Personality and Abilities
While technically considered one of the shows antagonists, Nergal Jr doesn't quite fit the general idea of an antagonist outside of two episodes. Generally he is a lonely child who feels as though he isn't understood and never will be, which is the main issue behind his actions in his debut episode. He's not shown as inherently evil or even naughty, especially when compared to the protagonists Billy and Mandy. He's also a direct contrast to his father, who is also an outcast but is generally full of enthusiasm and positive energy.
Seen right from his first appearance, Jr is very aware that he is different from other kids. This leads to him being very unenthusiastic about being put in situations where he has to interact with others, despite the fact that he desperately wants to have real friends. He protested going to winter camp in his debut, and the very next appearance attempted to skip his first day of school by transforming into a dog. His feelings aren't unfounded either, as he's considered a freak by nearly everyone he's met so far...including his own cousin. Knowing this makes opening up hard enough for him, but hearing it both hurts and makes him angry. The result is him feeling alone because he thinks that no one will ever accept the real him.
More than most of the other recurring characters, Jr does his best to abide by the rules. He's generally not disruptive without being provoked in some way, as he doesn't want to alienate himself further. This is seen in his second appearance, where he's bullied constantly on his first day of school and the teacher's lack of concern leads him to seek revenge on both her and the bully responsible for tormenting him. He is shown to have respect for authority when it's fair though as seen when he listens to adults even if he may not like what they're saying..
Despite his pessimistic outlook on life, Jr is actually somewhat naive. He trusts the advice of people without question often, especially if he knows them, and this can get him into trouble when the advice is either bad or purposely wrong just to cause him trouble. He'll also do pretty much anything for a friend or someone that he believes likes him for himself. He's also very protective of his cousin, Billy, despite the fact that Billy is really only interested in him when he can possibly take advantage of Jr's powers or Jr has done something for him recently.
One of the few things that Jr takes open pride in is his powers. Despite being the youngest of the main returning characters, he is arguably one of the strongest and he rarely passes on a chance to use his powers to his advantage. Not just for simple things like writing or carrying his backpack, but for scaring off bullies or making sure that he could pass the fitness test. After all, he's not really ashamed of what he is, only hurt that it prevents him from connecting with others because of how they see him.
Unlike many characters who seek popularity, Jr isn't looking to be a celebrity or a big hero. He doesn't want the responsibility and potential lack of rest that would come with needing to save the planet, or the lack of privacy and certain stalking by paparazzi and rabid fans that would come with something like being a celebrity. He doesn't want to be a genius or anything really special, because he realizes that it wouldn't make him happy.
At present the closest thing he has to a true friend is his teddy, Mr. Bonkers, which he has probably had since birth. He's also very close to his parents, and looks up to his dad, but they aren't his friends and quite often push him out of his comfort zone to make some. As already stated, he will look out for and do things for Billy as well, but Billy only really interacts with him when there's something to be gained. This just shows that he cares for family though.
So, despite being a horrible creature from the center of the earth, Nergal Jr isn't really very horrible at all. He's just a child trying to fit in with a world that doesn't tolerate freaks and monsters very well.
Abilities
As Nergal's son, Jr has a number of powerful abilities. The true extent of his power was most likely never shown, but what has will be listed below. It's worth noting that while Nergal Jr is one of the most powerful characters as far as abilities, he's not the smartest or most dangerous because his mindset is that of a prepubescent child without having the number of years to match his mental age.
The ability to shapeshift is the most common one seen throughout the show. Jr can almost perfectly copy the form of any creature that he chooses, becoming any person, monster, or animal that he chooses. He tends to retain his eyes, glasses, and sharp teeth though, making it easy to notice for anyone paying attention. With this ability, he can also manipulate his current form at will, changing size and muscle mass however he wishes to benefit himself. He can also shapeshift into items with some difficulty, also retaining his eyes and glasses, as well as melt into a liquid state to bypass solid barriers.
The second most common ability in his arsenal is the one to sprout different types of tentacles in any range of shapes and sizes. These can range from long to short, thick to thin, and can even have mouths capable of consuming things. They are physically strong and can be hard to escape if they wrap around something as well. These tentacles also have the ability to zap anything they ensnare or to put victims in a state of suspended animation.
One of his less common abilities is to create little winged minions that emerge from his fingertips to do his bidding. They're not really smart, but he can direct them without words and they're happy to comply with him.
Making his ability to become liquid almost redundant, is his ability to just pass straight through solid objects. He can do this in tandem with transforming as well.
With his true form being some kind of huge and horrible monster that is never properly shown onscreen, Jr uses the ability to partly transform to turn his head into a monster for for the instant it takes to scare someone. It's not said if that's his actual head, or just one that looks scary enough to get the job done.
Nergal Jr can take a fair amount of punishment, having been flattened several times and even baked into a pizza, all within the same episode. Most characters subjected to extreme heat either burn or melt, but Jr comes out unharmed but horrified by the fact he was baked into an anchovy pizza.
Seen right from his first appearance, Jr is very aware that he is different from other kids. This leads to him being very unenthusiastic about being put in situations where he has to interact with others, despite the fact that he desperately wants to have real friends. He protested going to winter camp in his debut, and the very next appearance attempted to skip his first day of school by transforming into a dog. His feelings aren't unfounded either, as he's considered a freak by nearly everyone he's met so far...including his own cousin. Knowing this makes opening up hard enough for him, but hearing it both hurts and makes him angry. The result is him feeling alone because he thinks that no one will ever accept the real him.
More than most of the other recurring characters, Jr does his best to abide by the rules. He's generally not disruptive without being provoked in some way, as he doesn't want to alienate himself further. This is seen in his second appearance, where he's bullied constantly on his first day of school and the teacher's lack of concern leads him to seek revenge on both her and the bully responsible for tormenting him. He is shown to have respect for authority when it's fair though as seen when he listens to adults even if he may not like what they're saying..
Despite his pessimistic outlook on life, Jr is actually somewhat naive. He trusts the advice of people without question often, especially if he knows them, and this can get him into trouble when the advice is either bad or purposely wrong just to cause him trouble. He'll also do pretty much anything for a friend or someone that he believes likes him for himself. He's also very protective of his cousin, Billy, despite the fact that Billy is really only interested in him when he can possibly take advantage of Jr's powers or Jr has done something for him recently.
One of the few things that Jr takes open pride in is his powers. Despite being the youngest of the main returning characters, he is arguably one of the strongest and he rarely passes on a chance to use his powers to his advantage. Not just for simple things like writing or carrying his backpack, but for scaring off bullies or making sure that he could pass the fitness test. After all, he's not really ashamed of what he is, only hurt that it prevents him from connecting with others because of how they see him.
Unlike many characters who seek popularity, Jr isn't looking to be a celebrity or a big hero. He doesn't want the responsibility and potential lack of rest that would come with needing to save the planet, or the lack of privacy and certain stalking by paparazzi and rabid fans that would come with something like being a celebrity. He doesn't want to be a genius or anything really special, because he realizes that it wouldn't make him happy.
At present the closest thing he has to a true friend is his teddy, Mr. Bonkers, which he has probably had since birth. He's also very close to his parents, and looks up to his dad, but they aren't his friends and quite often push him out of his comfort zone to make some. As already stated, he will look out for and do things for Billy as well, but Billy only really interacts with him when there's something to be gained. This just shows that he cares for family though.
So, despite being a horrible creature from the center of the earth, Nergal Jr isn't really very horrible at all. He's just a child trying to fit in with a world that doesn't tolerate freaks and monsters very well.
Abilities
As Nergal's son, Jr has a number of powerful abilities. The true extent of his power was most likely never shown, but what has will be listed below. It's worth noting that while Nergal Jr is one of the most powerful characters as far as abilities, he's not the smartest or most dangerous because his mindset is that of a prepubescent child without having the number of years to match his mental age.
The ability to shapeshift is the most common one seen throughout the show. Jr can almost perfectly copy the form of any creature that he chooses, becoming any person, monster, or animal that he chooses. He tends to retain his eyes, glasses, and sharp teeth though, making it easy to notice for anyone paying attention. With this ability, he can also manipulate his current form at will, changing size and muscle mass however he wishes to benefit himself. He can also shapeshift into items with some difficulty, also retaining his eyes and glasses, as well as melt into a liquid state to bypass solid barriers.
The second most common ability in his arsenal is the one to sprout different types of tentacles in any range of shapes and sizes. These can range from long to short, thick to thin, and can even have mouths capable of consuming things. They are physically strong and can be hard to escape if they wrap around something as well. These tentacles also have the ability to zap anything they ensnare or to put victims in a state of suspended animation.
One of his less common abilities is to create little winged minions that emerge from his fingertips to do his bidding. They're not really smart, but he can direct them without words and they're happy to comply with him.
Making his ability to become liquid almost redundant, is his ability to just pass straight through solid objects. He can do this in tandem with transforming as well.
With his true form being some kind of huge and horrible monster that is never properly shown onscreen, Jr uses the ability to partly transform to turn his head into a monster for for the instant it takes to scare someone. It's not said if that's his actual head, or just one that looks scary enough to get the job done.
Nergal Jr can take a fair amount of punishment, having been flattened several times and even baked into a pizza, all within the same episode. Most characters subjected to extreme heat either burn or melt, but Jr comes out unharmed but horrified by the fact he was baked into an anchovy pizza.