Trunchbull

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Background

Powers and Abilities

Miss Trunchbull was in the Olympics and competed in three separate events, the Shot Put, Javelin, and Hammer Throw in 1972. The Trunchbull is able to improvise almost anything into the likeness of her three Olympic events. Miss Trunchbull likes to repeat these events using children who have angered her.

Miss Trunchbull is extremely strong, lifting the rear of her Buick and turning it 180 degrees, then pushing it all the way back to her house. She also, twisted a chain off with one hand while enraged.

All the students at Crunchem Hall are terrified that Miss Trunchbull will toss them into the chokey. This is a tall, narrow closet lined with nails and broken glass.

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History

When Miss Honey, a teacher at Crunchem Hall Elementary, was a child she lived in a beautiful house with her mother and father. After her mother died her father invited her aunt Miss Trunchbull to move into the house to help out. Miss Trunchbull made Miss Honey’s life miserable.

Miss Trunchbull went to Wormwood motors to buy a car. There she met Harry Wormwood, Matilda’s father, and told him she ran a tight ship at her school. As a result, Harry sent Matilda to Crunchem Hall the next day.

Matilda

Miss Trunchbull made examples of several children to keep the others in line. On Matilda’s first day of school the Trunchbull threw a girl over the fence and into a neighboring field. Next, she called all the students into the assembly hall because a boy had stolen her chocolate cake.

Miss Trunchbull had the cook make a very large chocolate cake and forced the boy to consume the entire thing in one sitting in front of the whole school. This plan however, backfired when Matilda stood up and cheered him on, exciting the other children and everyone began cheering. The boy triumphantly finished the cake.

The next day, Miss Trunchbull’s vehicle barely made it to the school yard. She took out her frustrations on Matilda by throwing her in the chokey !

Sometimes, Miss Trunchbull would teach in place of the regular teachers. These times were only more intimidation and physical abuse for the children. She ended up having a prank pulled on her when she drank water from a cup with a newt in it. When the Trunchbull noticed it she accused Matilda of trying to poison her with what she thought was a snake.

Matilda caused the cup to pitch over and fling the newt onto the Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull danced, swayed, and shook trying to detach the newt and finally just grabbed it and threw it. The Trunchbull was sure Matilda had caused it to happen but couldn’t prove it. She angrily leaves the room.

Miss Honey explains

One day, Miss Trunchbull discovers that the car Matilda’s father sold her is a useless hunk of junk. She takes her anger out on Matilda by locking her in the chokey. When Miss Honey notices Matilda’s desk empty, she asks Matilda’s friend, Lavender, where she is.

Lavender makes a choking gesture, and Miss Honey goes to Miss Trunchbull’s office and lets Matilda out. Later, Miss Honey takes Matilda to her place. On the way, they pass Miss Trunchbull’s home, and Matilda notices a swing in the front yard.

Miss Honey then starts to tell her a story of a young girl who lost both her parents by the time she was five. In between the two tragedies, the father invited the mother’s stepsister to come live with them.

When Miss Honey tells her the girls aunt was a mean person, Matilda realizes Miss Honey is talking about Miss Trunchbull. The girl’s father died soon afterwards, a suspected suicide. Miss Honey’s story did have a happy ending as the girl rented a small cottage and finally escaped from her tyrannical aunt.

Matilda recognizes Miss Honey’s house as the cottage from her story, and realizes that the girl in Miss Honey’s story is Miss Honey herself. Miss Honey’s dark secret is now out: she is Miss Trunchbull’s niece.

Intruders

Inside, Miss Honey explains she was forced to leave all her dearest possessions behind when she left her aunt’s home, including a doll her mother gave her. Later, on the way back, they watch Miss Trunchbull loading a shot put, hammer throw, and a javelin into the trunk of her car. They also watch her panic as a black cat advances towards her.

Matilda is surprised that Miss Trunchbull is afraid of a cat. Miss Honey tells Matilda her aunt is very superstitious, so only black ones scare her. While Miss Trunchbull is gone, they sneak into the house. Above the fireplace, where a portrait of Miss Honey’s father had once hung is a portrait of Miss Trunchbull holding a javelin.

Miss Honey next tells Matilda that her father used to cut a chocolate in half, and he would always give her the bigger half. But after he died, Miss Trunchbull would count them so she could not sneak one. They then head upstairs to Miss Honey’s room where they find the portrait of Miss Honey’s father and Miss Honey’s doll.

As Miss Honey goes to grab it, the Trunchbull’s voice rings out. She is threatening Matilda’s father with a lawsuit over the phone. She suddenly notices the lid on the chocolate box is not on straight, and she goes on the rampage to find the intruders. Matilda and Miss Honey barely manage to get away from the raging Trunchbull.

Poltergeist

On a windy night, Matilda goes to Miss Trunchbull’s house where she uses her powers to get Miss Honey’s doll. She then takes two chocolates from the chocolate box before eating one. Matilda then makes the power cables shake, causing the lights to flicker, and she makes the windows fly open.

She then rips Miss Trunchbull’s portrait off the wall, and throws it in the fire. She replaces it with that of Miss Honey’s father before moving the hands of Miss Trunchbull’s clock to twelve o’clock. Now convinced her house is haunted, a terrified Miss Trunchbull runs out of the house and to her car.

At school the next day, Matilda gives Miss Honey her doll and the other chocolate. Miss Trunchbull arrives, and tells Miss Honey she will be teaching her class. However, Matilda concocts a plan, and after showing Miss Honey her powers, she says “No more Miss Nice Girl”.

Coming in, Miss Trunchbull holds up Matilda’s red hair ribbon which Matilda lost the night before, then throws it to the floor and spits on it. Miss Honey tries to defend Matilda, but ends up revealing her secret to the whole class by calling Miss Trunchbull “Aunt Trunchbull”.

Get out of here

Matilda then puts her plan into action. Using her powers to levitate a piece of chalk, she writes a ghostly message from Miss Honey’s father on the blackboard. It goes: “Agatha. This is Magnus. Give my little bumblebee her house and her money. Then get out of town. If you don’t, I will get you like you got me. That is a promise!”

Matilda then makes two erasers attack Miss Trunchbull. Once Miss Trunchbull recovers, she throws a boy out the window, but Matilda causes him to fly back in. She then sends Miss Trunchbull crashing into a globe which Matilda magically spins around before Miss Trunchbull is sent flying off into the corner.

She next charges towards Lavender, but she crashes through the door after Matilda raises Lavender off the floor. The rest of the children in the school grab their lunch boxes, and pelt Miss Trunchbull with the contents, chasing her out of the school. She quickly gets in her car and drives off, and is never heard from again.

Video

Miss Trunchbull about to do something regrettable.

Description

Miss Trunchbull is a large woman. She dresses in a blue overcoat with black shoes and drab colored knee high socks. A couple of notable features are her nose, which is a bit long and pointed, and the veins that can be seen throughout her body. Miss Trunchbull never wears make-up. She pulls her hair back in a tight bun.

Personality

Miss Trunchbull is the meanest headmistress to ever run an elementary school. The Trunchbull is a harsh and cruel tyrant. It is her solid conviction that adults are always right and children are always wrong. However, beneath her cruel face she shows to the world, she is actually a very fearful person.

Quotes

“My school is a model of discipline ! Use the rod, beat the child, that’s my motto !”

“They’re all mistakes, children. Filthy, nasty things, glad I never was one.”

(In reference to chocolates) “Much too good for children.”

“You’re too small, grow up quicker !”

“I have never been able to understand why small children are so disgusting. They’re the bane of my life. They are like insects. They should be got rid of as early as possible. Hah, [makes spraying gesture] psst ! My idea of a perfect school is one in which there are no children… at all.”

“Besides, even if you didn’t do it, I’m going to punish you ; because I’m big and you’re small and I’m right and you’re wrong and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

DC Universe History

The Trunchbull is a despicable villain and does need to be taken down by someone. Her strength and toughness make her a competant combatant. Perhaps after her ejection as principal she could get hired on to a villain group and trained in Power Armor or the like.

I see her using Technologically advanced Olympic weapons and Power Armor covering her arms boosting her strength to 08 and giving her an AV or 05. Raise her Hero Points to 25 as an example.

By Ethan Roe.

Helper(s): Wikipedia.org.

Source of Character: Matilda the 1996 movie; played by Pam Ferris.