season Finale) -- Pending...

Appearance
Gargamel is roughly the same height as Johan, but is usually hunched over in his old age. He has pale skin, black hair travelling over his ears, and standard black eyes. He wears a black cloak with grey patches on his elbows and front, red leggings, and red round-cuff flat shoes.

Voice Actor(s)
A good voice actor after Paul Winchell would be Hank Azaria, who played his role in the 2011 & 2013 Smurfs movies, as well as The Legend of Smurfy Hollow.

Trivia

 * His birthday is on Halloween (October 31th); he shares it with Jokey Smurf, but nobody ever remembers this.
 * His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
 * Deep down, he is insecure about how he looks, and feels lonely. He wants someone to remember his birthday and comfort him when he is weak, but all he has is Scruple and Azrael.
 * He is frequently nicknamed "Garggy" by his apprentice, but the term was first used by Smurfette in "Smurf-Colored Glasses" of the cartoon show.
 * In "Hefty's Heart," one of the Smurfs asks why Gargamel does not catch the Yellow Hate Disease, so Papa Smurf hypothesizes that he had caught it long ago. This suggests that his genuinely Evil nature has become so deep-rooted that the effects are permanent.