Kent James Mansley is the main antagonist of the 1999 animated film The Iron Giant. He is a corrupt government agent who seeks to destroy the Iron Giant to further his career.
He was voiced by Christopher McDonald, who also played Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore.
His Evil Ranking[]
His Villainous Deeds[]
- While he does claim that he wants to destroy the Giant to protect America, it's clear that this is simply a thin facade and that his desire only comes from his ego and desire to boost his career.
- During his phone call with General Rogard in the film, he reveals that once he proves he's right about the Giant's existence, he demands Rogard to make him famous (with a very arrogant and obsessed tone), hinting that he cares more about fame than anything else.
- His reason for asserting that the Iron Giant is a threat is very short-sighted. During a scene where he stalks Hogarth and eventually abuses him verbally in public, he is shown to mainly exemplify the era of Cold War fear over the creation of the Soviet Sputnik 1; upon mentioning the giant, he starts saying he that doesn't know its capabilities and is afraid of what it can do, meaning that his ideology is one-sided as he immediately jumps to the conclusion that the giant is a threat without any proof, never once tried thinking if the giant's technology can actually be used to benefit mankind or even tip the favor of the Cold War to the US. Aside from his paranoia, his motivation for resenting the giant is also out of xenophobia, as he straight up reveals that anything outside of his country is enough to view it as something that has to be ended. Here's what he says:
- "I'm talking about your goldarn security, Hogarth! While you're snoozing in your little jammies back in Washington, we're wide awake and worried. Why? Because everyone wants what we have, Hogarth. EVERYONE! You think this metal man is fun, but who built it? The Russians? The Chinese? Martians? Canadians? I DON'T CARE! All I know is, we didn't build it, and that's reason enough to assume the worst and blow it to Kingdom Come! Now, you are going to tell me about this thing, you are going to lead me to it, and we are going to destroy it before it destroys us!"
- Also, Kent's attitude and ideology implies that he is ruthless and needlessly violent, refusing to try resorting to any peaceful methods before taking action.
- "I'm talking about your goldarn security, Hogarth! While you're snoozing in your little jammies back in Washington, we're wide awake and worried. Why? Because everyone wants what we have, Hogarth. EVERYONE! You think this metal man is fun, but who built it? The Russians? The Chinese? Martians? Canadians? I DON'T CARE! All I know is, we didn't build it, and that's reason enough to assume the worst and blow it to Kingdom Come! Now, you are going to tell me about this thing, you are going to lead me to it, and we are going to destroy it before it destroys us!"
- To further prove the point, after endangering everyone in Rockwell by carelessly getting a nuclear missile launched there in his paranoid attempt to kill the Iron Giant, he renounces his patriotism by saying "Screw our country! I wanna live!" which is basically an act of treason and it shows that his loyalty to his country is only if his reputation hasn't been ruined.
- He interrogated Hogarth, a child, to find information about the giant, threatening to remove the boy from his mother's care otherwise. He even used chloroform on him at one point to leave him temporarily unconscious.
- During the climax, when the Giant was spotted in Rockwell by Kent and the military, Kent blindly lies to them that the Giant is attacking, even though he can see it barely moving. This led to the military attacking the Giant and unintentionally causing some destruction, which puts all of Rockwell in danger.
- When Dean arrived to tell Kent that the Giant is harmless (when no one's attacking it and that it only reacts defensively) and that Hogarth is safe with him, he refused to inform his peers and simply told them to kill it out of paranoia (refusing to admit that the Giant is harmless).
- He lied to General Rogard (which made him contact the air force and the navy), saying that the Iron Giant killed Hogarth out of his paranoid belief that the Giant is a threat, to easily convince them that it needs to be killed at all costs (and Kent is also doing this so he would become famous once the Giant is destroyed, trying to look like a hero). The darkest part is that he also doesn't care if his lie would lead to Hogarth getting brutally murdered by the weapons of the military, the air force, or the navy. This shows that Kent was willing to commit child murder just to advance his career.
- He also foolishly triggered the Giant's defense mechanism by getting him attacked and this resulted in the Giant unwillingly causing some destruction in Rockwell.
- When Dean arrived to tell Kent that the Giant is harmless (when no one's attacking it and that it only reacts defensively) and that Hogarth is safe with him, he refused to inform his peers and simply told them to kill it out of paranoia (refusing to admit that the Giant is harmless).
- After the Giant remembers Hogarth and calms to his normal state, the former presented Hogarth to everyone in town to prove its innocence (which made General Rogard and his soldiers realize that Kent lied to them). Kent panics when he sees his paranoid lie exposed (including the fact that Hogarth is still alive) and then he tries to make another lie by saying the Giant is tricking them (further showing that he doesn't care about Hogarth getting killed, thanks to him). The moment Rogard orders his men to stand down and then tries to call the submarine to abort the missile launch (where the Giant would be lured outside the town before the missile would be launched at its current position), Kent literally tries looking at the Giant, suspecting the machine to find signs that it's a threat. The moment the Giant starts narrowing his eyes at Kent, the latter jumps to the conclusion that this is a sign of hostility towards everyone in town and then he snatches Rogard's radio, ordering the submarine to launch the missile at once, only to realize that the Giant is still residing in town and the missile is locked to his position there (after Rogard rightfully scolds him for his dumb move), meaning that everyone in town will die, thanks to Kent's paranoia.
- While the Giant did narrow his eyes at Kent (which is probably what made him react), it's barely even the former's fault since Kent was still extremely paranoid towards the Giant, having short-sighted reasons for resenting him, and was responsible for intentionally almost getting Hogarth killed. Additionally, Kent also did this because he refused to listen to Dean even though the latter did say that the Giant is harmless and only reacting defensively (even hearing him saying the Giant is friendly when he tried talking to General Rogard). Plus, he has seen Hogarth safe with the Giant (even witnessing that Hogarth is still alive even when the boy is near the Giant in its destructive mode), yet he still chose to assert that it's not harmless without any good proof, with just his paranoia talking.
- He also never once tried thinking that the Giant narrowing its eyes at him could have been because of how cruel he was towards the machine, showing how self-righteous Kent truly is.
- Another thing is that Kent deliberately snatching Rogard's radio (immediately attempting to order the submarine to launch the missile at once after the Giant narrows his eyes at him) was not only reckless, but also considered illegal, as Kent is not authorized to use nuclear weaponry. This further shows how insanely obsessed Kent is when it comes to his desperation in trying to kill the Iron Giant without enough proof nor reason.
- After humiliating himself in front of the whole town, Kent steals a jeep to escape Rockwell while selfishly leaving everyone to die from the missile, only for the Giant to stop him.
- While the Giant did narrow his eyes at Kent (which is probably what made him react), it's barely even the former's fault since Kent was still extremely paranoid towards the Giant, having short-sighted reasons for resenting him, and was responsible for intentionally almost getting Hogarth killed. Additionally, Kent also did this because he refused to listen to Dean even though the latter did say that the Giant is harmless and only reacting defensively (even hearing him saying the Giant is friendly when he tried talking to General Rogard). Plus, he has seen Hogarth safe with the Giant (even witnessing that Hogarth is still alive even when the boy is near the Giant in its destructive mode), yet he still chose to assert that it's not harmless without any good proof, with just his paranoia talking.
- While he does have a few comedic moments, he subverts them after confronting Hogarth and is mainly taken seriously afterwards.
Why He Doesn't Stand Out?[]
- His worst action, shooting a missile at Rockwell, was a result of his own idiocy and paranoia, and was completely unintentional. It was done as a last-ditch effort to kill off the Iron Giant, who he perceived as a genuine threat. Considering how he was primarily motivated by paranoia, he barely stands out compared to all of the other characters who reacted to the Giant similarly, especially towards the end of the movie when they intended to destroy it too. Additionally, he was so worked up over destroying the Giant that he did not realize the town would be destroyed until it was too late.
- While he does desert his own country for his survival afterwards, this was again done more out of cowardice rather than malice, being visibly distraught when he realized he endangered himself if not all of Rockwell's residents.
- Everything else he does besides this are merely bog-standard "kill the hero" acts of villainy, as he was specifically targeting the Giant.
External Links[]
- Kent Mansley on the Villains Wiki
- Kent Mansley on the Iron Giant Wiki
- Kent Mansley on the Hate Sink Wiki
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 Villainous Benchmarks
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